Sunday, December 31, 2017

1982 Topps - Phillies Cards

1982 Topps #720
1982 Topps Traded #69T
1982 Topps #438
1982 Topps Traded #52T
Each year I sincerely enjoy planning out my Chachi set of custom cards, and I have fun spending the entire year with the design and cards from a vintage Topps set.  I spent a lot of time with the 1982 Topps set and design in 2017, and get ready to see a whole bunch of 1978 Topps cards in 2018.  Before closing the book on the 1982 Topps set, I wanted to tally the number of Phillies and Phillies-related cards in the set, as I've done in prior years with other Topps sets - see below.

By my very unofficial count, there are a whopping 172 cards in the 1982 Topps and 1982 Topps Traded sets featuring players, coaches or managers who at one point suited up for the club.  I attribute the high count to the massive number of trades the Phillies pulled off in the late 1970s/early 1980s.  Here's the complete list and some cards that weren't previously featured this year in series preview or game summary posts.

National League East (63 - 17 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (6) - #32 Gene Garber, #296 Bob Walk, #502 Steve Bedrosian FS, #668 Dale Murphy, #733 Larry McWilliams, #4T Steve Bedrosian
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (3) - #399 Pat Zachry, #743 John Stearns, #783 Greg Harris
Philadelphia Phillies (46)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (8) - #118 Terry Francona/Brad Mills FS, #131 Stan Bahnsen, #292 Dave Palmer, #779 Grant Jackson, #788 Woodie Fryman, #7T Tim Blackwell, #83T Al Oliver, #104T Dan Schatzeder

National League Central (34)
Chicago Cubs (14) - #23 Willie Hernandez, #89 Steve Henderson, #117 Rawley Eastwick, #215 Mike Krukow, #273 Doug Bird, #374 Tim Blackwell, #484 Ivan DeJesus, #10T Larry Bowa, #16T Bill Campbell, #49T Fergie Jenkins, #52T Jay Johnstone, #76T Keith Moreland, #82T Dickie Noles, #92T Mike Proly
Cincinnati Reds (3) - #763 Tom Hume, #41T Greg Harris, #56T Jim Kern
Milwaukee Brewers (4) - #93 Larry Hisle, #466 Randy Lerch, #487 Bob McClure, #709 Don Money
Pittsburgh Pirates (7) - #235 Mike Easler, #332 Don Robinson, #458 Willie Montanez, #485 Kent Tekulve, #543 Bill Robinson, #24T Dick Davis, #77T Jim Morrison
St. Louis Cardinals (6) - #27 Tom Herr, #86 Dane Iorg, #262 Doug Bair, #367 Jim Kaat, #727 Sixto Lezcano, #108T Lonnie Smith

1982 Topps #669
1982 Topps Traded #42T
1982 Topps #629
1982 Topps #27
National League West (19)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (11) - #6 Fernando Valenzuela LL, #166 Fernando Valenzuela LL, #213 Dave Stewart, #338 Dave Lopes AS, #345 Fernando Valenzuela AS, #348 Derrel Thomas, #510 Fernando Valenzuela, #681 Ron Roenicke, #740 Dave Lopes, #741 Dave Lopes IA, #774 Jay Johnstone
San Diego Padres (3) - #330 Rick Wise, #434 Joe Lefebvre, #63T Sixto Lezcano
San Francisco Giants (5) - #406 Al Holland, #722 Jerry Martin, #754 Joe Morgan, #755 Joe Morgan IA, #66T Renie Martin

American League East (8)
Baltimore Orioles (0)
Boston Red Sox (3) - #255 Tony Perez, #256 Tony Perez IA, #619 Bill Campbell
New York Yankees (5) - #472 Oscar Gamble, #669 Larry Milbourne, #694 Dave Wehrmeister, #706 Barry Foote, #95T Shane Rawley
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (29)
Chicago White Sox (9) - #269 Jim Essian, #328 Ed Farmer, #363 Bob Molinaro, #521 Billy Almon, #599 Jay Loviglio FS, #654 Jim Morrison, #714 Jerry Koosman, #720 Greg Luzinski, #721 Greg Luzinski IA
Cleveland Indians (8) - #141 Von Hayes FS, #258 Bo Diaz, #287 Allan Bannister, #601 Sid Monge, #773 John Denny, #42T Von Hayes, #69T Bake McBride, #71T Larry Milbourne
Detroit Tigers (6) - #238 Kevin Saucier, #261 Dave Rucker FS, #535 Lance Parrish, #603 Rich Hebner, #629 Johnny Wockenfuss, #691 Dan Schatzeder
Kansas City Royals (5) - #397 Ken Brett, #594 Renie Martin, #625 Hal McRae, #46T Grant Jackson, #65T Jerry Martin
Minnesota Twins (1) - #438 Pete Mackanin

