1992 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"

Description:  For the fourth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company sponsored the set for the second year in a row. 

In the spring of 1992, the new Phillies uniform were kept top secret and they didn't make their public debut until opening day.  The cards in this set feature portraits of all players, coaches and the manager in their new uniforms, and (in my opinion) this is one of the nicer team-issued photo card sets released by the Phillies.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1992 season.  The ten card update set was available for sale at some point beginning in late June or early July.  Pat Combs is the "newest" Phillie in the update set, having joined the team on June 18th.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards): 

1. Kyle Abbott (#47 - LHP) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Andy Ashby (#40 - RHP) 4. Wally Backman (#6 - INF) 5. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 6. Larry Bowa (#2 - CO) 7. Cliff Brantley (#51 - LHP) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF)            9. Danny Cox (#34 - RHP) 10. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 11. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 12. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF)

13. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 14. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP) 15. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 16. Barry Jones (#50 - RHP) 17. John Kruk (#29 - INF) 18. Steve Lake (#30 - C) 19. Jim Lindeman (#19 - OF) 20. Denis Menke (#14 - CO) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 22. Terry Mulholland (Close up photo - #45 - LHP)     23. Dale Murphy (#3 - OF) 24. Johnny Podres (#46 - CO)

25. Wally Ritchie (#39 - LHP) 26. Mel Roberts (#26 - CO) 27. Mike Ryan (#25 - CO) 28. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP)        29. Steve Searcy (#24 - LHP) 30. Dale Sveum (#8 - INF) 31. John Vukovich (#18 - CO) 32. Mitch Williams (#28 - LHP)     33. Phillie Phanatic 34. Phillies Team 35. Veterans Stadium 36. Uniforms Through the Years

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Bob Ayrault (#55 - RHP) 2. Brad Brink (#23 - RHP) 3. Pat Combs (#21 - LHP)        4. Jeff Grotewold (#48 - C)

5. Mike Hartley (#42 - RHP) 6. Ricky Jordan (#17 - INF/OF)        7. Tom Marsh (#9 - OF)

8. Terry Mulholland (Shoulders visible - #45 - LHP) 9. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 10. Don Robinson (#35 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Robinson

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (13):  Abbott, Amaro, Ayrault, Batiste, Brantley, Duncan, Grotewold, Hartley, Jones, Marsh, Rivera, Schilling, Sveum
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (21):  Ashby, Backman, Brink, Chamberlain, Combs, Cox, Daulton, Dykstra, Greene, Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, Lindeman, Morandini, Mulholland (two versions), Murphy, Ritchie, Searcy, Williams

Don Robinson's eight game stint with the Phillies to wrap up his 15-year career is commemorated with his sole Phillies baseball card in the update set.

Managers (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  Like everyone else in the set, the Phanatic is posed in a studio setting, wearing his new uniform.

Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (1):  Uniforms Through the Years
Other Cards (2):  Phillies Team, Veterans Stadium

The Uniform Through the Years card is perhaps one of the coolest cards ever produced by the Phillies for its team-issued photo card sets.  It was originally given out on Opening Day as a poster.  Veterans Stadium gets its first card since the 1984 Tastykake Phillies set.

Set Composition:  The 25 players in the base set represent the entire opening day roster, which is a fairly impressive feat.  The nine new players in the update set feature players who made their season debut with the team between mid-April (Grotewold) and mid-June (Combs).  For some reason, Mulholland receives another card in the update set, with a different posed photo than the original base set.  

Omissions:  Those who could have had cards in the update set but were omitted are Julio Peguero, Darrin Chapin and Steve Scarsone.  Peguero was called up on the second day of the season after Dykstra suffered a broken hand on opening day.  Chapin was on the active roster for six games in late April/early May, and Scarsone was on the active roster for 18 games in May into early June.

Variations/Rarities:  In the original post for this set, fellow collectors Rick and Steve helped me piece together a checklist of photo cards available at the annual ALS Autograph Party.  The checklist below features four players who were on the active roster, but had not appeared on officially released photo cards by the time of the annual fund raising event, held on August 10th.  Mike Williams received a card, and must have been at the event, although the team's transaction log shows him being optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 29th.  Only Greg Mathews was omitted here, which is odd, as the pitcher had been recalled from Triple-A on July 17th and stayed with the team for the remainder of the season.

Along with these five "update" cards for recently added players, 12 more cards were produced for either returning Phillies alumni or other, non-alumni former players.

ALS Autograph Party 1. Dick Allen 2. Jay Baller (#56 - RHP)           3. Steve Bedrosian 4. Dave Cash 5. Joe Coleman, Jr.

