Grapefruit Game 5 - 2017 Topps Now MLB Players Weekend #PW-103 Tommy Joseph

Tigers 11, Phillies 6
Spring Training Game 5 - Tuesday Afternoon, February 27th in Clearwater
Record - 1-4

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff and three Phillies relievers each gave up two earned runs a piece and a six-run fourth inning wasn't enough in this 11-6 loss to the Tigers.

What It Means:  It's still early.

What Happened:  Rhys Hoskins and Roman Quinn connected for their first home runs of the spring.  Tommy Joseph and Collin Cowgill each added a pair of hits.

Featured Card:  Joseph, competing for a bench job with Carlos Santana slated to be the team's starting first baseman, saw his first outfield action of his career.  Playing left field, he actually switched over to right for a batter before switching back to left.  His two hits raised his spring average to .667 (4 for 6).  This is his most recent card of his in my collection, from the Topps Now Players Weekend team set.

Camp Head Count:  63

Grapefruit Game 4 - 2017 Topps Heritage Minor League 1968 Topps Discs #68TDC-18 Scott Kingery

Yankees 4, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 4 - Monday Night, February 26th in Tampa
Record - 1-3

One Sentence Summary:  A dramatic, game-tying home run from Scott Kingery in the ninth wasn't enough to hold off the Yankees.

What It Means:  I know these games don't count, but I would think it's irking new manager Gabe Kapler that the Phils have won only one ballgame so far this spring.

What Happened:  Kingery went 3 for 3, including his solo home run in the ninth inning to tie up the game.  Miguel Andujar hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the ninth off Ranger Suarez to give the Yankees the walk-off spring win.

Featured Card:  It's going to be fun to watch Kingery develop.  Expected to start the season in Triple-A with the IronPigs, Kingery is viewed as the team's second baseman of the future.  This is 1968 inspired disc card from last year's Topps Heritage Minor League set.  The full name and number of the card is almost as long as this entire post.

Camp Head Count:  63

Grapefruit Game 3 - 2017 Topps Gallery #65 Aaron Nola

Yankees 8, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 3 - Sunday Afternoon, February 25th in Clearwater
Record - 1-2

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola made his first spring start and the Phillies offense managed just four hits in this 8-3 loss to the Yankees.

What It Means:  Nola's pitching line wasn't pretty - 2 innings, 4 runs, 3 hits - but he would have been out of first inning trouble had Maikel Franco caught an infield pop up.  Following the game, manager Gabe Kapler named Nola the opening day starting pitcher.

What Happened:  Franco hit his first home run of the spring and Dylan Cozens had a double.  Seranthony Dominguez pitched another scoreless inning, striking out two.

Featured Card:  Topps resurrected the Topps Gallery brand in November and a full set was released after a 14-year absence.  (The last full Topps Gallery set came out in 2003.)  Only Nola, Franco and Jake Thompson made it from the Phillies into the set.

Camp Head Count:  63

Grapefruit Game 2 - 2017 Topps Fire #143 Jorge Alfaro

Phillies 9, Orioles 6
Spring Training Game 2 - Saturday Afternoon, February 24th in Clearwater
Record - 1-1

One Sentence Summary:  Jorge Alfaro's second inning grand slam led the Phillies to a 9-6 win over the Orioles in the spring training home opener in Clearwater.

What It Means:  The offense looked good with 12 hits against Orioles pitching.

What Happened:  Alfaro got a green light with a 3-0 count and he didn't miss.  Zach Eflin allowed a run on two hits in his first spring start while Jake Thompson struck out the side in his inning of work.  Infielder Will Middlebrooks had to be carted off the field with a bad left ankle injury when he collided with Andrew Pullin trying to catch a fly ball.

Featured Card:  I've mentioned this here before, but Topps really overdid it last year with cards of Alfaro, Thompson and Roman Quinn in just about every one of its releases.  I imagine Rhys Hoskins will received the same treatment within the 2018 Topps releases.  Topps Fire was a new set last year and it came out in late September.  I'm sure some people liked this set, but I wouldn't mind if Topps Fire is a one and done release.