1982 Topps #706
1982 Topps #238
1982 Topps #603
1982 Topps #258
American League West (19)
Houston Astros (5) - #218 Dave Roberts, #377 Kiko Garcia, #404 Dickie Thon, #539 Vern Ruhle, #698 Tony Scott
Los Angeles Angels (California Angels) (1) - #9T Bob Boone
Oakland Athletics (4) - #29 Dwayne Murphy, #392 Rick Bosetti, #757 Tom Underwood, #64T Dave Lopes
Seattle Mariners (3) - #52 Larry Andersen, #197 Shane Rawley, #31T Jim Essian
Texas Rangers (6) - #16 Steve Comer, #36 Al Oliver TL, #463 Jim Kern, #590 Al Oliver, #591 Al Oliver IA, #624 Fergie Jenkins

Memory Lane
1970 Topps - 114 cards with Phillies connections
1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more
1982 Topps - 172 cards with Phillies connections
1985 Topps - 153 cards with Phillies connections
1988 Topps - 154 cards with Phillies connections

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Old Phillies Baseball Cards and a Quilt Too! (#SBWTMABCTJ)

1949 Bowman #76
1949 Bowman #142
1951 Berk Ross #1-9
She did it again.

Before Christmas, my Ten Most Wanted - Vintage list on the sidebar looked like this:


Thanks to my Mom, and a now seven-year tradition, nine of those ten cards have been removed from my want lists and an updated Ten Most Wanted - Vintage list is needed.  On the day after Christmas, we visited my Mom's house so that her grandkids and kids could each open their stockings, unwrap their way too many thoughtful gifts and so that I could once again experience the annual phenomenon now known as Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim (SBWTMABCTJ, for short).

I don't remember a Christmas when I didn't receive one or two or dozens of amazing baseball cards from Santa.  Be it a card I needed to complete my 1975 Topps set (#638 Cubs Team Card) or a pricey card needed for the 1956 Topps set, I've always had the pleasure of adding great cards to my collection every Christmas.  This year was no different.

Presented here in chronological order are the cards I crossed off my list thanks to my Mom.

1949 Bowman #76 Bill Nicholson
1949 Bowman #142 Eddie Waitkus
Appearing in Cubs uniforms, both of these cards are technically Phillies cards.  The backs of both cards list the Phillies as the team designation, as Nicholson was acquired from the Cubs on October 4, 1948, and Waitkus was acquired a few months later on December 14th.  I now need six cards to complete the 1949 Bowman team set, including the rookie cards of Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts.

1951 Berk Ross #1-9 Richie Ashburn
Speaking of Ashburn . . . This 1951 Berk Ross card came encased in a PSA graded slab but it's now been freed.  No offense to the other cards I received, but this may be my favorite of the lot.

1953 Bowman Color #113
1953 Bowman Color #131
1953 Bowman Color #113 Karl Drews
1953 Bowman Color #131 Connie Ryan
With the addition of these two cards, I'm now just one card away from a complete 1953 Bowman Color Phillies team set (#158 Howie Fox).  When I'm one day rich and famous, it would be tough to decide whether to collect this complete set or the complete 1955 Bowman set.  These cards are gorgeous.

1959 Topps #31 Ken Lehman
1959 Topps #352 Robin Roberts
These are the last two cards I needed to complete the 1959 Topps Phillies team set.  Together in nine-pocket pages, the team set looks incredible and I may need to feature all the cards in a gallery in a future post.

1961 Topps Topps #569 Frank Herrera AS
1962 Topps #534 Tony Gonzalez
Jumping ahead to the 1960s, I'm inching closer to complete Phillies team sets from 1961 and 1962 Topps.  These two high numbered cards have been difficult for me to find, but by Mom was able to track them both down.