6. Joe Coleman, Sr. 7. Stan Javier (#22 - OF) 8. Sparky Lyle       9. Garry Maddox 10. Tug McGraw 11. Joe Millette (#27 - INF)

12. Dickie Noles 13. Todd Pratt (#23 - C) 14. Bobby Shantz 15. Joe Torre 16. Elmer Valo 17. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: April 7, 1992; Uniforms Through the Years

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick (@rickphils) and Steve F.

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

1991 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Game 107 - Reed, McBride Inducted Into Wall of Fame

Phillies 11, Nationals 5
Game 107 - Saturday Night, August 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-1, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Following the induction of Bake McBride and Ron Reed into the Phillies Wall of Fame, the current offense stayed hot as the hapless Nationals fell yet again, 11-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies own a four game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten.  They have a one game lead over the Brewers for the third Wild Card spot and they'll go for the four-game series sweep this afternoon.

What Happened:  Every starter except Kyle Schwarber had at least one hit, with Jean Segura leading the way with a three-hit night.  Rhys Hoskins hit his third straight first inning home run in a row.  Matt Vierling added a three-run home run in the first, with J.T. Realmuto contributing a two-run home run in the sixth.  Bryson Stott had a two-run triple and Edmundo Sosa doubled home Realmuto for his first hit with the team.  Ranger Suarez picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Doug and I returned to the Hall of Fame Club, arriving shortly after the gates opened and grabbing a prime spot once again right aside the suite where various Wall of Famers and alumni were gathered.  Doug was on a roll the entire night, adding autographs to his Bake McBride/Ron Reed print (shown above) and adding solo signatures to past Wall of Fame prints.  Some of the signers were repeats from the night before, and other than Charlie Manuel, who gets a second card, I've created cards for all the new alumni who signed for Doug on Saturday night.

We were bummed McBride wasn't able to join the festivities, and it was somewhat surreal for me to see all my heroes from the 1980 team.  Of the former players and coaches stopping to sign, only Luis Aguayo and George Vukovich stopped short of Doug's spot before going into the suite.  Bob Boone, Dick Ruthven and (I believe) Warren Brusstar didn't sign at all.

We found it extremely impressive that Manny Trillo, Bobby Abreu, Manuel, Dickie Noles, Mike Lieberthal, Randy Wolf and Lee Elia all signed as many autographs as wanted.  They were gracious with their time, often stopping to chat with the assembled fans.  Trillo especially took his time, working slowly through the line, signing anything and everything put in front of him.  It was a memorable night, and we're already looking forward to next year!

My early prediction for the 2023 Wall of Fame inductee is Larry Andersen.  The current broadcaster has cut back on his schedule, and he was a member of both the 1983 and 1993 Phillies teams, who will be celebrating their 40th and 30th anniversaries next season, respectively.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 52 - Thomson Era Begins with Blow-Out Win; #StrikeOutALS

Phillies 10, Angels 0
Game 52 - Friday Night, June 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 23-29, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Under new interim manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies blasted the Angels with five home runs and eight shutout innings from Zach Eflin in this 10-0 win.

What It Means:  Thomson is 1-0 as Phillies manager, and he'll look to add to that tally by hopefully about 60 or so games over the remainder of the 2022 season.

What Happened:  Eflin was dominant, allowing five hits and striking out six, and James Norwood pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the combined shutout.  Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both homered twice and Bryson Stott connected for his first big league home run, a three-run blast in the second.  Nick Maton made a diving catch in the sixth inning on a blooper hit by Mike Trout, and had to leave the game with a shoulder injury.  Trout and Shohei Ohtani went a combined 0 for 7 with three strikeouts.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  I've been involved with the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association for the past several years, and I was proud to attend this game with my family, watching with other sponsors of the event from the Bill Giles Party Suite.  We can now say we've enjoyed a game from that particular suite with the suite's namesake, former Phillies owner Giles.  There were a number of Phillies alumni who made their way through the suite at various times throughout the game, and I enjoyed my time talking with each of them.  The Phanatic stopped by to say hello too.

We purchased a bunch of grab bags created for the night containing signed memorabilia and past Phillies giveaway items, and I was happy to see actual 2022 team-issued photo cards included in some of the bags to identify who had signed either a ball or a hat.  In total, the Phillies helped raise $344,000 for the ALS Association, and it was an overall wonderful night for a fantastic cause.

Transaction:  With the Phillies seriously underperforming, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made the decision on Friday morning to fire Joe Girardi and name Rob Thomson the interim manager for the remainder of the 2022 season.  Girardi's decisions around bullpen management and line-up construction had been increasingly baffling over the past few weeks, and the Phillies decided a regime change was needed.  Girardi had guided the club to a 22-29 record this season and a 132-141 record overall since taking the helm in 2020.  Ryne Sandberg (2013-2015) managed five more games than Girardi did, and Girardi's win total was less than Nick Leyva's (148), Gabe Kapler's (161) and Pete Mackanin's (174).

