List of Departures Grows with Minor League Free Agents

2022 Topps Now #433

On Friday, a lengthy list of Phillies minor league players electing free agency was released, featuring five players who had appeared in at least one game with the club over the past few seasons.  I've added those five to the list of departures below, and the full list can be found here and here.

You can be forgiven if you don't remember the Phillies' careers of Nick Duron or Bubby Rossman.  Both were added to the roster during the away series in Toronto as a result of a number of players being unable to enter Canada due to their vaccination status.  Duron pitched a scoreless inning on July 13th and Rossman entered that game a few innings later.  He didn't fare as well as Duron, allowing a two-run home run to the Blue Jays' Teoscar Hernandez.

Jorge Bonifacio spent all of 2022 in the minor leagues after appearing in seven games for the Phillies in 2021, batting .091 (1 for 11).  Mark Appel appeared in six games this season for the Phillies, making his big league debut nine years after being selected as the first pick by the Astros in the 2013 draft.  Yairo Munoz appeared in 29 games with the Phillies, batting .211, and seeing his playing time decrease significantly with the arrival of Edmundo Sosa.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
• Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Mark Appel - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Jorge Bonifacio - of (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Nick Duron - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Yairo Munoz - inf (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Bubby Rossman - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

First Transactions of the 2022-2023 Offseason

2022 Topps #179

2022 Topps Living Set #565

2022 Topps Update #US14

2019 Topps #678

2021 Choice St. Paul Saints

I'm a natural list-maker and one list subject every year since the mid-1980s is a listing of Phillies' off-season transactions.  Whether it be in my old scrapbooks, in spiral-bound notebooks or on this blog, I've maintained lists of the players coming and going between the final pitch of one season and the first pitch of the next.  I realize these lists aren't needed now as much as they were back in the day, given there are multiple websites around tracking these sort of things, but with the World Series over and offseason transactions starting . . . here we go again.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
• Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.

Johan Camargo and Michael Kelly, both dropped from the team's 40-man roster earlier in the year, became free agents in the midst of the Phillies' postseason run.  On Sunday, the next six players listed above became free agents.  On Monday, the Phillies declined the option on Jean Segura and Zach Eflin declined his side of a mutual option, making them both free agents.

I wouldn't mind seeing Segura, Eflin, Robertson and/or Syndergaard come back in 2023 and if I had to guess the latter two probably have the best chance of donning red pinstripes again.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

On Wednesday, the Phillies added two potential 2023 pitchers to their arsenal, claiming Luis Ortiz and Andrew Vasquez off waivers from the Giants.  Ortiz appeared in six games for the Giants in 2022, earning a 1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched.  He had previously appeared in three games for the Orioles in 2018 and 2019, and his last mainstream baseball card can be found in the 2019 Topps set.

Vasquez appeared in nine games for the Blue Jays and one game for the Giants, spending 12 days on the Phillies' 40-man roster in August before re-entering the waiver wire shuffle.  He's got several minor league baseball card appearances, but nothing mainstream to date.

World Series Game 6 - Phils' Bats Go Quiet as Astros Win World Series

Astros 4, Phillies 1
World Series Game 6 - Saturday Night, November 5th in Houston
Astros win series, 4-2

One Sentence Summary:  For the third consecutive game, the Phillies offense was almost completely quiet and a three-run home run off the bat of Yordan Alvarez in the sixth proved to be the back-breaker in this 4-1 loss to the Astros.

What It Means:  It's Saturday night for a few more minutes and I'm going to power through this game summary post.  I'm sure in time I'll appreciate the October/early November run the 2022 Phillies just gave us way more than I do right now, but I'm still reeling from the little mistakes and missed opportunities that ultimately sunk the team after they held what appeared to be a commanding 2-1 advantage in the World Series.  There were too many strikeouts, too many runners left on base, too many defensive miscues and one huge questionable decision by manager Rob Thomson to bring in Jose Alvarado in this game with Zack Wheeler seemingly cruising.

Still, there's no way I ever imagined I'd be typing up a World Series Game 6 summary back in late May when the team was 22-29, costing Joe Girardi his job.  There's no way I could have predicted back in late June after the Phils lost Bryce Harper with a broken hand that I'd take my family to an NLDS game and watch Rhys Hoskins spike his bat following a dramatic home run.  And I certainly didn't foresee Harper going nuclear in the NLCS and delivering a World Series berth following a game-winning home run against the Padres.

