Phillies Add Marsh, Robertson, Thor at Busy Trade Deadline

Like most baseball fans, I spent a lot of the day Tuesday refreshing my Twitter feed at an unhealthy clip, waiting for any news of a Phillies trade.  I actually resigned myself to the fact the Phillies might not make any moves, and they'd be one and done with the minor trade on Sunday for shortstop Edmundo Sosa.  But as the clock moved closer to the 6pm deadline, and as I continued to refresh my browser, the Phillies made one move, then immediately another and then finally one last move with about 40 minutes to go.  I'm way more excited about these moves than I was about the deals made last year, and here's a look at the newest Phillies, former Phillies, and some of their baseball card offerings.

2022 Topps Variations #243

2022 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #1

Trade #1

Phillies acquire Brandon Marsh (of) from the Los Angeles Angels for Logan O'Hoppe (c)

I think this was the most questionable trade, as O'Hoppe is going to be a fine major league catcher soon and Marsh has struggled mightily at the plate.  But O'Hoppe is blocked by J.T. Realmuto for the next three seasons, and the Phillies have Marsh under control for I believe the next five seasons.  He slides into the everyday center fielder role and he's one of the top defenders in the game.

Marsh has cards dating back to 2017 with the Angels, and he's appeared in a bunch of sets so far this year including Topps flagship, Topps Gypsy Queen and Topps Heritage.  O'Hoppe has appeared in Phillies minor league sets dating back to 2019, and I'll be rooting for him as he progresses through the Angels' system.  To make room for Marsh on the 40-man roster, Odubel Herrera (of) was designated for assignment.

2020 Topps Total #274

2021 Choice Jersey Shore BlueClaws #4

Trade #2

Phillies acquire David Robertson (rhp) from the Chicago Cubs for Ben Brown (rhp)

This will be a shot at redemption for Robertson, who signed a big two-year deal before the 2019 season with the Phillies, and was limited to just seven games with the clubs due to an arm injury.  Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez and Brad Hand will all get work in the late innings for the Phillies.  He's already received more than a few Phillies cards, and he's not shown up in any mainstream baseball card releases since 2020.

Brown had recently been promoted to Reading, and he was one of the club's top pitching prospects.  The only card of his in my collection is from last year's BlueClaws team set.  To make room for Robertson on the 40-man roster, Jeurys Familia (rhp) was designated for assignment.

2022 Topps Variations #584

2021 Topps Heritage #653

Trade #3

Phillies acquire Noah Syndergaard (rhp) from the Los Angeles Angels for Mickey Moniak (of) and Jadiel Sanchez (of)

And finally, as a replacement for Bailey Falter in the starting pitching rotation, the Phillies went back to the Angels to acquire Syndergaard, the former Mets All-Star who is absolutely going to look strange in red pinstripes.  Syndergaard has made 15 starts for the Angels so far this year, going 5-8 with a 3.83 ERA. He has thousands of baseball card appearances, including his 2022 cards in the Donruss and Topps flagship sets.

Moniak, the Phillies' #1 pick in the 2016 amateur player draft, will look to reboot with the Angels.  In 47 games with the Phillies over the past three seasons, he batted .129 (12 for 93) with a double and a home run.  I have more cards of his in my collection than I care to admit here in public.  Sanchez had been player in Low-A Clearwater and I don't believe he's appeared on any baseball cards to date.

	Arrived During the 2022 Season	Date	Transaction
	Roman Quinn - of	4/9/22	Signed as a free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
	Oscar Mercado - of	6/27/22	Claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.
	Edmundo Sosa - ss	7/30/22	Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals for JoJo Romero.
	Brandon Walsh - of	8/2/22	Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Logan O'Hoppe.
	David Robertson - rhp	8/2/22	Acquired from the Chicago Cubs for Ben Brown.
	Noah Syndergaard - rhp	8/2/22	Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez.
	Departed During the 2022 Season	Date	Transaction
	Ronald Torreyes - inf	4/26/22	Released.
	Roman Quinn - of	6/5/22	Granted free agency, singed with the Kansas City Royals, 6/9/22.
	James Norwood - rhp	6/18/22	Traded to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations.
	Kyle Dohy - lhp	6/23/22	Released.
	Oscar Mercado - of	7/4/22	Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians.
	JoJo Romero - lhp	7/30/22	Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Edmundo Sosa.
	Mickey Moniak - of	8/2/22	Traded to the Los Angeles Angels with Jadiel Sanchez for Noah Syndergaard.

