Top-Five Hispanic Phillies Legends
The Phillies are honoring these five distinguished alumni with fan cutouts as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the Phillies are honoring the legacies of five distinguished Hispanic alumni who left their mark in Philadelphia. These five players, honored with cardboard cutouts together in the ballpark, created unforgettable moments for Phillies fans both on and off the field.
Carlos Ruiz
Chooch, as he was affectionately known, will be a legend in Philadelphia forever. The Panamanian caught a National League record four no-hitters during his time with the Phillies, including a perfect game and playoff no-hitter in the same season. A consistent hero in the postseason, Ruiz finished his career with a .264 batting average and 415 RBI. Ruiz was so well-respected that, after he chose not to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Panamanian President called him personally and convinced him to reconsider. Chooch was the heart and soul of the Phillies recent golden era and no one will forget when he delivered one of the biggest little hits in MLB history.
Bobby Abreu
With the Venezuelan flag resting proudly on his chest, Bobby Abreu made the Phillies and his native country proud in 2005 by setting a record with 41 dingers in the Home Run Derby. That performance is legendary, but Abreu’s regular season play got him to the Phillies’ Wall of Fame in 2019. Abreu finished his career with 2,470 hits, 1,363 RBI, two All-Star selections, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. He will be on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot once again in 2021 and, if elected, would be the second Venezuelan-born player to receive that honor.
Manny Trillo
The Phillies’ 2020 Wall of Fame Inductee was the definition of heroic for the Phillies’ 1980 World Series champs. His two-run triple in Game 5 of the five-game NLCS capped off a dramatic comeback against Nolan Ryan and cemented his series MVP award. Trillo’s rocket arm from second base also completed two relay assists from the outfield — one in the NLCS and another in the World Series — that kept the Phillies alive in crucial games. Hailing from Caripito, Venezuela, Trillo became a four-time All Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger winner at second base. He was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.
Tony Taylor
The Cuban native was a Phillies legend who the Phillies were saddened to lose this year. A two-time All Star, Taylor finished his 19-year MLB career with 2,007 hits and 598 runs batted in. He was known as an iron man for the Phils, playing a franchise record 1,003 at second base that was later broken by Chase Utley. His six steals of home plate are the second most in Phillies history. Taylor was inducted in to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2002. In 1981, he was enshrined in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame before being inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 1983.
Juan Samuel
Juan Samuel was a legend on the base paths for the Phillies. He stole a franchise record 72 bags in 1984, a year after he helped lead the Phillies to a National League pennant. His instincts on the bases became a major asset for the Phillies when Samuel alternated as a third and first base coach for the Phillies from 2011 to 2017. The Dominican Republic native was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2008 and finished his career as a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner.
— Beyond The Bell contributor Graham Foley
