2008 Topps Heritage #278 Delwyn Young

Phillies 6, Twins 3
Spring Training Game 18 - Sunday Afternoon, March 13th in Fort Myers

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils exploded for six runs off Twins' closer Joe Nathan to cruise to victory, 6-3.

What It Means:  Of the regulars, only Ben Francisco made the 2 1/2-hour bus ride to Fort Myers this morning to take on the Twins.  The line-up consisted of mostly bench players, non-roster invitees and minor leaguers.  The game was also televised and yours truly may have actually napped between the second and fifth innings.

Top Hitters:  Delwyn Young's 3-run home run was the big blow off Nathan in the fifth.  Josh Barfield, Wilson Valdez (playing center field) and Michael Martinez also enjoyed multi-hit games.

Top Pitchers:  Top prospect Michael Stutes started and pitched three shutout innings, walking one and striking out one.  Danys Baez pitched another shutout inning.  He has yet to allow a run in 6 1/3 innings so far this spring.

Featured Card:  I'm still stuck in 1959.  Assuming Chase Utley begins the year on the disabled list, there are probably two roster spots open on the Phillies' bench.  Young seems to be the favorite at this point to make the team, especially given he can play both second base and right field.

Other Stuff:  In a minor league game in Clearwater, Roy Oswalt pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out six.

2007 Topps Heritage #146 Delwyn Young

Orioles 6, Phillies 5
Spring Training Game 5 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 2nd in Clearwater

One Sentence Summary:  The Orioles pounded out 16 hits against six different Phillies pitchers on their way to a 6-5 victory.

What It Means:  Christopher's annual Clearwater pilgrimage comes to an end.  Let the record show the Phils went 1-3 in games he attended.

Top Hitters:  John Mayberry, Jr., who is playing for a spot on the opening day roster, went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run.  Non-roster invitee Delwyn Young played a little left field and added a hit to raise his spring average to .444.  Rule 5 pick Michael Martinez also added a home run.

Top Pitchers:  Of the seven Phillies pitchers used, only David Herndon and Brian Gordan (not even a non-roster invitee) escaped without surrendering runs.

Featured Card:  I'm breaking the rules, just like yesterday, and sticking with the 2007 Topps Heritage theme.  Delwyn Young was once one of the hottest prospects in the Dodgers' system, but things just never quite took off for the now 28-year-old swtich hitter.  Released by the Pirates in November, he signed a minor league deal with the Phils in January.  As a non-roster invitee, it's usually a good omen when you're assigned a low uniform number, and Young is wearing the number 24.  (And for the record, the "Rookie Card" logo on the front of a baseball card sporting a 1958 Topps design looks ridiculous.)

Other Stuff:  Shane Victorino, who has said he's going to try to bunt more for base hits, reached on an infield bunt single in the fourth . . . Carlos Ruiz left the team to fly to Panama to meet his new-born son.  Congrats Chooch!