Grapefruit Game 17 - 2015 Topps #379 Phil Gosselin

Phillies 8, Orioles 5
Spring Training Game 17 - Sunday Afternoon, March 10th in Sarasota
Record - 9-6-2

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Knapp and Phil Gosselin each enjoyed 3-hit days as the Phillies defeated the Orioles, 8-5.

What It Means:  I missed most of this game as we were enjoying Captain Marvel at the movie theater.  Doug and I give the movie two big thumbs up.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola, officially named the opening day started, allowed three runs on four hits in his three inning outing.  He also struck out six.  Nick Pivetta pitched four innings, allowing two runs and ultimately collecting the win.

Featured Card:  Malvern Prep's own Gosselin hit his first spring home run.  Gosselin grew up a Phillies fan and there's a good Jim Salisbury article with an imbedded video that can be found here.  He's a long shot to make the opening day roster, but there's a really good chance he could get the call at some point this season if he puts up decent numbers with the IronPigs.  His one appearance in a Topps flagship set (to date) came in the 2015 Topps set.

Camp Head Count:  55.

Grapefruit Game 16 - 2019 Topps Heritage Chrome Refractor #THC-415 Bryce Harper

Blue Jays 8, Phillies 7
Spring Training Game 16 - Saturday Afternoon, March 9th in Clearwater
Record - 8-6-2

One Sentence Summary:  The big news was that Bryce Harper made his spring debut with the Phillies, walking twice.

What It Means:  It was one of the most exciting and highly anticipated Phillies spring training games in recent memory.

What Happened:  Harper, who used the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song as his walk-up music, received a standing ovation from the sold out Clearwater crowd when he approached the plate in the bottom of the first.  After walking in his first at-bat, Rhys Hoskins hit an absolute moon shot home run (1) and Harper waited at home to greet him.  Lane Adams (1), Mitch Walding (1) and Dylan Cozens (3) also homered.  Jake Arrieta gave up two runs on three hits in his 1 2/3 innings of work.

Featured Card:  The day was all about Harper.  As I was writing this, I received an e-mail from Topps announcing the Topps Now card they produced to commemorate Harper's spring debut.

Camp Head Count:  62 - 7 = 55.  The Phillies made their first cuts of the spring, optioning Arquimedes Gamboa and Adonis Medina to Reading.  Non-roster invitees Malquin Canelo, Deivy Grullon, Austin Listi, Mickey Moniak and JoJo Romero were all reassigned to minor league camp.

Grapefruit Game 15 - 2019 Topps Living Set #149 Aaron Altherr

Braves 5, Phillies 4
Spring Training Game 15 - Friday Night, March 8th in Kissimmee
Record - 8-5-2

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Knapp and Aaron Altherr combined for five of the Phillies' seven hits, but the Braves scored three times off Jeremy Bleich on their way to a 5-4 win.

What It Means:  Of course it doesn't really matter, but the Phillies have lost three of their last four spring training games.

What Happened:  Knapp had a two-hit day, including a home run (1) in the fifth.  Altherr went 3 for 3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.  Zach Eflin started for the Phillies, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  The three hit day raised Altherr's average up to .294 and with the arrival of Bryce Harper, Altherr could be the odd man out when the team heads north.  Altherr is the latest Phillies subject to appear in the Topps Living Set, and the first Phillies player to have the team's new primary logo featured.

Camp Head Count:  62.

Grapefruit Games 13 & 14 - 2017 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Theme Night #7 Drew Anderson

Phillies 3, Tigers 1
Spring Training Game 13 - Thursday Afternoon, March 7th in Lakeland

Yankees 6, Phillies 0
Spring Training Game 14 - Thursday Afternoon, March 7th in Clearwater
Record - 8-4-2

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies split their squad and went 1-1 against the Tigers and Yankees.

What It Means:  We're a day closer to Bryce Harper making his spring debut on Saturday.

What Happened:  In Clearwater, Drew Anderson had another great outing, pitching three shutout innings and striking out six.  Victor Arano allowed four Yankees runs in 2/3 of an inning and the offense managed only four hits.

In Lakeland, JoJo Romero, Adonis Medina and Cole Irvin all pitched well.

