1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 1

1940 Play Ball #98, #97, #96 and #95

As part of the "Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim" haul, my Mom added seven Phillies cards from the 1940 Play Ball set to my collection.  I'll feature the first four here.

The 1940 Play Ball set (designated R335 by Jefferson Burdick) contains 240 cards - 15 of which are current and former Phillies.  14,000 Phillies has a nice write-up on the set within its Phillies Database.  I now just need seven cards - including cards of Hall of Famers Chuck Klein and Grover Cleveland Alexander - to complete the Phillies team set.  All four players featured here were also World War II veterans.

This is the third card of "Pinky" May in my collection and the second card of May's added as part of my amazing Christmas haul.

"Morry" or "Morrie" Arnovich came up with the Phillies in 1936 and played outfield with the team until his trade to the Reds in June 1940.  His best season was the 1939 campaign, when he made the All-Star team and hit .324 with 5 home runs and 67 RBIs.

My six-year-old son, Doug, was very amused at Emmett Jerome Mueller's nickname - "Heinie."  Mueller played his entire four-year career with the Phillies between 1938 and 1941.  Primarily a second baseman, Mueller appeared in 441 games with the Phils, hitting .253 with 17 home runs.  I have both Arnovich's and Mueller's cards from the 1939 Play Ball set.

Finally, Gum, Inc. was kind not to include Hugh Mulcahy's more well known nickname, "Losing Pitcher," on his card.  So named because of his 42-82 record with the Phillies over the first six years of his career, Mulcahy was the first Major Leaguer to be drafted during World War II in March 1941.

1963 Topps #553 John Herrnstein RS

When I was putting together my want list of Phillies cards from the 1960s, the one card that I thought would be on my want list the longest was the 1963 Topps Rookie Stars card featuring outfielder John Herrnstein.  I also mentioned how tough it would be to track down this card in my 1963 Topps Phillies post.  There were a few reasons for this:

1.  Herrnstein's card falls within the last series of the set, making it automatically scarcer than the rest of the cards in the set.  There are 576 cards in the 1963 Topps set, with cards 447 through 576 making up the elusive high series.
2.  There's the little matter of the card also being the rookie card of future Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.  Because of this, it's not as pricey as the Pete Rose rookie card from the same set, but it's pricey enough.

This card had been #2 on my Ten Most Wanted listed (see sidebar for the updated list), until my Mom added the card to my collection via the annual "Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim" extravaganza.  Amazing.

The card is in fantastic condition, and it now has a happy home amongst my other 1963 Topps Phillies cards.

2000 Topps Stars Progression #P3

Herrnstein played in parts of five seasons with the Phillies, appearing in 213 games and hitting .222 with 8 home runs.  Along with sharing his 1963 card with Stargell, he also shared a 1964 card with that year's Rookie of Year - Richie Allen.  He'd get his own solo cards in the 1965 and 1966 Topps sets.  In April 1966, he was part of the deal that sent Future Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins to the Cubs.  (Which reminds me - I still need Jenkins' rookie card from the 1966 Topps set.  Perhaps that card would be a good addition to the Most Wanted list.)

For the record, this is the third Stargell card in my Phillies collection.  He's featured with Rose on a Super Star Special card from the 1983 Fleer set and with Pat Burrell and Mark McGwire on a 2000 Topps Stars insert card.

2013 Chachi Transactions #10 John Lannan

I can easily rattle off the names of certain Phillies pitchers from the recent past that seem to attract home team boos much more frequently than other pitchers.  Adam Eaton.  Kyle Kendrick.  Joe Blanton.  Chad Qualls.  In some cases, the boos were justified.  In others, the booing was a symptom of that pitcher being the decent, but not great fifth guy in an otherwise stellar starting rotation.

I've been a Phillies partial season ticket holder since 1992 and even with the All Star caliber starting pitchers on the roster over the past half dozen seasons, it definitely seems as if more often than not our tickets fall on the day the fifth guy is pitching.  I know I've seen Kendrick and Blanton pitch much more often than Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels or Cliff Lee.  And I just know that our 2013 season tickets will feature many more John Lannan games than games featuring the Three Aces.

Furthermore, and I hope I'm wrong here, Lannan is going to get booed.  And if he struggles, he will be booed with Eatonian vigor.  He will inevitably have rough outings.  But the primal source of the boos will be more basic than a poor outing from the newly acquired fifth starter.  In short, Phillies fans already don't like him.

