Game 75 - 2013 Phillies Team Issue #3 Delmon Young

Nationals 8, Phillies 6
Game 75 - Sunday Night, June 24th in Washington
Record - 41-34, 2nd place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals scored six unanswered runs in their final three at-bats to hand the Phillies their latest crushing defeat, 8-6.

What It Means:  Edubray Ramos and Austin Davis allowed the three runs in the 6th inning, with Seranthony Dominguez getting hit hard and touched for three runs in the 8th inning.

What Happened:  The Phillies had mounted a somewhat comfortable 6-2 lead after five innings courtesy of a two-run home run from Rhys Hoskins (11), a two-run triple from Odubel Herrera and a two-run home run from Nick Williams (9).  As someone who admittedly didn't stay awake for this entire ballgame, it was very disheartening to wake up the next morning and see an 8-6 final score.

Featured Card:  The last time the Phillies appeared on an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, on April 4, 2013, they lost to the Braves 4-1 and starting right fielder Delmon Young went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts.  A Delmon Young baseball card seemed appropriate for this post.

2013 Topps Phillies

2013 Topps #625

2013 Topps #26

2013 Topps #637

2013 Topps #367

Over the past few years, I've fallen into a pattern with these Topps Phillies posts where I ignore them throughout the year and then I rattle off a few years during the Phillies-less postseason.  The patten continues again this season.  While trying to stay up for Game 1 of the Dodgers-Mets N.L.D.S., I somehow found myself flipping through my 2013 Phillies binder.

2013 Topps #367 (Back)

The wheels completely fell off the Phillies in 2013 as they endured their first losing season since 2002.  Manager Charlie Manuel was dumped in mid-August right after winning his 1,000th career game and the non-productive Ryne Sandberg era began.

The Set
Number of cards in the set:  Both Series 1 and Series 2 have 330 cards with #7 once again omitted in honor of Mickey Mantle.  As such, the full set is numbered to 661.  The Update Series once again contains 330 cards.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  I was underwhelmed by the 2013 Topps set when it first came out, and almost three years later I find the set, like the 2013 Phillies season, fairly forgettable.  Night Owl Cards christened the set the "sea turtle set" since the curved home plate and baseball diamond in the bottom left corner vaguely resemble an abstract swimming turtle.  Once you see the turtle in the set's front border design, you can never un-see it.

2013 Topps #6

2013 Topps Update #US90

2013 Topps Update #US242

2013 Topps #206

2013 Phillies
Record and finish:  The Phillies finished fourth in the N.L. East, 23 games behind the Braves, with a record of 73-89.  As mentioned previously, Manuel was dismissed in mid-August and the brief Sandberg era began.
Key players:  Domonic Brown made his first and only All-Star team and he'd finish the season with a .272 average and team leading 27 home runs and 83 RBIs.  He hasn't touched those numbers since. Chase Utley hit .284 over 131 games and was second on the team in both home runs (18) and RBIs (69).  Carlos Ruiz (.268) had a solid year behind the plate while newcomer Ben Revere hit .305 with 22 stolen bases.

Cliff Lee (14-8, 2.87) and Cole Hamels (8-14, 3.60) led the pitching staff and third starter Kyle Kendrick contributed 10 wins.  In his final season, Roy Halladay struggled mightily, going 4-5 with a 6.82 ERA in 13 starts.  Jonathan Papelbon led the team with 29 saves with Antonio Bastardo (2.32 ERA, 2 saves) and Jake Diekman (2.58 ERA) serving as reliable relievers.

Key events:  Looking at the Chachi Highlight cards for the season, the most notable events include Halladay winning his 200th career game and walk-off home runs from Freddy Galvis and John Mayberry, Jr.  Outfielder Casper Wells and infielder John McDonald both pitched in an 18-inning loss to the Diamondbacks in August.

2013 Phillies in 2013 Topps
Who's in:  Series 1 and Series 2 each include 10 Phillies cards, with the Update Series adding 10 more for a total of 30.  There are three short-printed variation cards for Howard, Utley and John Kruk (in the Update Series).

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#367 Carlos Ruiz (c), #6 Ryan Howard (1b), #26 Chase Utley (2b), #206 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #US90 Michael Young, #625 Domonic Brown (lf), #637 Ben Revere (cf), #US242 Delmon Young (rf)

Michael Young's card is baffling, as it features a photo of him scoring the winning run in a thrilling 4-3 win over the Royals on April 6th.  We get a nice look at Young's back and short-term Phillie Ezequiel Carrera is to his left, but Young's face is completely obscured.

