Marson Returns to Phillies, 3 Others Invited to Camp

2009 Upper Deck
A Piece of History #124

Last week, the Phillies added four more names to the list of non-roster invitees coming to Clearwater in February.  I'm very familiar with two of the names, and I've honestly never heard of the other two.  In any event, given the team's severe lack of depth in several areas, all of these players have a realistic shot of heading north with the club at the end of spring training.

Catcher Lou Marson departed for Cleveland on July 29, 2009 as part of the trade that brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia.  I wrote about his departure back in this post.  Marson was honored in 2008 with the Phillies' Paul Owens Award, naming him the best prospect in the club's system.  He made his Major League debut on September 28, 2008, and although he wasn't on the team's active postseason roster, I believe he was on the bench when the Phillies clinched their second World Series title.  In parts of five seasons with the Indians, Marson hit .217 in 253 games.

Having a Gwynn and a Sandberg on the same team during the '80s would have been awesome.  We'll have to wait and see if having a Gwynn and a Sandberg on the Phillies in 2014 will bring the team any success.  Tony Gwynn, Jr. has now played seven seasons for the Brewers, Padres and Dodgers, with a lifetime .244 batting average.  He spent the entire 2013 season playing for the Dodgers Triple-A team in Albuquerque.

The two new mystery guys are right-handed pitcher Sean O'Sullivan and outfielder Dave Sappelt.  O'Sullivan appeared in seven games last season for the Padres, striking out 12 but walking 14 in 25 innings.  Sappelt appeared in 31 games last year with the Cubs, hitting .240 with no home runs.

Player (position) - 2013 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Shawn Camp (rhp) - Cubs/Diamondbacks - 2012 Topps Update #US238 (Cubs)

2.  Leandro Castro (of) - Phillies - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #84 (Phillies)

3.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Phillies - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)

4.  Clete Thomas (of) - Twins - 2010 Topps #441 (Tigers)

5.  Reid Brignac (inf) - Yankees/Rockies - 2013 Topps Update #US206

6.  Andres Blanco (inf) - N/A - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)

7.  Jeff Manship (rhp) - Rockies - 2010 Finest #141 (Twins)
8.  Tony Gwynn, Jr. (of) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps #284 (Dodgers)
9.  Lou Marson (c) - Indians - 2013 Topps #443 (Indians)
10.  Sean O'Sullivan (rhp) - Padres - 2011 Topps Update #US89 (Royals)
11.  Dave Sappelt (of) - Cubs - 2012 Topps #657 (Cubs)

Memory Lane

2013 Non-Roster Invitees