Many forgotten Philadelphia Phillies players are in the team’s long and storied history. Some of these players went on to become famous after playing for the Phillies. While in the case of other players who spent part of the end of a notable career with the Phillies, not many people remember playing for the team. This list will not include every possible obscure former Phillies player. However, it will include some of the more notable players who may not be remembered for their time in Philadelphia. The level of notoriety reached by the players on this list may vary, but generally speaking, these players are well known.
Forgotten Philadelphia Phillies
Dave Stewart
Before Dave Stewart succeeded with the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays, he spent 12 games with the Phillies. In September of 1985, the Texas Rangers traded Stewart to the Phillies in exchange for Rich Surhoff, who never pitched in the major league again after that season. That season, Stewart made four appearances for the Phillies and had a 6.23 ERA. Stewart would make eight appearances for the Phillies in 1986 and had a 6.57 ERA. Furthermore, in May 1986, the Phillies released Stewart, who would sign with the Athletics a few weeks later. With the Athletics, Stewart made his one career All-Star appearance.
Fergie Jenkins
The first eight games Fergie Jenkins pitched in the major leagues were with the Phillies. In 1965, Jenkins made his MLB debut for the Phillies and had a 2-1 record with a 2.19 ERA in seven games. The following year, 1966, saw Jenkins pitch one game for the Phillies before the Chicago Cubs acquired him in a trade. In addition to Jenkins, the Phillies sent John Herrnstein and Adolfo Phillips to the Cubs, receiving Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson. With the Cubs, Jenkins would win a Cy Young Award and be selected for the All-Star team three times. Additionally, in 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Pedro Martinez
Unlike the first two forgotten Phillies on this list, Pedro Martinez spent his last season with the team. In July of 2009, the Phillies signed Martinez to help with pitching depth. He would make nine regular season and three postseason starts for the team. In those nine regular season outings, Martinez had a 5-1 record with a 3.63 ERA and 37 strikeouts. That postseason, Martinez started two World Series games for the Phillies, going 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA and 13 strikeouts. After the 2009 season, Martinez retired from baseball as one of the greatest starting pitchers ever. In 2015, Martinez was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Ryne Sandberg
The first position player on this forgotten Phillies list is Ryne Sandberg, who made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1981. In 13 games that season, Sandberg had a .167/.167/.167 line with no home runs or RBI. Sandberg tallied his first career hit with the Phillies. Sandberg was traded to the Cubs along with Larry Bowa for Ivan de Jesus the following offseason. This is the most infamous trade in Phillies history and one of the worst in baseball history. Sandberg won the NL MVP in 1984 with the Cubs and made 10 All-Star appearances while winning a Gold Glove nine times and a Silver Slugger seven times. In 2005, Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Fernando Valenzuela
Near the end of his career, Fernando Valenzuela spent some time with the Phillies. This came during the strike-shortened 1994 season, when Valenzuela pitched in eight games, including seven starts for the Phillies. Valenzuela had a 1-2 record in those eight games and a 3.00 ERA. At the plate, Valenzuela put up an impressive .250/.250/.333 line, recording three hits in 16 plate appearances. That is unsurprising since Valenzuela was one of the better-hitting pitchers then. Valenzuela won the Silver Slugger Award at the position twice with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Valenzuela would play three more seasons after his 1994 stint with the Phillies.
Jose Bautista
The Phillies were the last team Jose Bautista played a game for in the major leagues. After going between teams early in his career before landing on the Blue Jays and succeeding, Bautista did the same at the end. In his last season in 2018, Bautista played for three teams, the last of which was the Phillies. Of the forgotten Phillies on this list, Bautista played the most games for the team, having played in 27. In those games, Bautista had a .244/.404/.467 line with two home runs and six RBI. Furthermore, Bautista had a 133 OPS+ with the Phillies and two stolen bases.
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