Marlins at Phillies: October 3rd to October 5th

2023 Chachi Series Previews #8

2023 Chachi Series Previews #9

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (if necessary) 8:08
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  See here.

Marlins 84-77
National League Wild Card, 2nd Seed

Marlins Probables
Jesus Luzardo (10-9, 3.63)
Braxton Garrett (9-7, 3.66)
TBD

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Luis Arraez - .354
Runs:  Jorge Soler - 77
Home Runs:  Jorge Soler - 36
RBIs:  Bryan De La Cruz - 78
Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisolm - 22

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo - 10
ERA:  Jesus Luzardo - 3.63
Strikeouts:  Jesus Luzardo - 208
Saves:  A.J. Puk - 15

Phillies 90-72
National League Wild Card, 1st Seed

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.61)
Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46)
TBD

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .293
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 108
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 47
RBIs:  Nick Castellanos - 106
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 31

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 15
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.61

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 212
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 23

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

A Look Back at the Phillies Transactions - 2020 to 2021

2021 Topps Heritage #337

2021 Topps Heritage #442

2021 Chachi Departures #2

2021 Topps Heritage #69

2021 Topps Heritage #421

I put together this listing each year for the sake of completeness, and similar to recent years I feel the need to hit Publish and quickly move on for the good of my own mental health.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Oakland Athletics (2/2/21).
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (12/14/20).
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (3/6/21).
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/17/21).
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Yankees (2/12/21).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets (2/14/21).
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/18/21).
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels (2/11/21).
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, singed with the Cleveland Indians (2/5/21).
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/12/21).
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (2/16/21).
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (2/11/21).
• David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays (8/16/21).
• Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
• Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Kyle Garlick - of (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
• Victor Arano - rhp (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
• Cole Irvin - lhp (1/30/21) - Traded to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations.

Coming Back - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (1/4/21).
• J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (1/29/21).
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (2/10/21).

2021 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #26

2021 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #11

2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #3

2021 Topps Allen & Ginter #29

2021 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #7

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.
• Neftail Feliz - rhp (1/4/21) - Signed as a free agent.
• Sam Coonrod - rhp (1/9/21) - Acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Carson Ragsdale.
• Archie Bradley - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
• David Paulino - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent.
• Matt Moore -lhp (2/3/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
• Chase Anderson - rhp (2/8/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Matt Joyce - of (2/10/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
• Brandon Kintzler - rhp (2/10/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
• Travis Jankowski - of (2/12/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
• Brad Miller - inf (2/17/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Arrived During the 2021 Season

• Jorge Bonifacio - of (5/25/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers.
• Cam Bedrosian - rhp (7/7/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Oakland Athletics.
• Hans Crouse - rhp, Kyle Gibson - rhp and Ian Kennedy - rhp (7/30/21) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Gessner, Kevin Gowdy and Spencer Howard.
• Freddy Galvis - inf (7/30/21) - Acquired from the Baltimore Orioles for Tyler Burch.

Departed During the 2021 Season

• David Hale - rhp (6/27/21) - Granted free agency.
• Neftali Feliz - rhp (7/3/21) - Granted free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (7/5/21).
• Spencer Howard - rhp (7/30/21) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Josh Gessner and Kevin Gowdy for Hans Crouse, Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy and cash.
• Brandon Kintzler - rhp (8/2/21) - Released.
• Chase Anderson - rhp (8/27/21) - Released, signed with the Texas Rangers (8/31/21).
• Vince Velasquez - rhp (9/12/21) - Released, signed with the San Diego Padres (9/15/21).
• Enyel De Los Santos - rhp (9/13/21) - Selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Matt Joyce - of (9/26/21) - Released.

Game 115 - Introducing the 2022 Chachi Set Design

Phillies 2, Dodgers 1
Game 115 - Thursday Afternoon, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 60-55, 1st Place, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez and four Phillies relievers somehow combined to shut down the Dodgers in this 2-1 series finale win.

What It Means:  The Phillies maintain a slim lead in the East and they'll open a three-game series against the Reds on Friday night.

What Happened:  Suarez is slowly getting stretched out and he threw 4 1/3 innings and 82 pitches in this game, allowing a run on three hits.  Archie Bradley picked up the win with two perfect innings of work and Ian Kennedy battled the Dodgers and the home plate umpire to pick up his third Phillies save.  Bryce Harper hit a solo home run in the first and Ronald Torreyes had a clutch two-out single in the fourth to deliver the eventual winning run.

Featured Cards:  Earlier than ever, Topps released its first look at its 2022 flagship design back on July 15th.  Over the past several years, I've tried to reveal the design I'll be using for the next year's Chachi set a day or two after Topps' big announcement, but this year work and a family vacation put me behind schedule.  But now, I'm happy to announce my Chachi custom baseball card set will be heading to the 2000s for the first time in 2022, paying tribute to the underrated (in my opinion) 2000 set.  I hinted at my leaning towards the 2000 set in last year's announcement post, and in the end it came down to that design or the designs for the 1972, 1984 or 1987 Topps sets.