Game 49 - Memorial Day Meltdown

2021 Topps Archives #262

Giants 5, Phillies 4 (10 Innings)
Game 49 - Monday Afternoon, May 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-28, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Another late comeback was wasted by another failure by the Phillies bullpen in this 5-4 extra-inning loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies continue to frustrate and baffle, with no clear direction or hope in sight.  They've lost four in a row and six of their last seven games.

What Happened:  Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins hit solo home runs for the Phillies, with Hoskins' blast representing the only hit by the offense between the fourth inning and the ninth inning.  With the score tied at 2-2, Corey Knebel again attempted to shut down the opposing offense and again failed.  Evan Longoria hit a home run to center off Knebel to give the Giants a 3-2 lead.  Kyle Schwarber, who might be heating up a little, hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to again tie the score at 3-3.  But then in the 10th, Phillies reliever Andrew Bellatti gave up a two-run home run to Curt Casali and we were glad we had left this game early (see below).

Field Report:  Jenna and I had tickets to this Memorial Day matinee, and we braved the heat to enjoy the ballpark and hopefully watch a Phillies victory.  We were 1 for 2 on the day.  I finally broke down and stood in line for a Manco & Manco pizza, and while I was happy with my decision I think it tastes better on the boardwalk.

Featured Card/Transaction:  Bailey Falter (lhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Mickey Moniak (of) was activated from the injured list.  Moniak made his season debut after suffering a broken hand in the final game of spring training.  He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, but made a nice diving catch in the eighth.

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

2022 Chachi #39 Mickey Moniak

#16
McKenzie Matthew Moniak
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Opening Day Age:  23
Born:  May 13, 1998, Encinitas, CA
How Obtained:  Selected by Phillies in 1st round (1st overall) of June 2016 amateur player draft
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020-

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #18
First Phillies Card:  2016 Topps Now #165
Newest Card Added:  2021 Topps Heritage High Numbers #653
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2021

44 - Moniak baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/30/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi Almost #9 - Draft Pick
2017 Chachi BlueClaws Signing Autographs #7
2020 Chachi #52
2021 Chachi #34
2022 Chachi #39

2021 Topps #457

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

2022 Chachi #38 Francisco Morales / 2022 Chachi #40 Nick Maton

Spring Training Game 17 - Nola Sharp, Phils Hit 5 Homers

2021 Topps Allen & Ginter #213

Phillies 8, Tigers 7
Spring Training Game 17 - Sunday Afternoon, April 3rd in Clearwater
Record - 8-6-3

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola pitched extremely well, while Bryce Harper and Mickey Moniak both homered twice in this 8-7 win over the Tigers

What It Means:  The Phillies played their final Sunday spring training game, and they'll play three more games in Florida before the Grapefruit League season ends.  With opening day rosters up to 28 players as a result of missed time from the lock-out, it would appear as if the only decisions remaining pertain to a beat up bullpen.

What Happened:  Nola went 5 1/3 innings, allowing a home run and striking out nine.  His next start will be opening day on Friday against the Athletics in Philadelphia.  Kyle Schwarber hit a 446-foot home run to right field in the first inning to start the scoring for the Phillies.  Harper and Moniak would add four more home runs, with Harper collecting three hits on the day - two home runs and a double.  Jose Alvarado made his spring debut, pitching a scoreless seventh inning and touching 100 on the radar gun.

Featured Card:  Moniak has earned a spot on the opening day roster, and with two more home runs in this game, he's up to five for the spring while batting .310.  There's an excellent chance he's the team's opening day center fielder.

