Showing posts with label Kratz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kratz. Show all posts

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Game 46 - Phils Make Losing a Bad Habit

2013 Topps #361
Mets 8
, Phillies 6
Game 46 - Friday Night, May 27th in Flushing
Record - 21-25, 3rd Place, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Sloppy play and a struggling bullpen contributed to this 8-6 series opening loss to the Mets.

What It Means:  I feel as if I'm admittedly phoning it in with these game summary posts.  Watching the Phillies isn't fun right now, and then summarizing the latest loss the morning after isn't fun either. 

What Happened:  The Phillies were down 7-0 early with spot starter Bailey Falter giving up five runs (only two earned) in his three innings of work and Nick Nelson allowing three more Mets runs to score in his two innings of relief.  Bryson Stott's throwing error to open the bottom of the first led to three unearned runs.  The offense battled back with a six-spot in the sixth, capped by a three-run home run from Garrett Stubbs, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.

Featured Card:  The game was mostly unenjoyable, but I found myself laughing at times at the color commentary provided by former catcher Erik Kratz in his regular season debut in the Phillies radio booth. The Phillies are going with a rotating cast of four former players to complement play-by-play radio voice Scott Franzke on the days Larry Andersen isn't working.  Along with Kratz, Chad Durbin, Kevin Stocker and Michael Bourn have all spent time calling games with Franzke.

Transaction:  Falter (lhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley to give the other five starters an extra day of rest and somewhat surprisingly, veteran reliever Jose Alvarado (lhp) was optioned down.  Alvarado has a 7.62 ERA over 17 appearances, with ten walks in 13 innings of work.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

2012 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 2nd Edition


Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  Full bleed photos are the focus of this card's minimalist design.  The player's name can be found at the bottom of each card, with his uniform number and position in one of the top corners on either side of a simple Phillies "P" logo.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  I purchased the original 40-card second edition set at Citizens Bank Park on July 21, 2012.  I was impressed (and I'm still impressed) with the player selection and the actual thought that went into putting together a checklist for this second half set.  Here is my original post documenting the players added and subtracted from the 2012 first edition set.

Very late in the season, the Phillies released a second version of this set, adding the six cards featured in the Complete Update Checklist below and dropping the six cards for Joe Blanton, Mike Fontenot, Hunter Pence, Jason Pridie, Brian Sanches and Shane Victorino who had all left the team via trade or release.  This post discussed the discovery of these late season cards and this post documents the additions and subtractions to the set after I had acquired it in late October 2012.

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

1. Antonio Bastardo (#37 - LHP)      
2. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO)
3. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP)
4. Jake Diekman (#63 - LHP)
5. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO)
6. Mike Fontenot (#18 - INF)
7. Freddy Galvis (#13 - INF)
8. Greg Gross (#21 - CO)
9. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP)
10. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP)
11. Jeremy Horst (#47 - LHP)
12. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B)
13. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP)
14. Erik Kratz (#31 - C)        
15. Cliff Lee (#33 - LHP)
16. Hector Luna (#29 - INF)
17. Pete Mackanin (#5 - CO)
18. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG)
19. John Mayberry Jr. (#15 - OF)
20. Laynce Nix (#19 - OF)
21. Jonathan Papelbon (#58 - RHP)      
22. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF)
23. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - CO)
24. Juan Pierre (#10 - LF)
25. Placido Polanco (#27 - 3B)
26. Jason Pridie (#16 - OF)
27. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)
28. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 
29. Juan Samuel (#12 - CO)
30. Brian Sanches (#48 - RHP)
31. Joe Savery (#55 - LHP)
32. Brian Schneider (#23 - C)
33. Michael Schwimer (#44 - RHP)      
34. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B)
35. Raul Valdes (#46 - LHP)
36. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF)
37. Ty Wigginton (#24 - INF)
38. Vance Worley (#49 - RHP)
39. Phillie Phanatic
40. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version: 

