Showing posts with label Robles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robles. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Wrapping Up Chachi Set Odds & Ends

2014 Chachi Transactions #17
2014 Chachi Transactions #19
2014 Chachi Transactions #20
2014 Chachi Transactions #22
I have a number of special Chachi insert cards that have been sitting in my draft folder for a few months as I've had no real good reason to post them.  I figured with the entire staff and management team of The Phillies Room away on spring break this week, this would be a good opportunity to feature all these cards together and wrap up a few loose ends.

First up is a quartet of players who joined the ranks of ex-Phillies this past offseason.  Zach Miner and Mauricio Robles were short-timers with the Phillies last season with Miner appearing in 16 games (three as a starter) and going 0-2 with a 4.40 ERA and Robles making it into just three games and pitching 4 2/3 innings.

Miner signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason, and unbeknownst to me Robles signed with the White Sox organization in November.  Had I known about the Robles signing, he would have been featured sooner in the Chachi Transaction insert set, but as it is he's most likely the last card in the set.

Joe Savery was the club's #1 pick back in 2007 and he first appeared with the Phillies in 2011.  In parts of three seasons, Savery went 3-2 in 41 games with a 4.15 ERA.  I first posted about Savery and his long and winding journey to the Majors in this post after he had made his Phillies debut.

Sadly, Phillies Room favorite Kevin Frandsen is now a member of the rival Nationals.  Presumably the odd man out this past spring, Frandsen landed himself a guaranteed contract with the Nationals, where he'll undoubtedly and repeatedly punish the Phillies throughout this season.

2014 Chachi Preview #3
2014 Chachi Almost #1
2014 Chachi #49
2014 Chachi Almost #3
Finally, here are four cards only a die-hard Phillies and virtual Phillies baseball card aficionado would enjoy.  (All seven or so of us.)  John McDonald probably doesn't need to have another virtual Phillies card, but I loved this photo of him in a throw-back uniform so I went ahead and gave him a card.  Michael Stutes was one of the team's best relievers in 2011, but injuries have hampered his career and he's currently out of baseball following his release a few weeks ago.

Kevin Munson was the team's offseason Rule V draft pick, and he made it part-way through the spring before being sent back to the Diamondbacks.  And veteran infielder Ronny Cedeno was attempting to latch on as bench player with the club, but (thankfully) the Phillies decided to stick with their younger guys and Cedeno was released.  He's since come back to the organization and is playing with the IronPigs.

UPDATE, 6/7/14 - In an unprecedented event, Cedeno will actually have a card in this year's regular Chachi base set.  Following Cedeno's departure at the end of spring training, he was quickly brought back into the fold by the organization and he had his contract selected from the IronPigs in early June.  I will update the official checklist to show this once "Almost" card as an actual "Chachi" card.

The first reader to comment on this lapse in The Phillies Room continuum will receive a coveted The Phillies Room No-Prize.

Friday, September 27, 2013

2013 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #19 Mauricio Robles

Braves 7, Phillies 1
Game 159 - Thursday Night, September 26th in Atlanta
Record - 72-87, 4th Place, 22 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd was demolished early and often in a lopsided 7-1 loss to the N.L. East Champion Braves.

What It Means:  The Phillies need to win one of their final three games to avoid losing 90 in a season for the first time since 2000 when Terry Francona's awful club went 65-97.

What Went Wrong:  Cloyd was pulled four batters into the second inning.  When the dust had settled, he had allowed all seven runs on eight hits.  Surprisingly enough, the bullpen held the Braves scoreless for the last six innings of the game.  Rookie Mauricio Robles threw three shutout innings and struck out four.

Featured Card:  One of the few silver linings to come out of the dark gray storm cloud of the Phillies season is the emergence of several young relievers who could be key players with the team in 2014.  Robles was a waiver claim this past winter from the Mariners.  In 34 games this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley he compiled a 1.42 ERA over 38 innings.  His walk to strikeout ratio (31 to 26) is awful, but he's got a good arm and he's only 24.  (Trying to stay positive, folks.)

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

2013 Chachi #62 Mauricio Robles


#67
Mauricio Antonio Robles
Relief Pitcher

Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 5'10"  Weight: 215
Born: March 5, 1989, Valencia, Venezuela
Home: Valencia, Venezuela
Signed: Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, April 1, 2006
Teams: Phillies 2013
Acquired: Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, December 14, 2012
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

2013 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23 Mauricio Robles

Nationals 9, Phillies 6
Game 139 - Tuesday Night, September 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 63-76, 3rd Place, 22 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals defeated a Phillies line-up comprised mostly of former IronPigs, 9-6.

What It Means:  Six of the starting nine Phillies saw significant time at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, including starting pitcher Ethan Martin.  The Phillies are firmly planted in the "look and see" portion of this forgettable season, running out various players to see if there's a chance any of them should stick around for 2014.

What Went Wrong:  Martin again failed to get through the fifth inning, allowing five runs on four hits and five walks.  His ERA is now 6.90.  At some point, one has to wonder if some other pitcher will get a chance to start this year.

Featured Card:  Mauricio Robles made his Major League debut in this game, and it didn't go too well.  Robles allowed a pair of runs on two hits while walking one.  I'm looking for a good photo of him for a Chachi card, but it probably won't be able to top his Chachi Transactions card from back in December.

In a recent post, I showed off a card from the IronPigs' update set, which I feel is the best designed set of the year.  The card featured here is from the second best designed set of the year - in my opinion of course.  The set has a distinct Goose Joak-ish feel to it and again I feel it's much more appealing than anything released by Topps during 2013.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

2013 Chachi Transactions #9 Mauricio Robles


Last week, the Phillies claimed left-handed pitcher Mauricio Robles off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.  Robles is 23 and he's spent the past five seasons in the minors with both the Tigers and Mariners organizations.  He has a grand total of 15 games at Triple-A where he's compiled a 4-6 record and a 6.71 ERA.

Normally, I wouldn't create a card for someone who has such a slim chance of seeing time with the Phillies during the upcoming season.  But when I came across this photo of Robles with the chain-linked fence and blurry bystanders in the background, I knew the photo would capture the essence of the 1973 Topps set.

To date, Robles has appeared on base and insert cards within 2009 Bowman Chrome, 2010 Bowman Platinum, 2011 Bowman and 2011 Topps Pro Debut.