1959 Topps #31
1959 Topps #352
1961 Topps #569
1962 Topps #534
2011 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - Continuing a Tradition
Part 2 - 1971 Topps Set - 13 More Down
Part 3 - 1952 Topps Phillies
Part 4 - 1951 Bowman Phillies
Part 5 - Curt Simmons - Two New Bowman Cards
Part 6 - 1955 Bowman and Topps Phillies

2012 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1941 Double Play Litwhiler & May
Part 2 - 1963 Topps John Herrnstein rookie card (featuring Willie Stargell)
Part 3 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 1
Part 4 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 2
Part 5 - 1950 Bowman Del Ennis

2013 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1998 Upper Deck Scott Rolen
Part 2 - 1968 Topps Phillies Team Card
Part 3 - 1966 Topps Bob Uecker
Part 4 - 1955 Bowman Robin Roberts
Part 5 - 1965 Topps Johnny Callison
Part 6 - 1954 Bowman Richie Ashburn

2014 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1952 Bowman and 1953 Bowman Color Richie Ashburn
Part 2 - 1950 Bowman Roberts, 1951 Topps Blue Backs Jones, 1955 Bowman Wyrostek
Part 3 - 1995 Collector's Choice Hayes and 1999 Fleer Mystique Burrell

2015 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Seven Phillies Cards from the 1950s Crossed Off the List

2016 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 10 vintage Phillies cards added to the collection
Part 2 - 2 modern oddball Phillies cards find a new home

2017 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Vintage cards crossed off the list, 1959 Topps Phillies team set completed!


Before ending this post, the post title promised a quilt as part of my annual Christmas summary.  Gathering old t-shirts and baseball uniforms, my Mom had a large quilt made that perfectly captures my formative years.  I hadn't seen some of these shirts in over 30 years, and I had no idea she had kept them.  The resulting quilt is a nostalgic reminder of my youth and a perfect gift.  (My sister got one too, featuring t-shirts from the many local and school plays in which she had appeared.)

If you're interested, and I can highly recommend them, please check out Keepsake Theme Quilts here.

Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas from Our Family and Rhys Hoskins!


Best wishes this holiday season to you and your family! And here's to a happy and healthy new year!

Go Phils!

Friday, December 22, 2017

Phils Officially Sign Santana (@TheRealSlamtana)

2018 Chachi New Additions #4
On Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies held a press conference to officially introduce their new slugging first baseman, Carlos Santana.  Santana will wear his familiar #41 with the Phillies, the same number he wore for his eight seasons in Cleveland.  He comes to the team on a three-year, $60 million contract which is the Phillies' biggest free agent signing since the Cliff Lee deal ($120, five years) signed in December 2010.

The Phillies like the fact that Santana plays good defense at first base, but they love the fact that he will provide some legitimate power in the middle of their line-up.  And as Jayson Stark Tweeted, only two players have averaged at least 20 home runs and 100 walks over the past five seasons - Joey Votto and Santana.

The signing also brings with it some questions.  Will the Phillies add a big-name starting pitcher to supplement the questions marks in their rotation?  With Rhys Hoskins now moving to left field permanently, will one of Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr or Nick Williams be traded?

From a baseball card perspective, and as already pointed out by Phungo, Santana already unofficially has his first Phillies card.  He's featured on Chase Utley's 2014 Topps card, sliding into second.  Santana's first mainstream baseball card appearances (featuring him as a catcher) can be found in a few 2008 Bowman releases.  He made his big league debut in 2010, appearing in most of the 2010 baseball card releases and earning his first Topps flagship card in the 2010 Topps Update set.

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Pedro Beato - rhp (10/13/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
  • Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
  • Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
  • Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
  • Freddy Galvis - ss (12/15/17) - Traded to the San Diego Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.
Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.
New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Engelb Vielma - inf (11/20/17) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Pat Neshek - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.
  • Tommy Hunter - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • Carlos Santana - 1b (12/20/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians.
Already Gone - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Engelb Vielma - inf (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Friday, December 15, 2017

Galvis Traded to Padres; Neshek & Hunter Officially Signed

2018 Chachi Departures #4

Early Friday afternoon, the Phillies traded shortstop Freddy Galvis to the Padres for Double-A starting pitcher Enyel De Los Santos.  Having made his debut on April 5, 2012, Galvis had been the team's longest tenured player, and that title now falls to Cesar Hernandez.  Moving the 28-year-old Galvis to the Padres opens up the shortstop position to J.P. Crawford.