During his Major League debut on July 26, 2007, Lannan was getting knocked around by the Phillies in a game I attended.  In the fifth inning that day, he hit Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on consecutive at bats, with Utley leaving the game with a broken hand.  Utley missed a month of the season, and the Phillies picked up Tadahito Iguchi to help fill the void.  The Phils inexplicably won their division in 2007, but our dislike for Lannan didn't wane.

Earlier this year, Phillies Nation awarded him the tenth spot on their list of "Guys We Despise," right ahead of Rod Barajas.  And now he's a Phillie.  It might be a little premature, but I feel safe in calling Lannan the guy "Most Likely to be Booed in 2013."  Again, I hope I'm wrong.

1941 Double Play (R330) #45 & #46 Dan Litwhiler & Merrill May

She's done it again.

Last year, I chronicled my Mom's quest to continue the annual "Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim" tradition.  (See the posts linked below.)  This year, the tradition continued and I added several amazing vintage Phillies cards to my collection.  Similar to last year, I'm going to take my time in featuring the cards I received and spread them out over several posts.  As a teaser of what's to come, I can reveal that my Mom took care of two of the cards previously listed on my "Ten Most Wanted" list on the sidebar.  The list has since been updated to the "Eight Most Wanted," and I'll need to figure out two more cards to eventually add to the list.

Cross two cards off this list!

The card featured at the top of this post is the first Phillies card in my collection from the 1941 Double Play (R330) set.  According to my new copy of the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards, which my Mom also gave me for Christmas, the 75-card Double Play set was issued by Gum Products, Inc., based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  I found it amusing that the Catalog mentions, "Cards which have been cut in half to form single cards have little collector value."  This is something I definitely would have done had I been a kid in 1941.

This is the first card of Danny Litwhiler in my collection.  Litwhiler spent only parts of four seasons with the Phillies, from 1940 to 1943, enjoying his best season with the Phils in 1941.  That season, he hit .305 with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs.  More impressively, in 1942 he played 151 games in left field for the Phils and did not committ a single error, becoming the first player in history to play 150 or more games in the outifield in a season without an error.

Litwhiler went on to find great coaching success with the Florida State and Michigan State baseball programs and he was elected into six different baseball or athletic hall of fames.  He's also credited with developing the Jugs Speed Gun and as a member of the U.S. Olympics Baseball Committee from 1969 to 1983, he was instrumental in bringing baseball to the Olympic Games.  He passed away in Clearwater last year at the age of 95.

I featured a brief write-up on Merrill "Pinky" May a few years ago when I obtained his 1939 Play Ball card.

As confirmed with the 14,000 Phillies Database Project, there are two more Phillies cards in the 1941 Double Play set.

2011 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - Continuing a Tradition
Part 2 - 1971 Topps Set - 13 More Down
Part 3 - 1952 Topps Phillies
Part 4 - 1951 Bowman Phillies
Part 5 - Curt Simmons - Two New Bowman Cards
Part 6 - 1955 Bowman and Topps Phillies

2013 Chachi Transactions #11 Placido Polanco

I already posted a semi-tribute to Placido Polanco back in early November.  But with his signing with the Miami Marlins now official, I wanted to present his Chachi Transactions card.  Polanco will join Juan Pierre as the veteran presence on an otherwise completely gutted (and young) Marlins ballclub.

If recent trends hold, Polanco will crush Phillies pitching this coming season and be personally responsible for at least one dramatic, walk-off Marlins win.  There should be about 300 people in the stands in Miami to witness his heroics.

2001 Pacific Ornaments #16 Pat Burrell

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for a very happy new year.

God bless us, every one.  Even Pat Burrell.

2007 Upper Deck Holiday Inn #53 Chase Utley

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm as excited as Chase Utley with two healthy knees taking a big lead off first base.  The last month or so has been fairly hectic and rather stressful, but now I'm thankful for a solid week with nothing more to do than spend time with my wonderful family and prepare for what should be an exciting new year.

This is one of two cards in my collection with the word "holiday" in its title.  The other being Ryan Howard's card from the same 60-card set.

Don't forget to put out cookies for Santa and a carrot for his reindeer.  Merry Christmas!

