Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #28 Mike Cervenak

#24
Michael Christopher Cervenak
Third Base

In December 2007, the Phillies signed Mike Cervenak to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training.  Playing for the Orioles' Triple-A team in Norfolk in 2006, Cervenak had led the International League in hits (157), at-bats (554) and games (140).  An All-Star with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he got his first brief taste of big league action when the Phillies recalled him on July 10th, but he'd earn just one pinch-hitting appearance before being sent back down on July 20th.  A little over a week later, Pedro Feliz landed on the disabled list with a bad back and Cervenak got the call again.

He was used sparingly in August and even less in September once rosters expanded, and his sole start came the day after the Phillies had clinched the N.L. East.  He spent the entire 2009 season back in Lehigh Valley, and another call-up to the Phillies eluded him despite a .305 average.  Cut loose by the Phillies following the 2009 season, Cervenak played professionally for three more years.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  195
Born:  August 17, 1976, Trenton, MI
Signed:  Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Chillicothe Paints of the Frontier League, July 17, 2000.
Major League Teams:  Phillies 2008
Professional Affiliations:  Chillicothe Paints (Independent) 1999; New York Yankees 2000-2002; San Francisco Giants 2003-2006; Kia Tigers (Korea) 2006; Baltimore Orioles 2007; Phillies 2008-2009; New York Mets 2010, Florida/Miami Marlins 2011-2012; Detroit Tigers 2013

Phillies Career

10 games, 2 for 13 (.154) with 1 RBI and 5 strikeouts
Acquired:  December 7, 2007 - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Debut:  July 11, 2008 - In an eventual 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks in 12 innings, pinch-hit for J.C. Romero in the 11th and flew out to deep left field off Connor Robertson.
Final Game:  September 28, 2008 - Started at third base and batted 6th.  Went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Departed:  November 9, 2009 - Granted free agency and signed with the New York Mets' organization November 30, 2009.

2 Cervenak Baseball Card in My Collection
2008 Multi-Ad Lehigh Valley IronPigs #5
2009 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #6

I'm not counting it for purposes of this exercise, but I do actually have a Cervenak Phillies "card" in my collection.  Following the team's World Series win in 2008, the hobby market was flooded with Phillies collectibles and merchandise and the Danbury Mint got in on the act.  My Dad subscribed me in the Danbury Mint's 2008 World Series Champions 22kt gold baseball card series, featuring the players and coaches from the team.

Needing to fill a 38-card checklist, there were some questionable additions to the set, including Cervenak.  The cards aren't that attractive, and the card backs are almost impossible to read, but it's a cool oddball item in my Phillies collection, made all the more meaningful since it came from my Dad.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2008 Chachi #39
2009 Chachi Almost #3

2008 Multi-Ad Lehigh Valley IronPigs #5

2008 Chachi #39

2009 Chachi Almost #3

2009 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #6

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  N/A
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  N/A
Other Notable Cards:  2001 Grandstand Norwich Navigators #18, 2007 Choice Norfolk Tides #10, 2010 Choice Buffalo Bisons #4

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
12 Paul Abbott
13 Todd Jones
14 A.J. Hinch
15 Ramon Martinez
16 Matt Kata
17 Aquilino Lopez
18 Adam Bernero
19 Jose Hernandez
20 Randall Simon
21 Anderson Garcia
22 Russell Branyan
23 John Ennis
24 Kane Davis
25 Pete LaForest
26 T.J. Bohn
27 R.J. Swindle
28 Mike Cervenak

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.

2009 Chachi Special Edition #KD Kyle Drabek

I've had a little more time to digest the proposed blockbuster trade that would send Cliff Lee to Seattle and Roy Halladay to Philly. And my reaction (for now) is that I don't like it. Mainly because I'd like to have my cake and eat it too, but also because the Phils are shipping coveted pitching prospect Kyle Drabek to the Blue Jays. As the proposed trade evolved, it went from a 3-team trade to two separate trades with the Halladay deal contingent on the Phillies' ability to shed Cliff Lee's salary. With Lee (reportedly) not willing to talk long-term contract and with the fear he may walk at the end of 2010, the Phillies apparently felt the need to send him packing.

Don't get me wrong - I won't be upset when the trade goes down, but greedily, I would have loved to have had Halladay and Lee in the same rotation in 2010 even if Lee left following the season. And I'm always worried when the Phils trade off their top prospects, but I'm a little more apprehensive this time with the dealing away of the highly regarded Kyle Drabek.

The expert analysts all say the deals could take a few more days to get done, but here's where it stands as of right now:

Deal #1
Phillies get - Pitcher Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and pitcher Juan Ramirez
Mariners get - Pitcher Cliff Lee

Deal #2
Phillies get - Pitcher Roy Halladay and cash
Blue Jays get - Pitcher Kyle Drabek, outfielder Michael Taylor, catcher Travis D'Arnaud

Lingering Questions: Why were J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton requested to have physicals yesterday? Is Aumont a comparable prospect to Drabek? Is there any way Deal #2 could happen without needing to do Deal #1? What number will Halladay wear with the Phillies, given #32 was retired in honor of Steve Carlton? (Halladay wore #52 in his rookie year of 1998 - a number currently available.) Is it a coincidence the parties involved are the Blue Jays and Mariners, given former GM Pat Gillick's close ties to both teams?

2009 Chachi Limited Edition #JDP Doug

Happy birthday Doug!

May your day be filled with cake, Legos, cars and Handy Manny.

Your Dad is very proud of you.

2009 Chachi Special Edition #PM Pedro Martinez

It's finally official . . .

The Phillies signed pitcher Pedro Martinez to a pro-rated one-year deal today, and then promptly placed him on the disabled list so he could rehab his strained shoulder in the minors. I watched parts of the press conference, and I'm honestly a little more excited about the Pedro signing than I thought I would be. However, I was a little bothered by his continuing professed "love" of the Mets' organization. That's just not going to fly in these parts.

In any event, bench coach Pete Mackanin (who will now wear #22) graciously surrendered his #45 so the future Hall of Famer could wear his familiar number. Pedro doesn't get a Chachi base card yet since he's not officially a Phillie until he takes the mound, but I thought today's signing at least merited a Chachi insert card.

2009 Chachi Ex-Phillies #X5 Pat Burrell

This card is for my sister Carol, who was sad to see Pat the Bat leave Philly. I'm predicting we'll be attending Pat's Wall of Fame induction ceremony by 2020.

It's strange seeing Pat in a blue Rays' uniform, but I'm glad he'll be attending the World Series Ring Ceremony on April 8th.

2009 Chachi Ex-Phillies #X9 Geoff Jenkins

Geoff Jenkins was released by the Phils today, so he will not be making the official 2009 Chachi set. Geoff struggled as a Phillie, hitting .246 in 115 games, with only 9 homers and 29 RBI.

Geoff will be best remembered for his lead-off double in World Series Game 5b, pictured at left. He was also one of the first guys off the bench during each and every on-field celebration. I'm sure he'll land somewhere else.

2009 Chachi Special Edition #MS Mike Schmidt

For the past several years, I've created my own Phillies cards. The major card companies no longer produce cards for players like Eric Bruntlett or Clay Condrey, so I took matters into my own hands.

I call my cards "Chachi" in honor of my dog Chachi. Just like you should never call Fleer cards "Fleers," you should never call Chachi cards "Chachis".

At left is a 2009 Chachi card produced for Mike Schmidt, now a special instructor for the Phils during Spring Training. Also pictured is Mike's 1980 Topps card (#270), which was used as the template for the 2009 Chachi set.