Spring Training Game 30 - Final Look at 2022 Chachi Set

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #33

Orioles 4, Phillies 2
Spring Training Game 30 - Sunday Afternoon, March 26th in Sarasota
Record - 13-16-1

One Sentence Summary:  The bench squad made the trip to Sarasota and managed only four hits in this 4-2 loss to the Orioles.

What It Means:  There are two spring training games remaining, both against the Blue Jays.  Wednesday is a travel day and the Phillies open the 2023 season on Thursday afternoon in Arlington against the Rangers.

What Happened:  Jake Cave had two more hits, including his fourth double of the spring.  Jim Haley hit an eighth inning home run for the Phillies.  On the mound, Matt Strahm, who will open the season as the team's fifth starter, pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks.

Featured Cards:  Preparing for the 2023 season and refreshing the various pages running along the top of this blog under the header image, I realized there were still several 2022 Chachi cards that hadn't made it out into the public yet.  The card shown above for Dickie Thon has absolutely nothing to do with the spring game played on Sunday afternoon.  It was created in case the Phillies needed to go back to San Diego for NLCS Game 6, as part of a Series Preview post.  But Bryce Harper negated the need for that trip, bedlam ensued, and the card was never needed.

The five cards shown below are the final five cards from my 36-card 2000 Topps Missing Links set, featuring the 36 players to have appeared with the Phillies in 2000, but not receive a Topps flagship card.  This was an ambitious project, and I'm happy with the way these cards turned out.

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #2

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #9

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #15

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #17

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #35

Camp Head Count:  44

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #3 Bryan Ward

#37
Bryan Matthew Ward
Relief Pitcher

Bryan Ward pitched relatively well in his 20-game cameo with the 2000 Phillies, compiling a 2.33 ERA over 19 1/3 innings.  Having appeared in 68 games with the White Sox in 1998 and 1999, Ward was signed as a minor league free agent and invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee in 2000. He wouldn't make the opening day roster, but his services were required on May 30th when fellow lefty Scott Aldred landed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.  His spot in the bullpen seemingly secure, Ward was the odd-man out on July 26th when Curt Schilling was traded to the Diamondbacks and the Phillies needed to open a 40-man roster spots for their four newly acquired players - Travis Lee, Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa and Vicente Padilla.

Ward was designated for assignment, clearing waivers and ultimately being outrighted back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  His time with the Red Barons was short, as he was released on August 12th and signed with the Anaheim Angels on August 16th.  Ward would appear in seven games for the Angels, marking the end of his big league career.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  210
Born:  January 28, 1972, Bristol, PA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 20th round of the June 1993 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1998-1999; Phillies 2000; Anaheim Angels 2000
Professional Affiliations:  Florida Marlins 1993-1997; Chicago White Sox 1998-1999; Phillies 2000; Anaheim Angels 2000; Boston Red Sox 2001; Torreon Algodoneros (Mexico) 2002; Colorado Rockies 2002-2003; Saltillo Saraperos (Mexico) 2003; Camden Riversharks (Independent) 2003-2004; Seattle Mariners 2004; Acereros de Monclova (Mexico) 2005

Phillies Career
20 games - all in relief, 0-0, 2.33 ERA, 19 1/3 innings, 11 strikeouts, 8 walks
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Chicago White Sox, November 2, 1999.
Debut:  May 30, 2000 - In San Francisco, with the Phillies trailing the Giants 5-1, relieved Andy Ashby in the sixth inning and promptly allowed a two-run home run to Bill Mueller.
Final Game:  July 21, 2000 - Relieved Paul Byrd in the fifth inning in Pittsburgh, pitching three innings of scoreless relief.
Departed:  Released on August 12, 2000, and signed with the Anaheim Angels on August 16, 2000.

1999 SP Signature Edition Autographs #BW

2000 Q Cards Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #23

1 Ward Baseball Card in My Collection
2000 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #23

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1999 SP Signature Edition #101
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  1999 SP Signature Edition #101
Other Notable Cards:  1993 Classic Best Elmira Pioneers #26, 1994 Fleer/ProCards #163, 1999 SP Signature Edition Autographs #BW

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

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.