Philadelphia Has Surplus of New Stars, Are Phillies Next?

Contributor - Ryan Straub

Philadelphia is beginning to gain a reputation as a city whose sports teams fall just short of their goals. Close but no cigar. Can’t get over the hump. Good, but not great. Whatever phrase you so choose to use, it’s admittedly fair to use for Philadelphia. 

Losing the Super Bowl, World Series, and MLS Cup all in one year is just as impressive and difficult to do as winning all three. We all know the Sixers’ recent track history, and the Flyers have lost all six Stanley Cups they’ve been to since winning back-to-back cups 50 years ago in 1974 and 1975. 

Despite the constant disappointment, media scrutiny, and social media trolls, Philadelphia remains a hotbed for free-agent acquisitions and a desired destination for players looking to be traded. This is mostly due to the fact that the teams are almost always competitive and have a real shot at winning. This summer specifically has seen Philadelphia add exciting talent for all four major sports teams.

The Eagles scored a touchdown in free agency when they signed Barkley to a three-year contract worth $37.75 million, taking him through his age-29 season. From a pure talent perspective, Barkley is the epitome of speed, agility, and athleticism. When healthy, he’s undoubtedly a top-10 running back in the league. 

The Pennsylvania native and former Nittany Lion has made himself very familiar to Eagles fans, rushing for 615 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 27.8 receiving yards in 9 career games against the Eagles. 

Barkley has been very vocal about critics who point out his injury history, saying “That’s BS. "Marcus Allen played until he was 36, 37 years old. Some of the greats that I admire and I look up and study, they played well into their 30s. [...] Don’t tell me how long I can play.” Many fans are thrilled about Barkley’s addition to an already-elite offense.

Much like Barkley being signed to star alongside Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, George was brought in to coexist with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. He was signed to a four-year, $212 million contract after a year-long plan set forth by Daryl Morey and the front office to use their max contract slot on the former Clipper.

Related: Paul George And The Sixers Agree To 4-Year Max Contract

George averaged 22.6 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field last season for Los Angeles. His performance in the first round against the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks raised some questions, and rightfully so. As the main option with Kawhi Leonard sidelined, his average took a dip to just 19.5 points per game on only 41.1% from the field.

While criticizing George’s playoff performances in the past certainly is fair, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he does fit extremely well and will mold nicely with the rest of the roster. It wouldn’t be a hot take to say that this can be the best signing of the Embiid era and that it could be the one to propel them into a deeper playoff run than usual.

It was well agreed upon that the Flyers got an absolute steal at No. 7 in the 2023 NHL Draft when they took Russian forward Matvei Mitchkov. He was regarded as a top prospect for the 2023 NHL draft even before he shocked rivals at the IIHF U18 World Championship, where he won MVP in 2021 and put on one of the best age-16 performances ever. 

Concerns over his KHL contract and inquiries about when he would join the NHL dropped him off some boards as his draft got closer. On July 1, the Flyers signed the now 19-year-old right winger to a three-year entry-level contract. Mitchkov was widely regarded as the best prospect outside of the NHL. 

Last season, Michkov played just one game for SKA Saint Petersburg before being sent on loan to HC Sochi. His 19 goals led the team and his 41 points were good for second. Coming off a season in which the Flyers overachieved so much to the point that they were still in the playoff hunt on the final day of the season, Mitchkov appears to be the perfect guy to center their continued rebuild around.

The Phillies headed into this year's all-star break boasting the best record in Major League Baseball at 62-34, also holding an 8.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. Fans are already ecstatic enough, but a midseason acquisition at the trade deadline may be the cherry on top as the team aims for another deep run into October.

The Phillies' biggest need as we near the deadline is to figure out what in the world their Centerfield plan is. Johan Rojas struggles at the plate and Christian Pache is a decent fourth outfielder but shouldn’t start as much as he does. Some potential names include Luis Robert from the Chicago White Sox and Jazz Chisolm Jr. from the Miami Marlins, although it’s reported the Phillies are not interested in Chisolm. Another possibility could be Oakland’s Brent Rooker, who is outstanding at the plate but is not the most reliable outfield glove, mostly DH-ing this season. 

Regardless, expect the Phillies to be active at the deadline as they might decide going all-in on this season is the best plan of action. They could be the latest of Philadelphia teams to continue the trend of adding a star player this summer. 

ESPN is currently in the midst of ranking the top 100 of the 21st century so far. Not just in the 4 main sports, but of all sports across the world. American Football, Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Cricket, Track, etc. Also not just from men's sports, but women's too.

It is quite the undertaking, comparing athletes from dozens of different sports, all across the world. It is leading to some interesting results too. You can check out the full list as it is revealed here.

With any list like this, my first instinct is to check which of our players will be on the list. Philly may have only won 2 championships in the 21st century so far, but we have seen a lot of good players. Bryce Harper, Brian Dawkins, Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson, Jason Kelce, Roy Halladay. We have seen our share of superstars that could earn a place here. Championships aside, it is a good time to be a Philly fan.

Related: Philadelphia Is Primed For Its Best Sports Year Since 1980

So if you are curious about which Philly athletes cracked the Top 100 of the 21st Century, keep reading to find out.

It was not just a group of ESPN writers picking which athletes they liked. They were a lot more in-depth than that. They started by asking experts from each sport to rank the players from those sports to get a baseline pool of players for which to build this list.