I described losses back in September with words and phrases such as "'Pen implodes," "Phils fall again," "Phils still flat," and "Collapse seems imminent."  And then a little over a month later, I got to take my family to World Series games, temporarily losing my hearing following a Game 3 home run barrage.  I will remember some of these moments forever - the ninth inning comeback in the Wild Card series against the Cardinals, the clinching game of the NLDS against the Braves, buying postseason merchandise for every series, Doug devouring his standard Bull's BBQ order every night we went, Ben proudly waving his red rally towel, my whole family together, cheering the Phillies, and the five home runs on Tuesday night.  I wanted two more wins, and I wanted a few more memories, but the wins we did get and the memories I made will have to be enough for now.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Wheeler and Astros' starting pitcher Framber Valdez were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first five frames, putting zeroes on the board each half-inning.  In the top of the sixth, Kyle Schwarber drilled a lead-off, line drive home run to right field to give the Phillies a slim 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the sixth, needing just 12 more outs to send the series to a Game 7, Wheeler hit Martin Maldonado with a pitch, with Maldonado clearly leaning over the plate.  Jose Altuve grounded into a fielder's choice, and Jeremy Pena followed with a single to put runners on the corners with one out.

With just 70 pitches thrown and seemingly in a groove, Wheeler was removed by manager Thomson in favor of Alvarado.  The decision immediately backfired when Alvarez hit his three-run home run, an absolute bomb over the center field batter's eye, to give the Astros a 3-1 lead.  Another Astros run would score, but honestly it didn't really matter.  Save a ninth inning single from J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies went down quietly over the final three innings, with Nick Castellanos popping out in foul territory to right fielder Kyle Tucker to end the game, and the Phillies' season.

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2022 Chachi #87 World Series Game 5 / 2022 Chachi #89 J.T. Realmuto HL - Gold Glove

Phillies at Astros: November 5th to November 6th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #37

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #38

Saturday and Sunday 8:03
Minute Maid Park - Houston, TX

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies need two more wins to earn their third World Championship title in franchise history.

Phillies 2-3
Defeated Padres in NLCS, 4-1

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (1-2, 2.67)
Ranger Suarez (2-0, 1.23)

Phillies Postseason Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .373
Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 12
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 6
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 13
Stolen Bases:  Kyle Schwarber - 3

Wins:  Four tied with - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.67

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 28
Saves:  Five tied with - 1

Astros 3-2
Defeated Yankees in ALCS, 4-0

Astros Probables
Framber Valdez (2-0, 1.42)
TBD

Astros Postseason Leaders
Average:  Yuli Gurriel - .347
Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 11
Home Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 4
RBIs:  Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman - 11
Stolen Bases:  Yuli Gurriel - 2

Wins:  Four tied with - 2
ERA:  Cristian Javier - 0.71

Strikeouts:  Justin Verlander - 25
Saves:  Ryan Pressly - 5

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World Series Game 5 - Phils Can't Push Across Runs

Astros 3, Phillies 2
World Series Game 5 - Thursday Night, November 3rd in Philadelphia
Astros lead series, 3-2

One Sentence Summary:  A few misplays in the field and the lack of clutch hitting downed the Phillies in this 3-2 loss, as the World Series heads back to Houston for a do or die Game 6.

What It Means:  I still believe.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Two Astros runs scored as a result of fielding issues by the Phillies.  In the first, Jose Altuve doubled and then went to third when center fielder Brandon Marsh misplayed the ball.  Altuve would easily score on a Jeremy Pena single, with Noah Syndergaard striking out the next two batters and J.T. Realmuto gunning down Pena at second on an attempted steal.  Syndergaard allowed a solo home run to Pena in the fourth before departing.  In the eighth, the Astros scored the eventual winning run when Rhys Hoskins couldn't cleanly field a ground ball hit by Yordan Alvarez, allowing Altuve to score.  Had Hoskins come up with the ball and thrown home, Altuve almost certainly would have been out.

Not to be overlooked here, Connor Brogdon did an amazing job out of the bullpen for two innings, allowing a hit and striking out five.

The Phillies offense had their chances between a lead-off home run from Kyle Schwarber in the first and an RBI single from Jean Segura in the eighth.  They loaded the bases in the second, with Hoskins striking out  to end the inning.  They had a runner in scoring position again in the third, fifth, sixth, eighth innings and went 1 for 7 overall in those clutch spots, with 12 runners stranded on base throughout the game.  In the ninth, Realmuto launched what should have been at least a double to deep center field, with Chas McCormick making a leaping catch to stun Realmuto and the crowd of nearly 46,000.  Following a Bryce Harper hit by pitch, Nick Castellanos grounded out weakly to shortstop to end the game.

Field Report:  Doug and I were back again, for the fourth night in a row, watching this game from the back of Section 105 in right field.  Also for the fourth night in a row, Doug had his standard Bull's BBQ order - pulled pork platter with slaw on top, corn bread and baked beans for sides.  We spent most of our time pregame standing in the front of our section hoping for a stray baseball from one of the Astros shagging batting practice fly balls.  Doug, much like the Phillies in this game, came away empty.