2016 Topps Heritage Minors #60
Galvis had become a veteran leader in the Phillies clubhouse over the past few seasons, and he obtained his goal of playing in all 162 games in 2017.  The team's regular shortstop beginning in 2015, Galvis was the club's opening day second baseman in 2012 due to an injury to Chase Utley.  In six seasons with the Phils, Galvis hit .245 over 642 games while providing solid infield defense.  I'll miss seeing Galvis out at short, but with his free agency approaching at the end of the 2018 season, it was time for him to move on and give Crawford a shot.

I have 47 different Galvis baseball cards in my collection, beginning with his 2007 card in the Williamsport Crosscutters team set and ending with his 2017 Topps Now Players Weekend card.  He'll most likely find his way to a few more Phillies cards within early 2018 Topps releases.

De Los Santos spent the 2017 season with the San Antonio Missions.  Todd Zolecki Tweeted that he was the No. 13 prospect in the Padres system and he'll land at the No. 9 spot in the Phillies system.  That seems like a pretty good return for Galvis.  De Los Santos appeared in the 2016 Topps Heritage Minors set.

Freddy Galvis Complete Chachi Checklist
2011 Chachi Almost #4
2012 Chachi #8
2013 Chachi #11
2013 Chachi #39 HL - Walk-Off HR
2014 Chachi #35
2015 Chachi #8
2016 Chachi Preview #5
2016 Chachi #8
2016 Chachi #66 RBI Leaders
2016 Chachi Archives #13
2016 Chachi Photo Day #15
2017 Chachi Preview #5
2017 Chachi #8
2017 Chachi #34 HL - 1st Inning Explosion
2017 Chachi Archives #7
2017 Chachi Photo Night #17
2018 Chachi Preview #1
2018 Chachi Departures #4

2018 Chachi New Additions #2
2018 Chachi New Additions #3
Finally, the Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter free agent signings were made official by the Phillies.  Rumor has it the Phils are working on some more smooth transactions.

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Pedro Beato - rhp (10/13/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
  • Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
  • Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
  • Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
  • Freddy Galvis - ss (12/15/17) - Traded to the San Diego Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.
Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.
New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Engelb Vielma - inf (11/20/17) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Pat Neshek - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.
  • Tommy Hunter - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Already Gone - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Engelb Vielma - inf (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Phillies Winter Meetings Recap

2017 Topps Chrome #196
The Phillies had a fairly eventful week in Orlando at the annual Winter Meetings, and I wanted to recap their transactions here.

- Although it's not yet official (as of this writing), the Phillies are bringing back All-Star reliever Pat Neshek.  The Phillies traded Neshek to the Rockies on July 26th for a trio of prospects, and he appeared in 28 games for the eventual second Wild Card winners.  Neshek's deal is reportedly for two years and $16.25 million.

- Also added to the bullpen (also not yet officially) was Tommy Hunter, who appeared in 61 games last season for the Rays.  Hunter made his mainstream baseball card debut within the 2010 Topps set and it looks as if his last major cardboard appearance came within the 2015 Topps Update set.

- In the annual Rule 5 draft, the Phillies selected pitcher Nick Burdi from the Rangers with the third overall pick but then immediately traded him to the Pirates for $500,000 in international signing bonus pool money.  Prospect Carlos Tocci was lost in the draft to the White Sox and then traded to the Rangers.

- Finally, Gabe Kapler's coaching staff was completed with the addition of Jose Flores as the first base, infield and baserunning coach.  Flores had been the Cubs' minor league infield coordinator for the past five seasons.  I'm now fairly sure this is not the same Jose Flores who played in the Phillies system between 1994 and 1999.  That Jose Flores was Jose Carlos Flores and he was traded to the Mariners in 1999 for Domingo Cedeno.  The new Phillies coach is Jose David Flores.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Updated Phillies Offseason Moves - Pre-Winter Meetings Edition

2018 Chachi Departures #1
2018 Chachi Departures #2
2018 Chachi Departures #3

As the Winter Meetings get underway in Florida, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the Phillies' offseason moves so far.  I would expect (hopefully) the number of additions and subtractions to grow as this week progresses.