Camp Head Count:  63

Grapefruit Game 1 - 2017 Topps Now #680 Nick Williams

Blue Jays 2, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 1 - Friday Afternoon, February 23rd in Dunedin
Record - 0-1

One Sentence Summary:  Eight Blue Jays pitchers held the Phillies to six hits in this 2-1 Grapefruit League opener.

What It Means:  Working on Friday afternoon, it was a great feeling to click on Gameday Audio and listen to Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen call this game.

What Happened:  Nick Pivetta started and allowed both Blue Jays runs in his two innings of work.  Mark Leiter, Jr. pitched two shutout innings.  Nick Williams went 2 for 2 with a double, and Danny Ortiz connected for the first home run of the spring for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  This Topps Now card of Williams (with Odubel Herrera) didn't arrive in my collection until after the 2017 season had ended.  It features a photo from right after he had scored on an eighth-inning inside the park home run.  I like the symmetry of this card featuring a highlight from the last game of 2017 and using it to celebrate Williams' two-hit game in the first game of 2018.

Camp Head Count:  63

The Phillies, along with the other Major League baseball teams, wore the hatsof the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagles baseball team.  The hats will be auctioned off to benefit the school and the victims' families.

And I'm just going to leave this here:  Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Exhibition Game - 2016 Choice Willamsport Crosscutters #5 Seranthony Dominguez

Phillies 6, Spartans 0
Exhibition Game - Thursday Afternoon, February 22nd in Clearwater
Record - 0-0

One Sentence Summary:  In an exhibition game before the exhibition season officially begins, the Phillies shut out the University of Tampa Spartans, 6-0.

What It Means:  And we're back!  The game doesn't count in the official Grapefruit League standings and none of the stats will be tracked, but the Phillies played baseball yesterday.

What Happened:  The Phillies used eight pitchers, led by starter Jerad Eickhoff, to limit the Spartans to seven hits.  Tommy Joseph started the scoring with an RBI double in the first, and Andrew Pullin added a two-run single in the seventh.

Featured Card:  Manager Gabe Kapler raved about pitcher Seranthony Dominguez following the game, calling his stuff "electric."  Dominguez struck out the side (swinging) in the sixth inning with his fastball reaching 96 mph.

Camp Head Count:  63.  As Grapefruit League games officially begin, the Phillies will have 63 players on their bench.

Uniform Number Update - 2018 Edition

2014 Topps #502

1993 Topps #418

2009 Topps #232

2012 Topps #625

A sure sign that spring training is approaching is the appearance of new uniform numbers on the Phillies website's roster page, usually in mid-January.  New players and coaches have had the dreaded "--" in front of their names all offseason and the Phillies only updated their website for the new uniform number assignments this past week.  Here's a look at the new number assignments and a few number changes.

This is a longer post than in prior years given the complete overhaul of the coaching staff.

New Players (Under 60/Over 90 Division)

• #4 Ryan Flaherty - Flaherty takes over the number that Andres Blanco wore the past four seasons.
• #9 Adam Rosales - Bullpen coach John McLaren wore this number for the Phillies in 2017.
• #12 Will Middlebrooks - Middlebrooks assumes the number associated with former Phillies coach Mickey Morandini.
• #21 Collin Cowgill - Clay Buchholz briefly wore this number last season.
• #30 Matt McBride - Cameron Perkins most recently wore this number last season.
• #33 Drew Hutchison - This number opened up when pitching coach Rick Kranitz switched to #39.
• #40 Tommy Hunter - Former hitting coach Matt Stairs wore this number in 2017.
• #41 Carlos Santana - Santana has worn this number his entire career and with Brock Stassi headed to the Twins, there wasn't even a need to negotiate for it.
• #93 Pat Neshek - If Neshek has explained his reasoning for his new high number, I've missed it so far.  He wore #17 during his stint last season with the club before being traded to the Rockies.  He's the first person in franchise history to wear #93.

