Coming Off the Bench: Ten Memorable Phillies Utility Players

Tomas Perez

When you read through team rosters on baseball history sites like Baseball-Reference.com, generally you will find a player whose position designation is UT. A UT is, of course, a utility player - a player who doesn't start a lot of games, but a player who can play many positions and is good enough to start for a week or two when one of the regulars gets injured.  Utility players don't usually get much press, or even fan recognition, but they play a crucial role on any team. Currently, the Phillies have a fine utility player in Johan Camargo. Here is a decade-by-decade rundown of some of the Phillies' great utility players from years past. 

Jimmy Walsh (1910 - 1913)

Nicknamed "Runt", the 5' 9", 174-pound Walsh was a player who helped define what a utility player should be. In 1911, he played every position on the field for the Phillies. While primarily an infielder, Runt was willing to play anywhere the manager asked. He volunteered to go behind the plate and caught four games in 1911. That same year he made his one appearance on the mound, pitching 2 2/3 innings and giving up eight hits and four earned runs in a 13-10 Phillies loss to the Boston Rustlers. 

Walsh got one of his extended opportunities to play in 1911, when star left fielder Sherry Magee was suspended for attacking an umpire. Walsh filled in capably over 20 games hitting .271 and playing stout outfield defense. 

Walsh was known for being an inveterate practical joker. He once pulled off a "snipe hunt" that was so successful that the poor young ballplayer who got left in the woods during the "hunt", James Conley, was known forevermore as "Snipe" Conley. 

In 1914, Walsh accepted an offer from his friend and former Phillies' second baseman, Otto Knabe to jump to the Baltimore team in the newly formed Federal League.  Knabe said of his recruit, "It may sound strange, but Runt Walsh is too good a ball player to be a regular. By using him where and when I need him most, I can get the most out of him." Such is the lot of the utility player.

Russ Wrightstone (1920-1928)

All observers agreed on one thing about Russ Wrightstone - he could hit. The problem for the right-handed throwing, lefty batting slugger, was finding a position on the field where he could play. Unlike most utility players, Wrightstone was not great at any defensive position. It was his bat that got him to the major leagues and his bat that kept him there for nine years. He was most often used as a third baseman, a position that was not considered an elite defensive position in those days, but also spent considerable time in the outfield and at first base. During his time with the Phillies, he played every position except pitcher and catcher.

Russ was a truly fine hitter. In five of his nine seasons, he hit over .300, topping out at .346 in 1925. In his one season as a regular, 1927, he hit .306 with 74 RBIs in 141 games at first base. The finest offensive game of his career came on July 11, 1926, when Wrightstone went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBIs in a game the Phillies won 13-11 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Still, fielding issues kept him from being a full-time player. He once dropped an easy fly ball in left field with two outs in the ninth inning, the bases loaded and the Phillies clinging to a 6-5 lead over the Chicago Cubs. The muff cost the team the ball game. Afterwards, Wrightstone complained, "The ball was too damn high." You can read my full SABR biography of Russ Wrightstone here. 

Barney Friberg (1925-1932)

Friberg (also known as Bernie) was primarily a third baseman when the Phillies picked him up on waivers from the Chicago Cubs in July 1925. He soon became a jack-of-all-trades, filling in all over the diamond. His one appearance on the mound occurred on August 25 that year, after the Phillies had fallen behind the St. Louis Cardinals 12-5. Barney pitched four innings, giving up just two runs on four hits and saving the Phillies bullpen in the process. 

After poor offensive seasons in 1927 and 28, Barney almost became a full-time pitcher, but an injury to Phillies shortstop Tommy Thevenow, who broke both jaws and shattered his cheekbones in an automobile accident, gave Barney a chance to get regular playing time at shortstop. He responded by hitting .301 and playing decent shortstop. On Monday, May 13, Barney went 4-for-5 with a home run and a walk off two-run double in the bottom of the ninth as the Phillies beat the Cardinals, 10-9. At the end of the season, Phillies manager Burt Shotton declared Barney, "the most valuable player on our team." Friberg even got some votes for National League MVP. 

In 1930, Friberg hit .341, while appearing in 105 games at various positions. He was with the Phillies until 1933, when he finished out his major league career with 17 games for the Boston Red Sox. In nearly 800 games in a Phillies uniform, Friberg hit a solid .274. You can read my post about Barney Friberg here.

Putsy Caballero (1944-45, 1947-52) 

Whiz Kid Putsy Caballero makes this list if for no other reason than having one of the great names in baseball history. Ralph Joseph Caballero was born in New Orleans, Louisiana where he got his nickname at a young age, because he said, "People just called me Putsy, there was no special reason for it." A fine high school athlete in both basketball and baseball, Putsy was given a scholarship to Louisiana State University, but chose instead to sign with the Phillies. At 16 in 1944, Putsy had the advantage of being too young for the military draft. The Phillies, like all teams, desperate for players during the war years, brought Putsy right up to the major league team at the end of the season. Putsy was the youngest player in major league history to play third base and the youngest position player to appear in the post-World War 1 era. 