Once they had a list of about 262 people, according to them, they then set up thousands of randomized head-to-head matchups, that they had those same experts vote on. Eventually, it led to this list.

Only accomplishments from the 21st century were counted. So if a player had great seasons in the 90s, it did not matter to this list. Only the things they did from January 1st, 2000 onward counted. So you may see some All-Time greats rank lower than you would think because many of the great things they did happened in the 20th century.

Pedro only spent half a season here, and it was not exactly worthy of this list. But he was a Philly athlete in the 21st Century, so we count it as a Philly athlete being on the list.

If they included stuff from the 20th century, he would be much higher on this list. But even just his play from this century is worthy. Pedro is one of the best pitchers ever. He had the best ERA in the MLB 3 times this century, led the league in strikeouts twice, and had the best WHIP 4 times.

With the Phillies in 2009, he had a 3.63 ERA. It ballooned up to 6.30 in the World Series. But he did throw 7 shutout innings against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

We didn't see Prime Pedro, but we got glimpses of it in his short time here. While it didn't end the way we wanted it to, Philly is lucky to be a small part of his legacy.

Halladay also spent most of his career somewhere other than Philly. But he did close out his career with 4 seasons in Philly, two of which were historically great. With the Phillies Roy Halladay threw a Perfect Game, a playoff no-hitter, and won the NL Cy Young. It was his 2nd Cy Young Award this century after winning 1 with the Blue Jays in 2003.

Halladay was one of the last of a type of pitcher we may never see again. A true workhorse who throws nearly 250 innings per season. We tragically lost him young, but he left his mark on the world of Baseball, and on Philadelphia.

He is an inseparable part of Phillies lore now. One of the best pitchers to ever play here, despite it not being for a very long time.

Harper is a true superstar. From when he was a teenager, he already had a larger-than-life aura to him. He was one of the biggest prospects in MLB history, and while there were some bumps, he lived up to it.

Harper at 31 already has two MVPS, with a chance at a 3rd this season. He also won Rookie of the Year and made 7 All-Star Games. Not to mention his post-season numbers are literally among the best in MLB history. His .996 playoff OPS is the 9th best in MLB history. Above names like David Ortiz and Albert Pujols.

He is going to be a Hall of Famer, and he is on track to hit 500 HRs. While he may have started his career with the nationals, it is going to be the Phillies he is remembered for. He still has plenty of time to add to his legacy too. With this play already being among the most legendary moments in MLB history.

Bernard Hopkins did not play for a Philly team, because boxing is not a team sport. But he is actually from Philly, which is even better. Hopkins is the best Boxer in Philly history. He went 55-8-2, 32 wins by KO, and was the oldest ever after he beat Jean Pascal in 2011. He would beat his own record a few years later when he reclaimed that title at 49 years old.

Hopkins is Philly royalty. We might be best known for the fictional boxer that is from Philly, but Bernard Hopkins is a real-life boxing icon we can call our own. His 28-year career saw him break many records, including 20 middle-weight title defenses. What made him extra special was his longevity and his dominance late into his 40s.

When talking about the greatest Philly athletes, there is no way you could leave Hopkins out. His place on ESPN's list is well deserved.

I suppose we have to mention him. Harden did spent parts of two seasons here. Despite his playoff failures, he is one of the more talented NBA players ever? 10 All-Stars, an MVP, was the scoring leader 3 times, 6th Man Of The Year, and won 2 assists titles.

Those accomplishments are nothing to sneeze at. He is going to be a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. But should he be higher on this list than Pedro Martinez, Roy Halladay, Bryce Harper, or Bernard Hopkins? I don't think so. Harden is great, and maybe deserving of this list. But 67 is way too high for him in my opinion.

He did not play in Philly, but local products count too. We included Bernard Hopkins for representing Philly, we should count Trout too. there was a good chunk of time where Mike trout was the greatest baseball player on planet Earth. He won 3 MVPS, made 11 All-Star Games in 14 seasons, and won 9 Silver Sluggers. All while accumulating over 300 HRs and over 200 steals. 

Injuries unfortunately slowed down his career. He hasn't played over 140 games since 2018. But the dude is already a Hall of Famer, and will finish his career with at least 400 HRs, if not 500. Had he stayed healthy, he could have reached 600, with an average hovering around .300, and 300 steals. 

Philly is not known for generating baseball talent. But Mike Trout is among the best ever, and he hails from or area. That is worth celebrating. Plush he still supports the Eagles, which gives him bonus points. 

Again, like Trout, Kobe never played in Philly. But he is from Philly. His favorite cheesesteak place, Larry's is right down the street from the Fanatic offices where I am currently writing this article. When the Eagles won the Super Bowl, he had the same amount of joy the rest of us did. Even though he became a Basketball legend in LA, Philly was his first home.

Kobe won 5 Rings, an MVP, made 18 All-Star Games, was on the All NBA Defense team 12 times, and is in the Hall of Fame. After MJ and Lebron, Kobe has a very strong case for being the 3rd best player of all time. The term for being a winner, Mamba Mentality, is literally named after him.

We tragically lost him too soon. But Kobe left his mark on the Basketball world. Philly is part of his legacy. It was here, at Lower Merion high School, where he started his journey to being a legend of the game. Even if he never played for the Sixers, he is still Philly through and through. You cant watch the below video and tell me this dude isn't a true Philadelphian.