Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #10 Josh Hancock

#50
Joshua Morgan Hancock
Pitcher

Unlike teammate Valerio de los Santos, Josh Hancock did participate in the post-game ceremony following the final game at Veterans Stadium.  A September call-up, Hancock pitched in two games for the Phillies in 2003 and he'd appear in four more games with the team the following season.  Hancock was recalled from the Red Barons three separate times in 2004, making spot starts on May 22nd and June 3rd only to be sent back following both games.  He made two appearances in relief in late July when Ryan Madson landed on the disabled list.  In those six games over two seasons for the Phillies, Hancock went 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA, striking out 9 in 12 innings pitched.

In need of a strong bullpen arm for the stretch run, the Phillies sent Hancock and fellow prospect Anderson Machado to the Reds on July 30, 2004 for fellow Missing Links member Todd Jones.

Hancock was a key cog in the bullpen of the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, appearing in 62 games and compiling a 4.09 ERA.  Tragically, an intoxicated Hancock was killed on April 29, 2007 at the age of 29 in a traffic accident.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  217
Born:  April 11, 1978, Cleveland, MS
Died:  April 29, 2007, St. Louis, MO
Drafted:  Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 5th round of the amateur player draft, June 2, 1998.
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 2002; Phillies 2003-2004; Cincinnati Reds 2004-2005; St. Louis Cardinals 2006-2007
Professional Affiliations:  Boston Red Sox 1998-2002; Phillies 2003-2004; Cincinnati Reds 2004-2005; St. Louis Cardinals 2006-2007

Phillies Career
6 games, 2 starts - 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 12 innings pitched, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Acquired:  Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Jeremy Giambi, December 15, 2002.
Debut:  September 9, 2003 - Relieved Brandon Duckworth in the eighth inning of an eventual 18-5 win over the Braves.  Pitched an inning, allowing a run on two hits.
Final Game:  July 29, 2004 - Pitched a scoreless seventh inning against the Marlins, striking out two.
Departed:  July 30, 2004 - Traded with Anderson Machado to the Cincinnati Reds for Todd Jones and Brad Correll.

2003 Donruss #42

2003 Choice Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #7

2004 Choice Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #14

2006 Upper Deck #812

4 Hancock Baseball Cards in My Collection
2003 Donruss #42
2003 Fleer Tradition #444
2003 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #7
2004 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #14

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2002 Upper Deck #538
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  2006 Upper Deck #812
Other Notable Cards:  1999 Multi-Ad Augusta Greenjackets #12, 2003 Donruss Team Heroes #92, 2005 Topps Total #676

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock

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.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #9 Valerio de los Santos

#28
Valerio Lorenzo de los Santos
Relief Pitcher

Even though the Phillies were 13 games behind the Braves in the division on September 2nd, they were still in the Wild Card hunt, just a game behind the Marlins.  To bolster the bullpen down the stretch, lefty Valerio de los Santos was purchased from the Brewers.  He appeared in six games for the Phillies in September, but half of those outings resulted in runs being scored by the opponent.  He finished his Phillies career with a 9.00 ERA, earned over just four innings pitched.  By my unofficial observation at the time, he was one of two current Phillies pitchers (along with Jose Mesa) who didn't take the field on September 28, 2003 for the post-game closing ceremony of Veterans Stadium.

de los Santos pitched in parts of nine seasons in the Majors, finding the most success with the Brewers between 2000 and 2003.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  225
Born:  October 6, 1972, Las Matas de Farfan, Dominican Republic
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Brewers as an amateur free agent, January 26, 1993.
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Brewers 1998-2003; Phillies 2003; Toronto Blue Jays 2004; Florida Marlins 2005; Colorado Rockies 2008
Professional Affiliations:  Milwaukee Brewers 1995-2003; Phillies 2003; Toronto Blue Jays 2004; Florida Marlins 2005; Chicago White Sox 2006; Sultanes de Monterrey (Mexico) 2007; Dorados de Chihuahua (Mexico) 2007; Colorado Rockies 2008; Vaqueros Laguna 2011 (Mexico); Long Island Ducks (Independent) 2011

Phillies Career
6 games, all in relief - 1-0, 9.00, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks in 4 innings pitched
Acquired:  Purchased from the Milwaukee Brewers, September 2, 2003.
Debut:  September 4, 2003 - Relieved Jose Mesa after he had blown a save in the ninth inning against the Mets, pitching 2/3 of an inning.  Earned the win when Mike Lieberthal hit a walk-off single to left to score Marlon Byrd.
Final Game:  September 25, 2003 - Relieved Randy Wolf in the fifth inning, pitching an inning and allowing a run on two hits to the Marlins.
Departed:  December 21, 2003 - Granted free agency, signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays, December 27, 2003.