Camp Head Count:  38

2021 Chachi #34 Mickey Moniak

#16
McKenzie Matthew Moniak
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Opening Day Age:  22
Born:  May 13, 1998, Encinitas, CA
How Obtained:  Selected by Phillies in 1st round (1st overall) of June 2016 amateur player draft
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020-

First Phillies Card:  2016 Topps Now #165
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #18
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2021 Topps Now #107

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

33 - Moniak baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/22/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi Almost #9 - Draft Pick
2017 Chachi BlueClaws Signing Autographs #7
2020 Chachi #52
2021 Chachi #34

The Phillies #1 draft pick from 2016, and the draft's overall top pick that year, Mickey Moniak was recalled in mid-September last season to take the place of the injured Kyle Garlick on the active roster.  He was recalled on April 14th this season and the hope was he could stabilize the team's center field position.  Active for only 10 games, he went 3 for 25 (.120) before being sent back down. 

Not surprisingly, and since he's been one of the team's top prospects for almost five years, I have quite a few Moniak baseball cards already in my collection. He's been a regular in the Bowman releases since 2016 and he's also featured in a number of Phillies minor league team sets since then too.

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

Game 18 - Phils Salvage Series on Knapp's Walk-Off Single

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League
1969 Topps Deckle Edge #29

Phillies 6, Giants 5
Game 18 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 9-9, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Despite Darin Ruf's best efforts, the Phillies managed to walk-off with a 6-5 win after Andrew Knapp singled Bryce Harper home in the ninth.

What It Means:  It's a win, and I'll take it.  But the Phillies are definitely struggling right now and they'll try to right the ship with three games in Denver followed by four games in St. Louis.

What Happened:  Mickey Moniak delivered his first career home run with a three-run shot to left in the second.  The Phillies held a 4-1 lead going into the seventh when pinch-hitter Ruf hit a three-run home run of his own off reliever Brandon Kintzler.  The Giants eventually took the lead in the inning after Andrew McCutchen dropped a Mike Yastrzemski fly ball in left field and Yastrzemski would come around to score on an Alex Dickerson single.  In the bottom of the inning, the red hot Harper homered to center to again tie the game.  Harper walked to lead off the ninth, went to second on Brad Miller's fourth hit of the day, and scored the winning run on Knapp's single.

Featured Card:  While Knapp had the game-winning hit here, I wanted to celebrate Moniak's first career home run.  He's off to a slow start (batting .111 - 2 for 18) but hopefully he picks it up soon.  Aside from McCutchen's awful start, the team's lack of production from center field has been one of its biggest problems through the first 18 games.

Transaction:  Jean Segura (2b) officially landed on the injured list with a right quad strain and Ramon Rosso (rhp) was sent back to Lehigh Valley.  Scott Kingery (inf) and Spencer Howard (rhp) were both recalled with Howard striking out the side in the eighth.

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

Spring Training Game 5 - 2020 Topps Now Blue #283 Mickey Moniak

Phillies 15, Yankees 0 (8 Innings)
Spring Training Game 5 - Thursday Afternoon, March 4th in Clearwater
Record - 2-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense unloaded on the Yankees and the Phillies pitchers held the Yankees line-up to just three hits in this 15-0 drubbing.

What It Means:  It's early.  It's only spring training.  But a 15-0 win over the Yankees is still pretty cool to watch.  With the game televised and my work situation still remote, I enjoyed watching the Phillies circle the bases albeit with the game on mute.

What Happened:  Matt Moore and Vince Velasquez, battling for essentially the same job, were both impressive throwing an efficient four innings.  Moore allowed a hit while striking out two, while Velasquez struck out three and held the Yankees hitless.  The Phillies offense pounded out 12 hits with Odubel Herrera, Mickey Moniak and Luke Williams all having two hits a piece.  On a windy day in Clearwater, the Phillies managed six home runs from Scott Kingery, Herrera, Alec Bohm, two from Moniak and Williams.

