The late Roy Halladay, already a Phillies Wall of Famer, was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot today.
But what about other players with Phillies ties?
Former Phillies who didn’t come close to the necessary 75 percent voting requirement include Placido Polanco (0.5 percent) and Roy Oswalt with (0.9 percent). Michael Young, who many forget played in 126 games for the Phillies in 2013, had 2.1 percent. Other former Phillies that received no votes include Freddy Garcia and Juan Pierre. All of these players failed to get the five percent needed to appear on next year’s ballot.
Here’s a look back at a couple of the names that fell off the ballot, along with three other former Phillies that figure to remain on the ballot for the foreseeable future.
Curt Schilling
Schilling is the most polarizing of the names listed. This was Schilling’s seventh year in which he did not get the amount of votes needed. However, the uptick in voting should certainly give Schilling some confidence heading into next year.
Schilling, the Phillies ace for much of the 1990s, once again didn’t make the cut for Cooperstown, although he did finish with 60.9 percent (259) of the votes. That number is a big jump from last year, as Schilling had 51.2 percent in 2018.
Schilling is involved in politics, with him suggesting that’s one of the reasons he hasn’t had the call to the Hall just yet.
Schilling certainly has a Hall of Fame resume. He’s a six-time All-Star, with three World Series victories, three Cy Young Award second place finishes, a World Series MVP, an NLCS MVP, a record of 216-146, a 3.46 ERA, 83 complete games, 20 shutouts, 3,116 strikeouts and a bWAR of 80.6. Schilling pitched in Philadelphia from 1992 until his trade to Arizona in July of 1999, although he had most of his postseason success with the Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox.
Scott Rolen
Former third baseman Scott Rolen finished with 17.2 percent of the vote in his second year on the Hall of Fame ballot. Rolen‘s voting is up from last year’s results, when he received 10.2 percent.
Over his career, Rolen hit .281 with 316 home runs, 1,287 RBIs, 2,077 hits and 899 walks. Rolen was a seven-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner and the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year. Rolen spent parts of seven seasons in Philadelphia, although is most likely remembered for his five-and-a-half season run in St. Louis. Rolen has a higher bWAR (70.2) than the average Hall of Fame third baseman (68.4), as well as a higher JAWS (56.9 versus 55.7). Rolen could certainly be one name that could make another jump next year.
Billy Wagner
In 16 seasons, Wagner posted a 2.31 ERA, 422 saves and 1,196 strikeouts in 853 games (903.0 innings pitched). In addition, Wagner went to seven All-Star games and was the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year in 1999. Wagner had a bWAR of 27.8. However, Phillies fans don’t remember Wagner very fondly. Like Rolen, Wagner saw his percentage jump up from 11.1 percent in 2018 to 16.7 percent in 2019. 2019 was Wagner’s fourth year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt had a fantastic career with the Houston Astros, Phillies, Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers, going 163-102 with a 3.36 ERA, 1,852 strikeouts, 20 complete games, eight shutouts and a bWAR of 50.0. Oswalt was a three-time All-Star, and finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting five times. Oswalt spent the majority of his time in Philadelphia pitching behind bigger stars in Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, but that doesn’t diminish the impressive 13-year run he had in the majors.
Placido Polanco
Polanco was well-liked in Philadelphia, where he spent parts of eight of his 16 years in the majors. The versatile infielder was a two-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner. Over his career, Polanco hit .297 with 104 home runs, 2,142 hits, 723 RBIs, a bWAR of 41.5, 81 stolen bases and 429 walks. While Polanco will no longer be eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot, he likely will continue to appear on the Phillies Wall of Fame ballot.