New Coaches

• #3 Jose Flores - Oddly enough, this number was vacant all last season.  David Lough last wore the number in 2016.
• #8 John Mallee - New hitting coach Mallee takes over the number that rightfully only belongs to Juan Samuel.
• #22 Gabe Kapler - Bob McClure wore this number the past four seasons.  Interestingly enough, Kapler never wore the number during his 12-year big league career.
• #35 Jim Gott - Gott becomes the first person to wear #35 since Cole Hamels departed for the Rangers in mid-2015.
• #45 Chris Young - The new assistant pitching coach takes over Pete Mackanin's old number.
• #58 Pedro Guerrero - Jeremy Hellickson's number goes to the new assistant hitting coach.
• #59 Rob Thomson - This number became available when Mark Leiter, Jr. switched to #31.
• #62 Dusty Wathan - Patrick Schuster briefly wore this number in 2016.

Number Swaps

1998 Phillies Team Issue #31

• #15 Andrew Knapp - Knapp wore #34 last season and the Phillies announced that no one would wear that number in 2018 in honor of Roy Halladay.
• #31 Mark Leiter, Jr. - This is kind of cool.  Leiter assumes the number his father wore for the Phillies in 1997 and 1998.  Hyun Soo Kim sported the number last season.
• #39 Rick Kranitz - Kranitz swapped the #33 he's worn the past two season for #39.
• #46 Adam Morgan - Morgan had worn #39, but he's now switched to #46.  Jesen Therrien and Jeanmar Gomez wore #46 last season.

Highest Number
If not for Neshek, non-roster invitee Nick Rickles would win the honors with his #86.

Numbers Available - Unofficially Retired Division
The Phillies have a cool, yet unofficial policy of not handing out the uniform number of recently departed players (or coaches) who had been with the team for a while, and left a significant legacy with the franchise.  I'm including #25 on the list below as this may be the Phillies paying tribute to recent Hall of Fame inductee Jim Thome.

#6 Ryan Howard
#10 Larry Bowa and Darren Daulton
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#13 Freddy Galvis
#25 Jim Thome (no offense to Daniel Nava, who wore the number in 2017)
#26 Chase Utley
#34 Roy Halladay

Number Available - Up for Grabs Division
And then there is the one stray number that just hasn't found a new home yet.  #54 was worn by both Casey Fien and Kevin Siegrist last season and it's the only number between 1 and 60, and not unofficially retired, currently up for grabs.  Non-roster invitee Fernando Abad may end up wearing #54, as he's currently numberless on the Phillies website.

Don't Forget Us
The Phillies went the extra mile and list out the following additional coaches/staff on the Coaches portion of their website - #81 Craig Driver (bullpen catcher/receiving coach), #82 Bob Stumpo (bullpen catcher/catching coach), #87 Sam Fuld (Major League player information coordinator) and #95 Mike Calitri (manager, advanced scouting)

Memory Lane

2012 New Numbers

2013 New Numbers
2014 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2015 New Numbers
2016 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2017 New Numbers
2018 New Numbers

Cowgill Sneaks by The Phillies Room Copy Editors

2015 Topps Heritage #673

I had seen the news a few weeks ago that the Phillies had signed outfielder Collin Cowgill to a minor league contract, but the news didn't indicate that he'd also be a non-roster invitee to spring training.  I noticed today that the Phillies Transaction and Non-Roster Invitee pages on their website had been updated to include Cowgill.  The Phillies Room regrets this initial omission from the list below and our copy editors have been appropriately chastised.

