While the current Phillies team isn’t quite known for its defensive prowess, the franchise has seen a number of impact players in the field in recent memory.
Defensive runs saved (DRS) is an advanced metric used to measure a fielder’s defensive impact in terms of how many runs that player saved in the field versus the average. An average fielder would amass a DRS around zero for a season, while the most elite defenders go into the double digits in a year.
Here’s a list of the top 10 Phillies by career DRS, dating back to 2003 when the statistic was first kept:
1. Chase Utley, 132 DRS
The Phillies’ second baseman during its greatest stretch in franchise history, Utley racked up 132 DRS during his time in Philadelphia from 2003 to 2015. His best single-season mark came in 2008 with a staggering 31 DRS (30 at second base and one in 14 innings at first base). Utley’s iconic deke play was a crucial moment in the clinching Game 5 of the 2008 World Series.
2. Jimmy Rollins, 59
Utley’s middle-infield partner, Rollins manned the shortstop position in Philadelphia from 2000 to 2014. And while DRS wasn’t around for his debut and the first two full seasons of his career, the 2007 National League MVP still climbed his way up this leaderboard. Rollins was a stellar fielder in the earlier parts of his career, reaching the 18-DRS mark in 2005 and 2008. He won four Gold Gloves at shortstop as a Phillie.
3. Plácido Polanco, 43
Polanco, a gifted defensive infielder, had two different stints in a Phillies uniform playing two different primary positions. He played second base in Philly from 2003 to 2005, then returned to be the team’s third baseman from 2010 to 2012. He had a 15 DRS at second in 2003, while winning a Gold Glove at third in 2011 with nine DRS. Polanco won two other Gold Gloves at second base while with the Tigers.
4. David Bell, 38
Bell played third base for parts of four seasons in Philadelphia, reaching 17 DRS in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005. Despite never winning a Gold Glove, Bell led all major-league third basemen in DRS in 2005.
5. Shane Victorino, 31
Victorino played for the Phillies from 2005 to 2012, becoming a regular as a right fielder before cementing himself as the club’s center fielder. He posted 16 DRS as a right fielder in 2007, then won three straight Gold Gloves in center from 2008 to 2010. He won a fourth Gold Glove with the Red Sox in 2013 as a right fielder.
6. Jayson Werth, 26
Werth joined the Phillies in 2007 and stayed for the first four of their five straight NL East titles. The primary right fielder from 2008 through 2010, Werth actually recorded 13 DRS in only 97 games between left field, right field and center field in 2007.
7. Ranger Suárez, 21
Suárez, a current Phillies starting pitcher who made his debut in 2018, is known for his calm demeanor on the mound and in the field, handling comebackers without breaking a sweat. The left-hander’s nine DRS in 2022 was the best of any pitcher that season.
8. Kyle Kendrick, 20
Another starting pitcher, Kendrick fielded the position well and posted solid marks across his Phillies career from 2007 to 2014. He posted a career-high five DRS in 2013.
9. Odúbel Herrera, 19
Herrera was the team’s primary center fielder from 2015 to 2019 before he was arrested and subsequently arrested for domestic violence; he then played in parts of two more seasons in 2021 and 2022. He started his career with back-to-back 10-DRS seasons, but finished with negative marks in three of his last four seasons.
10. J.T. Realmuto, 18
Realmuto has been the team’s catcher since he was traded to Philadelphia in 2019 and has been one of the best backstops in baseball in that time. He has two dominant defensive seasons in 2019 and 2022 with 12 and 11 DRS, respectively. Realmuto won the Gold Glove in both seasons.
