The Reading Fightin' Phils announced their 2017 Reading Baseball Hall of Fame class on Wednesday. Each season the club honors not just former organizational players, but those native to the area. The trio to be inducted include a former Philadelphia Phillies World Champion, a Reading-area native who went on to place in the Major Leagues, and a long-time popular former Reading Phillies/Fightin' Phils player, who will all be honored prior to the game held on August 15 at 7:05 p.m. at First Energy Stadium.
Brett Myers highlights the names on the list. In fact, the first 2500 fan on August 15 will receive a Brett Myers bobblehead giveaway at the Hall of Fame induction night. Myers was drafted by the Phillies in the first round in 1999 and pitched for the 2001 Reading Eastern League Champion Reading Phillies team before making his Phillies debut in 2002. Myers was a member of the 2008 World Champion Phillies and pitched in 381 games in the Major Leagues for the Phillies, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians.
In response to the honor, Myers expressed surprise and gratitude to Sports Talk Philly:
I wanna thank the fans and the Reading Phillies front office for giving me this honor! It was totally unexpected and me and my family will cherish it forever.
Myers has worked as a musician since retiring from baseball, releasing two albums.
Mike Spidale is a long-time Reading Phillies/Reading Fightin' Phils player very popular among fans. From 2006 through 2012 Spidale played in the Phillies organization, most of the time at Reading. As a member of the team, Spidale became the all-time Reading leader in games played and hits.
Since retiring from baseball, Spidale remained a resident of the Reading area. Spidale currently serves as an assistant coach at Alvernia University and coaches in the Burks Bulls baseball organization.
Finally, Rich DeLucia will be honored in the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame. The 52 year-old DeLucia did not play in the Phillies organization, but spent 1984 through 2001 in professional baseball, playing in the Major Leagues for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Anaheim Angels, and Cleveland Indians. DeLucia grew up in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and still lives in the area. DeLucia currently serves as a scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