Featured Card:  Former #1 draft pick Moniak has looked strong early this spring and he could make Joe Girardi's final decision for an outfield bench spot interesting.  If nothing else, Moniak provides solid outfield depth for the team even if he starts the season with Lehigh Valley.  I was surprised to see I have only one Moniak card in my collection from 2020 - this Topps Now card.  The version Topps sent me is blue-bordered and numbered to 49.  Hopefully he's better represented on baseball cards in 2021.

Camp Head Count:  73

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

2020 Chachi #52 Mickey Moniak

#16
McKenzie Matthew Moniak
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Opening Day Age:  22
Born:  May 13, 1998, Encinitas, CA
How Obtained:  Selected by Phillies in 1st round (1st overall) of June 2016 amateur player draft
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020

First Phillies Card:  2016 Topps Now #165
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #18
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #15

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

34 - Moniak baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 9/17/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi Almost #9 - Draft Pick
2017 Chachi BlueClaws Signing Autographs #7
2020 Chachi #52

The Phillies #1 draft pick from 2016, and the draft's overall top pick that year, Mickey Moniak was recalled on Wednesday afternoon to take the place of the injured Kyle Garlick on the active roster. Wearing #16, Moniak made his Major League debut as a pinch-runner for Alec Bohm in the ninth inning of a game the Phillies would eventually lose to the Mets.

Not surprisingly, and since he's been one of the team's top prospects for 4 1/2 years, I have quite a few Moniak baseball cards already in my collection. He's been a regular in the Bowman releases since 2016 and he's also featured in a number of Phillies minor league team sets since then too.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 29 - 1989 Donruss #431 Steve Jeltz

Braves 12, Phillies 10
Game 29 - Sunday Night, August 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 14-15, Tied for 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Down 10-0 in the second, the Phillies nearly pulled off what would have been one of their most impressive comebacks in franchise history.

What It Means:  Having just missed completing a three-game sweep of the first place Braves, the Phillies open a crucial four-game series tonight with the last place Nationals.

What Happened:  The early deficit was courtesy of Jake Arrieta (1 1/3 innings, 7 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks) and David Hale (1 2/3 innings, 3 runs, 3 hits).  It was Arrieta's shortest outing of his career and Hale's Phillies debut.

The comeback began in the bottom of the second when Didi Gregorius hit a solo home run to right.  It continued in the third when the Phillies plated six runs with the big hits coming from Andrew McCutchen (RBI double), Rhys Hoskins (2-run home run) and Gregorius again (2-run triple).  The Phillies got to within a run when Roman Quinn and McCutchen hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to make it 11-10 Braves.

The lousy outing from Arrieta and questionable umpire calls were the big factors in the loss, with manager Joe Girardi earning his first ejection in a Phillies uniform in the ninth.

2019 R-Phils Phillies
Top 25 Prospects #25

Featured Card:  The near comeback had Phillies fans referring back to the last time the team had overcome a 10-run deficit, on June 8, 1989 against the Pirates.  That was the game in which Pirates broadcaster Jim Rooker infamously announced if the Pirates lost the game (they did) he would walk back to Pittsburgh (he eventually did).  Steve Jeltz entered the game in the second at second base, taking over for veteran Tommy Herr with the Phillies trailing 10-2.  He ended up becoming the first player in franchise history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, going 2 for 4 with 5 RBIs and helping to fuel the comeback.

Transaction:  Mickey Moniak was added to the team's Player Pool, and many were quick to point out that players not included in a team's Player Pool were ineligible to be traded before today's 4pm deadline.  By my very unofficial tally, I believe the Phillies now have 25 players training at their alternate site in Lehigh Valley.  It's 26 if you count the rehabbing Ranger Suarez.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

15 Prospects Coming to Camp as Non-Roster Invitees

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #1

2019 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #10

2019 R-Phils Phillies Top 25 Prospects #5

2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #10

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #7

Right on schedule, the Phillies released a list of 15 prospects invited to camp as non-roster invitees.  These 15 join the list of the prior four (officially) announced invitees.  For this next batch, instead of listing out their last major baseball card appearance, I've listed their most recent card added to my collection as most of these guys are still waiting for their first major baseball card appearance.