Caballero spent most of 1945 and all of 1946 in the Phillies farm system, where he roomed with future Hall of Famer and Phillies broadcaster, Richie Ashburn. The two became friends and remained roommates when both were promoted to the Phillies in 1948. Putsy's exploits became fodder for broadcaster Ashburn after Richie had retired. One famous story that Richie told was how one Italian Philadelphia restauranteur who, assuming Caballero was Italian, would not let Putsy pay for a meal. Caballero, who was of French, Irish, and Spanish descent, kept quiet about his ancestry so he and his teammates could get a free dinner.

During his time with the Phillies, Putsy never played much. He was often used as a pinch runner or defensive substitute. His best season was probably 1948, when he appeared in 113 games and hit .245, mostly as a third baseman. Putsy did hang around long enough to be on the pennant winning 1950 team, however. He appeared in three World Series games against the New York Yankees, two as a pinch runner and one as an unsuccessful pinch hitter.

Cookie Rojas (1963-1969) 

In November 1962, the Phillies traded problem child pitcher and charter member of the Dalton Gang, Jim Owens, to the Cincinnati Reds for unheralded utility infielder, Cookie Rojas. While it appeared to be a minor deal at the time (Mauch said, "Sometimes you add by subtracting."), Rojas went on to become, arguably, the best utility player in Phillies history and a fan favorite. It may be unfair to even call Rojas a utility man since he was in the starting lineup so often, but his versatility and willingness to play anywhere he was asked to play, endeared him to manager Mauch and earned him the playing time. 

After an undistinguished 1963 season, Rojas established himself as a Phillies hero in the fateful 1964 season. In 1964, Rojas played every position on the field except catcher and pitcher. He spent most of his time in the outfield, being used as a right-handed hitting alternative to Tony Gonzalez or Wes Covington. On May 29 at Connie Mack Stadium, Rojas endeared himself to the Phillies fans forever. The young Phillies found themselves, surprisingly, in the pennant hunt, just one game behind the San Francisco Giants. On this day, Jim Bunning and the bullpen managed to blow a five-run lead to the Houston Astros in the eighth inning. Rojas, who already had three hits on the day, tripled to center field over the head of Rusty Staub, to drive home Gus Triandos with the go ahead run. Ed Roebuck shut down the Astros in the ninth and the Phillies had the victory.

Rojas had his best season in 1965 while most of the Phillies slumped after the 1964 tragedy. He hit .303 in 142 games and made the All-Star team. In 1967, Rojas made his only pitching appearance, when he pitched one shutout inning against the Giants in a 12-3 Phillies loss. Traded from the Phillies in the infamous Curt Flood-Dick Allen deal, Rojas had a poor season with the St. Louis Cardinals, before a trade that made him the regular second baseman for the Kansas City Royals and a perennial All-Star. Here is my full article about Rojas.

Terry Harmon (1967-1977)

In the 1960s and 70s the Phillies drafted a number of players out of Ohio University, including the highly touted Mike Schmidt (2nd round 1971) and Larry Hisle (second round 1965). Much less touted, but a player who ended up with a 10-year career with the Phillies was utility man, Terry Harmon (5th round 1965). Harmon was the quintessential bench player for the Phillies, as they continually improved in the 1970s. He never played in more than 87 games (in his rookie year of 1969) and never got more than 221 at bats (in his best year 1972). Harmon was, however, a very steady presence as a late inning defensive replacement at either shortstop or second base, as a pinch runner, and as a fill-in starter when a regular got hurt. In 1972, Harmon platooned at second base with regular Denny Doyle and responded with a fine .284 batting average. Harmon had very little power, hitting just four home runs in his ten years with the Phillies. 

Terry's finest game may have been on May 7, 1972 at Veteran's Stadium, when he went 4-for-4 and scored three runs as the Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-3 behind Steve Carlton. After years toiling with poor Phillies teams, Harmon finally made his one and only appearance in a playoff game in 1976, when he appeared as a pinch runner for catcher Bob Boone during Game 3 of the League Championship Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Harmon scored the go ahead run on a Dave Cash sacrifice fly, but the Phillies lost the game and the series, 6-5, 3-0.

Greg Gross (1979-1988) 

Pinch hitter par excellence Greg Gross is the only lefty thrower in this group of super subs. While most utility players are infielders, who may play a little outfield, Gross was an outfielder who played a little first base. Gross' claim to fame was more his hitting than his defense, but he filled in capably in all three outfield positions and at first. A slap hitter without a lot of power, Gross hit just one home run in his 1819 plate appearances with the Phillies. That home run was a game winning two-run shot off Lance McCullers of the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Field on May 27, 1987.