Engelb Vielma's Phillies tenure lasted last than a month, and he joins recent recipients A.J. Achter and Dan Otero as players appearing within the Chachi New Additions insert set to move on before spring training.  Vielma and Cameron Perkins were both placed on waivers - and claimed - on Monday giving the team two openings on their 40-man roster.

Perkins appeared in 42 games last season, hitting .182 with a home run.  Perkins was claimed by the Mariners.  He joins Brock Stassi and Jesen Therrien in the Chachi Departures insert set.  Stassi, who signed with the Twins last week, appeared in 51 games for the Phillies, hitting .167 with 2 home runs.  Therrien will miss the entire 2018 season following Tommy John surgery.  The Dodgers picked him up with the hope he can contribute upon his return in 2019.

Jesen Therrien Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #48
2018 Chachi Departures #1

Brock Stassi Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #12
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4 (with Matt Stairs)
2018 Chachi Departures #2

Cameron Perkins Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #2 (UER - position listed as catcher)
2017 Chachi #45
2017 Chachi Archives #14
2018 Chachi Departures #3

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
  • Pedro Beato - rhp (10/13/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
  • Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
  • Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency.
  • Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
  • Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.
New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Engelb Vielma - inf (11/20/17) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
Already Gone - 2017-2018 Offseason
  • Engelb Vielma - inf (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Happy Birthday Doug!


2017 is almost in the books and our oldest son Doug turns 11 today.  He's had another incredible year and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this very special kid.

Happy birthday Doug!  We're proud of you!

Memory Lane
2006 to 2008 - Pre-The Phillies Room years
2009 - Doug turns 3
2010 - Took the year off . . . bad father!
2011 - A Shane Victorino card for Doug
2012 - Doug with the Phanatic, turns 6
2013 - Doug on the Braves, turns 7
2014 - Doug on the Marlins, turns 8
2015 - Doug on the Diamondbacks, turns 9
2016 - Doug and Pete Mackanin

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Thomson & Young Join Coaching Staff; No Ex-Phils on Staff

1998 Phillies Team Issue #18
The Phillies' 2018 coaching staff continues to take shape with the addition of Rob Thomson as the bench coach, Chris Young as the assistant pitching coach and Rick Kranitz officially getting the title of pitching coach.  At this point, only a first base coach is needed to round out Gabe Kapler's staff.

Thomson had served as the Yankees bench coach for four seasons (2008, 2015-2017) and their third base coach for six seasons (2009-2014).  He was one of the finalists for the Yankees' managerial vacancy, and that position was recently filled by Aaron Boone.  Thomson played four seasons in the Tigers' minor league system between 1985 and 1988.  His baseball cards can be found in a bunch of Tigers and Yankees minor league team sets and he received his sole mainstream card within 2009 Topps Heritage on a Yankees' coaches floating head card.

Young is not to be confused with the former All-Star outfielder or pitcher of the same name.  This Young pitched for six seasons in the Rockies, Pirates and Marlins systems but never made it to the big leagues.  He was the scouting supervisor for the Astros last season.  Young's baseball card appearances are sparse, with only two minor league cards to his name.

The recent coaching staff appointments had me thinking about this question:  When was the last time the Phillies' entire field staff was comprised of people who had never played for the Phillies?  I went back to 1970 (you can click on the chart below to enlarge) and I couldn't find one instance where there wasn't one ex-Phillie player as the team's manager or serving as a coach.  The names tinted in red below were one time Phillies players and there's nary a hint of red tint on the 2018 row.

In the last 49 seasons, there have been only a few times there have been only one ex-Phillie player on the staff:  Doc Edwards in 1970 and 1971, Bobby Wine from 1973 to 1976, John Vukovich from 1997 to 2000, and Milt Thompson in 2007 and 2008.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #12 Paul Abbott

#40
Paul David Abbott
Starting Pitcher

At the start of the Phillies inaugural year playing in Citizens Bank Park, their starting pitching rotation consisted of Kevin Millwood, Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla, Eric Milton and Brett Myers.  Padilla was the first to land on the disabled list in late May followed by Wolf in early June.  Due to the thin pitching available from the Triple-A Red Barons, the Phillies signed Paul Abbott on June 7th and gave him his first start on June 13th.  He had released been released by the Devil Rays.  For a month and a half, Abbott kept his spot in the rotation but his services were no longer needed when Padilla returned from the DL on August 10th.  Abbott was outrighted to the Red Barons, getting five starts in Triple-A.  He was released following the season, ending his 11-year big league career.