1. Domonic Brown (#9 - OF)
2. Kevin Frandsen (#28 - INF)      
   
3. Josh Lindblom (#43 - RHP)
4. Michael Martinez (#7 - INF)        
5. B.J. Rosenberg (#53 - RHP)      
6. Nate Schierholtz (#22 - OF)
One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (3):  Fontenot, Luna, Pridie
First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (10):  Diekman, Frandsen, Horst, Kratz, Lindblom, Rosenberg, Sanches, Savery, Schierholtz, Valdes
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (24):  Bastardo, Blanton, Brown, Galvis, Halladay, Hamels, Howard, Kendrick, Lee, Martinez, Mayberry Jr., Nix, Papelbon, Pence, Pierre, Polanco, Rollins, Ruiz, Schneider, Schwimer, Utley, Victorino, Wigginton, Worley

It's extremely impressive (and surprising) that Pridie has a card in this set, as he appeared in just nine games with the Phillies in July.  Fontenot and Luna also receive their one and only Phillies baseball cards in this set.

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (6):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gross, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic returns to the set after a one year absence.
Broadcasters (1):  After an absence in the first edition, the broadcasters get their own card in the second edition set.  Newcomer Gregg Murphy joins Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler and Jim Jackson.

Omissions:  Pete Orr is the only real omission here, as he appeared in 35 games and didn't make it into either the first or second release of this set.  Orr was on the opening day roster, was sent down to the minors on June 6th and returned to the club on September 4th.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collectors Steve and Rick have been invaluable in helping me checklist the variations and rarities from this set.  There are at least 10 versions of these photo cards available with a Phillies logo on the back, and these cards were used primarily for the players to sign at various public appearances.  The photos for these variations are the same used for the regularly issued cards.  The list below might not be complete and we learned of new variations available as late as December 2019 when Rick attended the annual Phillies holiday sale and completely bought out the team's inventory of autographed photo cards for sale.

Additionally, the Phillies used this design to feature new players and coaches who joined the team during the 2012-2013 offseason.  These cards were presumably produced for the sole purpose of public appearances during the team's various winter caravan stops, and again there's only the Phillies script logo on the backs.

Phillies Logo Back       
1. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO)

2. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO)
3. Kevin Frandsen (#28 - INF)
4. Erik Kratz (#31 - C)
5. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG)
6. John Mayberry, Jr. (#15 - OF)
7. Laynce Nix (#19 - OF)
8. Jonathan Papelbon (#58 - RHP)        
9. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - CO)
10. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C)

Offseason Additions
1. Mike Adams (#37 - RHP)
2. Steve Henderson (#5 - CO)

3. Wally Joyner (#21 - CO)
4. John Lannan (#27 - LHP)
5. Rod Nichols (#54 - CO)
6. Ben Revere (#2 - CF)





Interestingly enough, all these variations/rarities cards have a 2013 copyright date on the backs (see below) and they're listed here with the 2012 set only because these cards use that set's design.  Revere was acquired from the Twins on December 6, 2012 and Adams was signed as a free agent on December 20, 2012.

Resources:  14,000 PhilliesThe Trading Card Database (excludes the additional six late season cards).


This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past five-plus years.

2011 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition / 2013 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition

Monday, December 14, 2015

Four More Ex-Phillies Move Along

2016 Chachi Departures #6
2016 Chachi Departures #7
2016 Chachi Departures #8
2016 Chachi Departures #9
While we were waiting for the Ken Giles trade to be officially announced, four other ex-Phillies moved on to new teams.  Each of these players recently signed minor league deals with their new teams.

Dustin McGowan (rhp) - McGowan joined the Phillies on opening day last season, and he'd appear in 14 games with the club, going 1-2 with a 6.94 ERA.  His sole Phillies card can be found within the second team issued photo card set, released in June.  McGowan will try to earn a spot in the Marlins bullpen in 2016.

Erik Kratz (c) - In his second stint with the Phils, Kratz made it into 12 games in September, hitting .227 with two RBIs.  He didn't appear on any new Phillies baseball cards this time around and he'll be heading to spring training with the Padres.

Ethan Martin (rhp) - Martin came to the Phillies from the Dodgers in the July 2012 Shane Victorino deal.  He pitched in 17 games for the club in 2013 and 2014, and missed the bulk of the past two seasons with shoulder ailments.  He appeared on a bunch of Major and minor league cards with the Phillies in 2013 and 2014, but he didn't receive any cards last year.  Martin signed a minor league deal with the Braves.