Cowgill has played in parts of six seasons for the Diamondbacks, A's, Mets, Angels and Indians.  He was in the Padres organization last season until being released in August.  His last major baseball card appearances come from 2015 when he was with the Angels.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
4.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
5.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
6.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
7.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
8.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
9.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
10.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
11.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
12.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
13.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
14.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
15.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
16.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
17.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
18.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)
19.  Ryan Flaherty (2b) - Orioles - 2017 Topps #314 (Orioles)
20.  Collin Cowgill (of) - Padres - 2015 Topps Update #US385 (Angels)
21.  Nick Rickles (c) - Nationals/Phillies - N/A
22.  Drew Hutchison (rhp) - Pirates - 2016 Topps #343 (Blue Jays)
23.  Fernando Abad (lhp) - Red Sox - 2016 Topps Heritage #613 (Twins)

Latest Signing Not Abad Idea

2016 Topps Heritage #613

The Phillies continued their pattern yesterday of incrementally adding non-roster invitees one day at a time, as left-handed reliever Fernando Abad joined the club.  Abad is a veteran of eight major league seasons with the Astros, Nationals, A's, Twins and Red Sox.  Last season in Boston, he appeared in 48 games and pitched to an impressive 3.30 ERA.  Section 36 would have a better scouting report on Abad, but he seems to have been one of the more reliable Red Sox relievers last season.

As is the fate of most relief pitchers, Abad's baseball card appearances have been scarce.  He's appeared on three mainstream cards within the 2011 Topps, 2012 Topps Update and 2016 Topps Heritage sets.  By my unofficial tally, it would appear as if uniform #54 is open and available to Abad for the taking.  The only other Phillies uniform numbers currently available are in the 20s.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
4.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
5.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
6.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
7.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
8.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
9.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
10.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
11.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
12.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
13.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
14.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
15.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
16.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
17.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
18.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)
19.  Ryan Flaherty (2b) - Orioles - 2017 Topps #314 (Orioles)
20.  Nick Rickles (c) - Nationals/Phillies - N/A
21.  Drew Hutchison (rhp) - Pirates - 2016 Topps #343 (Blue Jays)
22.  Fernando Abad (lhp) - Red Sox - 2016 Topps Heritage #613 (Twins)

Updating the Non-Roster Invitee List with Hutchison

2015 Topps #531

On Thursday, the Phillies announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Drew Hutchison, making him the 21st non-roster invitee in Clearwater.  Hutchison has played in parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays and Pirates.  He spent all of 2017 pitching for the Pirates' Triple-A team in Indianapolis, going 9-9 with a 2.56 ERA in 26 starts.  His last major baseball card appearances came within a few 2016 releases from Topps.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
4.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
5.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
6.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
7.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
8.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
9.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
10.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
11.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
12.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
13.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
14.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
15.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
16.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
17.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
18.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)
19.  Ryan Flaherty (2b) - Orioles - 2017 Topps #314 (Orioles)
20.  Nick Rickles (c) - Nationals/Phillies - N/A
21.  Drew Hutchison (rhp) - Pirates - 2016 Topps #343 (Blue Jays)

Non-Roster Invitee Shuffle - Rickles Added

2017 Grandstand Reading
Fightin Phils Update #3

Before Phillies pitchers and catchers officially reported yesterday for the start of spring training, there were some last minute adjustments to the list of non-roster invitees.  Two players were subtracted from the original list and one player was added, giving the Phillies 60 players in camp vying for 25 roster spots.

On February 10th, pitcher Steve Geltz was suspended for 100 games following a third positive test for a drug of abuse.  A few days later, on February 12th, catcher Eric Fryer announced his retirement following a seven-year big league career.  (So much for the series of Geltz/Steve Jeltz combo cards I had planned throughout the season . . . )

Catcher Nick Rickles was added to the non-roster invitee list a day after Fryer's announcement.  Rickles has played six professional seasons within the A's, Nationals and Phillies organizations.  I have three of his baseball cards in my collection, all from 2017 Reading Fightin Phils team sets.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Eric Fryer (c) - Cardinals - 2011 Bowman Draft #36 (Pirates)
4.  Steve Geltz (rhp) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors Real One Autograph #ROA-SG (Angels)
3.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
4.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
5.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
6.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
7.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
8.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
9.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
10.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
11.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
12.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
13.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
14.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
15.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
16.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
17.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
18.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)
19.  Ryan Flaherty (2b) - Orioles - 2017 Topps #314 (Orioles)
20.  Nick Rickles (c) - Nationals/Phillies - N/A

Pitchers & Catchers & Odubel: REPORT #Countdown to Clearwater

2018 Chachi Preview #3

We made it!