Featured Card:  Anderson intrigues me and it will be interesting to see where he eventually ends up this season.  My assumption is that he starts the season with the IronPigs, but he could be one of the first to get the call if any of the intended five starting pitchers goes down.

Anderson is still looking for his first Phillies baseball card, having appeared in just 7 games with the club in 2017 and 2018.

Camp Head Count:  62.  My prediction was wrong and no roster moves were made following these split squad games.

Grapefruit Game 12 - 2017 Donruss Optic #126 Freddy Galvis

Blue Jays 9, Phillies 7
Spring Training Game 12 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 6th in Dunedin
Record - 7-3-2

One Sentence Summary:  Vince Velasquez labored in his first spring start and the Blue Jays scored early and often in this 9-7 loss.

What It Means:  Velasquez needs to rebound this year and the key to his success is going to be attacking hitters early.  He faced six batters in this game, allowing a hit and two walks while striking out two.

What Happened:  Seth McGarry (4 runs, 1/3 inning), Ranger Suarez (2 runs, 2 innings) and Austin Davis (2 runs, 1 inning) appear to still be working out the kinks.  Deivy Grullon hit a 3-run double in the sixth and Trevor Plouffe homered off former Phillie Mark Leiter, Jr. in the ninth.

In a simulated game in Clearwater, Bryce Harper hit a bomb of a home run off pitcher Jerad Eickhoff.

Featured Card:  Phillies Room Favorite Freddy Galvis joined the Blue Jays this past offseason, and he had an RBI single in this game.

Camp Head Count:  62.  Gabe Kapler's first roster cuts came last year following Game 12 on March 5th.  I'm predicting the first round of roster moves comes later today.

Grapefruit Game 11 - 2018 Topps Now Offseason #OS13 Aaron Nola

Phillies 2, Cardinals 1
Spring Training Game 11 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 5th in Clearwater
Record - 7-2-2

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola made his spring debut as the Phillies walked it off against the Cardinals, 2-1.

What It Means:  Nola looked good in his three innings of work, allowing a hit and striking out three.

What Happened:  The two Phillies runs came on a Sean Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the seventh and a walk-off RBI double from prospect Malquin Canelo in the ninth.  Nick Pivetta also got some work in, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings but walking three batters.

Featured Card:  Nola hopes to top the success he had in 2018 this upcoming season.  As one of the three finalists for the N.L. Cy Young Award, he received a Topps Now Offseason card, released in November.

Camp Head Count:  62.

Grapefruit Game 10 - 2018 Topps Walmart Holiday Snowflake #HMW90 Jake Arrieta

Phillies 3, Twins 3
Spring Training Game 10 - Sunday Afternoon, March 3rd in Fort Myers
Record - 6-2-2

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta impressed in his spring debut as the Phillies and Twins played to a stalemate.

What It Means:  Arrieta's return to form will be key for the 2019 Phillies, and hopefully this impressive first outing is a sign of things to come.

What Happened:  Arrieta pitched three crisp shutout innings, allowing no hits or walks and striking out four.  Shane Robinson had a pair of hits and Andrew Romine hit a two-run home run (1) in the third.

Featured Card:  It's snowing again in New Jersey as I write this, so here's an appropriately themed card of Arrieta from the appropriately named Walmart Holiday Snowflake set.

Camp Head Count:  62.  Bryce Harper is set to make his Phillies debut next Saturday.

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - 5 Autos, Vintage Phillies, '71 Topps High Numbers

After a long week at work (and some longer weeks ahead of me) it was nice to make the hour long drive to Valley Forge on Sunday for a baseball card show.  As has been my goal for the last few shows Doug and I have attended, my goal was to look for older Phillies cards and cross a few more 1971 Topps cards off my shrinking checklist.  Missions accomplished.

Here's what I added to my collection.

