For Dick Allen’s family and the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday was a memorable day.
As a member of the Class of 2025, the former slugger, who made his debut with the Phillies and played for the team twice, was inducted into the Cooperstown, New York, Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Classic Baseball Era Committee elected Allen and Dave Parker.
Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America chose relief pitcher Billy Wagner, starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia, and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.
Legendary Phillies player Allen never received the required number of votes from the writers to be inducted. For several years, he had the highest slugging percentage of any player who was not in the Hall of Fame, making him a favorite of Sabermetricians like Bill James. James once ranked Allen as the second most controversial player in the game.
However, the Phillies retired his number 15 and inducted him into their Wall of Fame as a result of his on-field accomplishments.
Speaking on Allen’s behalf, his family attended the ceremony. A video of Hall Baseball Famer Mike Schmidt discussing Allen’s swing was shared by the Phillies.
Allen was born in Wampum, Pennsylvania, and spent much of his 15-year career playing for one of his in-state clubs before passing away in 2020 at the age of 78.
In 1960, the multi-star athlete from Wampum High School signed a $70,000 bonus to join the Phillies. Playing for the franchise’s affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was the team’s first black player at the time, he experienced racial hostility on his route to the Majors.
The Allen family’s return to Little Rock earlier this year was covered in the Philadelphia Inquirer’s (subscription needed) Lochlahn March.
In 1963, Allen received his first promotion to the Phillies, and in 1964, after winning National League rookie of the year and placing sixth in the NL MVP vote, he emerged as a full-time star. His slash line was.318/.382/.557 with 91 RBI and 29 home homers. In terms of total bases (352), strikeouts (138), triples (13), and runs (125), he led the NL.
He stayed with the Phillies until 1969. He hit 177 home runs and 544 RBI while slashing.300/.380/.554 during that time. He finished fourth in the 1966 MVP voting and was selected to three All-Star Games.
However, there were problems off the field as well as in the clubhouse, such as a 1965 fifth with Frank Thomas that resulted in Thomas’ dismissal. Additionally, he desired to be called “Dick,” although the local press kept calling him “Richie.” Prior to the 1970 season, he was transferred to St. Louis by the Phillies.
In 1971, he joined the Chicago White Sox, and in 1972, he enjoyed his best season as an individual and was named the American League MVP. Along with an AL-high 37 home runs and 113 RBI, he slashed.308/.420/.603. At 8.6, he also topped the AL in bWAR.
After becoming the richest player in baseball at the time, Allen broke his leg in 1973. In 1974, he decided to retire when his contract was sold to Atlanta.
However, that made it possible for him to visit Philadelphia again in 1975. He played for two more seasons, including the 1976 NL East Division champions, when the Phillies enticed him out of retirement. In 1977, he played his last season with the Athletics, who were then based in Oakland.
In addition to winning MVP and rookie of the year, he was a seven-time All-Star at the end of his career. He was the AL leader in RBIs once and home runs twice.
His career slash line was.292/.378/.534 with 1,119 RBI and 351 home homers.