Time to make sure your offseason hairstyle is ready to go.

(Picture from Ryan Lawrence's Twitter feed.)

Updated Roster Moves - Kelly, Blanco & Nava Find New Homes

2018 Chachi Departures #6

2018 Chachi Departures #7

2018 Chachi Departures #8

Three more members of the 2017 Phillies squad found new homes in recent weeks, and I wanted to update my offseason player tracker below before pitchers and catchers officially report to Clearwater on Wednesday.

Andres Blanco had been in the Phillies system since 2012.  A team leader in the clubhouse, Blanco played in 301 games for the Phils, appearing at every position except catcher, center field and right field.  He batted .257 and was one of the more reliable pinch-hitters over the past few seasons.  Appearing mainly in the team-issued sets, Blanco did receive Phillies baseball cards in a few Topps sets between 2015 and 2017.  Blanco signed a minor league deal with the Giants.

Ty Kelly became a quick Phillies Room favorite for his incredibly clutch hitting and for never failing to sign a pre-game autograph for my oldest son Doug.  In 69 games for the Phils, Kelly hit .193 and his Phillies cardboard legacy is limited to a card within the Topps Now set and the late season, team-issued photo card set.  Kelly is returning to the Mets as a non-roster invitee.

Finally, outfielder Daniel Nava signed a minor league deal with the Pirates.  Nava was limited to just 80 games with the Phillies last season due to lingering back issues.  His sole mainstream Phillies baseball card can be found within the 2017 Topps Heritage High Numbers set.

By my unofficial tally below, the only recent ex-Phillies still looking for new teams are Henderson Alvarez, Kevin Siegrist and Clay Buchholz.

2017 Phillies Team Issue
Update #15

Ty Kelly Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #39
2017 Chachi In Action #1
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6 and Signature Edition
2017 Chachi Archives #8
2018 Chachi Departures #6

Andres Blanco Complete Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #56
2015 Chachi #11
2016 Chachi #12
2016 Chachi Archives #2
2016 Chachi Photo Day #36
2017 Chachi #11
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19 (with Jerad Eickhoff)
2017 Chachi Photo Night #15
2018 Chachi Departures #7

Daniel Nava Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #14
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #21
2017 Chachi Photo Night #18
2018 Chachi Departures #8

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, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the New York Mets, 1/22/18.
• Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Francisco Giants, 1/30/18.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
• Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, 12/18/17.
• Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2/6/18.
• Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
• Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/14/17.
• Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
• Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
• Freddy Galvis - ss (12/15/17) - Traded to the San Diego Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.

Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (12/22/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.

New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Engelb Vielma - inf (11/20/17) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Carlos Santana - 1b (12/20/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians.

Already Gone - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Engelb Vielma - inf (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Flaherty Brings Camp Head Count to 61

2017 Topps #314

On Wednesday, the city of Philadelphia was busy planning for a long-anticipated parade in honor of the Super Bowl Champion Eagles.  Lost in what has rightfully been an all-Eagles, all the time Philadelphia sports news cycle was the Phillies signing of super utility player Ryan Flaherty to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.  Flaherty's signing brings the official camp head count up to 61.  He's expected to get a long look this spring as he auditions for what could be the final spot on the team's 25-man roster.

Flaherty has spent his entire six-year, big league career with the Orioles and he owns a .215 batting average over 452 games.  He's played every position except catcher, and he could join Pedro Florimon on what the Phillies hope will be a versatile bench.

