By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Last offseason, SportsTalkPhilly.com historical contributor Matt Albertson and myself led a countdown of the top 25 Philadelphia Phillies of all-time. We were far from the first to do this, but we believed that the unique formula that we created made it the most historically accurate list that has been made. While the countdown ran on the site for just over a month, it was a nearly year-long process, one that we were happy to see come to life in a successful manner.
It took us some time, but we think we have an even better treat in store for our readers this offseason.
I was driving to the gym one day this past summer, listening to a podcast that discussed legendary players that played for teams at the end of their careers that we likely don't remember. Pedro Martinez's stint with the Phillies in 2009 was brought up. And then it hit me: there's been plenty of countdowns that rank the best Phillies of all-time. What there hasn't ever been is a countdown that ranks the greatest player to ever play a game (or more) for the Phillies. So that's what we're doing.
Using the same formula that we used last year – which is explained in-depth here – SportsTalkPhilly.com will host a countdown of the 25 greatest players to play for the Phillies since 1945. So players like Mike Schmidt, who played his entire career for the Phillies, will still be eligible. The twist in this year's countdown is that all-time greats that spent shorter stints with the Phillies – think Martinez, Jim Thome, Pete Rose, Jimmie Foxx – will also be eligible for the countdown. A year ago, they were technically eligible for the countdown, but didn't spend enough time with the Phillies to have a serious chance at cracking the top 25. This year, they will, because their entire careers will be eligible for the formula.
Albertson says this will be different from any internet countdown that you've ever read.
"What makes this list unique is it compiles the 25 best players who ever played for the Phillies since 1945, whether it was for one game or an entire career," Albertson said. "It's based on more than just statistics, as this list will explain what the franchise mentality was when a particular player donned Phillies livery."
The countdown will begin on Friday Nov. 3. As our countdown did a year ago, we believe this will keep Phillies fans entertained during the dead period between the World Series (and manager search) and the MLB Winter Meetings. We also believe that it will be among the most discussed content pertaining to the Phillies this offseason and look forward to the countdown starting.