For me, the two most interesting names on this list are Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard, as both have a realistic chance of contributing to the 2020 Phillies.  Bohm could be the team's regular third baseman at some point this upcoming season while Howard could find himself in the starting pitching rotation.

2019 Topps Heritage Minor League #27

2018 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #13

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #12

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #13

2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #6

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)

2.  Josh Harrison (inf) - Tigers - 2019 Topps Heritage #552 (Tigers)

3.  Mikie Mahtook (of) - Tigers - 2019 Topps #477 (Tigers)

4.  Matt Szczur (of) - Diamondbacks - 2018 Topps Heritage #528 (Padres)

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Card Added to Collection

5.  Alec Bohm (inf) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #1

6.  Connor Brogdon (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #44

7.  Kyle Dohy (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 R-Phils Phillies Top 25 Prospects #5

8.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #10
9.  Darick Hall (1b) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #7
10.  Spencer Howard (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League #27
11.  Damon Jones (lhp) - Phillies - 2018 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #13
12.  Henri Lartigue (c) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #12
13.  Austin Listi (1b-of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #13
14.  Nick Maton (ss) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #6
15.  Mickey Moniak (of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #15
16.  Ramon Rosso (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #19
17.  Addison Russ (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #20
18.  Zach Warren (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #33
19.  Luke Williams (inf-of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #23

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #15

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #19

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #20

2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #33

2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #23

Game 82 - 2019 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #1 Alec Bohm

Marlins 6, Phillies 2
Game 82 - Friday Night, June 28th in Miami
Record - 43-39, 2nd place, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves

Annual Post-Vacation Game Summary Catch-Up, Part 3 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Vince Velasquez was knocked around in his start and the offense provided only four hits in this 6-2 loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  Maybe it's not the lucky bamboo, and the Mets are just a bad team.

What Happened:  Ironically enough, Velasquez provided all the offense for the Phillies, hitting a two-run home run in the fifth.  On the mound, he allowed four runs on six hits over just 4 1/3 innings.

Featured Card:  I thought this was cool.  Mike Drago Tweeted the below photo of the last four top draft picks for the Phillies who were all in the line-up for the Reading Fightin Phils on Thursday night.  Cornelius Randolph (2015), Mickey Moniak (2016), the recently promoted Alec Bohm (2018) and Adam Haseley (2017) on a rehab assignment.

Bohm, the team's future third baseman, homered in his first game with Reading, joining Mike Schmidt and Scott Rolen who also homered in their first games with the Double-A squad.  Bohm will represent the Phillies at this year's Futures Game in Cleveland.

Transactions:  Reliever Tommy Hunter was activated from the 60-day IL and Fernando Salas was designated for assignment to free up a spot for Hunter on the 40-man roster.  Salas pitched 1 inning in his short tenure with the Phillies, giving up 3 hits and a home run.  He seems destined for a future Chachi Missing Links card.  Haseley was also activated from the IL and optioned to Lehigh Valley.

First Visit to FNB Field, Home of the Harrisburg Senators

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #7

While the Phillies were getting destroyed in Milwaukee (see below), we took a two-hour drive along I-76 to Harrisburg for our first official visit to FNB Field, home of the Harrisburg Senators.  The Senators are the Eastern League, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.  Our first attempt to attend a Senators game was rained out in mid-April, so for this return trip we were treated to a double header against the Phillies Double-A affiliate, the Reading Fightin Phils.

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #1

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #2

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #3

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #4

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #5

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #6

We have yet to have a bad minor league ballpark experience, and this was another fantastic venue.  I strategically selected seats behind the Fightin Phils dugout on the third base side and Doug added autographs of several Phillies prospects to his card collection both before and between games.  Top prospects Adam Haseley and Cornelius Randolph were repeat signers and he also added autographs on the cards of Mickey Moniak and Arquimedes Gamboa.

For any players without readily available cards in his collection, or if the players came over more than once, he obtained signatures on Eastern League baseballs.  He had two baseballs to fill with signatures and the willing signers were coaches Tyler Henson and Nelson Prada, catcher Austin Bossart, pitcher Aaron Brown, infielders Gamboa, Jose Gomez, Darrick Hall and Luke Williams, and outfielders Haseley, Moniak and Randolph.

Nationals prospect Bryan Mejia was signing before the first game from a seat in Section 106, and Ben effortlessly added his autograph to his collection.  Ben's autograph hunting is limited to opportunities requiring minimal effort, which is the way I was in my younger days as well.  The Fightin Phils players liberally tossed baseballs into the stands after the bottom of each inning, and we caught balls tossed by Adonis Medina and Austin Listi.


Towards the end of the second game, and completely out of the blue, a ball rolled over the Fightin Phils' dugout roof and landed at my feet.  We were pleasantly surprised to see the ball had been signed by most of the Reading roster in a red sharpie!  Doug has catalogued the signatures and the ball was signed by the following players:  Bossart, Brown, Bailey Falter, Hall, Haseley, Henri Latrigue, Mauricio Llovera, Listi, Medina, Moniak, Randolph, Raul Rivas and Ramon Rosso.  How cool is that!

While the autograph additions were awesome, we also witnessed a double header sweep by the Fightin Phils.  Medina won the first game thanks in part to home runs from Hall and Josh Stephen.  Jose Taveras was masterful on the mount in the second game, throwing five innings of shutout ball in his first Double-A start.  Gamboa went 4 for 7 in the twinbill with two doubles and a triple.

Meanwhile, in Milwaukee . . .

Brewers 9, Phillies 1
Game 53 - Sunday Afternoon, May 26th in Milwaukee
Record - 31-22, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Brandon Woodruff shut down the Phillies offense and added a pair of RBI hits in this 9-1 loss to the Brewers.

What It Means:  The Phillies finished a tough seven-game road trip against the Cubs and Brewers with a respectable record of 4-3.

What Happened:  The only Phillies hit in this game was a solo home run from Andrew Knapp (1) in the sixth.  Zach Eflin departed after 3 2/3 innings having allowed three runs on six hits.  Vince Velasquez was knocked around in his second relief outing, giving up four runs on five hits in just 2/3 of an inning.  JD Hammer made his big league debut, pitching a scoreless sixth inning.

11 More Players Added to List of Non-Roster Invitees

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #131

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #10

2018 Topps Heritage #579

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #92

2018 Topps Heritage #641

As of this writing, and hopefully that changes soon with some big news, the Phillies active roster sits at 39 players while their list of non-roster invitees is now 18.  Three more veterans and eight prospects were added to the list on Friday night.

I've added them below with their 2018 organization and last major baseball card appearance listed.

Player (position) - 2018 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance*
1.  Jeremy Bleich (lhp) - Athletics - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #35 (Yankees)
2.  Rob Brantly (c) - Braves/Indians - 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #33 (Marlins)
3.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Reds/Braves - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)
4.  Josh Martin (rhp) - Indians - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP160 (Indians)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Phillies - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Gregorio Petit (inf) - Twins - 2015 Topps Heritage #667 (Yankees)
7.  Shane Robinson (of) - Yankees - 2014 Topps #483 (Cardinals)

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #6

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #22

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #17

2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #13

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #8

8.  Gift Ngoepe (inf) - Blue Jays - 2018 Topps Heritage #579 (Blue Jays)
9.  Edward Paredes (lhp) - Dodgers - N/A
10.  Andrew Romine (inf) - Mariners - 2018 Topps Heritage #641 (Mariners)
11.  Malquin Canelo (inf) - Phillies - N/A
12.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
13.  Deivi Grullon (c) - Phillies - 2013 Bowman Chrome #BCP128 (Phillies)
14.  Adam Haseley (of) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #131 (Phillies)
15.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft Chrome #BDC-4 (Phillies)
16.  Austin Listi (inf-of) - Phillies - N/A
17.  Mickey Moniak (of) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #261 (Phillies)
18.  JoJo Romero (lhp) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #92 (Phillies)

*This is subjective, and for the Phillies prospects largely based on the cards actually in my collection.