I wanted to put some distance between using the 1972 design and this year's Topps Heritage set, as well as the 1987 design and Topps paying tribute to that set with its own 2022 insert releases.  The 1984 set's design would be easy enough to replicate but finding two photos of some of the players could pose a challenge.  So in the end, the 2000 Topps set won out and I'm excited to take this step into the future . . . relatively speaking.

Here's a look at potential future Chachi set candidates, and I'm getting close to the point where I'll run out of 1970s and 1980s Topps designs to use:

1965 - My favorite Topps design from the 1960s and the subject of this other blog of mine.
1972 - The only set design from the 1970s I've not used yet.  Will 2023 finally be the year for this groovy set?
1984, 1987, 1989 - Or will 2023 be the year I tackle the two-photo challenge of the 1984 set.
2001, 2006, 2008 - Over the past few years, I've really come to appreciate the designs of the 2006 and 2008 sets.
Other Future Candidates - 1981 Donruss, 1981 Fleer, 1982 Donruss, 1983 Fleer, 1985 Fleer, 1987 Donruss

For a complete visual summary of past years' Chachi sets, please see here.

Memory Lane
2014 Chachi Preview #1 (8/8/13)
2015 Chachi Preview #1 (8/15/14)
2016 Chachi Preview #1 (8/11/15)
2017 Chachi Preview #1 (8/10/16)
2018 Chachi Preview #1 (8/7/17)
2019 Chachi Preview #1 (8/20/18)
2020 Chachi Preview #1 (8/2/19)
2021 Chachi Preview #1 (8/7/20)

2022 Chachi Preview #1 (8/13/21)

Transactions:  David Paulino (rhp), who last pitched in the majors in 2018, had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley and Nick Maton (inf) was optioned back down.  Sam Coonrod (rhp) was moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Paulino.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

2021 Chachi #25 Archie Bradley

#23
Archie N. Bradley
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  225
Opening Day Age:  28
Born:  August 10, 1992, Muskogee, OK
How Obtained:  Signed by the Phillies as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds, January 18, 2021
Contract Status:  Signed through 2021
Major League Teams:  Arizona Diamondbacks 2015-2020; Cincinnati Reds 2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2021

First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2021 Topps Heritage #69

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  2015, 2017-2021

2 - Bradley baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/12/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi New Additions #6

2021 Chachi #25

At the time of Archie Bradley's signing in January, it was thought he could fill the team's closer role in 2021.  While he's not taken Hector Neris' job away yet, Bradley could get a few save opportunities once he's activated from the injured list next week.  He'll began a rehab assignment with the IronPigs tonight and hopefully after a few appearances his injured left oblique is given the all clear.

Bradley saved a career high 32 games with the Diamondbacks in 2019.  Dealt to the Reds at the trade deadline in 2020, he has two mainstream baseball card appearances so far this year (Topps and Topps Heritage) both showing him with Cincinnati.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

New Uniform Numbers Arrive, Spring Training Approaches!

2019 Topps Heritage #667

2019 Topps Heritage #81

2019 Topps Heritage #178

2019 Topps Heritage #657

2019 Topps Heritage #224

This year has been a bit backwards in more ways than one, and the Phillies took their time this offseason issuing new uniform numbers for their offseason additions.  We're still awaiting the official release of the minor league prospect non-roster invitee list, which typically comes before we get to the new number stage of the offseason.  Presented below is a look at the new uniform numbers, one uniform number switch and the numbers still officially and unofficially available.  The Phillies are now one day away from pitchers and catchers officially reporting to Clearwater, masked up and socially distant.

#
7
12
19
23
29
30
31
46
47
53
54
57
65
66
67
69
70
78
96

Old Player/Coach
Josh Harrison - inf (NRI)
Neil Walker - inf
Bryan Price - pitching coach
Kyle Garlick - of
Drew Storen - rhp (NRI)
David Robertson - rhp
David Phelps - rhp
Adam Morgan - lhp
Cole Irvin - lhp
Blake Parker - rhp
Austin Davis - lhp
Deolis Guerra - rhp
JD Hammer - rhp
Garrett Cleavinger - lhp
Trevor Kelley - rhp
Addison Russ - rhp
Arquimedes Gamboa - inf
Mickey Moniak - of*
Tommy Hunter - rhp

New Player/Coach
Matt Joyce - of (NRI)
Rafael Marchan - c*
Brandon Kintzler - rhp (NRI)
Archie Bradley - rhp
Hector Rondon - rhp (NRI)
C.J. Chatham - inf
Matt Moore - lhp
Jose Alvarado - lhp
Ivan Nova - rhp (NRI)
David Paulino - rhp (NRI)
Sam Coonrod - rhp
Chase Anderson - rhp
Caleb Cotham - pitching coach
Michael Ynoa - rhp (NRI)
Nick Maton - ss
Francisco Morales - rhp
Bailey Falter - lhp
Simon Muzziotti - of
Neftali Feliz - rhp (NRI)

* Marchan is switching from #13 to #12, and Moniak wore #78 in spring training but switched to #16 when he joined the Phillies.