Sean O'Sullivan (rhp) - Finally, O'Sullivan, who had a horrible season with the Phillies (1-6, 6.08 ERA) signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox.  O'Sullivan had a card in the team's second series photo card set and actually made it into the Topps Update set with the Phillies.

Moving On - 2015-2016 Offseason
  • Chase d'Arnaud - inf (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent the Atlanta Braves, 11/24/15.
  • Justin De Fratus - rhp (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Seattle Mariners, 12/2/15.
  • Erik Kratz - c (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/8/15.
  • Sean O'Sullivan - rhp (10/9/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Boston Red Sox, 12/11/15.
  • Kevin Correia - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Adam Loewen - lhp (10/10/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11/7/15.
  • Dustin McGowan - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Miami Marlins, 12/10/15.
  • Seth Rosin - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Brian Bogusevic (10/26/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League, 12/9/15.
  • Domonic Brown (10/26/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Chad Billingsley - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Jeff Francoeur - of (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Aaron Harang - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Jerome Williams - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Cliff Lee - lhp (11/2/15) - Team option declined and elected free agency.
  • Jordan Danks - of (11/6/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Ethan Martin - rhp (11/6/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 12/11/15.
  • Jonathan Pettibone - rhp (11/6/15) - Elected free agency.
  • Nefi Ogando - rhp (12/2/15) - Claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.
  • Ken Giles - rhp (12/12/15) - Traded with Jonathan Arauz to the Houston Astros for Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Thomas Eshelman, Brett Oberholtzer and Vincent Velasquez.
New Additions - 2015-2016 Offseason
  • Dan Otero - rhp (11/3/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. (Designated for assignment 12/12/15)
  • Jeremy Hellickson - rhp (11/14/15) - Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Sam McWilliams.
  • A.J. Achter - rhp (11/20/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. (Designated for assignment 12/12/15)
  • Michael Mariot - rhp (11/30/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals.
  • Peter Bourjos - of (12/2/15) - Claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • David Hernandez - rhp (12/9/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
  • Tyler Goeddel - of (12/10/15) - Selected from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Rule 5 draft.
  • Daniel Stumpf - lhp (12/10/15) - Selected from the Kansas City Royals in the Rule 5 draft.
  • Charlie Morton - rhp (12/12/15) - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Whitehead.
  • Brett Oberholtzer - lhp and Vincent Velasquez - rhp (12/12/15) - Acquired with Mark Appel, Harold Arauz and Thomas Eshelman from the Houston Astros for Ken Giles and Jonathan Arauz.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

The First Moves of the 2015-2016 Offseason

2015 Phillies Team Issue 2 #30
While the rest of the baseball world was preparing for the Cubs-Pirates Wild Card game, the Phillies were busy making their first roster moves of the off-season.

Catcher Erik Kratz, infielder Chase d'Arnaud, outfielder Jordan Danks and relievers Justin De Fratus, Adam Loewen and Ken Roberts were all outrighted off the 40-man roster.  Jonathan Pettibone, who was on the 60-day disabled list all season, was activated and also outrighted.  The moves leave the Phillies with 34 players on their 40-man roster and six players still on the 60-day DL.

2015 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs Update #8
2015 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs Update #9
2012 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs Update #13
2007 Topps #78
 
Given their years of service, d'Arnaud, De Fratus, Loewen and Kratz can all immediately elect to become free agents or they can wait until after the World Series when they'll automatically become minor league free agents.  Danks and Pettibone can become free agents following the World Series and Roberts will be reassigned to a Phillies minor league team.

Of the seven players outrighted, De Fratus had been in the Phillies system the longest, having made his debut with the club in 2011.  He leaves behind a Phillies baseball card legacy that began with the 2011 Bowman set and ended with the 2015 team issued photo card sets.

d'Arnaud, Danks and Loewen could join the ranks of those unfortunate (or fortunate depending on your point of view) Phillies players who never appeared on a Phillies baseball card.  Roberts appears to still have a chance if he's in the mix next season.