1997 Bowman #319

2003 Topps Total #59

2003 Upper Deck 40-Man #419

2004 Topps Total #403

2 de los Santos Baseball Cards in My Collection
2003 Topps Total #59
2003 Upper Deck 40-Man #419

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1997 Bowman #319
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  2004 Topps Total #403
Other Notable Cards:  1999 Fleer Tradition #329, 2000 Pacific Omega #187, 2001 MLB Showdown First Edition #235

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos

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.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #8 Kelly Stinnett

#35
Kelly Lee Stinnett
Catcher

As we watched the closing ceremonies following the final game at Veterans Stadium on September 28, 2003, I thought it a nice touch that the current Phillies team opted to take part in the on-field introductions.  Kelly Stinnett entered the field after Rheal Cormier and the photo for this card is taken from that moment.  Stinnett was acquired from the Reds for Eric Valent right before the August 31st trade deadline as the Phils were looking for some catching depth behind Mike Lieberthal and Todd Pratt.  As it turned out, he was used mostly as a pinch-hitter in his seven games with the Phillies, seeing action as a catcher in a just a few innings in the September 9th game.

Stinnett enjoyed a 14-year career as a backup catcher with eight different teams, reaching a career high in games with 92 for the 1998 Diamondbacks.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  195
Born:  February 14, 1970, Lawton, OK
Drafted:  Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 11th round of the 1989 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1994-1995; Milwaukee Brewers 1996-1997; Arizona Diamondbacks 1998-2000; Cincinnati Reds 2001-2003; Phillies 2003; Kansas City Royals 2004; Arizona Diamondbacks 2005; New York Yankees 2006; New York Mets 2006; St. Louis Cardinals 2007
Professional Affiliations:  Cleveland Indians 1990-1993; New York Mets 1994-1995; Milwaukee Brewers 1996-1997; Arizona Diamondbacks 1998-2000; Cincinnati Reds 2001-2003; Phillies 2003; Kansas City Royals 2004; Arizona Diamondbacks 2005; New York Yankees 2006; New York Mets 2006; Los Angeles Dodgers 2007; St. Louis Cardinals 2007

Phillies Career
7 games - six as pinch-hitter, one at catcher, 3 for 7 (.429)
Acquired:  Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for Eric Valent, August 31, 2003.
Debut:  September 1, 2003 - Pinch hit for Mike Williams in the sixth inning against the Red Sox, singling off Jeff Suppan.
Final Game:  September 28, 2003 - In the last game ever played at Veterans Stadium, pinch hit for Turk Wendell in the fifth and popped out to first against Greg Maddux.
Departed:  October 26, 2003 - Granted free agency.  Signed with the Kansas City Royals, December 19, 2003.

1995 Topps #71

2000 Topps #347

2003 Upper Deck 40-Man #735

2006 Upper Deck #719

1 Stinnett Baseball Card in My Collection
2003 Upper Deck 40-Man #735

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1994 Pinnacle #538
First Topps Base Card:  1995 Topps #71
Last Mainstream Card:  2006 Upper Deck #719
Other Notable Cards:  1990 Star Waterloo Indians #20, 1998 Pacific Online #48, 1999 Fleer Tradition #524, 2000 Topps #347, 2001 Topps #644, 2002 Topps #381

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett

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.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #7 Matt Walbeck

#4
Matthew Lovick Walbeck
Pinch Hitter

Mike Lieberthal's season-ending knee injury, suffered on a pick-off play on May 12th, set in a motion a catcher merry-go-round throughout the Phillies system during the 2001 season.  Johnny Estrada was recalled from the Red Barons and became the team's starting catcher with Gary Bennett serving as his back-up.  The Red Barons, in need of a strong catcher, purchased Matt Walbeck from the Reds on July 11th.  Walbeck was a September call-up when rosters expanded, but Estrada and Todd Pratt (acquired from the Mets on July 23rd for Bennett) got all of the playing time behind the plate.