2013 Topps #33

2013 Topps #332

2013 Topps #71

2013 Topps #410

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#33 Cliff Lee, #332 Cole Hamels, #71 Kyle Kendrick, #US281 Jonathan Pettibone, #US280 John Lannan

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2013 - 12 cards

#83 Darin Ruf, #197 Tyler Cloyd, #361 Erik Kratz, #410 Roy Halladay, #424 Steven Lerud, #472 John Mayberry, #514 Jonathan Papelbon, #646 Phillippe Aumont, #US30 Mike Adams, #US58 Kevin Frandsen, #US71 Cody Asche, #US156 Laynce Nix

• Base cards of players who did not play with the Phillies in 2013 - 2 cards

#152 Jose Contreras, #249 Vance Worley

• 2013 National League All-Star cards - 2 cards, #US188 Cliff Lee, #US309 Domonic Brown
• 2013 Record Chase cards - 1 card, #264 Roy Halladay

The Record Chase card doubles as a checklist for cards 264 to 331 and calls attention to Halladay's chase of 200 wins.

2013 Topps #514

2013 Topps #472

2013 Topps Update #US58

2013 Topps #83

Who's Out:  Infielder Galvis got left out of the set for the second year in a row and the entire bullpen, except Papelbon, was ignored.  The top four relievers in terms of number of appearances could have merited cards in the set - Justin De Fratus, Bastardo, Diekman and Jeremy Horst.
Phillies on other teams:  Delmon Young (#121, Tigers) and Michael Young (#320, Rangers) both appear with their former teams in the base set.  Wells (#US247, White Sox) appears in the Update Series as well as the Mariners retail team set (#SEA11).

What's he doing here:  Contreras and Worley both departed during the off-season so it makes sense they'd appear in Series 1 with the Phillies.  As has been the case with the past few years of Topps sets, I really don't have any issues with their Phillies player selections.  Back-up catcher Lerud is a surprising inclusion, as he appeared in three games with the Phillies in 2012 and just six more games in 2013.
Cards that never were candidates:  Galvis, De Fratus, Basardo and Diekman.
Favorite Phillies card:  Phillies Room Favorite Frandsen finally received a Topps card, and the photo is perfect - Frandsen is smiling on his way up to the plate with his filthy, pine tar stained helmet on full display.  Easily my least favorite Phillies card, and perhaps my least favorite Phillies card ever, is Papelon's card showing him in mid-maniacal scream.

2013 Topps Phillies #PHI-1

2013 Topps Phillies #PHI-9

2013 Topps Phillies #PHI-10

2013 Topps #424

Other Stuff
Variations:  There are a few variations to be found in the Chrome, Opening Day and retail team set as shown on the table below.  I'd love to pick the brain of the Topps photo-selection committee and ask them why Revere had different photos on his flagship and Chrome cards, both showing him making a diving catch.  Both Young's received Photoshopped Phillies uniforms in the retail team set.

Phillies in the Postseason - Part One

2007 Finest #155, 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter's #266,
2005 Donruss Diamond Kings #382 and 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #293

Like the rest of us, the Phillies have been sitting at home over this past month watching the eight remaining teams compete in the 2013 postseason.  To keep myself occupied during these late postseason games, I decided to look back at the ex-Phillies appearing in this year's postseason and see how they fared.  I'll start with those teams eliminated first and then work my way up to the eventual World Champions.  The years in parentheses are the years each player, coach or manager spent with the Phillies.

Cincinnati Reds - 2nd N.L. Wild Card - Lost Wild Card game to the Pirates
The only ex-Phillie with the Reds is first base coach Billy Hatcher (1994)

Cleveland Indians - 1st A.L. Wild Card - Lost Wild Card game to the Rays
This was manager Terry Francona's (manager, 1997-2000) first year at the helm for the Tribe and his team exceeded everyone's expectations.  Center fielder Michael Bourn (2006-2007) went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in the Wild Card game.  Bench coach Brad Mills (coach, 1997-2000) also reunited with Francona in Cleveland after a rough stint as the Astros manager.

Atlanta Braves - N.L. East Champions - Lost N.L.D.S. to the Dodgers, 3-1
Freddy Garcia (2007) was the starting pitcher in the decisive Game 4, and he actually pitched a decent ballgame.  Garcia left after six innings with the Braves up, 2-1 against the Dodgers.  The Braves bullpen, overseen by pitching coach Roger McDowell (1989-1991) coughed up the lead and the Dodgers advanced to the N.L.C.S.