* * *
2015 Phillies Team
Issue 2 #12
2015 Phillies Team
Issue 2 #54
2014 Phillies Team
Issue #44
Also of note is the dismissal of two Phillies coaches following the final game of the season.  Third base coach John Mizerock and bullpen coach Rod Nichols were let go and the other four coaches - bench coach Larry Bowa, first base coach Juan Samuel, hitting coach Steve Henderson and pitching coach Bob McClure were all invited back for 2016.  There's been no official word yet if those four will actually decide to return for 2016 and Bowa recently interviewed for the manager's job in Miami.

Friday, September 4, 2015

2015 Chachi #63 Erik Kratz

#28
Erik Floyd Kratz
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  240
Born:  June 15, 1980, Telford, PA
Drafted:  Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 29th round of the June 2002 draft
Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 2010, Phillies 2011-2013, Toronto Blue Jays 2014, Kansas City Roylas 2014-2015, Phillies 2015
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Seattle Mariners organization, July 17, 2015

2011 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #14
2011 Chachi #52
 
2012 Phillies Team
Issue 2 #31
2013 Topps 
#361
9 Kratz Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2011 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #14
First Phillies Card:  2012 Phillies Team Issue 2 #31
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2013 Topps #361
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2012 Phillies Team Issue 2 #31
Latest Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue 2 #31

First Chachi Base Card:  2011 Chachi #52

Kratz Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport



Cards and game statistics through 9/3/15.

Friday, January 9, 2015

2012 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition

I updated this post here in September 2020 and this original post is now outdated.
 

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  Full bleed photos are the focus of this card's minimalist design.  The player's name can be found at the bottom of each card, with his uniform number and position in one of the top corners on either side of a simple Phillies "P" logo.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  I purchased the original 40-card second edition set at Citizens Bank Park on July 21st.  I was impressed (and I'm still impressed) with the player selection and actual thought that went into putting together a checklist for this second half set.  Here is my original post documenting the players added and subtracted from the first edition set.

Very late in the season, the Phillies released a second version of this set, adding the six cards featured in the Complete Update Checklist below and dropping the cards for Joe Blanton, Mike Fontenot, Hunter Pence, Jason Pridie, Brian Sanches and Shane Victorino who had all left the team via trade or release.  This post discussed the discovery of these late season cards and this post documents the additions and subtractions to the set after I had acquired it in late October 2012.

Complete Standard Checklist (40):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.
  • 30 - Rich Dubee CO
  • 31 - Erik Kratz
  • 33 - Cliff Lee
  • 34 - Roy Halladay
  • 35 - Cole Hamels
  • 37 - Antonio Bastardo
  • 38 - Kyle Kendrick
  • 41 - Charlie Manuel MG
  • 44 - Michael Schwimer
  • 46 - Raul Valdes
  • 47 - Jeremy Horst
  • 48 - Brian Sanches
  • 49 - Vance Worley
  • 51 - Carlos Ruiz
  • 55 - Joe Savery
  • 56 - Joe Blanton
  • 58 - Jonathan Papelbon
  • 63 - Jake Diekman
  • Phillie Phanatic
  • Phillies Broadcasters
Complete Update Checklist (6):
One and Done (3):  Fontenot, Luna, Pridie
First Appearances (10):  Diekman, Frandsen, Horst, Kratz, Lindblom, Rosenberg, Sanches, Savery, Schierholtz, Valdes
Returning Players (24):  Bastardo, Blanton, Brown, Galvis, Halladay, Hamels, Howard, Kendrick, Lee, Martinez, Mayberry Jr., Nix, Papelbon, Pence, Pierre, Polanco, Rollins, Ruiz, Schneider, Schwimer, Utley, Victorino, Wigginton, Worley

It's extremely impressive (and surprising) that Pridie has a card in this set, as he appeared in just nine games with the Phillies in July.  Fontenot and Luna also receive their one and only Phillies baseball cards in this set.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (6):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gross, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  After an absence in the first edition, the broadcasters get their own card in the second edition set.  Newcomer Gregg Murphy joins Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler and Jim Jackson
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  Steve F. has noted the existence of blank backed cards for Billmeyer, Dubee, Frandsen, Kratz, Manuel, Nix, Papelbon and Perlozzo.  These cards have the same photos as the regularly issued cards and contain a script Phillies logo on the back.  I added a Ruiz card to my collection in December 2017 containing just the Phillies logo on the back.  (A card exists for Mayberry, Jr. as well - see December 2019 update below.)

