ESPN: Phillies’ Bryce Harper and Roy Halladay among top 25 MLB players of 21st century

One current and two former Phillies are among the top 25 baseball players of the 21st century, according to ESPN.

The highest ranked Philadelphia player on the list, coming in at No. 16 overall, is current Phillies star Bryce Harper.

He even helped make baseball fun again -- from his all-out style of play to his green Phillie Phanatic cleats. Rarely has there been a more perfect match between ballplayer and city than Harper and Philadelphia.

Here are Harper key accomplishments that have in on the list:

Two-time MVP (2015 and 2021), 2012 NL Rookie of the Year, eight-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, 2022 NLCS MVP, 2018 HR Derby champion at Nationals Park.

Next up, coming in at No. 17 on the list, is 2019 Hall of Famer, Roy Halladay.  Halladay played in Philadelphia from 2010-2013 and was a key member of the teams pitching staff.

Halladay was the product of a bygone era in which a pitcher endeavored to finish what he started. Never gifted with overwhelming velocity, Halladay killed with paper cuts. He walked hitters at an almost-identical rate to Greg Maddux and logged 220-inning-plus seasons like they were nothing. His right arm got the glory, but it was Halladay's brain -- his innate sense of how to pitch to every hitter -- that won him 203 games.

While his stay in Philadelphia was short, it was impactful. During his four seasons, Halladay was 55-29 with a 3.25 ERA.  He won a Cy Young award, pitched a perfect game and a twirled a postseason no-hitter for the Phillies in 2010.

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Finally, coming in at No. 17 on the list, was Pedro Martinez, who pitched his final big league season for the Phillies in 2009. Martinez was brilliant during his illustrious career, but his 5-1 record and 3.63 ERA helped the Phillies make the World Series in 2009.

From 1997 to 2003, the height of one of baseball's most explosive offensive eras, Martinez was as good as any pitcher has ever been, going 118-36 with a 2.20 ERA, 213 ERA+, over 250 strikeouts per season and winning three Cy Young Awards.

While his Phillies stay was short, he was a part of a World Series team, but was one of the best right-handed pitchers we ever saw from 1997-2004 during this time with the Red Sox.

Over his 18-year MLB career, Martinez piled up 219 wins, 3,154 strikeouts, he piled up 47 complete games and 17 shutouts across 2,827.1 innings. He won three Cy Young Awards and was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Locally, 2009 Millville High graduate Mike Trout came in at No. 2 overall on the list.

At 32, Trout has won three MVP awards and finished in the top five of balloting seven other times. Injuries have slowed his momentum, but if Trout can string together a few more healthy campaigns, the kid from Millville, New Jersey, could yet transcend his status as the best of his generation and challenge for the crown of best ever, period.

The three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star was ranked behind former Cardinals and Angels star Albert Pujols.

Here is the full list.