Thomson had been the team's bench coach since 2018.  Bobby Meacham, who had the nebulous title of "assistant coach," was also fired, with Mike Calitri being promoted from Quality Assurance Coach to bench coach.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Tracking the Ex-Phillies - Featuring Utley, Revere, Fasano, Schu and More!

One of my annual habits is to review the complete rosters of all 30 Major League teams, paying particular attention to see where former Phillies have ended up.  I'll review the 40-man rosters, the non-roster invitees and the coaches pages on each team's website.  Even though I do this every year, I don't always formalize my findings in a post, but it seemed like a good idea this year to give me an excuse to create a few custom cards.

Presented below, at least by my unofficial tally, are the former Phillies players in camp across the majors this spring.  I'm only tracking those players (or coaches/managers) who spent time with the Phillies.  So while Jesse Biddle is in camp with the Braves, he won't appear on the list below as he never played for the big club.  (And I think some of these players may have already moved on.)

N.L. East
Atlanta Braves:  Sal Fasano - catching coach
Miami Marlins:  Tylor Cloyd - rhp (NRI), Brian Schneider - catching coach
New York Mets:  Ruben Amaro Jr. - first base coach, Ty Kelly - inf (NRI)
Washington Nationals:  Joaquin Benoit - rhp, Reid Brignac - inf (NRI) , Howie Kendrick - of, Ryan Madson - rhp

N.L. Central
Chicago Cubs:  Peter Bourjos - of (NRI)
Cincinnati Reds:  Billy Hatcher - third base coach, David Hernandez - rhp, Ben Revere - of (NRI), Darnell Sweeney - of (NRI), Vance Worley - rhp (NRI)
Milwaukee Brewers:  None
Pittsburgh Pirates:  Daniel Nava - of (NRI), Tom Prince - bench coach, Kevin Siegrist - lhp (NRI)
St. Louis Cardinals:  John Mabry - hitting coach, Mike Maddux - pitching coach


N.L. West
Arizona Diamondbacks:  Antonio Bastardo - lhp (NRI), Torey Lovullo - manager, Humberto Quintero - bullpen catcher
Colorado Rockies:  None
Los Angeles Dodgers:  Chase Utley - inf, Turner Ward - hitting coach
San Diego Padres:  A.J. Ellis - c (NRI), Freddy Galvis - inf, Michael Mariot - rhp (NRI), Matt Stairs - hitting coach
San Francisco Giants:  Andres Blanco - inf (NRI), Chase d'Arnaud - inf (NRI) Hunter Pence - of, Rich Schu - assistant hitting coach

A.L. East
Baltimore Orioles:  Alec Asher - rhp, Roger McDowell - pitching coach, Joely Rodriguez - lhp (NRI), John Russell - bench coach
Boston Red Sox:  Ron Roenicke - bench coach
New York Yankees:  Erik Kratz - c
Tampa Bay Rays:  Dustin McGowan - rhp (NRI), Colton Murray - rhp (NRI)
Toronto Blue Jays:  Ezequiel Carrera - of, J.A. Happ - lhp


A.L. Central
Chicago White Sox:  Jeanmar Gomez - rhp (NRI)
Cleveland Indians:  Terry Francona - manager, Michael Martinez - inf (NRI), Brad Mills - bench coach
Detroit Tigers:  Daniel Stumpf - lhp
Kansas City Royals:  Cody Asche - dh (NRI). Michael Saunders - of, Dale Sveum - bench coach
Minnesota Twins:  Taylor Featherston - inf (NRI), Brock Stassi - inf (NRI)

A.L. West
Houston Astros:  Ken Giles - rhp, A.J. Hinch - manager, Charlie Morton - rhp
Los Angeles Angels:  JC Ramirez - rhp
Oakland Athletics:  Brandon Moss - dh
Seattle Mariners:  Juan Nicasio - rhp, Cameron Perkins - of
Texas Rangers:  Jake Diekman - lhp, Cole Hamels - lhp, Dan Warthen - assistant pitching coach

1998 Phillies Team Issue #33 Ruben Amaro

Red Sox 7, Phillies 3
Game 64 - Wednesday Night, June 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-43, 5th place, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jeremy Hellickson was hit hard again as the Red Sox rolled to an easy 7-3 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are mired in an eight-game losing streak.  Their record of 21-43 is their worst through 64 games since 1945.  (Via Matt Gelb on Twitter.)

What Happened:  Hellickson allowed six runs on nine hits in his five innings of work.  Freddy Galvis had a pair of doubles, but the rest of the offense couldn't quite get anything going.

Featured Card:  Current Red Sox first base coach Ruben Amaro, Jr. returned to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since being fired as the team's general manager in September 2015.  If the current state of the Phillies isn't depressing enough for you, here's an article running down the five worst moves made by Amaro during his tenure as GM.