One of Gross' best games for the Phillies came as the team drove to the pennant on August 19, 1983. He went 2-for-4 with a triple, single, sacrifice fly, and three runs batted in, while playing both right and left field as the Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1. Gross may be best remembered for the bunt single he laid down in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series in 1980 as the Phillies came from behind in the eighth inning against Nolan Ryan to tie the score and eventually win the game in 10 innings, in what may be the greatest single Phillies game ever played.

In the tradition of many utility players, Gross even took the mound for the Phillies in a blowout game in 1986. He struck out two (Casey Candaele and Herm Winningham), walked one, and gave up one hit in 2/3 of an inning work. After his playing career, Gross was the hitting coach for the Phillies for several years.

Mariano Duncan (1992-1995)

During his four years with the Phillies Mariano Duncan played every infield position, and perhaps surprisingly, 65 games in left field. Duncan was a key member of the "rowdy team of misfits" that won the National League pennant in 1993. That year Duncan platooned with Mickey Morandini at second base and filled in at shortstop for the struggling Juan Bell, until Kevin Stocker was brought up from the minor leagues. 

Duncan's finest moment as a Phillie came that year. On May 9 at Veterans Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies trailed by 5-2. In the bottom of the eighth inning after the first two batters made outs, Darren Daulton singled and Wes Chamberlain doubled. Cardinals manager Joe Torre called on reliever Lee Smith to replace starter Bob Tewksbury. Smith walked Milt Thompson to load the bases and bring up Duncan. Mariano blasted Smith's first pitch to the deep left center field seats for a game winning grand slam home run. The Phillies rode the momentum from that victory all the way to the pennant.

Duncan showed that he fit right in with '93 Phillies feistiness, when he charged the Cubs pitcher Ron Castillo on the mound after he was low bridged by a pitch. The benches cleared and after the dust had settled, Duncan was ejected. 

Here is Mariano’s grand slam.

Kevin Jordan (1995-2001) 

KJ, as he was known to teammates, played his entire seven-year major league career with the Phillies after coming over to the team with pitcher Bobby Munoz in a trade with the Yankees for Terry Mulholland. Jordan was an oft-used pinch hitter with the Phillies and played second, third, and first base. Jordan's finest season with the Phillies was 1999 when he hit .285 in 112 games, filling in capably at third base after Scott Rolen was injured. 

On April 28, 1998, KJ had a shining moment in a wild game at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. With the score tied 8-8 in the 10th inning, Jordan came to the plate with two men on and two men out. He blasted a Stan Belinda pitch out of the park to give the Phillies an 11-8 lead. Reliever Darrin Winston, the last pitcher in the bullpen, preserved the lead for the only save of his major league career. After the game Jordan told reporters, "That was one of those games where you feel every emotion. We were happy, we were sad, we were angry. The game had everything you could possibly see."

The only grand slam of Jordan's career also came as a pinch hitter. The blast came on April 20, 2001at Veteran's Stadium, against the Atlanta Braves. Jordan took Oliver Perez deep with the bases jammed in the seventh inning as the Phillies won, 8-3. That was Jordan's final year in the major leagues. After two seasons in the minor leagues, Jordan finished out his career playing three seasons across the Delaware River with the independent Camden River Sharks. 

Tomas Perez (2000-2005)

In his six seasons as a Phillie, Tomas Perez established himself as a fan favorite. He was a man who seemed content in his role as a utility player, a joyous personality, and the man who put himself in charge of post-game victory celebrations. Perez famously led his teammates after a victory by anointing the game's hero with a cream pie to the face, often while the "star of the game" was doing a post-game interview. Tomas was easy to like. He was also a pretty good ballplayer. Primarily a shortstop/second baseman, Perez played all the positions in the infield, made a few appearances in the outfield and one appearance on the mound, pitching 1/3 of an inning against Houston in a 17-3 Astros blowout on May 13, 2002. Perez faced two batters, one of whom reached on an error by Jason Michaels. 

Perez reached his offensive peak with the Phillies when he hit .304 in 62 games during the 2003 season. Other seasons he honed closer to being the career .240 hitter he was. On July 24, 2001, Tomas blasted two solo home runs at the Vet as the Phillies crushed the Montreal Expos, 10-2. They were Perez' first two home runs of the year and the only time in his career he hit 2 home runs in a game. Remarkably, Perez hit one home run batting left-handed against Tony Armas and the other home run batting right-handed against lefty Joey Eischen. This matched the feat of Steve Jeltz (1989), later equaled by Jimmy Rollins (2006) as the only Phillies players to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game. All three players were playing shortstop at the time they achieved this feat.

Even in pain, Perez could bring a smile to a teammates' face. On August 24, 2001, at the Vet, in the eighth inning, with the Phillies leading the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-5, Perez took a mighty hack at a Byung-Hyun Kim slider. The ball broke wickedly and hit Perez in what announcer Harry Kalas called a "sensitive place." While Perez doubled over in pain and disbelief, the camera shot to Doug Glanville in the dugout. Doug could not contain a broad smile. Here's video of the incident.

So, there are ten of the top utility players in Phillies' history. I am sure I have left out some favorites. Who would you add?