Tampa Bay Rays - 2nd A.L. Wild Card - Lost A.L.D.S. to the Red Sox, 3-1
Delmon Young (2013) went 3 for 11 in five postseason games with the Rays.  He started the scoring against the Indians in the Wild Card Game with a solo home run.  Third base coach Tom Foley (1985-1986) also spent some time with the Phils.

Pittsburgh Pirates - 1st N.L. Wild Card - Lost N.L.D.S. to the Cardinals, 3-2
Outfielder Marlon Byrd (2002-2005) went 8 for 22 (.364) in his first ever postseason after 12 seasons in the Majors.  In his first postseason at-bat, Byrd homered off the Reds Johnny Cueto, helping the Pirates advance to the N.L.D.S.  Pirates third base coach Nick Leyva (manager, 1989-1991) returned to the postseason for the first time since serving in that same capacity with the Blue Jays in 1993.

Thanks to reader Mark for recently sending me the Byrd card seen at the top of this post.

Oakland Athletics - A.L. West Champions - Lost A.L.D.S. to the Tigers, 3-2
First baseman/DH Brandon Moss (2011) went 2 for 18 (.111) in his second postseason with the A's, starting in all five games against the Tigers.

I'll follow-up with a post on the ex-Phillies on the four teams that advanced to both League Championship series.

2013 Phillies Team Issue 2 #3 Delmon Young

Nationals 9, Phillies 2
Game 115 - Friday Night, August 9th in Washington
Record - 52-63, 4th Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Thanks entirely to new hitting coach Rick Schu, the Nationals easily handled the sinking Phillies, 9-2.

What It Means:  Man, these games are tough to watch.

What Went Wrong:  John Lannan was roughed up by his former team, allowing eight runs on nine hits in his five innings of work.  The Phillies managed four hits, with half of that output coming from Phillie for Life Chase Utley.

Featured Cards:  At last, the Delmon Young Era is over.  The Phillies designated the outfielder for assignment yesterday afternoon to make room for the newly acquired Casper Wells.  Wells was picked off the waiver wire from the White Sox on Wednesday.  When I told my six-year-old son Doug that Young had been let go, he actually cheered.  I've trained him well.

Young's departure got me thinking about a possible Phillies Team Issue Set 2.1.  Over the past few years, the Phillies have released an updated second series, adding players acquired at the trade deadline or prospects recently recalled and dropping players no longer with the team.  So who would be in and who would be out if there is a Phillies Team Issue Set 2.1?  I'm glad you asked:

Added (7) - Cody Asche, Luis Garcia, Cesar Jimenez, Ethan Martin, John McDonald, Zach Miner, Casper Wells
Dropped (7) - Mike Adams, Phillippe Aumont, Antonio Bastardo, Tyler Cloyd, Cesar Hernandez, Laynce Nix, Delmon Young

What do you think?  The draw of the set would be the Asche card, and the team's marketing department would be wise to put him at the front of the set to highlight his inclusion.

2013 Bowman #197 Delmon Young

Phillies 16, Dodgers 1

Game 81 - Late Friday Night, June 28th in Los Angeles

Record - 39-42, 3rd Place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

Colossal Post-Vacation Catch-Up, Part 7 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  The bats came to life in a stunning 16-1 victory over the Dodgers.

What It Means:  They're alive!  This is probably the only game I missed during my vacation that I wish I could have seen.  What in the heck happened?  The Dodgers suffered their worst home loss since July 3, 1947, when they lost 19-2 to the New York Giants while still playing in Brooklyn.

What Went Right:  Michael Young had four hits, while Delmon Young and John Lannan (!) both had three hits.  D. Young drove in six runs.

Featured Card:  I'm not a fan of Young's, and I'm still not a fan of his signing by the Phillies as a minor league free agent this past offseason.  But when you drive in six runs in a lopsided Phillies victory, you deserve to have the featured card.

2013 Chachi #35 Delmon Young

#3

Delmon Demarcus Young

Right Field

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'3"  Weight: 240

Born: September 14, 1985, Montgomery, AL

Home: Camarillo, CA

Drafted: Selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1st round of the June 2003 draft

Teams: Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2006-2007, Minnesota Twins 2008-2011, Detroit Tigers 2011-2012,  Phillies 2013

Acquired: Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers, January 22, 2013

Contract Status: Signed through the 2013 season

2010 Finest #89 Shane Victorino

Marlins 2, Phillies 0
Game 31 - Saturday Night, May 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 14-17, Tied for 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez baffled the Phillies, as the Marlins won the 2-0 pitcher's duel.

What It Means:  So much for the sweep!