Wally Joyner joined the coaching staff following the 2012 season, and there's a card for him available which was presumably created for Joyner to sign during that offseason's winter caravan.  (An eBay auction for this card can currently be found here.)

In December 2015, I came across eBay auctions for John Lannan and Rod Nichols autographed cards, which share the same design and background as the Joyner card.
  • 2 - Ben Revere
  • 5 - Steve Henderson CO
  • 21 - Wally Joyner CO
  • 27 - John Lannan
  • 37 - Mike Adams
  • 54 - Rod Nichols CO
Update (December 2016) - A posed card for Mike Adams is also available.
Update (August 2019) - I came across an eBay auction featuring a posed card for Steve Henderson, who joined the Phillies coaching staff before the 2013 season.
Update (December 2019) - Fellow collector Rick found a Ben Revere posed photo card and a logo-backed John Mayberry, Jr. card at the annual Phillies holiday sale.

Trivia:  The Beckett online database omits this set and the first edition set.
Resources:  14,000 Phillies; The Trading Card Database (excludes the additional six late season cards).

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

2014 Chachi Wax Box Cards


I averted a near disaster a few nights ago, when I was taking out the recycling and I dropped an empty box that had previously contained 36 2014 Chachi wax packs.  The box landed top down, and I couldn't believe that there were four more Chachi cards printed on the bottom!  I carefully cut around the outside border of the four cards, and I'm presenting these rarities here.  They're the same as the regular Chachi cards, but with a baby blue border.  The cards feature former Phillies with their new teams and Phillies Room favorite Rheal Cormier.

The box I was getting ready to recycle was from the late third series of this year's Chachi cards, so I'll have to track down boxes from the first and second series to see if those boxes had cards on the bottom too.  Let this be a lesson to you!  Always check your wax box bottoms to see if there are any hidden treasures to add to your collection.

Now the only thing I have to decide is whether I should cut them out or keep them together on one panel in order to retain their future value.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

2013 Phillies Team Issue 2 #31 Erik Kratz

Blue Jays 10, Phillies 0
Game 32 - Wednesday Night, May 7th in Toronto
Record - 15-17, 5th Place, 3 games behind the Marlins and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies completely and totally fell apart in the seventh inning of this game, as the Blue Jays won a laugher, 10-0.

What It Means:  It means the Phillies will try for the win tonight to avoid a four-game season sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays.  (It's not going well as of this writing.)

What Happened:  Cliff Lee and Mark Buehrle were cruising along in the midst of a pitcher's duel, with the Blue Jays holding a 1-0 lead until the seventh inning.  In that awful inning, the Blue Jays scored nine runs on eight hits, including three home runs, off starter Lee and relievers Mario Hollands and Shawn Camp.

Featured Card:  Old friend Erik Kratz had two hits in the seventh for the Blue Jays, including a two-run home run off Lee.  This is his card from the second series of last year's Phillies team issued set.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Lincoln Acquired from Jays for Kratz, Rasmussen

2014 Chachi Transactions #8
On Tuesday night, the Phillies pulled off their first trade of the 2013-2014 offseason.  Popular back-up catcher Erik Kratz and pitching prospect Rob Rasmussen were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed pitcher Brad Lincoln.  The bullpen struggled mightily last season, and one of the major to-do's of the off-season was to bolster the young bullpen with some more dependable arms.  Hopefully part of that need has been filled with Lincoln.

Lincoln appeared in 22 games last season for the Blue Jays and he spent the bulk of the summer pitching for Triple-A Buffalo as a result of command issues at the big league level.  In 31 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays, Lincoln walked 22 and struck out 25 while putting together a 1-2 record and a 3.98 ERA.  For his career, which began in Pittsburgh in 2010, Lincoln is 9-11 with a 4.66 ERA in 97 games.  Lincoln wore #49 for the Blue Jays, which is currently occupied by Phillies pitcher Ethan Martin.