2013 Chachi Transactions #9 Mauricio Robles

Last week, the Phillies claimed left-handed pitcher Mauricio Robles off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.  Robles is 23 and he's spent the past five seasons in the minors with both the Tigers and Mariners organizations.  He has a grand total of 15 games at Triple-A where he's compiled a 4-6 record and a 6.71 ERA.

Normally, I wouldn't create a card for someone who has such a slim chance of seeing time with the Phillies during the upcoming season.  But when I came across this photo of Robles with the chain-linked fence and blurry bystanders in the background, I knew the photo would capture the essence of the 1973 Topps set.

To date, Robles has appeared on base and insert cards within 2009 Bowman Chrome, 2010 Bowman Platinum, 2011 Bowman and 2011 Topps Pro Debut.

2013 Chachi Transactions #12 Mike Adams

Slowly but surely, it's all coming together.  Hoping to address one the team's biggest weaknesses in 2012, the Phillies on Thursday officially announced the signing of right-hander Mike Adams.  He received a two-year, $12 million contract with a vesting option for the 2015 season.  Adams assumes the 8th inning set-up role that numerous pitchers tried out for last season.  Led by the likes of Chad Qualls and Antonio Bastardo, the Phillies blew 13 leads in the 8th inning during the 2012 season.  Adams will join former Rangers teammate Michael Young on the 2013 Phillies squad.

Showing that every once in a while, relief pitchers get some cardboard recognition, Adams had cards in last year's Topps, Gypsy Queen and Heritage sets.  Per the Phillies official website, Adams will wear #16.

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 12/20/12)

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, 12/14/12)

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered

Vance Worley (12/6/12) - Traded to the Minnesota Twins with Trevor May for Ben Revere

Josh Lindblom (12/8/12) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Lisalverto Bonilla for Michael Young and cash

New Additions

Ender Inciarte (12/6/12) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Revere (12/6/12) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Vance Worley and Trevor May

Michael Young (12/8/12) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla

Mauricio Robles (12/14/12) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners
John Lannan (12/18/12) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals.
Mike Adams (12/20/12) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Texas Rangers.

2013 Chachi Transactions #8 Ty Wigginton

Things didn't go quite according to plan for Ty Wigginton during his short time in Philadelphia.  Brought in to be a back-up first baseman, third baseman and right-handed bat off the bench, Wigginton was forced into starting duty as a result of Ryan Howard's lingering achilles' tendon injury and Placido Polanco's bad back.  In 125 games, he hit .235 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs.  The Phillies non-tendered him in October rather than bring him back for a second year, and the Cardinals signed him to a two-year contract on Friday.

Wigginton received Phillies baseball cards in both team issued postcard sets and the 2012 Topps Update set.

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, 12/14/12)

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered

Vance Worley (12/6/12) - Traded to the Minnesota Twins with Trevor May for Ben Revere

Josh Lindblom (12/8/12) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Lisalverto Bonilla for Michael Young and cash

New Additions

Ender Inciarte (12/6/12) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Revere (12/6/12) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Vance Worley and Trevor May

Michael Young (12/8/12) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla

Mauricio Robles (12/14/12) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners

Non-Roster Invitees - The First 9

2012 Grandstand Reading Phillies #18, 2012 Topps #64,
2012 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #15 and 2012 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #2

Much like the Rule 5 draft, the first announcement of non-roster invitees to Spring Training always excites me a little.  Slowly but surely, we're marching towards a new spring and a new season.  Last year, Kevin Frandsen and Raul Valdes were in the first batch of invitees, and they both ended up playing key roles on the 2012 Phillies.  Which of the following nine players will earn a roster spot in 2013?

Here are the first nine, with their 2012 organization and their last major cardboard appearance listed:

Player (position) - 2012 Organization - Last Major Cardboard Appearance
1.  Steven Lerud (c) - Phillies - 2004 Bowman #160 (Pirates)
2.  Michael Martinez (inf) - Phillies - 2012 Topps #64 (Phillies)
3.  Pete Orr (inf) - Phillies - 2008 Topps Update #UH72 (Nationals)

2012 Topps #590

These three players each spent time with the Phillies in 2012.  They've been removed from the 40-man roster and they'll try once against to make it back to the bigs.  This is Orr's third straight invitation to Spring Training as a non-roster player.  Lerud is the early favorite for the non-roster invitee with the longest time since his last major baseball card release.