The crowd was much more into this game then they were Wednesday night for Game 4.  We rarely sat and from our vantage point, it seemed as if Realmuto's ninth inning fly ball had gone out.  We departed the ballpark after the Castellanos ground out to end the game, thankful for the opportunity to witness Phillies postseason baseball, but hoping for two more wins in Houston.

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2022 Chachi #86 World Series Game 4 / 2022 Chachi #88 World Series Game 6

World Series Game 4 - Astros Even Series with Shutout

Astros 5, Phillies 0
World Series Game 4 - Wednesday Night, November 2nd in Philadelphia
Series tied, 2-2

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola and Jose Alvarado suffered one bad, five-run fifth inning and the Phillies offense went quietly in this 5-0 loss.

What It Means:  With the series now tied at two games a piece, a Game 6 in Houston is guaranteed and the Phillies will attempt to win one last home game in 2022 tonight, behind starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

What Happened / Featured Card:  From a Phillies fan's perspective, the best part of this night was the pregame ceremony, featuring ceremonial first pitches thrown out by future Wall of Famers Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

The Astros had runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings, but Nola worked out of those jams both times.  He wasn't as lucky in the fifth.  After allowing three straight singles to Chas McCormick, Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena to open the inning, Nola yielded to Jose Alvarado who promptly drilled Yordan Alvarez in the back, scoring the first run of the game.  Alex Bregman followed with a two-run double, Kyle Tucker hit a sacrifice fly to center and Yuli Gurriel capped the scoring with an RBI-single.

Astros' starting pitcher Cristian Javier was unhittable, striking out nine and allowing a pair of walks in his six innings of work.  Relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly threw the final three shutout innings with the Phillies managing only a walk off Pressly in the ninth.

 

Field Report:  All four of us went to the game, sitting high above center field in row two of Section 201.  It took me a little getting used to the elevation and the lack of a high railing in front of the first row, but it was less daunting as more fans filled the section.  We loved the pre-game people-watching from above Ashburn Alley and we had an excellent view of the Fox pre-game show with David Ortiz, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez.  It was cool to see the blue 2022 flag now flying above the ballpark, and I'm a little surprised the flag went up with absolutely no fanfare.

We weren't immune to the dread that filled the ballpark as the Astros inched closer to victory each inning, and I'm looking forward to watching the Phillies turn it back around tonight.

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2022 Chachi #85 World Series Game 3 / 2022 Chachi #87 World Series Game 5

World Series Game 3 - Five Home Runs Shake the Bank

Phillies 7, Astros 0
World Series Game 3 - Tuesday Night, November 1st in Philadelphia
Phillies lead series, 2-1

One Sentence Summary:  Led by Bryce Harper's first inning two-run home run, the Phillies offense collected a World Series record-tying five home runs overall in this exuberant 7-0 win over the Astros.

What It Means:  The Phillies fans promised a loud and raucous atmosphere for the first home World Series game since 2009, and nearly 46,000 of us delivered.  From the first pitch of the game when Jose Altuve lined out to a diving Nick Castellanos, to the final pitch, when Andrew Bellatti struck out Chas McCormick looking, the ballpark shook and we rarely sat.

What Happened / Featured Card:  The home runs made headlines, but Ranger Suarez quietly threw five shutout innings, striking out four and allowing three hits and a walk.  He turned the game over to Connor Brogdon, Kyle Gibson, Nick Nelson and Bellatti, who made quick work of the Astros' offense over the final four innings, allowing just two more hits.

Harper started the scoring (and upped the noise level) with his blast in the first, scoring Kyle Schwarber who had walked to start the inning.  Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh added two more home runs in the second, with Bohm's shot an absolute laser over the left field wall and Marsh's shot standing following an umpire review.  In the fifth, Schwarver and Hoskins went back-to-back, giving the Phillies their 7-0 lead and allowing a few of the low leverage relievers to get some work.

Field Report:  Following the rain-out on Monday night, Doug and I returned on Tuesday, with Doug once again opting for Bull's BBQ and with me mixing things up with Chickie's and Pete's.  We returned one last time to Section 113 for this game, rarely actually using our seats.  It was Doug's first ever World Series game, and only my second, as Jenna and I attended Game 3 of the 2008 World Series, waiting out the lengthy rain delay and staying until nearly two in the morning when Carlos Ruiz dribbled a ball to third, scoring Eric Bruntlett with the winning run.  And speaking of the 2008 club, most of the key players from that team were in attendance at this game, with Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino catching ceremonial first pitches from Mike Schmidt, Bernie Parent, Dr. J and Brandon Graham.

Somewhat lost in the excitement was the awarding of a Gold Glove to catcher J.T. Realmuto before the game.  It's Realmuto's second Gold Glove win, joining the one he earned in 2019.

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2022 Chachi #84 World Series Game 2 / 2022 Chachi #86 World Series Game 4

2022 Chachi #88 World Series Game 6