MLB: Top 30 leadoff hitters of all-time
63. . 1982-1999. A's, Tigers, Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, Mets. Tony Phillips. 29. player
If he hadn’t spent a few years as a utility man on the same team as Rickey Henderson, Tony Phillips might have climbed a little higher on this list. But with well over 1,000 career games in the leadoff spot across 18 combined big league seasons with the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, California (and Anaheim) Angels, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, Phillips did enough to secure a spot among the top 30 leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball history.
A switch-hitter that could play anywhere in the infield or outfield, Phillips racked up more strikeouts than you would prefer from your leadoff hitter (1,499 career K’s, including five years with more than 100), but he was also a very patient hitter capable of working himself on base with a walk.
Phillips amassed 1,319 walks in his career, which ranks 39th all-time. He has more walks, plate appearances (9,110), at bats (7,617), games played (2,161), and scored more runs (1,300) than any player to never make an All-Star Team in the modern era.
His five years with the Detroit Tigers were the best of Phillips’ career, and not surprisingly were the best years he had as a leadoff man.
In Detroit, he posted a .392 on-base percentage as the team’s leadoff hitter, which is the best mark in franchise history for those with more than 300 games on top of the lineup card. His 446 bases on balls for the club are also a team record (and gave him one more than the next man on our list).
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