4.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Mariners - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)
5.  Zach Miner (rhp) - Tigers - 2009 O-Pee-Chee #314 (Tigers)
6.  Humberto Quintero (c) - Royals/Marlins/Brewers - 2012 Topps #590 (Astros)
7.  Andres Blanco (inf) - Phillies - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)
8.  Josh Fields (3b) - Dodgers - 2010 Topps #387 (Royals)
9.  Jermaine Mitchell (of) - Athletics - 2012 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autographs #JM (Athletics)

Of the nine players listed, Quintero has the best chance of making the opening day roster in light of the 50-game suspension being served by Carlos Ruiz in April and May.

* * *

I composed this post with a heavy heart after the horrific news that came out of Connecticut yesterday.  I gave my boys an extra hug before they went to bed last night.  My prayers and thoughts are with the families of the victims.

1953 Canadian Exhibits #62 Dick Sisler

My Dad's two favorite Phillies were Del Ennis and Dick Sisler, and I'm slowly adding cards of both players to my collection.

Not to be confused with the regular Exhibits cards released between 1921 and 1966, there was a set of 64 Exhibits cards released in 1953 exclusively in Canada.  Appropriately enough, the set is known as the 1953 Canadian Exhibits.  As far as I know, this Sisler card was the only Phillie included in the set and it shares the blue tint found on cards 33 through 64.  The first 32 cards in the set can be found with either a green or red tint.  And now you know.

2013 Chachi Transactions #3 Ender Inciarte

The annual Rule 5 draft has always intrigued me.  Each team has the right to protect up to 40 players who meet certain eligibility requirements having to do with age and service time.  Qualifying players not protected can be purchased by other teams, in descending order of their prior year record.  Here's the catch - the selected player has to remain on the selecting team's active roster for the entire year or the selecting team has to offer the player back to his original team.

In the case of Shane Victorino, whom the Phillies selected in 2004, they decided they didn't have room for him on their 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training in 2005.  The Phils offered him back to the Dodgers and the Dodgers politely declined, making him Phillies property.  The rest, as they say, is history.

With the selection last week of outfielder Ender Inciarte from the Diamondbacks, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the Phillies recent history in the Rule 5 draft.  There's a good chance Inciarte, a speedy, above average defensive outfielder, could find himself on Charlie Manuel's 25-roster when the team leaves Clearwater in April.

Players Selected Since 2000

2013 Chachi
Transactions #1

2004 - Shane Victorino - of (Los Angeles Dodgers) - Helped Phillies win World Series title in 2008.
2006 - Adam Donachie - c (Kansas City Royals) - Traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Alfredo Simon.
2006 - Jim Ed Warden - rhp (Cleveland Indians) - Returned on March 28, 2007.
2006 - Ryan Budde - c (Los Angeles Angels) - Returned on April 23, 2007.
2007 - Travis Blackley - lhp (San Francisco Giants) - Spent 2008 season in Phillies organization and granted free agency following the season.
2007 - Lincoln Holdzkom - rhp (Boston Red Sox) - Returned to the Red Sox.
2008 - Robert Mosebach - rhp (Los Angeles Angels) - Returned on April 1, 2009
2009 - David Herndon - rhp (Los Angeles Angels) - Spent entire 2010 season on active Phillies roster.
2010 - Michael Martinez - inf (Washington Nationals) - Spent entire 2011 season on active Phillies roster.
2012 - Ender Inciarte - of (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Players Lost Since 2000
2001 - Miguel Asencio - rhp (Kansas City Royals) - Spent entire 2002 season on active Royals roster.
2002 - Travis Chapman - inf (Cleveland Indians) - Traded to Tigers but eventually returned to the Phillies.
2009 - Carlos Monasterios - rhp (New York Mets) - Sold to the Los Angeles Dodgers on day of the draft.
2011 - Lendy Castillo - rhp (Chicago Cubs) - Spent entire 2012 season with the Cubs, although he missed significant time with a groin injury.

Happy Birthday Doug!

2012 Chachi Special Edition #2

My oldest son Doug turns six today, and I'd like to wish him the happiest of birthdays.

I may be biased, but he's the coolest six-year-old I know and I constantly marvel at how truly amazing he is.  I'm so proud of him and everything he does.

Happy birthday, Doug!  Your Dad is very, very proud of you and he loves you very much.

