PHILADELPHIA -- Has it been that long?
The National Baseball Hall of Fame released its 2017 ballot on Monday, and two former Phillies are on it for the first time: outfielders Pat Burrell and Matt Stairs. Neither is likely to receive the 75 percent of total votes necessary for induction, but the pair's appearance on the ballot brings to mind arguably the greatest era in Phillies history.
The Phillies won the 2008 World Series, two National League pennants and five consecutive NL East titles from 2007-11. Burrell played for the club from 2000-08, while Stairs played for the Phillies from 2008-09.
Both left their marks on the organization and remain fan favorites.
In fact, Burrell was inducted onto the Phillies' Wall of Fame in 2015. He hit .257 with 251 home runs, 827 RBIs and an .852 OPS in his Phillies career. He played such an integral role in the rebirth of the organization that he led the team's World Series championship parade down Broad Street, two days after they won Game 5 of the 2008 Fall Classic.
Stairs joined the Phillies following a trade with the Blue Jays in Aug. 2008, and he hit a majestic, game-winning pinch-hit home run in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Stairs spent the past three years as an analyst with Comcast SportsNet. He will be the Phillies' hitting coach next year.
Baseball-Reference has two sets of calculations to estimate a player's chances for induction. The first is its Hall of Fame Monitor, which Bill James created. A number more than 100 is a likely inductee. Burrell is a 20. Stairs is an eight.
It also lists Bill James' Hall of Fame Standards, which measures a player's statistics against those already in the Hall of Fame. A score of 50 is an average Hall of Famer. Burrell is a 24. Stairs is a 20.
Other former Phillies on the ballot include Curt Schilling (fifth year), Billy Wagner (second year) and Arthur Rhoes (first year). Schilling received 52.3 percent of the vote last year. Wagner received 10.5 percent.