• Autographs of former Phillies Ricky Bottalico, Dale Murphy, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton and Brett Myers.  All were very pleasant and didn't seem to mind the ferocious coughing from Doug as he's currently getting over a bad cold.  Murphy even gave us an extra signed 1984 Topps card.
• A 1952 Red Man Tobacco Richie Ashburn card with the tab still attached.  I found a dealer who had all four Phillies from the set lined up with the Ashburn being the nicest of the bunch.  I would have loved to have pulled the trigger on the full team set (which includes Granny Hamner, Willie Jones and Robin Roberts) but that would have fully depleted my card show budget.  I settled for just the Ashburn and it's a gorgeous card.
• The Richie Allen and Cookie Rojas cards from the 1969 Transogram set.  I had never seen these cards before so when I found two Phillies together I was happy that the dealer was willing to work with me on a bundled price for the pair.  I just need the Johnny Callison card now for this elusive Phillies team set.
• A 1982 Phillies photo booklet from that season's "Camera Night at the Vet."  Inside the little booklet is a 1982 team photo and a $4 coupon to The Camera Shop which has most likely expired.
• The 1969 Topps Team Poster for the Phillies, which is another item I had never seen in person and for sale.  This thing is way bigger than I had imagined, and I'll need to figure out how to properly display this.
• Always on the look-out for pre-War Phillies cards, I couldn't pass up adding Russell Wrightstone's card from the 1922 Neilson's Chocolate (V61) set.
• And finally, I added 19 more cards to my 1971 Topps set.  I'm now down to needing just 22
  
  more cards for the complete set.  

Doug did his usual free-style pickin', adding some cool autograph and relic cards of current Phillies, including cards of Harper, along with a few Mike Trout additions.

After the show, Doug and I stopped at the Majestic Clubhouse Store at Citizens Bank Park where we joined apparently thousands of other Phillies fans in purchasing their new Bryce Harper gear.  T-shirts were purchased for the family with Harper's new #3.  The store was packed with fans who weren't willing to wait until April for their new Harper t-shirts.  I'd say the line of customers waiting for custom Phillies jerseys was about 30 deep at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.

Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Oaks 1 - October 2015 - Meeting Pete Rose and Steve Carlton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017 - Doug's big day
Valley Forge 7 - December 2017 - Ben's first baseball card show with Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins!
Oaks 2 - December 2018 - Meeting Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels
Valley Forge 8 - March 2019 - 5 Phillies Autographs and Vintage Phillies Additions

Grapefruit Game 9 - 2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #10 JoJo Romero

Phillies 11, Rays 3
Spring Training Game 9 - Saturday Afternoon, March 2nd in Port Charlotte
Record - 6-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  With Bryce Harper holding his introductory press conference on top of the home dugout in Clearwater, the Phillies downed the Rays, 11-3, in Port Charlotte.

What It Means:  With all the Harper hoopla on Saturday, I honestly forgot the Phillies were also playing a baseball game.

What Happened:  Austin Listi, Trevor Plouffe, Andrew Knapp and Andrew McCutchen all doubled for the Phillies while Drew Butera hit his second home run.  Zach Eflin pitched three innings, allowing a run on two hits en route to the win.

Featured Card:  JoJo Romero held the Rays hitless over the final three innings, walking two and striking out three.  He could factor into the Phillies plans at some point during the 2019 season.

Camp Head Count:  61 + 1 = 62.  No word as to when he'll officially suit up, but Harper's arrival brings the camp head count up to 62.  Receiving somewhat less fanfare than Harper, non-roster invitee Gift Ngoepe's visa issues were cleared up and he also reported on Saturday.

Updated Offseason Phillies Transactions

2019 Chachi New Additions #8a

2019 Chachi New Additions #8b

I've been looking forward to updating my offseason tracking schedule with Bryce Harper's name, especially given the rogue's gallery of names in the Moving On section below.  The Phillies have had a pretty decent offseason.

Harper's arrival got me excited enough to make two versions of his Chachi New Additions insert card, a Photoshopped version (hobby exclusive) and the real deal from Saturday's press conference (retail only).

Moving On - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Jose Bautista - of (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Asdrubal Cabrera - inf (10/29/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers on 1/24/19.
• Aaron Loup - lhp (10/29/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres on 2/16/19.
• Wilson Ramos - c (10/29/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets on 12/18/18.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jesmuel Valentin - inf (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Florimon - inf/of (11/3/18) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves.
• Luis Avilan - lhp (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent, signed as a minor league free agent with the New York Mets on 1/10/19.
• Justin Bour - 1b (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent, signed with the Los Angeles Angels on 12/15/18.
• Carlos Santana - 1b and J.P. Crawford - ss (12/3/18) - Traded to the Seattle Mariners for James Pazos, Juan Nicasio and Jean Segura.
• Luis Garcia - rhp (12/6/18) - Traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Jose Alvarez.
• Jorge Alfaro - c (2/7/19) - Traded with Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart (with cash) to the Miami Marlins for J.T. Realmuto.