He started 10 games for the Phillies, allowing two runs or more in every start except his first.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  185
Born:  September 15, 1967, Van Nuys, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the amateur player draft, June 3, 1985.
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1990-1992; Cleveland Indians 1993; Seattle Mariners 1998-2002; Kansas City Royals 2003; Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2004; Phillies 2004
Professional Affiliations:  Minnesota Twins 1985-1992; Cleveland Indians 1993; Kansas City Royals 1994; Chicago Cubs 1995; San Diego Padres 1996; Seattle Mariners 1997-2002; Arizona Diamondbacks 2003; Kansas City Royals 2003; Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2004; Phillies 2004

Phillies Career
10 games, all starts - 1-6, 6.24 ERA, 49 innings pitched, 31 walks, 21 strikeouts, 14 home runs
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, June 3, 2004.
Debut:  June 13, 2004 - Received a no decision in his first start, pitching five shutout innings and allowing just three hits.
Final Game:  August 7, 2004 - Earned a loss in his final start, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing four runs on five hits and nine walks.
Departed:  September 8, 2004 - Released.

1991 Donruss #639
1992 Topps #781
2000 Pacific Paramount #217
2004 Topps Total #669
1 Abbott Baseball Card in My Collection
2004 Topps Total #669

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1991 Donruss #639
First Topps Base Card:  1992 Topps #781
Last Mainstream Card:  2004 Topps Total #669
Other Notable Cards:  1986 ProCards Kenosha Twins #1, 1991 Topps Debut '90 #1, 2000 Pacific Paramount #217, 2002 Topps Total #490

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock
11 Brian Powell
12 Paul Abbott

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.

Monday, December 4, 2017

1934 and 1935 Diamond Matchbooks


At the recent Valley Forge baseball card show, I added nine different matchbooks to my collection, not exactly knowing what I was adding.  The matchbooks seemed extremely reasonably priced, and I hadn't seen anything like this before, so I was intrigued.  I went through the dealer's box labeled "1930s Matchbooks" and pulled out every Phillie I could find.  (As an aside, it was during my search that I finally met fellow collector Steve F. and his son Sam.)


It turns out the matchbooks I bought come from two different sets - a 200-matchbook set called the 1934 Diamond Matchbook - Silver Border set and a smaller 24-matchbook set called the 1935 Diamond Matchbook - Black Border set.  I found this listing in the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards, and I thought I'd list the description of the set verbatim here:
During much of the Great Depression, the hobby of matchbook collecting swept the country.  Generally selling at two for a penny, the matchbooks began to feature photos and artwork to attract buyers.  In the late 1930s, several series of sports subjects were issued by Diamond Match Co. of New York City.  The first issue was a set of 200 baseball players known to collectors as "silver border" for the color of the photo frame on the approximately 1 1/2" x 4 1/8" (open) matchbooks. 
Player portrait or posed photos are printed in sepia on front, and can be found bordered in either red, green, blue or orange (although it is unclear whether all players can actually be found in the red version), theoretically creating an 800-piece color variation set.  The player's name and team are printed on the "saddle" and there is a career summary on back, along with a design of glove, ball and bats.  Matchbooks are commonly collected with the matches removed and the striker at the back-bottom intact.  Pieces without the striker are valued at 50 percent of these listed prices.
Given that last part, my matchbooks would be valued less than those with the striker intact, but I'm still happy to have them in my collection.  It looks as if there are 11 Phillies matchbooks in the set, so I'm missing four of them for a complete team set.

From the 1935 Diamond Matchbooks set, I added the two shown here and I need two more to complete the team set.  Chuck Klein is shown wearing a Cubs uniform, and the online databases I checked list this as a Cubs card.  However, I'm classifying it as a Phillies card given that's the team listed.