The Phillies Nation Top 100: #10 Dick Allen
From this point forward, each weekday, we will reveal two Phillies from the PN Top 100 in separate posts. To view the players listed thus far, please click here. To view the 2008 iteration of the list of Greatest Phillies of All Time as compiled by Tim Malcolm, please click here.
Please check back this afternoon for #9.
Years: 1963-1969, 1975-1976
.290/.371/.530 with 204 HR, 86 SB in 4511 PA
Previous Rank: 7 (-3)
fWAR Phillies Rank: 10th among position players, 14th among Phillies
1964 Rookie of the Year, Three-Straight All-Star Selections (1965-1967)
Bursting on to the scene in 1964 with one of the greatest rookie seasons of all-time, Dick Allen was one of the most feared hitters of the 1960s. Allen hit an incredible .318/.382/.557 in his rookie year of 1964, leading the Major Leagues in runs scored and triples, while his 8.3 fWAR is fourth-best among rookie years, ever. During the Phillies’ historic collapse in 1964 where the Phillies blew a 6.5 game lead with 12 to play, Allen hit .429/.462/.796 with 5 2B, 2 3B, and 3 HR.
During his first stint with the Phillies, Allen would hit .300/.380/.554 with 177 HR and 64 SB. During this stretch, Allen led all Major League third basemen in batting average, SLG, and OPS, ranked third in OBP, HR, and runs among all third basemen, and fourth in RBI. Allen would make three-straight All-Star teams from 1965 through 1967 and started the games in ’65 and ’67. Despite his successes, Allen would lead the league in strikeouts in 1964 and 1965 and led the league in errors committed in 1964 and 1967.
Even though Allen was mashing baseballs on a regular basis, Allen would face frequent racist comments and objects thrown at him from the stands while at third base. Allen also reportedly hated the nickname “Richie” and got into a fist-fight with teammate Frank Thomas in 1965 where it is believed that Thomas hit Allen with a bat during an exchange where Thomas was believed to have made racist remarks toward Allen. For all Allen went through, Allen maintained his status as an elite offensive third baseman of his time.
Allen would miss a twi-light double-header with the Mets after reportedly spending time at a horse race in New Jersey in the morning. Following the 1969 season, Allen would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in a mega-deal that would land the Phillies, among others, Tim McCarver and Curt Flood, who would refuse to report to Philadelphia and accelerate the birth of free agency. Allen would wind up as a first baseman with the Chicago White Sox in 1972 and win the AL MVP.
In 1975, Allen would be traded to the Atlanta Braves from the White Sox but would not take the field for the team before being traded to the Phillies on May 7, 1975 with Johnny Oates for Barry Bonnell and Jim Essian. Allen would hit 27 HR and 23 SB with a .248/.335/.424 line between 1975 and 1976, helping the Phillies reach the playoffs for the first time since the 1950 World Series.
Allen, who was also a successful lead singer with the group The Ebonistics, still ranks among the top hitters in Phillies history. Allen ranks ninth in team history in HR, 19th in runs, 19th in RBI, fifth in SLG, and 12th in OPS. Allen was one of baseball’s best hitters for the first seven seasons he was with the Phillies and earns his place on the Phillies Nation 100 for his ability to crush baseballs.
