Nutter goes to bat for former Phil Dick Allen

A grass-roots campaign to induct a legendary Phillie into the Baseball Hall of Fame is getting a boost.

At a City Hall ceremony, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter minced no words.

“Dick Allen should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame,” he said as he signed a letter calling for the induction of Allen into the National Baseball Hall of Fame through its “Golden Era” ballot.

Allen, now 72, had two stints with the Phillies between 1963 and 1969 and again in the 1975 and 76 seasons. He had 351 home runs and was one of the most powerful hitters of all time, said Nutter.

“I think this is the moment where we truly pull out all the stops and do everything we possibly can to encourage, influence, to push very, very hard for someone who deserves it not only by baseball standards, but by humanity standards, to be in the hall of fame with many, many peers,” Nutter said.

Allen’s son, Dick Allen Jr., said that over the years, he’s heard a great deal from former ballplayers about his father’s hitting power.

“They would say things like, ‘Oh, your old man hit one off me in spring training and I’m still ticked off.’ Another said he hit the ball so hard he turned the grass brown.”

Philadelphia is working with Allen supporters to come up with ways to influence the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, the group that votes on hall inductees.