Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s - #23 Torey Lovullo

#4
Salvatore Anthony Lovullo
Second Base-First Base

Currently in his first year as a major league manager for the Diamondbacks, Torey Lovullo's eight-year major league playing career came to a close with 17 uneventful games with the 1999 Phillies. An early September call-up along with Mike Grace and Cliff Politte, Lovullo had enjoyed a solid season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, hitting .279 over 139 games.  Starting five games at second base and twice at first base for the Phillies, he hit .211 (8 for 38) with a pair of home runs and five RBIs.

Lovullo departed as a free agent following the season and played 29 games in 2000 with the Yakult Swallows in Japan before calling it a career.  He began his coaching career in 2001 with Cleveland as a minor league infield coach.  In the majors, he has served as the first base coach for the Blue Jays (2011-2012) and as the bench coach for the Red Sox (2013-2016).  Lovullo filled in as the interim manager for the Red Sox over the final seven weeks of the 2015 season when John Farrell was undergoing treatment for lymphoma.  His 2017 Diamondbacks are currently one of the best teams in the National League.

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 25, 1965, Santa Monica, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the June 1987 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1988-1989; New York Yankees 1991; California Angels 1993; Seattle Mariners 1994; Oakland Athletics 1996; Cleveland Indians 1998; Phillies 1999
Professional Affiliations:  Detroit Tigers 1987-1990; New York Yankees 1991-1992; California Angels 1993; Seattle Mariners 1994; Cleveland Indians 1995; Oakland Athletics 1996; Montreal Expos 1997; Cleveland Indians 1997-1998; Phillies 1999; Yakult Swallows (Japan) 2000

Phillies Career
17 games, .211 (8 for 38), 2 home runs, 5 RBIs
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians, November 5, 1998
Debut:  September 3, 1999 - Started at second and went 0 for 2 with a walk and run scored.
Final Game:  October 3, 1999
Departed:  Granted free agency, October 9, 1999.

1989 Donruss Rookies #17
 
1994 Topps #634
 
1996 Leaf Signature Series -
Extended Autographs #113
1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Red Barons Team Issue #21
1 Lovullo Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Team Issue #21
Last Card:  1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Team Issue #21

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1989 Donruss Rookies #17
First Topps Base Card:  1994 Topps #634
Last Mainstream Card:  1996 Leaf Signature Series - Extended Autographs #113
Other Notable Cards:  1988 ProCards #923, 1989 Upper Deck #782, 1991 Bowman #175, 1992 Stadium Club #809, 2010 Choice Pawtucket Red Sox #28

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s
1 Louie Meadows
2 Dave LaPoint
3 Darrin Chapin
4 Mickey Weston
5 Bob Wells
6 Tom Edens
7 Omar Olivares
9 Jim Deshaies
10 Chuck Ricci
11 Dennis Springer
12 Manny Martinez
13 Rafael Quirico
14 Bronson Heflin
15 Glenn Dishman
16 Rob Butler
17 Mike Robertson
18 Matt Whiteside
19 Robert Dodd
20 Joel Bennett
21 Joe Grahe
22 Domingo Cedeno
23 Torey Lovullo

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

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