Spring Training Game 3 - Phils Fall Late to Sox

2023 Topps #381

Red Sox 7, Phillies 6
Spring Training Game 3 - Monday Afternoon, February 26th in Fort Myers
Record - 2-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies collected three home runs, but a group of young arms allowed four unanswered, late runs to the Red Sox in this 7-6 loss.

What It Means:  It's still odd in the year 2024 there are Phillies spring training games that are neither televised or broadcast over the radio.  This was one of those games, and I attempted to follow along with MLB Gameday, but would have preferred having the game on in the background on TV.

What Happened:  Whit Merrifield, Darick Hall and Aramis Garcia all homered for the Phillies.  Dave Buchanan, making his return to the club, got the start and allowed a pair of runs on four hits and a walk over two innings.  All four eighth and ninth inning runs scored by the Red Sox were charged to Noah Skirrow.  Skirrow started the ninth with a walk and hit by pitch, and departed in favor of Andrew Schultz.  Schultz allowed back-to-back singles as the Red Sox tied the game, 6-6.  He then uncorked a wild pitch to allow the winning run to score.

Featured Card:  Merrifield gets the card here for his first home run in a Phillies uniform, and I hope I'm featuring more of his cards throughout the year.  He's appeared in every Topps flagship set since 2018, and this is his latest flagship appearance from last year's set.

Camp Head Count:  62

Spring Training Game 2 - Pache Delivers as Phils Shut Out Yankees

2023 Topps Update #US154

Phillies 4, Yankees 0
Spring Training Game 2 - Sunday Afternoon, February 25th in Clearwater
Record - 2-0

One Sentence Summary:  Solid pitching and a great start to the spring by Cristian Pache led to this 4-0 victory over the Yankees at the Phillies' spring home opener.

What It Means:  We had this game on in the background as we attended a gathering of family and friends to say goodbye to a dear member of our family who recently passed away.  It was a laid back and informal gathering, with plenty of Phillies talk and lots of laughs, which is exactly what he would have wanted.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola looked solid in his first spring outing, striking out three in two perfect innings.  Five Phillies relievers followed and held the Yankees hitless until Gregory Soto allowed a one out single in the top of the eighth.  Austin Brice looked fantastic as he closed out the game, striking out the side in the ninth.

Pache singled home the first run in the second inning and then hit a solo home run to left center field in the fourth inning.

Featured Card:  Pache scored his first mainstream Phillies baseball card in the 2023 Topps Update set.  He had previously appeared on a Topps Now card following his game-winning pinch-hit home run in a July 17th victory in Miami last season.

Camp Head Count:  62

Before the game, the Phillies announced the signing of Cam Gallagher (c) to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.  Gallagher was brought on border as Rafael Marchan (c) is dealing with a back injury.  With the new catcher's addition, the camp head count increased by one to 62.

Player (position) - 2023 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card

22.  Cam Gallagher (c) - Guardians - 2021 Topps Update #US27 (Royals)

Spring Training Game 1 - Baseball Returns; Phils Rake

2023 Choice Reading
Fightin Phils Update #5

Phillies 14, Blue Jays 13
Spring Training Game 1 - Saturday Afternoon, February 24th in Dunedin
Record - 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  In the first Phillies game of 2024, the offense pounded out 16 hits and enjoyed a 10-run fifth inning in this 14-13 win over the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  With the exception of maybe Johan Rojas, none of the regulars played in this game, but it was still nice to see several potential bench players look productive early.  Like last year, and pretty much every year before that, I spent the day wishing I was in Florida.

What Happened:  For the second spring in a row, Weston Wilson connected for the Phillies' first home run, hitting a two-run blast in the second inning.  Scott Kingery followed a few batters later with a solo home run of his own.  The Phillies piled it on on the fifth inning, with big hits coming from Wilson (two-run double), Rojas (two-run triple) and Matt Kroon (three-run home run).

Phillies pitching allowed the Blue Jays to keep the game interesting.  Kolby Allard got the start and he allowed three runs (two earned) in his two innings of work.  Nick Nelson was hit the hardest, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk in two innings.

Featured Card:  Wilson was in line to get the featured card, but since he received the card in last year's first spring game, I went with Kroon instead.  Kroon has steadily climbed through the Phillies' minor league system since 2018, appearing in a bunch of minor league team sets.  This is the newest card of his in my collection, from the 2023 Reading Fightin Phils update set.

Camp Head Count:  61

As the Grapefruit League season begins, the Phillies have 61 players in major league camp - 40 on their 40-man roster and another 21 non-roster invitees.  This is down a few from the 65 players around for the start of spring training in 2023.

Phils Sign Merrifield / Games Start Tomorrow!

2023 Topps Update #US291

2023 Topps Heritage #524

2023 Topps Big League #136

2023 Topps Heritage #668

2017 Chachi Photo Night #14

The Phillies spent most of the offseason with little to no roster movement, but once camp started in Clearwater there was a sudden flurry of moves.  By my unofficial tally, 65 days passed between the Phillies re-signing Aaron Nola on November 19th and the signing of Kolby Allard on January 23rd.  As we look forward to the first Grapefruit League action tomorrow afternoon, here's a look at the latest comings and goings over the past week.

• On February 14th, the signing of Spencer Turnbull (rhp) was announced, and McKinley Moore (rhp) was designated for assignment.  Turnbull is 12-29 over parts of five seasons with the Tigers.  In 2023, he was 1-4 with a 7.26 ERA in seven starts and I'm assuming he'll provide some starting pitching depth at Triple-A.

• On February 16th, Moore and Diego Castillo (inf) were both claimed off waivers.  Moore went to the Yankees with Castillo going to the Orioles.  It's surprising to me Moore would be let go, given he had been identified as one of the organization's top pitching prospects.

• There were a flurry of moves on Monday, with the biggest being the signing of Whit Merrifield (inf) to a one-year deal to provide a solid infield or outfield bench option.  Merrifield has long been a Phillies Room favorite, as he's one of our son Doug's favorite non-Phillies players.  Like Merrifield, Doug prides himself in being able to play all over the diamond, wherever the team needs him to play.  And I'm excited to add some Merrifield baseball cards to my 2024 Phillies binder

• To make room for Merrifield, Kaleb Ort was designated for assignment and later traded to the Orioles for cash considerations.  Ort had been on the 40-man roster for six days.

• Finally, three more non-roster invitees were added, bringing the total spring head count to 61.  Austin Brice (rhp) last pitched in the majors in 2022 with the Pirates, and he's a veteran of seven big league seasons having spent time with the Marlins, Reds, Marlins again, Red Sox and Pirates.  David Dahl (of) was an All-Star with the Rockies in 2019, and he's spent most of the past two seasons bouncing around the minor league systems of the Brewers, Nationals, Dodgers and Padres.  And Ricardo Pinto (rhp) returns to the Phillies, having last pitched in 25 games for the team in 2017.  He's been all over the place since then, having last pitched in the Mexican League in 2023.

Player (position) - 2023 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card

19.  Austin Brice (rhp) - Diamondbacks/Twins - 2023 Topps Pro Debut #PD-86

20.  David Dahl (of) - Padres/Dodgers - 2019 Topps Total (White Sox)

21.  Ricardo Pinto (rhp) - Mexico - 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-GM

Pitchers and Catchers Report!

2014 Topps Update #US-281

We made it!  On Wednesday, there will be activity in Clearwater as it's the first official reporting day for the team's pitchers and catchers.  The day prior, the Phillies continued to tinker with their roster, making a few roster moves.

Kaleb Ort (rhp) was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins, and Diego Castillo (inf) was designated for assignment.  Castillo had been on the 40-man roster for eight days.  Ort has appeared in 47 games with the Red Sox over the past three seasons.  In 2023, he appeared in 21 games overall, making two starts, and was 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA in 23 innings pitched.  Ort has appeared in several minor league team sets, but has yet to receive a mainstream baseball card.

Andrew Bellatti (rhp) and Simon Muzziotti (of) both cleared waivers and were outrighted to the IronPigs.  They'll join the ranks of non-roster invitees, updated below.

And finally, David Buchanan (rhp) was signed to a minor league contract (!) and invited to spring training.  Buchanan, now 34, last pitched for the Phillies in 2015, and he's been active in Japan and Korea ever since.  In 30 starts last season with the Samsung Lions, Buchanan was 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA in 188 innings pitched.  It's an intriguing signing, and there's a good chance Buchanan makes a return with the Phillies at some point during the 2024 season.

Camp Head Count:  58

Player (position) - 2023 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card

1.  Mick Abel (rhp) - Phillies - 2023 Topps Pro Debut #PD-86

2.  Ryan Burr (rhp) - Rays - 2019 Topps Total (White Sox)

3.  Griff McGarry (rhp) - Phillies - 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-GM

4.  Tyler McKay (rhp) - Phillies - N/A

5.  Tyler Phillips (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-TP

6.  Jose Ruiz (rhp) - White Sox / Diamondbacks - 2020 Topps Total #720 (White Sox)

7.  Nick Snyder (rhp) - Rangers - N/A

8.  Aramis Garcia (c) - Phillies - 2020 Topps Total #477 (Giants)

9.  Cody Roberts (c) - Phillies - N/A

10.  William Simoneit (c) - Athletics - N/A

11.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Opening Day Luck of the Irish #LI-3

12.  Nick Podkul (inf) - Phillies - N/A

13.  Carlos De La Cruz (of) - Phillies - 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-CDC

14.  Matt Kroon (of) - Phillies - N/A

15.  Cal Stevenson (of) - Athletics / Giants / Phillies - 2023 Topps Heritage #508

16.  Andrew Bellatti (rhp) - Phillies - 2023 Topps Heritage #568

17.  Simon Muzziotti (of) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Update #US19

18.  David Buchanan (rhp) - Samsung Lions (KBO) - 2015 Topps #218

Phils Add Pair of Castillos, Rucker; Getting Closer to Pitchers and Catchers

2023 Topps #430

2023 Topps Heritage #568

2023 Topps #251

2022 Topps Update #US19

We've started to play a little long toss at The Phillies Room, in anticipation of the imminent return to (mostly) daily posting.  As we start to get loose, hopefully we won't tweak anything, avoiding the fate of Brandon Marsh who felt something wrong with his knee and underwent surgery on Friday.  The Phillies are hoping Marsh is fine and active in time for opening day.

The Quietest Offseason continued with three more roster additions.  With the 40-man roster now at a full 40 and 15 official non-roster invitees coming to camp, there will be 55 players suiting up in Clearwater soon.  Pitchers and catcher report on Wednesday, with the first full squad work out scheduled for Monday, February 19th.  The first Grapefruit League game is less than a week after that on Saturday, February 24th against the Blue Jays in Dunedin.

Here's a quick look at the three roster moves made this past week:

• On Monday, Diego Castillo (inf) was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees.  Castillo played in 96 games for the Pirates in 2022, batting .206, and appeared in just one game for the Diamondbacks in 2023.  He played five positions in the field for the Pirates (ss, 2b, rf, 1b, 3b) while also pitching in two games and DH'ing in two games.  That's him as #64 on the Pirates team card from the 2023 Topps set. 

•  On Tuesday, Michael Rucker (rhp) was acquired from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.  Andrew Bellati (rhp), who was out of options, was designated for assignment to make room for Rucker on the 40-man roster.  In 96 games with the Cubs over the past three seasons, all in relief, Rucker is 5-2 with a 4.96 ERA over 123 1/3 innings pitched.  As is the fate of many relievers these days, Rucker has yet to appear on any mainstream baseball cards. 

•  A day later, Max Castillo (rhp) was claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, with Simon Muzziotti (of) designated for assignment.  In 21 games with the Blue Jays and Royals in 2022 and 2023, Castillo was 0-3 with a 5.43 ERA in 59 2/3 innings pitched.  Although he's appeared in less games than Rucker, Castillo made it into the 2023 Topps set last year.