It looks as if Flaherty's first Topps baseball card appearance came within the 2010 Topps Pro Debut set.  Since then he's appeared in a handful of Topps sets, most recently within 2017 Topps Series One.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Eric Fryer (c) - Cardinals - 2011 Bowman Draft #36 (Pirates)
4.  Steve Geltz (rhp) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors Real One Autograph #ROA-SG (Angels)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
7.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
8.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
9.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
10.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
11.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
12.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
13.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
14.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
15.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
16.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
17.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
18.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
19.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
20.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)
21.  Ryan Flaherty (2b) - Orioles - 2017 Topps #314 (Orioles)

The First Phillie of 2018 #ToppsBaseball

Last Wednesday night (or it may have been Thursday), my wife Jenna made an after-work pit stop at Target and brought home three of those hangar boxes containing our first glorious baseball cards of 2018.  My two sons and I anxiously opened our boxes in search of this year's First Phillie.  The search ended immediately as this Cesar Hernandez card was atop the stack from my hanger box, right behind the clear wrapper.

My first impression of the 2018 Topps cards is that I like them a lot more than the 2017 Topps cards.  I really didn't like the blocky lines cluttering up the 2017 Topps design and the skewed team logo bugged me too.  This year the skewed logo is replaced by a non-skewed logo now riding a team color-coded wave.  The 2018 Topps design has gradients, bursts of light appearing throughout the bottom design and a trail of pixels as the name and team banners dissolve off the side.  I bought less packs of Topps flagship last year than perhaps any other year before, and my flagship pack buying might see a slight uptick this year.  I don't mind the full bleed photos as much as other collectors, but I do wish Topps would simplify the overall design of their flagship cards a little.

2018 Topps #263

The backs are pretty much a repeat of last year.  Full career statistics are still gone and the player's social media accounts are presented, if that player has any social media accounts.  If not, there's just a rectangle box with #TOPPSBASEBALL in it.

Our oldest son Doug (11) thought the cards were cool, but they're not his favorites.  In a stunning development, our youngest son Ben (7) announced that he'd be collecting the set this year and he immediately started putting his cards in order.  I think he lost some steam when I told him there were 350 cards in the first series, and he was a little frustrated that the "cards with the weird numbers" weren't going to help him complete his set.  Still, I'll encourage this as much as I can and if we get close enough to a complete set I'll post his want list here.

Past First Phillies

2010 Topps #300 Chase Utley

2011 Topps #242 Brad Lidge

2012 Topps #98 Domonic Brown

2013 Topps #6 Ryan Howard
2014 Topps #90 Ethan Martin
2015 Topps #309 Maikel Franco
2016 Topps #15 Ryan Howard
2017 Topps #247 Hector Neris
2018 Topps #26 Cesar Hernandez

#FlyEaglesFly #SuperBowl

2018 Chachi Fly Eagles Fly #1

2018 Chachi Fly Eagles Fly #2

2018 Chachi Fly Eagles Fly #3

In honor of the Eagles playing in Super Bowl LII tonight, I created three ultra-rare insert cards featuring a former Phillie, a current Phillie and a future Phillie.

Let's go Eagles!

Phils Sign Rosales; Appel Steps Away

2017 Topps #377

Philadelphia has been all Eagles, all the time for the past two weeks and rightfully so.  Before the city completely shuts down tomorrow for the Super Bowl, I wanted to post a quick non-roster invitee update.  On Thursday, the Phillies added a 20th name to the list, signing shortstop Adam Rosales to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.  Rosales appeared in 105 games last season for the A's and Diamondbacks.

Also of note this past week was the announcement that former first round pick Mark Appel would be stepping away from baseball.  The top pick from the 2013 draft has been sidelined by injuries for parts of the past two seasons following his acquisition from the Astros as part of the Ken Giles deal.  Appel will be placed on the restricted list solely as a technicality and so that the Phillies retain his rights in case he changes his mind.  Appel appeared on a handful of minor league baseball cards from his time within the Phillies organization and we at the The Phillies Room certainly wish him the best.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Eric Fryer (c) - Cardinals - 2011 Bowman Draft #36 (Pirates)
4.  Steve Geltz (rhp) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors Real One Autograph #ROA-SG (Angels)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
7.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
8.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
9.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
10.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
11.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
12.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
13.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
14.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
15.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
16.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
17.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
18.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
19.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
20.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)