Categories: EvergreenHistory

Phillies franchise leaders in RBIs

Jimmy Rollins (left) and Ryan Howard (right) were two key cogs during the Phillies golden era of 2007 to 2011. (Gavin Baker/Icon Sportswire)

While runs batted in might not hold the weight that it once did throughout the 141-year history of the Philadelphia Phillies, the franchise has still had a number of sluggers and other quality hitters capable of racking up RBIs. The list of career team leaders in the stat includes players from multiple eras of Phillies baseball, many providing bright spots in a history filled with lots of losing.

Here are the Phillies’ top 10 leaders in career RBIs in the regular season:

10. Pat Burrell, 827

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, “Pat the Bat” was not quite a star, but provided a quality offensive boost in his nine-year Phillies career. Burrell eclipsed 100 RBIs in two seasons with the team in 2002 and 2005 with 116 and 117, respectively. The left fielder was a part of the 2008 World Series champion Phillies team and hit 251 home runs with the club.

9. Sherry Magee, 886

Magee played 11 seasons in Philadelphia from 1904 to 1914, leading the National League in RBIs three times. His 123-RBI mark in 1910 also led the majors. Magee posted a 143 OPS+ during his Phillies career.

8. Jimmy Rollins, 887

The team’s career leader in hits, Rollins also cracked the top 10 in RBIs during his 15-year Phillies tenure. He had a career-high 94 RBIs — along with 30 home runs, 38 doubles, 20 triples and 41 stolen bases — in his 2007 NL MVP season. A three-time All-Star shortstop, Rollins was a core member of the 2008 championship club and the Phillies teams that won five NL East division titles in a row from 2007 to 2011.

7. Chase Utley, 916

Rollins’ middle-infield partner and another core piece of that greatest era in Phillies history, Utley recorded over 100 RBIs in four straight seasons from 2005 to 2008. One of the best second basemen of his day, the left-handed hitter was named an All-Star six times and a Silver Slugger winner four times in his 13-year Phillies career.

6. Sam Thompson, 965

Spending 10 years in Philadelphia from 1889 to 1898, Thompson led the major leagues in RBIs in 1894 with 149 and 1895 with 165. The right fielder previously led the majors with 166 RBIs in 1887 as a member of the NL’s Detroit Wolverines. Thomspon was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee in 1974.

5. Chuck Klein, 983

Klein played for the Phillies in parts of 15 seasons in his 17-year Hall of Fame career that spanned from 1928 to 1944. He recorded over 100 RBIs six times in his career, leading the NL in RBIs in 1931 (121) and 1933 (120) while posting a staggering 170 RBIs in 1930. Klein also led the NL in home runs four times as a Phillie.

4. Del Ennis, 1124

Ennis, the left fielder for the Phillies from 1946 to 1956 and a member of the 1950 pennant-winning “Whiz Kids” club, reached the 100-RBI mark six times in Philadelphia and seven times in his 14-year big-league career. He was a three-time All-Star and led the NL with 126 RBIs in 1950.

3. Ryan Howard, 1194

With a torrid start to his career, won NL Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first two full seasons in 2005 and 2006. In that 2006 campaign, he led the major leagues with a career-high 58 home runs and 149 RBIs. He went on to lead the majors in home runs another time and RBIs two more times, passing the 140-RBI mark in both. The third core member of those great Phillies teams along with Rollins and Utley, the three-time All-Star Howard spent his entire 13-year career in Philadelphia.

2. Ed Delahanty, 1288

Delahanty played 13 years in Philadelphia from 1888 to 1901 — with a stop in Cleveland in 1890 in the Players League — and led the majors in RBIs three times in 1893 (146), 1896 (126) and 1899 (137). He also led the major leagues in home runs twice with the Phillies. Delahanty was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945.

1. Mike Schmidt, 1595

The greatest player in Phillies history and the greatest third baseman of all time, Schmidt leads this category with plenty of room to spare. He recorded over 100 RBIs nine times, led the NL four times and all of Major League Baseball once. Schmidt led the majors in home runs eight times, hitting 548 in his career. He played his entire legendary 18-year career in Philadelphia, making 12 All-Star teams and winning 10 Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, three MVPs and the 1980 World Series, in which he was named World Series MVP. Schmidt made the Hall of Fame in 1995 on his first ballot.