Friday, December 1, 2017

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #11 Brian Powell

#51
William Brian Powell
Pitcher

Even though he wasn't even a non-roster invitee in spring training, Brian Powell was one of the first pitchers to be recalled early in the 2004 season when injuries started to hit the Phillies bullpen.  Unfortunately, Powell pitched in just one game for the Phillies that May before an injury claimed him as well.  He returned from the disabled list on June 15th, taking a young Chase Utley's spot on the active roster.  After receiving two spot starts, Powell was sent back to the bullpen pitching middle relief and serving as the occasional long man until he landed on the disabled list again on August 19th.  He was activated on September 3rd as part of the roster expansion, but pitched only once more (on September 24th) the rest of the season.

In 2005, Powell pitched in 29 games for the Nationals' Triple-A team before his professional playing career ended.  He played in parts of six seasons in the majors with the Tigers, Astros, Giants and Phillies, compiling a career record of 7-18 and a 5.94 ERA.

For the second Missing Link in a row, we have a young baseball player who left us way too soon.  Powell committed suicide in 2009 at the age of 35.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  205
Born:  October 10, 1973, Bainbridge, GA
Died:  October 5, 2009, Tallahassee, FL
Drafted:  Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2nd round of the amateur player draft, June 1, 1995.
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1998; Houston Astros 2000-2001; Detroit Tigers 2002; San Francisco Giants 2003; Phillies 2004
Professional Affiliations:  Detroit Tigers 1995-1998; Houston Astros 1999-2001; Detroit Tigers 2002; San Francisco Giants 2003; Phillies 2003-2004; Washington Nationals 2005

Phillies Career
17 games, 2 starts - 1-2, 5.03 ERA, 39 1/3 innings pitched, 16 walks, 24 strikeouts
Acquired:  Purchased from the San Francisco Giants, July 24, 2003.
Debut:  May 15, 2004 - Relieved Jim Crowell and pitched the ninth inning of a 16-5 win over the Rockies in Denver.  Allowed one walk.
Final Game:  September 24, 2004 - Relieved Amaury Telemaco in the fifth inning, pitching two innings and allowing a solo home run to the Expos' Termel Sledge.
Departed:  October 9, 2004 - Granted free agency, signed as a free agent with the Washington Nationals, January 11, 2005.

1996 Topps #244
 
1998 Upper Deck #581
 
2004 Choice Scranton/
Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #24
1 Powell Baseball Card in My Collection
2004 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #24

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1996 Topps #244
First Topps Base Card:  1996 Topps #244
Last Mainstream Card:  1998 Upper Deck #581
Other Notable Cards:  2003 Multi-Ad Fresno Grizzlies #19

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
11 Brian Powell

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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