Coming Back

• Trevor Plouffe - inf (10/4/18) - Elected free agency, resigned as a minor league free agent on 2/21/19.

New Arrivals - 2018-2019 Offseason

• James Pazos - lhp, Juan Nicasio - rhp and Jean Segura - ss (12/3/18) - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana.
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (12/6/18) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Luis Garcia.
• Andrew McCutchen - of (12/12/18) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• David Robertson - rhp (1/3/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• J.T. Realmuto - c (2/7/19) - Acquired from the Miami Marlins for Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez, Will Stewart and cash.
• Bryce Harper - of (3/1/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals.

Uniform Number Update - 2019 Edition (Version 3)

2019 Topps Heritage #367

For perhaps the final time, I need to update this post due to the recent addition of the Phillies' new right fielder, Bryce Harper.

If you'd like to go back and see where this started, the first post and second post contain all the previously known new uniform numbers.

New Players (Under 60/40-Man Roster Division)

#3 Bryce Harper - In a somewhat surprising but welcome move, Harper won't be taking his familiar #34 with the Phillies.  In his introductory press conference, he immediately made a fantastic impression with the Phillies fans by declaring that #34 belonged to Roy Halladay.  He'll start his Phillies legacy with #3, which had started this spring with outfield coach Paco Figueroa before going to non-roster invitee Sean Rodriguez and finally ending up with Harper.

Number Swaps

Rodriguez, who apparently has a decent shot at making the club, has switched to #13, which became available once Manny Machado signed with the Padres.  Trevor Plouffe, back in town as a non-roster invitee, saw the #10 he wore last season go to J.T. Realmuto so he's now wearing #80.

Numbers Available - Unofficially Retired Division

#6 Ryan Howard

#11 Jimmy Rollins

#26 Chase Utley

#34 Roy Halladay

Number (Still) Available - Keuchel Division

#60 - It's still odd that this number hasn't been assigned and Dallas Keuchel remains a free agent.  👀

Harper Officially Joins Phillies

2019 Chachi Greatest Moments #1

A signing of this magnitude called for a special Chachi card, so I used the occasion to create a template for a limited edition, one per case, Chachi box topper Greatest Moments card.  The checklist is expected to contain only four cards as I'll use this design to commemorate the retirement ceremonies planned this season for Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard.

I'm still trying to take all of this in, not quite believing that Harper will be the team's right fielder for the entire decade of the 2020s and then some.  As a Phillies fan, I'm thrilled and my sons are excited to finally experience Citizens Bank Park when the seats are full and the team is winning.  As a Phillies baseball card collector, I realize I'll probably need to curtail my collecting habits a little as there's no way I'll be able to keep up with the glut of Harper cards that will make their way into every Topps set for the next 13 years.  Having a mediocre to poor team with a few marketable stars the last few seasons has meant I've been easily and relatively cheaply adding as many Phillies cards as I wanted.  That will probably stop now, but it's a welcome trade-off.

* * *

I'm working a ton these days but I took a break at 2pm today to watch the introductory press conference in Clearwater.  Harper said all the right things.  He's chosen to wear #3 with the Phillies since he said he felt #34 belonged to Roy Halladay.  He wants to recruit Mike Trout in two years.  He wants to be a Phillie for life, mentioning hearing nothing but amazing things about the city and the franchise from Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.  He mentioned that J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies' new catcher is his "favorite player in the game."  He wants to celebrate a Phillies World Series victory on "Broad Street on a frickin' boat or whatever it is and hold a trophy over [his] head, because that's what it's all about."  He was genuine.  And now he's a member of the Philadelphia Phillies for quite a while.

Let's play ball.

Grapefruit Game 8 - 2019 Topps Heritage #453 J.T. Realmuto

Phillies 7, Pirates 3
Spring Training Game 8 - Friday Afternoon, March 1st in Clearwater
Record - 5-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  Adam Haseley drove in four runs and Drew Anderson pitched three shutout innings in this 7-3 win over the Pirates.