Not counting the numbers unofficially on ice for Ryan Howard (#6), Jimmy Rollins (#11), Chase Utley (#26) and possibly Cole Hamels (#35), the Phillies have a surprising amount of respectable uniform numbers still available under 70:  8, 9, 13, 39, 43, 49, 52 and 64.  I'm assuming #37 is still being held for Odubel Herrera and #51 for Enyel De Los Santos, both of whom are still in the system but currently not non-roster invitees.  JD Hammer is also still around, but the Phillies gave his #65 to new pitching coach Caleb Cotham.

Non-roster invitees Travis Jankowski and Bryan Mitchell haven't been assigned numbers yet on the team's website so they'll take two of the numbers above off the chart.  And super-utility player Brad Miller is rumored to be returning to the club as well.  The #33 he wore with the team in 2019 is currently being worn by hitting coach Joe Dillon, so perhaps he'll take one of the remaining single digit numbers still available.

Memory Lane

2012 New Numbers

2013 New Numbers
2014 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2015 New Numbers
2016 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2017 New Numbers
2018 New Numbers
2019 New Numbers - Part One, Part Two and Part Three
2020 New Numbers

2021 New Numbers

Reliever Bradley Headlines Trio of Phillies Additions

2021 Chachi New Additions #6

2021 Chachi New Additions #7

2021 Chachi New Additions #5

It may appear The Phillies Room has been dormant over the past few weeks, but behind the scenes we've started stretching, playing some long toss and dusting off our custom baseball card creation software in preparation of the 2021 baseball season.  Despite the best efforts of a worldwide pandemic and continued national unrest, we're getting closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater in mid-February.

Admittedly, I've not been excited by the Phillies offseason and it seems as if player moves have been infrequent and inconsequential.  But on Monday morning, the first player move to cause a flicker of excitement at Phillies Room HQ was officially announced.  The Phillies signed free-agent relief pitcher Archie Bradley to a one-year deal, with Bradley expected to fill a key back of the bullpen role, potentially serving as the team's closer.  In 16 games last season, Bradley was 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 6 saves for the Diamondbacks and Reds.  To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Kyle Garlick was designated for assignment.

Bradley's first baseball card appearance came in the 2011 Bowman Draft set, and he began appearing in the Topps flagship sets in 2015.  Last year, he had readily available cards in Topps flagship, Topps Chrome, Topps Gypsy Queen and Topps Heritage.

* * *

As Bradley was being introduced via a Zoom press conference, the Phillies announced they had acquired infielder C.J. Chatham from the Red Sox for a player to be named later.  Chatham is expected to provide some much needed infield depth in 2021.  Reliever Victor Arano was designated for assignment to make room for Chatham on the 40-man roster.

Chatham was a 2nd round selection by the Red Sox in 2016, and he last played for their Double-A team in Portland in 2019.  His most recent mainstream card can be found in the 2020 Topps Heritage Minor League set.

* * *

Way back on January 9th, the Phillies acquired reliever Sam Coonrod from the Giants for pitching prospect Carson Ragsdale.  Ragsdale was the Phillies' 4th round pick in the 2020 draft and he had yet to play at any level officially within their minor league system.  Coonrod went 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in 18 games last season with the Giants.  His latest mainstream card can be found in the 2020 Topps Heritage set, and he made his Topps flagship set debut on a multi-player rookie card in 2019 Topps Update.

* * *

Finally, the Phillies announced their full coaching staff for 2021 back on January 11th.  Jim Gott is officially out as the bullpen coach with David Lundquist sliding over to the bullpen from the assistant pitching coach role he filled last season.  In lieu of a new assistant pitching coach in 2021, the Phillies have named Mike Calitri their Quality Assurance Coach, and if I told you I knew what that meant, I'd be lying.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/14/20) - Signed a minor league contract with the Chicao Cubs.
• Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Coming Back - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent (1/4/21).

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Johan Quezada - rhp (10/30/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (12/7/20) Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
• Kyle Holder - inf (12/10/20) - Selected from the Yankees in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.
• Sam Coonrod - rhp (1/9/21) - Acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Carson Ragsdale.
• Archie Bradley - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
• C.J. Chatham - inf (1/18/21) - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later.