Walbeck received one at-bat with the Phillies, pinch-hitting and singling for Vicente Padilla in the ninth inning in a game against the Marlins on September 30th.  A free agent following the season, he'd finish up his 11-year big league career playing two seasons with the Tigers.

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  195
Born:  October 2, 1969, Sacramento, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 8th round of the 1987 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1993; Minnesota Twins 1994-1996; Detroit Tigers 1997; Anaheim Angels 1998-2000; Phillies 2001; Detroit Tigers 2002-2003
Professional Affiliations:  Chicago Cubs 1987-1993; Minnesota Twins 1994-1996; Detroit Tigers 1997; Anaheim Angels 1998-2000; Cincinnati Reds 2001; Phillies 2001; Detroit Tigers 2002-2003

Phillies Career
1 game - Singled in his lone at-bat with the Phillies, 1.000 batting average
Acquired:  Purchased from the Cincinnati Reds, July 11, 2001.
Debut:  September 30, 2001 - Pinch hit for Vicente Padilla, singling to right off the Marlins' Antonio Alfonseca.
Final Game:  September 30, 2001
Departed:  October 8, 2001 - Granted free agency, signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres, January 2, 2002.

1993 Topps #812

1995 Topps #471

2001 Topps #309

2004 Upper Deck #111

1 Walbeck Baseball Card in My Collection
2001 Topps #309

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1993 Upper Deck #509
First Topps Base Card:  1993 Topps #812
Last Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck #111
Other Notable Cards:  1987 ProCards #2739, 1994 Topps Traded #69T, 1995 Topps #471, 1996 Fleer #179, 1999 Topps #136, 2000 Topps #162, 2003 Topps Total #315

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck

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.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #6 P.J. Forbes

#29
Patrick Joseph Forbes
Second Base

P.J. Forbes was signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent prior to the 2000 season, spending that entire year with the Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.  It looked as if he'd also spend the entire 2001 season with the Red Barons without a call-up when the Phillies purchased his contract on September 17th.  That day was an emotional day for the country and the baseball world as it marked the return of baseball following the September 11th terrorist attacks.  Forbes and his teammates lined up for the pre-game ceremony and the National Anthem and he appears on the United We Stand subset card found within the 2002 Topps set, in between teammates Eddie Oropesa and David Coggin.

Forbes appeared in 3 games for the Phillies at the end of the 2001 season and then spent the entire 2002 season back with the Red Barons.  After his playing days, Forbes came back to manage in the Phillies' system, leading the Lakewood BlueClaws (2004-05) and the Reading Phillies (2006-08).

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  September 22, 1967, Pittsburg, KS
Drafted:  Drafted by the California Angels in the 20th round of the 1990 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1998; Phillies 2001
Professional Affiliations:  California Angels 1990-1996; Baltimore Orioles 1997-1998, 1999; Texas Rangers 1999; Phillies 2000-2002

Phillies Career
3 games - two as pinch-hitter, one at second base, 2 for 7 (.286) with an RBI
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Baltimore Orioles organization, November 2, 1999.
Debut:  September 30, 2001 - Pinch hit for Jimmy Rollins in the ninth inning, grounding into a force out against the Marlins' Antonio Alfonseca.  Marlon Anderson scored on the play.
Final Game:  October 7, 2001 - Started at second base in the final game of the season, going 2 for 5 with two singles.
Departed:  October 15, 2002 - Granted free agency.

2000 Q Cards Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #9

2001 Choice Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #8

2004 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #7

2008 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #26

8 Forbes Baseball Cards in My Collection
2000 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #9
2001 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #8
2002 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #5
2004 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #7
2005 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #11
2006 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #25
2007 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #25
2008 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #26

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  N/A
First Topps Base Card:  N/A*
Last Mainstream Card:  N/A
Other Notable Cards:  1990 ProCards #3320, 1994 Fleer/ProCards #1869, 2012 Grandstand Altoona Curve #15

*Technically, 2002 Topps #359 could be listed here.

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes

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.

Phillies Name Pedro Guerrero Assistant Hitting Coach

1986 Sportflics #148

I have two Pedro Guerrero baseball cards in my Phillies collection.  This lenticular card from the 1986 Sportflics set featuring Guerrero, Mike Schmidt and Darrel Porter is one of those cards.  That's Guerrero's leg poking through behind Schmidt.  The former slugger also appears on the back of Pete Rose's card from the 1983 Topps Foldouts set.

The Phillies' new assistant hitting coach, also named Pedro Guerrero, apparently is no relation to the former big leaguer who was a five-time All-Star and played for 15 seasons with the Dodgers and Cardinals.  The Phillies' Pedro Guerrero is a 28-year-old who played eight seasons in the Dodgers' minor league organization and served as their Rookie-level bench coach for the Ogden Raptors the past two seasons.  He worked with new Phillies manager Gabe Kapler during Kapler's time with the Dodgers' organization.  The younger Guerrero's only baseball card appearances to date can be found within Dodgers' minor league team sets.

Guerrero's hiring leaves just two vacant coaching spots on the Phillies' staff - bench coach and first base coach.  It would appear as if Rick Kranitz will serve as the team's pitching coach in 2018, although the team has yet to make this official.

To be perfectly honest, I'm having a tough time getting even remotely excited about the Phillies' field staff hirings this offseason.  The more I think about the Kapler hiring, the more I wish Pete Mackanin was coming back next season.  Only time will tell if these appointments are genius or lunacy.

And on that note . . . Happy Thanksgiving!

40-Man Roster Additions/Subtractions

2017 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #8

2017 Bowman Prospects #BP41

2017 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #26

2017 Topps Pro Debut #91

On Monday, all 30 teams worked to set their 40-man rosters in advance of next month's Rule 5 draft.  The Phillies completely overhauled their roster a year ago, dropping three players and adding 11.  There wasn't that much activity this year as the team dropped three players and added five.  Here's a look at the players involved in the roster shuffling along with some baseball card notes for the new additions.

Dropped from 40-Man Roster

• Mark Appel (rhp) - Former 1st round pick of the Astros and acquired as part of the Ken Giles trade.  Appel has had his prior two seasons ended prematurely due to arm injuries.
• Elniery Garcia (lhp) - Garcia sticks with the organization, as he was simply outrighted to the IronPigs.
• Alberto Tirado (rhp) - Part of the return in the Ben Revere deal.

Added to 40-Man Roster

• Seranthony Dominguez (rhp) - Has appeared in the 2016 Crosscutters and 2017 Threshers minor league team sets.
• Franklyn Kilome (rhp) - One of the organization's top pitching prospects, I already have 11 of his cards in my collection from various Bowman and Topps releases.
• Ranger Suarez (lhp) - Appears in the 2016 Crosscutters and the 2017 BlueClaws minor league team sets.
• Jose Taveras (rhp) - Along with cards in the Phillies minor league team sets, Taveras appeared in the Topps Pro Debut and Topps Heritage Minor League sets this past season.  He also already has a Chachi card to his name, having appeared in the 2016 Chachi BlueClaws Signing Autographs limited edition set.
• Engelb Vielma (inf) - The Phillies claimed Vielma off waivers from the Giants on Monday afternoon.  Primarily a shortstop, Vielma spent the past six seasons in the Twins organization and to date he's only appeared in Twins minor league team sets.

2018 Chachi New Additions #1

With his addition to the 40-man roster, Vielma becomes the first card in the 2018 Chachi New Additions set.  This insert set, released between now and opening day, will feature players new to the organization and added to the 40-man roster throughout the winter/early spring.

Memory Lane

2009 Additions - Quintin Berry, Yohan Flande and Jesus Sanchez
2010 Additions - Cesar Hernandez, Matt Rizzotti, Harold Garcia, Freddy Galvis and Justin De Fratus*
2011 Additions - Phillippe Aumont, Jake Diekman, Tyson Gillies and Sebastian Valle
2012 Additions - Zach Collier, Ethan Martin, Trevor May and Jonathan Pettibone
2013 Additions - Aaron Altherr, Kelly Dugan, Tommy Joseph and Rob Rasmussen
2014 Additions - Jesse Biddle, Adam Morgan and Nefi Ogando
2015 Additions - Jimmy Cordero, Roman Quinn and Edubray Ramos
2016 Additions - 11 prospects
2017 Additions - Seranthony Dominguez, Franklyn Kilome, Ranger Suarez, Jose Taveras, Engelb Vielma

*Somehow I skipped doing a post for the 2010 40-man roster additions.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #5 Turner Ward

#25
Turner Max Ward
Pinch Hitter

During the final season of his 12-year big league career, Turner Ward walked to the plate 17 times for the Phillies but never spent an inning in the field playing defense.  Manager Larry Bowa used Ward to pinch-hit 17 times in 2001, and Ward came through in a handful of those at bats, tallying a double, four hits and a walk.  A non-roster invitee to spring training, Ward began the season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons but was recalled in mid-June.  In his first at-bat, he contributed a two-run single off Orioles reliever Buddy Groom and those were to be his only two RBIs as a Phillie.  Ward was sent back down in early July, earned a quick two-game return back in late July and was designated for assignment on July 27th ending his time with the Phillies.

Prior to his short Phillies career, Ward was a prospect in the Yankees organization before being shipped to the Indians in the March 1989 Joel Skinner/Mel Hall deal.  Ward's best seasons were with the 1994 Brewers (9 home runs, 45 RBIs) and the 1998 Pirates (9 home runs, 46 RBIs).

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  April 11, 1965, Orlando, FL
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round of the 1986 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1990-1991; Toronto Blue Jays 1991-1993; Milwaukee Brewers 1994-1996; Pittsburgh Pirates 1997-1999; Arizona Diamondbacks 1999-2000; Phillies 2001
Professional Affiliations:  New York Yankees 1986-1988; Cleveland Indians 1989-1991; Toronto Blue Jays 1991-1993; Milwaukee Brewers 1994-1996; Pittsburgh Pirates 1997-1999; Arizona Diamondbacks 1999-2000; Phillies 2001

Phillies Career
17 games - all as a pinch-hitter, 4 for 15 (.267) with a double, 2 RBIs
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, December 20, 2000.
Debut:  June 17, 2001 - Pinch hit for Rheal Cormier in the eighth inning, singled to center and drove home Johnny Estrada and Marlon Anderson.
Final Game:  July 27, 2001 - Pinch hit for Cliff Politte and was hit by a pitch by Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel.
Departed:  October 8, 2001 - Granted free agency.

1991 Topps #555

1999 Fleer Tradition #547

2001 Topps #589

2001 Choice Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #28

2 Ward Baseball Cards in My Collection
2001 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #28
2001 Topps #589

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1991 Bowman #76
First Topps Base Card:  1991 Topps #555
Last Mainstream Card:  2001 Topps Chrome #451
Other Notable Cards:  1988 CMC Columbus Clippers #19, 1993 Donruss #293, 1994 Stadium Club #550, 1999 Fleer Tradition #547

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward

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.

New Williams Team-Issued Card Surfaces

Of interest to probably just a few of us collectors (I'm looking at you, Rick and Steve), I recently (and surprisingly) added a new Nick Williams team-issued photo card to my collection.  The card is in the style of the regular 2017 team-issued photo card set but with a blank back.  Williams was not included in the early season release of the original 40-card set, but he'd appear in the late season 14-card update set.  This update set used a completely different design from the 40-card set.

We already knew of the existence of cards for Zach Eflin, Mark Leiter Jr. and Nick Pivetta bearing this design, as these cards were made available at the Phillies Phestival held in May.  But now I can add the Williams card to the list of set rarities as well.

So how did this card come into my collection?  My wife and I recently attended the 40th Anniversary Gala of the Philadelphia ALS Association.  The Phillies are a huge sponsor for this terrific organization, and the team had contributed several items to the silent and live auctions that were part of the event.  We were fortunate to bid on and win a Phillies prize package thanks to the astute bidding skills of my wife Jenna.  One of the items we won was an autographed bat from Nick Williams.  The bat was shipped to our house last week and this card was included within the box, seemingly to help the winner identify the signer of the bat.

I had to negotiate with our older son Doug to keep this card in my collection, and he agreed in exchange for getting to display the Williams bat in his room.  Our younger son Ben found a place of prominence in his room for the autographed Rhys Hoskins baseball, and I'm trying to figure out how to display the autographed catcher's mitt.  (The mitt is autographed by Cameron Rupp and not Jorge Alfaro.)

The moral of the story is when you support an amazing charitable organization, doing great work for ALS patients and their families in the Philadelphia region, you may end up inadvertently adding a rare Phillies team-issued photo card to your collection!

Phils Get Gott

1989 Topps #752

The Phillies filled another coaching position on Friday afternoon, adding former pitcher Jim Gott as their new bullpen coach for the 2018 season.  Gott replaces John McLaren, who was let go following the season.

Gott spent the past five season as the Angels' minor league pitching coordinator and he served as the Angels pitching coach from 2010 to 2012.  He enjoyed a 14 year playing career with the Blue Jays (1982-1984), Giants (1985-1987), Pirates (1987-1989, 1995) and Dodgers (1990-1994).  He saved 34 games for the Pirates in 1988, at the time breaking Kent Tekulve's single season save tally for the franchise.

Gott appears in every Topps flagship set between 1983 and 1995.  I chose his 1989 Topps card for this post, as I'm pretty sure I pulled no less than a dozen of this particular card from packs I opened during the spring/summer of '89.

Mallee, Wathan Join Coaching Staff; Kranitz Returns

1991 Classic Best Martinsville Phillies #8

2007 Choice Ottawa Lynx #24

New manager Gabe Kapler officially added three coaches to his staff on Friday.  Rick Kranitz, who was the bullpen coach in 2016 and the assistant pitching coach in 2017, is to date the sole holdover from Pete Mackanin's staff.  His role has yet to be determined, but it was confirmed that he'll return in 2018.

John Mallee returns to the Phillies organization after a 25-year absence.  Mallee was originally drafted by the Phillies in the 12th round of the June 1991 amateur player draft.  He played in parts of two seasons with the Martinsville (rookie) and Spartanburg (Low A) Phillies teams, appearing in 115 games and hitting .208.  More recently, Mallee served as the hitting coach for the Marlins (2010-2011), Astros (2013-2014) and Cubs (2015-2017).  Mallee was let go by the Cubs following their loss to the Dodgers in the playoffs.  He replaces Matt Stairs, who left the Phillies to fill the hitting coach position with the Padres.

Dusty Wathan was who I hoped would be the next Phillies manager.  Instead, he'll serve as Kapler's third base coach.  He's managed in the Phillies minor league system for the past 10 seasons, so he knows all the younger players well.

Mallee has a number of minor league baseball cards to his name, including the 1991 Classic card shown here.  Wathan has been appearing in Phillies minor league sets since 2006, first as a player and then as a manager.  The card featured here is from the Phillies' one year relationship with the Ottawa Lynx back in 2007.

Phillies Minor League Free Agents & Chachi Almost Cards

2017 Chachi Almost #18

2017 Chachi Almost #20

2017 Topps Update #US171

On Tuesday, Baseball America published a list of 572 new minor league free agents and the list included 16 players from the Phillies organization.  Players in red below saw time with the Phillies over the past few seasons.

RHP:  Michael Mariot, Colton Murray, Miguel Nunez, Jesen Therrien
LHP:  Cesar Ramos
RHP/LHP:  Pat Venditte
C:  Wilson Garcia, Chace Numata, Nick Rickles
1B:  Jake Fox, Brock Stassi
2B:  Angelo Mora
3B:  Harold Martinez
SS:  Hector Gomez
OF:  Christian Marrero, Herlis Rodriguez

Both Mariot and Murray spent time in the Phillies bullpen during the 2016 season, but neither got the call all season long in 2017.  Stassi provided a feel-good story coming out of spring training, as the 27-year-old rookie made the Phillies' opening day roster.  In 51 games, he hit .167 with a pair of home runs and he earned baseball cards in the Topps Heritage High Numbers and Topps Update sets for his efforts.

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (10/13/17) - Elected free agency.
• Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency.
• Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency.
• Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency.

2017 Chachi Almost #16

2017 Chachi Almost #21

2017 Chachi Almost #24

I also wanted to clear out my draft folder of a bunch of Chachi Almost cards.  I make cards during spring training of every player on the 40-man roster as well as each non-roster invitee if a good photo becomes available.  These cards wait patiently all season to perhaps become official Chachi cards, but if the player doesn't get the call the cards join the Chachi Almost insert set.  Mark Appel, Dylan Cozens, Elniery Garcia, Scott Kingery, Logan Moore, Shane Pullin, Roman Quinn and Alberto Tirado should all be in the mix when the Phillies head to Clearwater in February.

Hector Gomez, Mariot, Murray, Chace Numata and Cesar Ramos will be moving on.

2017 Chachi Almost #13

2017 Chachi Almost #14

2017 Chachi Almost #15

2017 Chachi Almost #17

2017 Chachi Almost #19

2017 Chachi Almost #22

2017 Chachi Almost #23

2017 Chachi Almost #25