Philly Front Office

I don’t know what exact day it was, but shortly before the start of the 2005 baseball season it was clear that Rule 5 selection Shane Victorino would not make the Philadelphia Phillies. Sadly, the not yet Flyin’ Hawaiian by rule would have to be returned from the team he came from. Victorino would go on to have an amazing and memorable career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wait a second, that’s not what happened at all! Turns out the Dodgers didn’t want Shane Victorino.

Timeline

This was actually the 2nd time Victorino went through the Rule 5 process. After originally being drafted in the 6th round of the 1999 MLB draft by the Dodgers the San Diego Padres selected him in the 2002 Rule 5 draft and he even made the Opening Day roster. He would make his MLB debut and play 36 games with the Padres but unfortunately just couldn’t hit major league pitching. The strict rules of the Rule 5 Draft would force his return to LA.

Victorino would spend most of the next 2 years jockeying between AA and AAA but was never called up to the main roster. After a dismal showing in AAA in 2004, the Dodgers once again left him unprotected and the Phillies made their selection. This time when the Phillies tried to return him, LA wasn’t interested. The exact day he was declined is unknown, but it did occur just before the 2005 Phillies Opening Day roster was finalized. The Phillies sent their new 24-year-old CFer to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the International League. This time, the story was different.

In 126 games with the Red Barons that season, Victorino would hit .310 and was an extra base monster: 25 doubles, 16 triples, and 18 HRs. For his efforts, he was named International League MVP¹ and was called up to the Phillies for the stretch run. He played sparingly and didn’t start a single game, but he did manage 2 HRs in his 19 ABs while showing off his defense in the outfield.

Let’s take a look at those 2005 Dodgers and see why they had no use for our boy. Turns out it was for a lot of Phillies related reasons. In the outfield was enigmatic star Milton Bradley and one of our personal favorites, JD Drew, coming off his monster 8.3 WAR season in Atlanta. While those two got the majority of the plate appearances, the rest of the playing time went to former Phillie Ricky Ledee, future Phillies annoyance Cody Ross, and future Phillies All-Star and World Series champion Jayson Werth! Combined, they all led the Dodgers to a 71-91 record and GM Paul DePodesta was fired at the end of the season. Serves him right.

His first two seasons with the Phillies, Shane Victorino was a solid regular playing mostly in the corners with Aaron Rowand manning CF. The Phillies let Rowand leave in free agency though confident that Victorino could take over. They were right. Victorino broke out big for the 2008 Phillies, racking up 30 doubles, 8 triples, and 36 SBs all while nabbing a gold glove and mostly hitting 2nd for the World Series Champions.

Of course, the reason he is still a hero in Philadelphia is because of what he did in those 2008 playoffs. His grand slam off CC Sabathia in Game 2 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park was the most berserk I’ve ever seen a crowd (until Rhys Hoskins knocked around Spencer Strider 14 years later). A few days later he yelled at Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 of the NLCS when the pitcher threw at his head (still hate Kuroda). He would get his revenge the next night when his game tying 2-run HR in Game 4 set up Matt Stairs “deep into the night.” For me, I remember those moments like they were yesterday, but my favorite thing about him was the thought of him ripping a ball down the line. We all immediately thought triple every time. He was just so damn fun!²

Phillies at Dodgers: Shane Victorino Appreciation Post

In his 6 full seasons with the Phillies, he would lead the league in triples twice, make 2 All-Star teams, win 3 Gold Gloves, and even pick up MVP votes in 2009 and 2011. Sadly, when that Phillies era ended in 2012, he was finally sent back to the Dodgers. The following year he would have the best season of his career with the Boston Red Sox and win his 2nd World Series and picking up more MVP votes and another Gold Glove. Not bad for the guy the Dodgers didn’t want.

Side Story: By my recollection, Shane Victorino has had beer spilled/poured on him twice in his career. Once by Phillies fans on Opening Day in 2008 and another time at Wrigley Field in 2009. I was at both of those games.

Stats: Baseball Reference

Photo: Ron Cortes/Philadelphia Inquirer

1. I remember watching his debut game and was astounded that not only did we have the International League MVP on out team but that I had absolutely no idea who he was ↩︎
2. There was a Spring Training Commercial around this time that showed Victorino and Jimmy Rollins coming out of the dugout into an abyss of Florida sun that always stuck with me too. ↩︎