2013 Chachi Transactions #6 Josh Lindblom

In the course of a few weeks, the Phillies discarded both Major League ready players acquired in July in the big Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence trades.  Nate Schierholtz, acquired for Pence from the Giants, was non-tendered over a week ago.  Although it's not official yet, it appears as if he'll sign with the Cubs.  On Saturday, Josh Lindblom, acquired for Victorino from the Dogers, was shipped to Texas in the Michael Young deal.  The Phillies netted four prospects in both trades (catcher Tommy Joseph, pitcher Seth Rosin, pitcher Ethan Martin and infielder Stefan Jerrin) and only time will tell if the Phils were winners in the deals.

2012 Multi-Ad
Reading Phillies #3

Lindblom struggled during his short time with the Phillies.  In 23 1/3 innings, he surrendered 17 walks and accumulated a 1.543 WHIP.  For his troubles, he received two Phillies baseball cards.  His first appeared in the Phillies Team Issue 2.1 set and he also earned a card within the Topps Update set.

Lisalverto Bonilla was the Phillies selection for the 2012 All-Star Futures Game, although he didn't play having suffered a freak thumb injury in his hotel room the night before the game.  Bonilla has been in the organization since 2009 and he split last season between Clearwater and Double-A Reading, going 3-2 with a 1.55 ERA in 31 games.  His first name is listed as "Lisalberto" on the two minor league cards of his I have in my collection.

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered

Vance Worley (12/6/12) - Traded to the Minnesota Twins with Trevor May for Ben Revere

Josh Lindblom (12/8/12) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Lisalverto Bonilla for Michael Young and cash

New Additions

Ender Inciarte (12/6/12) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Revere (12/6/12) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Vance Worley and Trevor May

Michael Young (12/8/12) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla

2013 Chachi Transactions #7 Michael Young

There has been a deal.

A few days after acquiring Ben Revere to man center field for the foreseeable future, the Phillies acquired a new third baseman, at least for the 2013 season.

The Phillies acquired third baseman Michael Young and cash from the Texas Rangers for relief pitcher Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla.  The Rangers sent $10 million in cash along with Young, meaning the Phillies are on the hook for just $6 million of his total 2013 salary.  He'll be a free agent following the season.

The right-handed hitting Young came up with the Rangers for a brief, two-game cup of coffee in September 2000 and until yesterday, he never left.  The seven time All-Star is the Rangers all-time leader in games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles and triples.  In 156 games last season, Young hit .277 with 8 home runs and 67 RBIs.

By all accounts, Young is a class act in the same vein as a Jim Thome or a Raul Ibanez.  I'm looking forward to seeing him in red pinstripes and I'm hoping he gets the Phillies a step closer to returning to the postseason.

2013 Chachi Transactions #4 Vance Worley

Like any middle of the road Phillies staring pitcher over the past decade or so, Vance Worley was either dazzling us with his dominance over the opposing team's batters or making us shout at the TV because of his painful laboring on the mound.  I'll miss his faux-hawk and the Oakley goggles, but overall I like the trade that brought the Phillies a consistent (hopefully) starting center fielder for the next five seasons in Ben Revere.

2012 Bowman Platinum
Prospects #BPP25

Worley received his first licensed Phillies card in the 2010 Bowman Draft set, both regular and Chrome versions, and his 2012 Bowman Chrome card could very well be his last with the team.  Hopefully this transaction happened early enough so that no Worley Phillies cards sneak into 2013 releases.

Trevor May was just recently added to the 40-man roster, but now he's heading to Minnesota with Worley.  At the start of the 2012 season, May was ranked as the second top pitching prospect in the Phillies organization.  He struggled at Double-A Reading this year, and I can only selfishly hope that he doesn't turn into the next Gio Gonzalez.

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered

Vance Worley (12/6/12) - Traded to the Minnesota Twins with Trevor May for Ben Revere

New Additions

Ender Inciarte (12/6/12) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Revere (12/6/12) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Vance Worley and Trevor May

2013 Chachi Transactions #5 Ben Revere

There has been a deal.

After watching B.J. Upton sign with the Braves, Angel Pagan re-sign with the Giants and Phillies Room favorite Shane Victorino head to Boston, the Phillies turned away from the free agent market and instead spun a trade to secure their new center fielder for 2013 and beyond.