What It Means:  The Phillies are undefeated since coming to terms with Bryce Harper.

What Happened:  Anderson allowed two hits while striking out five in his outing.  Haseley hit a three-run home run (1) in the second and J.T. Realmuto followed that with a solo shot, his first of the spring.

Featured Card:  We've been opening a lot of 2019 Topps Heritage at The Phillies Room HQ, and one of us was lucky to pull this short-printed card of Realmuto, one of his last cards featuring him with the Marlins.

Camp Head Count:  61.  The number increases to 62 with the official signing of Harper today, who is rumored to be wearing #3 with the club.  This would seem to indicate the Phillies plan on retiring #34 for Hall of Famer Roy Halladay.

Grapefruit Game 6 - PHILS GET HARPER!

2019 Topps Heritage #415

Phillies 5, Orioles 5
Spring Training Game 6 - Thursday Afternoon, February 28th in Clearwater

Phillies 11, Blue Jays 5
Spring Training Game 7 - Thursday Afternoon, February 28th in Dunedin
Record - 4-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  While word of the massive Bryce Harper signing was spreading through the ballpark and across the internet, the Phillies and Orioles were playing to a 5-5 tie in Clearwater.

What It Means:  Holy crap, the Phillies signed Bryce Harper.

What Happened:  In Clearwater, in a game in which mostly non-roster invitees played, the offense collected 11 hits including two a piece from Darick Hall, Lane Adams, Phil Gosselin and Andrew Romine.  Adonis Medina got the start and allowed two runs in his 1 2/3 innings of work.

In Dunedin, Dylan Cozens and Rob Brantly each drove in three runs, with Cozens hitting a three-run home run in the second.

Featured Card:  As the game in Clearwater progressed, word began to spread that the Phillies had finally landed free agent outfielder Harper.  The terms of the deal (which is still unofficial) are 13 years, $330 million with no opt-out clause and a no-trade clause.  Harper could be playing with the Phillies through the 2031 season, when he'll be 39 years old.  That's a lot of Chachi cards!

It will become the biggest contract in the history of the game, topping the recent deal signed by Manny Machado and the 2014 contract between Giancarlo Stanton and the Marlins.  Harper's arrival could mean the end of the line for one of Roman Quinn, Aaron Altherr or Nick Williams.

Kevin Negandhi Tweeted that the Phillies are the first team in history to add three position players in an offseason, all of whom were All-Stars in the previous season, with the three players being Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura.

Camp Head Count:  61.  This number will go up to 62 when Harper officially signs.

GO PHILS!

Grapefruit Game 5 - 2017 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-RQ Roman Quinn

Twins 4, Phillies 2 (7 Innings)
Spring Training Game 5 - Wednesday Afternoon, February 27th in Clearwater
Record - 3-2

One Sentence Summary:  The Twins took this rain-shortened game, 4-2.

What It Means:  Tuesday's game against the Yankees was completely washed out, and the Phillies were lucky to get seven innings in with this soggy game against the Twins.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez and Cole Irvin each pitched a pair of innings and each was tagged for two runs.  Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen had the only two multi-hit performances from the Phillies.

Featured Card:  Roman Quinn appears to be injured again, this time with a mild strain of his right oblique.  The speedy outfielder, who appeared on a glut of cards in 2017 but only a handful in 2018, has been plagued by injuries his entire career.

Camp Head Count:  61.  Bryce who?

Grapefruit Game 4 - 2018 Topps Now Offseaon #OS55 Jean Segura

Phillies 12, Tigers 7
Spring Training Game 4 - Monday Afternoon, February 25th in Clearwater
Record - 3-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies out-hit the Tigers in this 12-7 win.

What It Means:  It's early, but it's nice to see the offense hitting the ball even if all but one of their 13 hits were singles.

What Happened:  The Phillies had a big fifth inning, scoring 7 runs.  Five straight singles from Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Maikel Franco started the big rally with Shane Robinson adding a two-run single to cap it.  Franco enjoyed a four-RBI day.

JoJo Romero got the start and allowed a run in his two innings of work.  James Pazos worked a scoreless top of the fifth to pick up the win.

Featured Card:  This is Segura's first official Phillies card, even though he's pictured in a Mariners uniform.  Only 175 of these Topps Now Offseason cards for Segura were produced.

Camp Head Count:  61.  I guess Sean Rodriguez's knee isn't as bad as everyone thought as he pinch-hit in this game.

Grapefruit Game 3 - 2018 Topps Living Set #86 Nick Williams

Phillies 10, Tigers 6
Spring Training Game 3 - Sunday Afternoon, February 24th in Lakeland
Record - 2-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense banged out 14 hits in this 10-6 drubbing of the Tigers.

What It Means:  The game was more lopsided than the final outcome, as the Tigers added five runs in the final two innings.  Prospect Tyler Viza was hit hard, allowing four runs on five hits in 2/3 of an inning.

What Happened:  Nick Williams started the scoring with a three-run home run (1) in the first.  Drew Butera added his own three-run home run (1) in the fifth and Dylan Cozens hit a bomb (1) that almost cleared the right floor roof in the sixth.  Roman Quinn, Cozens, Scott Kingery and Williams each contributed two hits.  Drew Anderson got the win, allowing a run in his 2 2/3 innings of work.

Featured Card:  This is Williams' card from the Topps Living Set, so called since Topps has pledged to never complete the set.  Each week, three new cards are made available for sale and the selection for the Phillies has been somewhat questionable.  Since its introduction last March, Rhys Hoskins, Kingery, Pat Neshek, Jake Arrieta, Williams, J.P. Crawford, Jorge Alfaro and Aaron Altherr have received the Living Set treatment.

Among those I'd like to see represent the Phillies in the Living Set:  J.T. Realmuto, Aaron Nola, Richie Ashburn, Mike Schmidt, John Kruk and eventually Mike Trout.

Camp Head Count:  61.

Grapefruit Game 2 - 2018 Topps Gallery #95 Dylan Cozens

Pirates 3, Phillies 2
Spring Training Game 2 - Saturday Afternoon, February 23rd in Clearwater
Record - 1-1

One Sentence Summary:  Jason Martin hit a two-run home run off Phillies reliever Luke Leftwich in the 9th inning, sending the Pirates to a 3-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies will not finish the spring undefeated.  I'll happily admit that I recorded the TV broadcast of this game, worked a full day and then watched the game at night having already known the outcome.  It was glorious.

What Happened:  Enyel De Los Santos pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four.  Dylan Cozens, competing for an outfield bench spot, had a pair of doubles.  Jean Segura doubled in his first plate appearance for the Phillies.  Matt McBride added a solo home run in the 9th.

Featured Card:  I'm pulling for Cozens to have a big spring.  Topps resurrected its Gallery brand with a Walmart exclusive release in November.  The player selection for the Phillies in the 8-card team set is a bit odd with Cozens, Nick Pivetta and Victor Arano receiving cards but usual suspects Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco and Jake Arrieta getting left out.

Camp Head Count:  61.  As an aside, like most Phillies fans I can not wait for the day when I can stop picking up my phone throughout the day, refreshing Twitter and hoping for some tidbit of news on Bryce Harper.  For now at least, the official camp head count remains at 61.

Grapefruit Game 1 - 2019 Topps #327 Maikel Franco

Phillies 3, Rays 2
Spring Training Game 1 - Friday Afternoon, February 22nd in Port Charlotte
Record - 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  Maikel Franco hit a solo home run, Scott Kingery rounded the bases in the first with a Little League home run and Cole Irvin got the win in the team's 2019 debut.

What It Means:  And we're back!  I had the pleasure of listening to the last inning of this game on my way home from work on Friday.  It's early, and I don't know if this will be the plan throughout the regular season, but I like the radio booth trio of Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen and Kevin Frandsen.

What Happened:  Kingery scored in the first when center fielder Kevin Kiermaier tripped and fell while pursuing his fly ball and then Willy Adames threw wild to home.  Irvin struck out 3 and allowed a run in his 2 1/3 innings of work.

Featured Card:  Nobody is happier that Manny Machado officially signed with the Padres on Wednesday than Maikel Franco.  It's a big year for Franco and he's off to a good start with a solo home run in this game.  This is one of the 13 Phillies cards found in the 2019 Topps Series One team set.

Camp Head Count:  61.  As this year's exhibition season opens, the Phillies have 39 players on their 40-man roster and another 22 non-roster invitees.  Unfortunately, a few days into camp utility player Sean Rodriguez tore his right meniscus and could miss significant time.  (Bad news for anyone who purchased a custom #3 Rodriguez Phillies jersey.)  Taking his place in the pecking order is old friend Trevor Plouffe who the Phillies brought back on a minor league deal on Thursday.  (Thanks to Brian Smith on Twitter for letting me know that Plouffe will be wearing #80.)

Additionally, outfielder Gift Ngoepe has yet to arrive due to visa issues, so the active camp head count is actually only 59.

Player (position) - 2018 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance*
1.  Jeremy Bleich (lhp) - Athletics - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #35 (Yankees)
2.  Rob Brantly (c) - Braves/Indians - 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #33 (Marlins)
3.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Reds/Braves - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)
4.  Josh Martin (rhp) - Indians - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP160 (Indians)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Phillies - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Gregorio Petit (inf) - Twins - 2015 Topps Heritage #667 (Yankees)
7.  Shane Robinson (of) - Yankees - 2014 Topps #483 (Cardinals)
8.  Gift Ngoepe (inf) - Blue Jays - 2018 Topps Heritage #579 (Blue Jays)
9.  Edward Paredes (lhp) - Dodgers - N/A
10.  Andrew Romine (inf) - Mariners - 2018 Topps Heritage #641 (Mariners)
11.  Malquin Canelo (inf) - Phillies - N/A
12.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
13.  Deivi Grullon (c) - Phillies - 2013 Bowman Chrome #BCP128 (Phillies)
14.  Adam Haseley (of) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #131 (Phillies)
15.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft Chrome #BDC-4 (Phillies)
16.  Austin Listi (inf-of) - Phillies - N/A
17.  Mickey Moniak (of) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #261 (Phillies)
18.  JoJo Romero (lhp) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #92 (Phillies)
19.  Lane Adams (of) - Cubs/Braves - 2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-241 (Braves)
20.  Drew Butera (c) - Royals/Rockies - 2018 Topps Royals #KR7 (Royals)
21.  Sean Rodriguez (inf) - Pirates - 2018 Topps Update #US108 (Pirates)
22.  Trevor Plouffe (inf) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Now #499 (Phillies)

Uniform Number Update - 2019 Edition (Version 2)

2019 Topps Now Offseason #OS67

The Phillies' own website has been tardy in updating for new uniform numbers this offseason, so I've had to rely on Twitter to provide answers to my burning uniform number related questions.  The official team roster page still shows J.T. Realmuto's number as "--" while non-roster invitees Sean Rodriguez and Drew Butera are no where to be seen.

Here's the second post (of possibly three?) summarizing the team's uniform number developments.  The first post can be found here.

New Players (Under 60/40-Man Roster Division)

• #10 J.T. Realmuto - Strangely enough, even with his familiar #11 available, Realmuto will wear #10 with the Phillies.  Only the Phillies know for certain, but could they be leaning towards retiring #11 (Jimmy Rollins), #6 (Ryan Howard) and #26 (Chase Utley) this summer?  Special ceremonies are planned for all three players.

Number Swaps

• #21 Vince Velasquez - Velasquez switched to this number after wearing #28 the past three seasons with the Phillies.  Non-roster invitee Andrew Romine is currently wearing #28.
• #38 Paco Figueroa - Figueroa had been assigned #3, but recent non-roster invitee Sean Rodriguez has claimed that number so Figuera is now #38 which was made available when Jorge Alfaro was traded to the Marlins.
• #39 Chris Dickerson - With the arrival of Realmuto, Dickerson swaps out #10 for #39.

Numbers Available - Unofficially Retired Division
#6 Ryan Howard
#11 Jimmy Rollins
#26 Chase Utley

Numbers (Still) Available - Harper/Keuchel Division
#34, #60

With Manny Machado reportedly signing with the Padres, #13 goes back into the mix.

Numbers Available - Up for Grabs Division
#13.  After the five numbers currently unassigned listed above, and the now free and clear #13, the next available uniform number is #80.