Inside The Phillies

Phillies Shower Praise on Slugger Dick Allen as He Joins Baseball Hall of Fame

The former Philadelphia Phillies slugger was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday.
Matt Postins|
Jul 26, 2025; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame Inductee Dick Allen’s family arrives at the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the Parade of Legends in Coopestown, NY.
Jul 26, 2025; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame Inductee Dick Allen’s family arrives at the National Baseball Hall of Fame during the Parade of Legends in Coopestown, NY. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Phillies

Sunday was a special day for the family of Dick Allen and the Philadelphia Phillies.

The former slugger, who broke in with the Phillies and had two different stints with the franchise, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., as part of the Class of 2025.

Allen was elected, along with Dave Parker, by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.

Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia and relief pitcher Billy Wagner were elected by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

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Allen was a Phillies legend who never got the necessary votes for induction from the writers. Long a favorite of Sabermetricians like Bill James, for decades he had the best slugging percentage of any player not in the Hall of Fame and James once rated Allen as the game’s second-most controversial player.

But his legacy on the field led to the Phillies retiring his No. 15 and inducting him into their Wall of Fame.

Allen’s family was on hand for the ceremony and spoke on his behalf. The Phillies posted a video of Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt talking about Allen’s swing.

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Allen, who died in 2020 at 78 years old, was a Wampum, Penn., native who got to play for one of his in-state teams for the majority of his 15-year career.

The Wampum High School multi-star athlete signed with the Phillies in 1960 on a $70,000 bonus. On his way to the Majors, he dealt with racial harassment while playing for the franchise’s affiliate in Little Rock, Ark., where at the time he was the team’s first black player.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s (subscription required) Lochlahn March chronicled the Allen famliy’s return to Little Rock earlier this year.

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Allen got his first promotion to the Phillies in 1963 and became a full-time star in his rookie season in 1964, when he was named National League rookie of the year and finished seventh in NL MVP voting. He slashed .318/.382/.557 with 29 home runs and 91 RBI. He led the NL in runs (125), triples (13), strikeouts (138) and total bases (352).

He was a fixture for the Phillies through 1969. In that span he slashed .300/.380/.554 with  177 home runs and 544 RBI. He made three All-Star Game appearances and was fourth in MVP voting in 1966.

But there were issues both in the clubhouse and off-the-field, including a 1965 fifth with Frank Thomas that led to Thomas’ release. He also preferred to be called “Dick” and local media continued to refer to him as “Richie.” The Phillies traded him to St. Louis before the 1970 season.

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He got to the Chicago White Sox in 1971 and in 1972 he had the best individual season of his career, winning the American League MVP. He slashed .308/.420/.603 with an AL leading 37 home runs and 113 RBI. He also led the AL in bWAR at 8.6.

Allen suffered a broken leg in 1973 after becoming baseball’s richest player at the time. His contract was sold to Atlanta in 1974, and he opted to retire.

But that paved the way for his return to Philadelphia in 1975. The Phillies lured him out of retirement, and he played for two more seasons, including with their 1976 NL East Division winner. He played his final season with the Athletics, then in Oakland, in 1977.

By the end of his career, he was a seven-time All-Star, along with the rookie of the year and MVP award. He led the AL in home runs twice and in RBIs once.

His career slash was .292/.378/.534 with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBI.

For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.

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Matthew Postins
MATT POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.

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