Yesterday morning, the Phillies acquired outfielder Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins for starting pitcher Vance Worley and top pitching prospect Trevor May.

I don't know much about Revere, but a quick check of his Baseball Reference page shows that he and I have the exact same number of career home runs.  He's 24, and he's under team control through the 2017 season.  The left-handed hitting Revere hit .294 last season in 124 games with the Twins while stealing 40 bases.  That number would have given him the team lead on the Phillies, and it's fitting that he's been compared to a young Juan Pierre, but with superior defensive skills.

Revere's first major baseball card appearance came within the 2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks set and he had several 2012 cards throughout the various Topps releases.  He'll most likely receive his share of Phillies cards in 2013, and there's a chance he may just be the first card in the upcoming 2013 Chachi set.  For now, he'll have to settle for this Chachi Transactions card.

* * *

2012 Topps 1987
Topps Minis #TM-45

On Victorino - A few nights ago, I received the following e-mail from Section 36:

Did we get a good one?

Yes, I believe you did.  Victorino is one of those guys that you love to have on your team, but it's easy to root against him if he's not on your team.  He's brings some swagger to the field and back when the Phillies were winning, it seemed as if Victorino was right in the middle of every big rally.  I was hoping the Phils would bring him back, especially after Pagan re-signed with the Giants.  My guess is that the team is saving its money to (hopefully) restock the bullpen or go after other needed pieces - third baseman, spare corner outfielder, improved bench.  Maybe Victorino's price tag and requested contract length scared them off.  In any event, it will be cool when Victorino returns to Citizens Bank Park in October for the long-awaited 1915 World Series rematch.

1974 Johnny Pro Phillies - Four More to Go

Reader Jim (also known as mrhaverkamp) saw my post from early November regarding the two new Johnny Pro Phillies cards I had added to my collection, and he realized the Dave Cash card looked familiar.  Turns out, he was the one who sold me the card via Checkoutmycards.com.  It's a small world after all.

1971 Kellogg's #75

Jim was kind enough to offer up five more cards that I needed for my Johnny Pro Phillies team set, and we quickly struck a very fair deal.  Despite an "unfortunate soda spillage" incident several years back that stained the bottoms of some of the cards, I'm thrilled to add these to my collection.

I'm down to needing just four more, including the highly sought after Mike Schmidt card, to complete my team set.

As a bonus, Jim threw in three 1970s Kellogg's cards, which I'm happy to add to my collection as well.  Along with the card featured here, I also received a 1970 Kellogg's Tim McCarver card (picturing him with the Cardinals) and a 1971 Kellogg's Tony Taylor card.

Thanks again Jim!

2009 O-Pee-Chee Highlights and Milestones #HM1 Brad Lidge

I read last night that Brad Lidge intended to announce his retirement from baseball.  He appeared in just 11 games with the Nationals in 2012, pitching 9 1/3 innings and compiling a 9.64 ERA.  He suffered a sports hernia injury in April that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

Lidge of course authored one of the finest seasons ever for a Phillies relief pitcher in 2008, converting 41 of 41 save opportunities during the regular season and 7 of 7 save opportunities in the Postseason.  The image of him dropping to his knees and awaiting his catcher, Carlos Ruiz, following the final out of the 2008 World Series has been immortalized on several baseball cards and is burned into my brain.

If you're a Phillies fan, go ahead and take a few moments to think back to that final out and the euphoria that followed.  It's impossible to think of Lidge and his teammates joyfully converging on the mound in celebration and not smile.

Thank you, Lights Out and enjoy your retirement!

2012 Phillies Team Issue 2 Update #22 Nate Schierholtz

On Friday afternoon, the Phillies non-tendered Nate Schierholtz, making him a free agent and ending his short five-month stint with the team.  The move was made in an effort to shed Schierholtz's $1.3 million salary and seemingly to free up a potential roster spot for rookie Darin Ruf.

In his 37 games with the Phils, Schierholtz hit .273 with a home run and 5 RBIs.  Going forward, whenever a player leaves the team, and as long as that player doesn't have dozens of Phillies baseball cards, I'll present his Phillies baseball card checklist as a final tribute to the departed.  Schierholtz received only two base Phillies cards during his short stay:

2012 Phillies Team Issue Series 2 Update #22
2012 Topps Update #US199

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered