There are some obvious soon to be additions to the Phillies Wall of Fame, including Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and Ryan Howard, plus nearly a half dozen or so other players, such as Carlos Ruiz and Brad Lidge, deserving of serious consideration, but let's think outside the box.
What forgotten players deserve recognition?
Norristown's Roy Thomas is one player certainly deserving of a look.
Thomas graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before signing with the Phillies in 1899. He went on to spend 12 seasons with the Phillies and was one of the best outfielders of his era. Upon his retirement following the 1912 season, he held career fielding records for center fielders in putouts (NL) and fielding average (MLB).
Thomas finished his career in Philadelphia with 40.4 WAR. For comparison, Scott Rolen finished with 29.6 WAR, Dick Allen with 37.7 WAR, and Mike Lieberthal with 20 WAR. All three players are enshrined on the Wall of Fame.
Maybe the Phillies could call an audible and go in a different direction for one year, celebrating some of the great Negro players that called Philadelphia home. The Pirates have honored players from Homestead and the Crawfords, so perhaps the Phillies could do the same from Philadelphia's storied past with Black baseball.
Names like Biz Mackey, Louis Santop, Judy Johnson, and Slim Jones could lead an outstanding cohort of fantastic players that deserve their stories to celebrated.
Johnson, in particular, should earn a serious look. He was an outstanding infielder and spent nearly 12 seasons in the Negro Leagues, playing primarily with Hilldale and Pittsburgh. He was a five-tool player and well respected off the field.
In addition to his effort on the field, Johnson spent more than a decade working for the Phillies as a scout, playing a significant role in the club finding and signing Dick Allen.
“[Ruly] Carpenter, the Phillies owner, liked me to go because I can help the Negro boys and also white boys," Johnson once told historian John Holway. " If a kid does something wrong, I’ve got to go through the motions and show him the right way. You can’t just holler at him, you’ve got to show him how the ball is handled, and that’s what my boss likes about me. I played a lot of baseball and I always tried to learn. I tell the kids baseball is like school, and you get promoted if you learn,"
