Diamondbacks at Phillies: May 22nd to May 24th

2014 Topps Heritage #408

2014 Topps Heritage #75

Monday and Tuesday 6:40, Wednesday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  There are theme games planned for this series, but no giveaways.  Tuesday is Bark at the Park night and special theme ticket holders can bring their dogs to the ballpark to enjoy the game.

Diamondbacks 27-20
2nd Place in the N.L. West, 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Diamondbacks Probables
Tommy Henry (1-1, 5.00)
Ryne Nelson (1-2, 5.48)
Zac Gallen (6-2, 2.95)

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  Lourdes Gurriel - .304
Runs:  Corbin Carroll - 30
Home Runs:  Christian Walker - 11
RBIs:  Christian Walker - 34
Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll - 13

Wins:  Zac Gallen - 6
ERA:  Zac Gallen - 2.95
Strikeouts:  Zac Gallen - 72
Saves:  Andrew Chapin - 6

Phillies 22-24
4th Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (3-3, 4.06)
Dylan Covey (0-0, 0.00)
Ranger Suarez (0-1, 10.50)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Nick Castellanos - .303
Runs:  Nick Castellanos - 32
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 11
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 32
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 7

Wins:  Aaron Nola and Matt Strahm - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 4.06

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 61
Saves:  Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel - 5

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 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

Phillies Alumni and Fan Favorites (including Mike Trout)

2016 Chachi Alumni #8

I introduced an Alumni insert set within last year's overall Chachi offering, and in checking my records, I realized I never officially released the final card in that eight-card set.  To right that wrong, Shane Victorino's 2016 Chachi Alumni card is presented here and I believe it's one of his few (if not his only) virtual baseball card featuring him with the Cubs.  Victorino was signed by the Cubs as a minor league free agent last February 26th, but a little over a month later he was released.

I wanted to repeat the alumni theme this year, but I also wanted to include a card for non-alumni, but Phillies Room favorite, Mike Trout.  Therefore, after careful consideration, I'm introducing the new 2017 Chachi Fan Favorites set . . . which consists entirely of Phillies alumni and Trout.

Chase Utley in blue is still a strange sight for me, as is Cole Hamels with a full mountain man beard. But perhaps the strangest sight this year is that of Jimmy Rollins in Giants orange and black.  Rollins has a chance to make the club as a back-up infielder.  I'll add to this checklist as more Phillies players move around or as additional players are deemed worthy enough to be called Chachi Fan Favorites. (Suggestions welcome!)

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #1

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #2

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #3

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #4

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #5

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #6

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #7

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #8

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #9

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #10

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #11

Asche Signs with White Sox

2017 Chachi Departures #12

I was a little bummed back on December 2nd when it was announced that Cody Asche had been designated for assignment.  The move made sense, but Asche had been one of the more popular Phillies players over the past few years and he had assumed the quasi-official role as one of the team's spokesmen.  I believe he was one of the players this year (or maybe last year) who took the mic on fan appreciation day to thank the fans for their loyalty.  He seems like a good guy.

On Friday, Asche signed a minor league contract with the White Sox and he'll try to resume his career in the American League.

Cody Asche Chachi Checklist
2013 Chachi #53
2014 Chachi #8
2015 Chachi #7
2016 Chachi #45
2016 Chachi Photo Day #22
2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #5
2017 Chachi Departures #12

Moving On - 2016-2017 Offseason

• Cedric Hunter - of (10/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• James Russell - lhp (10/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• Emmanuel Burriss - inf (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Washington Nationals, 12/13/16.
• Frank Herrmann - rhp (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Jimmy Paredes - of (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Patrick Schuster - lhp (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/5/16.
• Ryan Howard - 1b (11/3/16) - Team option declined and elected free agency.
• Charlie Morton - rhp (11/3/16) - Team option declined, elected free agency and signed with the Houston Astros, 11/16/16.
• Peter Bourjos - of (11/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• A.J. Ellis - c (11/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed with the Miami Marlins, 12/12/16.
• David Hernandez - rhp (11/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• Darin Ruf - 1b-of and Darnell Sweeney - inf-of (11/11/16) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Howie Kendrick.
• Elvis Araujo - rhp (11/18/16) - Claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.
• David Buchanan - rhp (11/23/16) - Released and signed with the Yakult Swallows (Japan), 12/20/16.
• Cody Asche - of (12/2/16) - Designated for assignment, non-tendered and signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago White Sox, 1/6/17.
• Phil Klein - rhp (12/14/16) - Released and signed with the Yokohama BayStars (Japan), 12/20/16.

Coming Back

• Jeremy Hellickson - rhp (11/3/16) - Elected free agency, accepted team's qualifying offer, 11/14/16.
• Andres Blanco - inf (11/3/16) - Elected free agency, resigned by the Phillies to a one-year contract, 12/14/16.

New Additions - 2016-2017 Offseason

• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/16) - Acquired from the Houston Astros for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
• Howie Kendrick - lf (11/11/16) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney.
• Joaquin Benoit - rhp (12/6/16) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (12/20/16) - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Josh Tobias.

Already Gone - 2016-2017 Offseason

• David Rollins - lhp (12/2/16) - Claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers.  Designated for assignment, 12/14/16.
• Richie Shaffer - 3b (12/14/16) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.  Designated for assignment, 12/20/16.

New Rare Insert Set - 2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs

2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #1

2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #2

2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #3

2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #4

2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #5

The 2016 Chachi master set checklist recently grew by five more cards when these blue-bordered beauties found their way into late series, retail-only hanger packs.  The cards feature action photos of actual autograph signings in process, as evidenced by the IronPigs cards in this post.  Good luck tracking these down!

1st Annual @IronPigs Outing - Autographs! Corn! Fun! #Bacon

2016 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #18

2016 Topps Phillies #PP-10

2016 Topps Pro Debut #109

2016 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #21

Braves 2, Phillies 0
Game 136 - Sunday Afternoon, September 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 60-76, 4th place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Thompson turned in his second straight solid start, but the anemic Phillies offense continued their struggles in this 2-0 loss to the Braves.

What It Means:  The Phillies head to Miami to try to snap a six-game losing streak.

What Happened:  Thompson allowed four hits and one run in his seven innings of work.  He also struck out six.  The offense managed five hits off Julio Teheran and three Braves relievers, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

2016 Topps Phillies #PP-7

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Late Sunday afternoon, we made the two-hour trek to Allentown for our sons' first visit to Coca-Cola Park, home of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  It had been at least six (or seven?) seasons since Jenna and I last visited this ballpark, and we've already made plans to make this part of our annual summer schedule along with taking in a Lakewood BlueClaws game.

We got there right as the gates opened and both Doug and Ben positioned themselves along the third base line by the IronPigs' dugout where they patiently waited for almost an hour for the players to emerge.  The first player to sign a card from their IronPigs team sets was catcher Logan Moore, who was heading to the bullpen to warm up the starting pitcher, Phil Klein.

The days' starters emerged about 25 minutes before game time to get in their pre-game stretching and then one by one (with the exception of a few) they headed over to the stands to sign autographs.  Cam Perkins and Darnell Sweeney were both very accommodating with their time.  Doug specifically called over top prospect Nick Williams for an autograph and told him he was there to see him play. Cody Asche was the most impressive however, signing every last autograph request right up until the start of the National Anthem.

Unfortunately, the IronPigs lost the game 5-4.  Klein pitched very well, but Jimmy Cordero, making his Triple-A debut, allowed four runs to the Rochester Red Wings in the eighth inning.  Perkins, Sweeney and Asche all enjoyed multi-hit games, while Williams went hitless in four at-bats.  On a more important note, Jenna and I can officially recommend the Aw Shucks corn, the BBQ turkey sandwich, the walking taco and beer in an IronPigs mason jar.  We'll be back next year!

Asche signs for the IronPigs fans

As discussed in this post, I'm taking a poll on how collectors track baseball card collections. 

Please vote in the poll on the sidebar if you haven't already.  Thanks!

Fun at the @Phillies Photo Day! (Part Two)

2016 Chachi Photo Day #19

Mets 5, Phillies 0
Game 93 - Sunday Afternoon, July 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-50, 4th place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jacob deGrom completely dominated the Phillies line-up in this 5-0 Mets win.

What It Means:  The Phillies dropped the series with the Mets and they'll open up a four game series against the Marlins on Monday night.  It would be nice to take at least three of four from the Fish in order to creep up a little closer in the Wild Card standings.

What Happened:  The only hit allowed by deGrom was a single to Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin.  Eflin allowed three runs on five hits in his six innings of work.

Featured Cards:  There's certainly no reason to commemorate this game from a Phillies fan's perspective, so I'm presenting the next round of Photo Day cards taken on Saturday afternoon.

Be sure to check out the 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

2016 Chachi Photo Day #11

2016 Chachi Photo Day #12

2016 Chachi Photo Day #13

2016 Chachi Photo Day #14

2016 Chachi Photo Day #15

2016 Chachi Photo Day #16

2016 Chachi Photo Day #17

2016 Chachi Photo Day #18

2016 Chachi Photo Day #20

2016 Chachi Photo Day #22

2016 Chachi #45 Cody Asche

#25
Cody James Asche
Left Field

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  204

Born:  June 30, 1990, St. Charles, MO

Home:  Lincoln, NE

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 4th round of the June 2011 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2013-

Acquired:  Via draft

2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17

2011 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP2

2013 Chachi #53

2013 Topps Update #US71

26 Asche Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle

First Card:  2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17
First Phillies Card:  2011 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP2
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2013 Topps Update #US71
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue First Edition #25
Latest Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 #25

Complete Chachi Checklist
2013 Chachi #53
2014 Chachi #8
2015 Chachi #7
2016 Chachi #45

Card statistics through 6/5/16.