Monday, March 24, 2014

2014 Topps Heritage #337 Jimmy Rollins

Phillies 5, Twins 1
Spring Training Game 25 - Sunday Afternoon, March 23rd in Clearwater
Record - 7-15-3

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins starred in a 5-1 win over the Twins.

What Happened:  Kendrick tossed six strong innings, allowing just a run on five hits while striking out six.  Rollins had two hits, including his third home run of the spring.

Featured Card:  All staged Phillies photos used in the Heritage set were taken at the start of spring training in 2013.  I think this Rollins card is one of my favorite staged-shot Heritage Phillies cards, as you can see part of the scoreboard in the outfield of Bright House Networks Field in the background.  The other staged shots just show a splotch of blue sky with nothing in the background.

Observant fans will recognize that the top two advertising billboards shown behind Rollins are for Hooters and Budweiser.  Of course, my delicate eyes aren't offended by such things, but I wonder if this is the first time both Hooters and Bud have been featured together on one baseball card?

Camp Head Count:  40 - 1 = 39.  In a surprising move, the team outrighted Phillies Room favorite Kevin Frandsen to Triple-A Lehigh Valley yesterday afternoon.  Frandsen had been fairly reliable off the bench the past two seasons and all indications were that he was a positive presence in the clubhouse.  He led the Majors with 14 pinch-hits in 2013.

The move seems to indicate that the Phillies needed to free up space on the 40-man roster for one or more non-roster invitees who could make the team, including Bobby Abreu and Ronny Cedeno.  Frandsen can now decide to stick around or test free agency.  We here at the Phillies Room hope he decides on the former.

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