Giants at Phillies: May 30th to June 2nd

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #7

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #28

Monday 4:05, Tuesday 6:45 and Wednesday 6:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies will host a pregame ceremony before today's Memorial Day matinee, honoring American Gold Star Mothers.  Wednesday is Top Gun night, with fans purchasing a theme night ticket receiving a Miles Teller Rooster bobblehead.

Giants 25-21
3rd Place in the N.L. West, 7 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Giants Probables
Logan Webb (5-1, 3.54)
Jakob Junis (2-1, 2.76)
Carlos Rodon (4-4, 3.60)

Giants Leaders
Average:  Mike Yastrzemski - .298
Runs:  Thairo Estrada and Darin Run - 26
Home Runs:  Joc Pederson - 11
RBIs:  Joc Pederson - 27
Stolen Bases:  Thairo Estrada - 6

Wins:  Logan Webb - 5
ERA:  Logan Webb - 3.54
Strikeouts:  Carlos Rodon - 64
Saves:  Camilo Doval - 7

Phillies 21-27
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Kyle Gibson (3-2, 3.94)
Ranger Suarez (4-3, 4.74)
Aaron Nola (2-4, 3.56)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .312
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 34
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 10
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 32
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 8

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.16

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 74
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 8

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

Just One Card - 2000s Phillies Edition (Part One - 2000 to 2004)

2000 Phillies Team Issue #44

2000 Phillies Team Issue #46

2001 Phillies Team Issue #55

Having tackled the Phillies players of the 1980s and 1990s to have never before appeared on a Phillies baseball card, I'm now going to turn my attention to the decade of the 2000s.  I started the Chachi custom baseball card sets in 2005, so the players from 2005 onwards have already appeared (at least in virtual form) on a Phillies baseball card.  But I'll still pay tribute to those players with an official Missing Links card.

By my tally, and I'll readily admit up front that I could be wrong, there were 34 players who suited up for the Phillies between 2000 and 2009 who never appeared on a Phillies baseball card.  But before we get to those 34 players, here are the players who just missed the cut having appeared on exactly one baseball card as a member of the Phillies.  (This is part one, and part two will appear in a future post.)

2000
Scott Aldred - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #30 (See here)
Clemente Alvarez - 2001 Phillies Team Issue #55*
Thomas Jacquez - 2000 Pacific Omega #253 (with Vicente Padilla)
Trever Miller - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #46
Carlos Reyes - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #44
Steve Schrenk - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #52 (See here)
Ed Vosberg - 2001 Phillies Team Issue #50

2001 Phillies Team Issue #50

2001 Phillies Team Issue Update #52

2001 Phillies Team Issue #12

2001 Phillies Team Issue #54

2004 Phillies Team Issue Special Edition #58

2001
Felipe Crespo - 2001 Phillies Team Issue Update #52
Brian L. Hunter - 2001 Phillies Team Issue #12^
Eddie Oropesa - 2001 Phillies Team Issue #54

2002
Mike Timlin - 2002 Topps Traded #T31

2004
Lou Collier - 2004 Phillies Team Issue Special Edition #58
Jim Crowell - 2004 Topps Traded #T113
Felix Rodriguez - 2004 Upper Deck #563

2000 Pacific Omega #253

2002 Topps Traded #T31

2004 Topps Traded #T113

2004 Upper Deck #563

*Alvarez appears as the bullpen catcher on this card, but it's close enough for me so I'll count it for this exercise.
^Topps tried to give Brian L. Hunter a card in the 2001 Topps Traded set, but they used a photo of Brian R. Hunter instead so I'm not counting it.  I wrote about this confusion in this post.

Given that Crespo and Collier only appear on hard-to-find team issued photo cards, I'd consider these two of my personal collecting white whales.  Thanks goes out to fellow Phillies collector Rick for sending me scans of these rare cards.

Just One Card Links
1990 to 1995
1996 to 1999
2000 to 2004
2005 to 2009

2000 Phillies - The Missing Links

2000 Pacific Omega #253, 2000 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #11, #23 and
2000 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #2

IN THE YEAR 2000 . . . the Phillies used 51 different players, just three players shy of the franchise record 54 from 1996.  Four of those unfortunate players never appeared on cardboard as Phillies*.

One quick caveat before we begin the journey of The Missing Links of the '00s:  This list may not be complete.  I have a good handle on the Phillies cards released between 2000 and 2009, but their are definitely holes in my collection, especially towards the middle part of the decade.  Please leave a comment with any corrections or revisions needed.

3 Cards or More
36 Players

2001 Victory #289, 2000 Fleer Tradition Update #U99, 2000 Pacific Omega #248 and 2001 Ultra #250

2 Cards
Chris Brock (63 games in 2000 and 24 games in 2001) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #55 and 2001 Phillies Team Issue #45
Brian R. Hunter (85 games in 2000) - 2001 Topps #13 and 2001 Victory #489
Tom Prince (4 games in 1999 and 46 games in 2000) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #12 and 2000 Phillies Team Issue #22

Jason Boyd (30 games in 2000) - 2000 Fleer Tradition Update #U99 and 2001 Ultra #245

David Newhan (10 games in 2000 and 7 games in 2001) - 2000 Pacific Omega #248 and 2001 Phillies Team Issue #9
Mark Brownson (2 games in 2000) - 2001 Ultra #250 and 2001 Upper Deck Vintage #367

1 Card
Steve Schrenk (32 games in 1999 and 20 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #52

Scott Aldred (29 games in 1999 and 23 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #30

Ed Vosberg (31 games in 2000 and 18 games in 2001) - 2001 Phillies Team Issue #50

Trever Miller (14 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #46

Carlos Reyes (10 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #44

Thomas Jacquez (9 games in 2000) - 2000 Pacific Omega #253

2000 Phillies Team Issue #55 and 2001 Phillies Team Issue #50

2000 Phillies Team Issue #46 and #44

If you look up "journeyman reliever" in the dictionary, chances are there's either a picture of Vosberg or Miller.  Both pitchers enjoyed lengthy careers, due mostly to their ability to throw a baseball left-handed. Vosberg played for 8 different teams during his 10-year career spanning, in fits and starts, from 1986 through 2002.  Miller also played for 8 different teams, managing to stick around from 1996 until last year for three games with the Red Sox.

0 Cards
Mark Holzemer (25 games in 2000)
Bryan Ward (20 games in 2000)
Kirk Bullinger (3 games in 2000)
Clemente Alvarez (2 games in 2000)

2001 Phillies Team
Issue #55

Holzemer and Ward were two more lefty relievers who spent a brief amount of time in the trial by error Phillies bullpen of 2000.  Strangely enough, I actually remember both Holzemer and Ward pitching for the Phillies, but for the life of me, and I mean no disrespect to him, I have no recollection of Bullinger as a Phillie.  Bullinger actually made the squad out of Spring Training in 2000, after pitching 11 scoreless innings.  He appeared in three games with the Phillies before landing on the disabled list with a lower back strain.  He was reinstated from the DL in June and promptly sent down to Triple-A Scranton, where he'd spend the rest of the year.

Catcher Alvarez was recalled in mid-September following Mike Lieberthal's elbow injury.  He appeared in just two games and was the team's starting catcher for the final day of the season.  The day after the season ended, he elected to become a free agent rather than accept his outright assignment to Reading.  Alvarez ended up back with the Phillies in 2001 as the team's bullpen catcher and he appears within the team's 2001 team issued set as such.

*So technically, he does kind of have a Phillies card, but I'm making up these rules as a go along, and coach's cards don't count.