What Went Wrong:  The Phillies managed just one hit - a first inning single from Freddy Galvis.  For the rest of the night, it might as well have been my son's tee-ball team up there against Fernandez.  Cole Hamels actually pitched a decent ballgame.  He allowed two solo home runs in his eight innings of work while striking out six.

Featured Card/Field Report:  I took my son Doug to this game, and despite the crappy product on the field, we actually really enjoyed ourselves.  Here are a few highlights of our outing:

- I took a picture of the new 2011 Topps-style Delmon Young card hanging in Ashburn Alley amongst the Phillies starting line-up.
- I made it a point to stop at the Newstand below the starting line-up cards to ask if the postcard set now contained a Jonathan Pettibone card.  The guy working there seemed knowledgeable enough and he responded to my query with - "Nope, he's the only one that's missing, but he'll be in the second set that gets released around the All-Star break."  So there you have it.
- Doug enjoyed his first ever double cheeseburger.  He was amazed and thrilled to discover that such a thing existed.
- Late in the game, they showed a clip on the jumbo scoreboard of Shane Victorino making a leaping catch in center field.  (I missed the context of the clip.)  Doug's favorite Phillie up until last summer was Victorino, and his ears perked up at the mention of his name.  That led to a lengthy conversation about why the Phillies had to trade him, and can they get him back, and who decided to trade him, and that it didn't seem fair.  These were all good points raised by a six-year-old and I did my best to answer him.

It seems like for every Phillies fan, there are definitely more questions than answers these days.  My personal Phillies record this year is now 1-2.

2013 Topps Phillies #PHI-10 Delmon Young

Blue Jays 10, Phillies 4
Spring Training Game 34 - Saturday Afternoon, March 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 16-17-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped their final game of the exhibition season, losing 10-4 to the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park.

What It Means:  Let's get this thing started.  The Phillies will travel to Atlanta where they'll open the regular season in a Monday night contest against the Braves.

What Went Wrong:  Kyle Kendrick allowed five runs on six hits in three innings of work.  The Blue Jays added five more runs against three different Phillies relievers.

Featured Card:  The Phils set their Opening Day 25-Man roster prior to the game with no real surprises.  Phillippe Aumont officially made the team as the team's seventh reliever, beating out Michael Stutes.  Humberto Quintero beat out Steve Lerud for the back-up catcher's role, and Quintero's time with the club could be short once Carlos Ruiz serves his 25-game suspension.  Finally, Pete Orr and Zach Miner were reassigned to minor league camp.

As suspected, Delmon Young will start the season on the disabled list.  Young had offseason ankle surgery and he has yet to play the field.  He has a card in the team-issued postcard set, as well as this Photoshopped card in the Topps Phillies retail set.  Only time will tell if Young will have more or less appearances in a Phillies uniform than Danny Tartabull.

Camp Head Count:  31 minus 6 = 25.  The last six official cuts were Ruiz, Young, Stutes, Lerud, Orr and Miner.

Happy Easter to you and your family!

2013 Chachi Transactions #13 Delmon Young

Todd Zolecki's opening lines in the Phillies.com article announcing the signing of outfielder Delmon Young sums up the situation perfectly:

"The Phillies found a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder with power.  But this one comes with baggage."

Young enjoyed a decent season last year with the Tigers, hitting .267 with 18 home runs and 74 RBIs.  He had a fantastic postseason, winning the ALCS MVP honors while hitting .353 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs against the Yankees.  Young's best season was his 2010 campaign with the Twins when he hit .298 with 21 home runs and 112 RBIs.  So the numbers have been there, but so have the problems.

Young was arrested last year in New York on aggravated harassment charges and he was suspended 50 games in 2006 for throwing his bat at an umpire.  So he's not exactly the kind of guy who makes you want to collect his baseball cards.  The other fall-out here is that the newly acquired Michael Young will now have to have "M." appended to the back of his Phillies jersey.

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 12/20/12)

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, 12/14/12)

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered (Signed with the Chicago Cubs, 12/21/12)

Vance Worley (12/6/12) - Traded to the Minnesota Twins with Trevor May for Ben Revere

Josh Lindblom (12/8/12) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Lisalverto Bonilla for Michael Young and cash

New Additions

Ender Inciarte (12/6/12) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Revere (12/6/12) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Vance Worley and Trevor May

Michael Young (12/8/12) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla

Mauricio Robles (12/14/12) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners

John Lannan (12/18/12) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals.

Mike Adams (12/20/12) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Texas Rangers.
Delmon Young (1/22/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers.