Tuesday, July 28, 2009

2005 Chachi #48 A.J. Hinch

If you don't remember current Diamondbacks' manager A.J. Hinch's time with the Phillies, you're probably not alone. A.J. spent the majority of the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Phils' AAA team in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as their back-up catcher.

When rosters expanded to 40 players on September 1, 2004, A.J. was recalled and appeared in 4 games with the Phillies, hitting .182. He started only one game, on September 18th against the Expos, catching all 14 innings in the extra-inning loss and going 1 for 5.

The following year, A.J. was once again recalled when rosters expanded on September 1, 2005. However, this time he'd spend the entire month on the active roster without appearing in one single game with the Phillies. He was the first player cut following the 2005 season, refusing his assignment to Scranton and electing free agency. Shortly afterwards, he was named manager of minor league operations for the Diamondbacks. The rest, as they say, is history.

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