2014 Chachi Transactions #7
The righty didn't appear on any mainstream baseball cards in 2013, and his last major baseball card appearance came within the 2012 Topps Update set.

Kratz spent parts of three seasons with the Phillies, filling in as the team's starting catcher at the outset of 2013 due to the suspension of Carlos Ruiz.  In 120 games with the Phils, Kratz hit .220 with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He appeared in the team's postcard sets in 2012 and 2013, and he earned a Phillies card in series two of the 2013 Topps set.  Kratz's departure seemed imminent once it was reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Phillies had reached a deal with back-up catcher Wil Nieves.  (That deal isn't official yet.)

Rasmussen joined the organization in August in the Michael Young trade with the Dodgers.  He leaves the organization with no cardboard proof of his time as Phillies property.

Moving On
Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13)
Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.
Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.
Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)
Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13)
John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.
Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.
Erik Kratz (12/3/13) - Traded with Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brad Lincoln.

Coming Back
Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.
Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions
Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brad Lincoln (12/3/13) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

2013 Topps Phillies #PHI-15 Erik Kratz

Brewers 4, Phillies 3
Game 63 - Saturday Night, June 8th in Milwaukee
Record - 31-32, 2nd Place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Domonic Brown drove in all three runs and hit his league leading 19th home run, but it wasn't enough as the Brewers defeated the Phillies, 4-3.

What It Means:  It means the Phillies are back to being a team with a losing record.  It also means that if the Phils can't easily handle a bullpen game from the one of the worst teams in the N.L., we've got problems.  The win improved the Brewers record to 24-37.

What Went Wrong:  Kyle Kendrick had another decent start, allowing three runs in his eight innings of work.  Michael Stutes allowed the eventual winning run to score in the seventh.

Featured Card:  The loss was rough, but even rougher was the loss of catcher Erik Kratz to a knee injury in the ninth inning.  With both Kratz and Carlos Ruiz on the disabled list, the roster now contains the team's third and fourth string catchers with Humberto Quintero and Steven Lerud.

Kratz appears in the Phillies team issued set as well as the Topps Phillies retail set.  This could be what his card looks like in series two of the Topps flagship released, scheduled to start appearing in stores this week.

Monday, May 20, 2013

2013 Chachi #39 Freddy Galvis & Erik Kratz HL

Phillies 3, Reds 2
Game 44 - Sunday Afternoon, May 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-23, 3rd Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis keyed an improbable walk-off win with back-to-back home runs in the ninth, as the Phillies won, 3-2.

What It Means:  A walk-off win for the Phils!  They took the series and now head to Miami to try to (finally) get back to .500.

What Went Right:  Nothing went right for the offense for most of the day.  They managed to score their first run in the eighth when Chase Utley singled home Ben Revere.

It was looking pretty grim in the ninth when the Reds brought in their closer Aroldis Chapman.  Chapman walked Delmon Young to start the inning, but then pinch-runner Cliff Lee was caught wandering too far off first and got picked off.

With an out and nobody on, Kratz blasted a solo home run to left to tie the ballgame.  Lee could be seen fuming in the dugout, as the game would have ended then and there had he not been picked off.  On the third pitch Galvis saw, a 95-miles per hour fastball, he lined a home run to left just over the fence and just inside the foul pole.  A home plate celebration ensued and for the rest of the day at least, all was right with the Phillies.

Featured Card:  I'm an optimist, but I don't know how many more highlights these 2013 Phillies have in them.  For that reason, and because this game had me more excited about the team than I had been all year, I felt a highlight card was merited.  I used this design to celebrate Roy Halladay's 200th career win, and it's based off the Boyhood Photos subset from the 1973 Topps release.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

2013 Chachi #8 Erik Kratz

#31
Erik Floyd Kratz
Catcher

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'4"  Weight: 255
Born: June 15, 1980, Telford, PA
Home: Harrisonburg, VA
Drafted: Selected by Toronto Blue Jays in 29th round of June 2002 draft
Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 2010, Phillies 2011-
Acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates, December 1, 2010
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible