Lerud to Braves, Wells to Cubs

2014 Chachi Transactions #5

If you're a fan of either Steven Lerud or Casper Wells, you may want to see if there's any door buster/Black Friday deals at your local sporting goods store on Braves and Cubs gear today.  Last week, word arrived that Lerud had signed a minor league contract with Atlanta, while Wells will try to catch on with the Cubs.  Both saw limited action with the Phillies in 2013.

Lerud made his Phillies debut on August 30, 2012, and ended up appearing in just nine games overall with the team.  He hit .133 (2 for 15) and earned two starts behind the plate.  Lerud appeared on several minor league cards with the Phillies in 2012 and 2013.  He "rookie cards" appeared this year in the Topps Heritage and Topps flagship sets.

2014 Chachi Transactions #6

Wells will forever be remembered as the guy will pitched the 18th inning in the eventual 12-7 loss to the Diamondbacks back on August 24th.  Prior to taking the mound due to a completely depleted bullpen, Wells went 0 for 7 at the plate with four strikeouts as the team's right fielder.  Overall, Wells hit just .042 (1 for 24) with the Phillies in 12 games.

His signing with the Cubs means that he's joined his sixth organization in 2013.  Having started with the Mariners in spring training, Wells bounced to the Blue Jays to the A's to the White Sox to the Phillies.  He has a Topps Mariners card in the team's retail set, and he appears in the Topps Update set as a member of the White Sox.  He also appeared as a Mariner in the 2013 Topps Heritage set.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13)

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13)

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.

Coming Back

Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1979 TCMA '50s #29 Willie Jones

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

May your skies be blue and your baseball bats plentiful.  I hope you enjoy your day with family, laughter, turkey and maybe even a little Puddin'.

1981 Topps #156 Bob McClure

I wanted to do a post to recognize the Phillies new pitching coach, Bob McClure.  McClure was far from the team's top choice, as they had hoped to hire Roger McDowell (remained with Braves), manager Ryne Sandberg's former teammate Jeff Pico (became the Reds' pitching coach), or Bryan Price (became the Reds' new manager.)  McClure had a brief stint as the pitching coach with the Red Sox in 2012, but he clashed with then manager Bobby Valentine and was dismissed in late August from his post.  He also served as the pitching coach with the Royals from 2006 to 2011.

I remember McClure from his playing days, and his card from the 1981 Topps set immediately came to mind when I learned of his hiring.  McClure played 19 seasons with the Royals, Brewers, Expos, Mets, Angels, Cardinals and Marlins.

McClure's hiring into the Phillies family now means there are 113 cards with Phillies connections within the 1979 Topps set.  Hitting coach Steve Henderson raised the tally to 112 last year, from the original 111 I had calculated as part of this post.

Finally, here's the updated pitching coach roster from the past 40 seasons:

Ray Rippelmeyer 1970-1978

Herm Starrette 1979-1981

Claude Osteen 1982-1988

Darold Knowles 1989-1990

Johnny Podres 1991-1996

Jim Wright 1996

Galen Cisco 1997-2000

Vern Ruhle 2001-2002

Joe Kerrigan 2003-2004

Rich Dubee 2005-2013

Bob McClure 2014

Opening a Pack of 2013 Phungo from @phungo2008

2013 Phungo #42, #64, #45 and #33

I probably haven't purchased a pack of baseball cards since mid-summer and I recently got the itch to head to Target and pick up something to "rip" as the kids say these days.  Fortunately for me, and my wallet, a nice package arrived from Phungo World Headquarters just in time to curtail my trip down the card aisle.

The 2013 Phungo set release is a bit late this year, but that's fine with me.  Opening a pack of Phungo cards is well worth the wait, as there's usually a good mix of original product and vintage Phillies cards in each of the packs I've received in the past.  This year's pack definitely did not disappoint.

Featured at the top of this post are four of the original Phungo cards from my pack.  (I featured the Tommy Joseph card in a previous post.)  I absolutely love the Terry Mulholland card, as the former lefty has decided to grow a fantastic mane of gray hair.  And kudos to the Phungo photographer who captured the shot of GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. as he appears to be smugly congratulating himself for a move that probably didn't pan out.  (And I appreciate that the set's designer assigned Amaro #33, which is the number he wore during his first stint with the Phillies in 1992 and 1993.)

1959 Topps #253, 1966 Topps #121, 2002 Fleer Focus Jersey Edition #59 and 2003 Fleer Patchworks #71

And then there's the non-Phungo card portion of each Phungo pack of cards.  What are the chances that my pack would contain two vintage Phillies cards that I actually need for my collection?  The Seth Morehead and Ray Herbert cards both fill team set needs.  The same can be said for the more recently released Marlon Byrd and Mike Lieberthal cards, both of which come from an era not widely represented in my collection.

So thanks again to Phungo, and I'm definitely looking forward to the sixth edition of the set to be released in 2014!

Memory Lane
2012 and 2011 Phungo
2010 Phungo
2009 Phungo

The 5th Annual @Section_36 Purge

2004 Bowman #114, 2004 Fleer Tradition #75, 2004 Topps Gold #59 and 2004 Upper Deck #236

Even with World Series parades to attend and new World Series-related swag to accumulate, the proprietor of the fine Section 36 blog still found time this past month to continue his annual baseball card purge.  Each year, in preparation for the soon to be released new sets, Ron goes through his collection and removes those cards that are a decade old.  He's kind enough to set aside the Phillies cards during this process and send them along to me, where they find a nice home in the Phillies Room.

When Section 36's annual packages arrive, I always enjoy going through the cards and reflecting back on the team's players from a decade ago.  Appropriately enough, one of the players featured prominently on 2004 Phillies baseball cards is Marlon Byrd, who recently returned to the club via a questionable two-year contract.

Thanks again Ron, and I hope you're not too disappointed when the Phillies defeat the Sox in the '14 World Series, denying them a repeat bid.

Memory Lane
2000
2001
2002
2003

Additions to the 40-Man Roster

2013 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #25, 2013 Topps Heritage Minor League #96 and
2013 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #10

The Phillies recently crossed another offseason milestone off their list by adding four players to the 40-man roster in advance of December's Rule V draft.  I've tracked these additions over the past four seasons below and the percentage of players added to the 40-man roster in November to eventually play with the big club is a so-so 44% (7 for 16).  Hopefully that percentage goes up this year.

Here's a quick look at the four new additions and their cardboard history so far.

Aaron Altherr (of) - The speedy outfielder was drafted in 2009 by the Phillies and he spent last season with the High-A Clearwater Threshers.  He batted .275 and led the Florida State League with 36 doubles.  Along with several cards from minor league team sets, I have Altherr's cards from the 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects and 2011 Topps Pro Debut sets in my collection.

Kelly Dugan (of) -  Dugan was also drafted by the Phillies in 2009, their top pick that year, and he split last season between Clearwater and Double-A Reading.  He hit .291 between the two levels with 20 home runs.  The only mainstream card of his currently in my collection is from the 2010 Topps Pro Debut set.

2013 Phungo #66

Tommy Joseph (c) -  Joseph came to the Phillies last season in the Hunter Pence deal with the Giants.  Considered at the time of the Pence trade to be the team's heir apparent to Carlos Ruiz, Joseph was limited to just 36 games in 2013 as a result of a concussion.  He received his first mainstream Phillies-related cards in the Bowman Chrome, Topps Heritage Minor League and Topps Pro Debut sets.  Joseph was also one of the subjects in the fan-favorite Phungo release this year.  (More on that offering in a future post.)

Rob Rasmussen (lhp) - Rasmussen was the prospect acquired from the Dodgers at the end of August for Michael Young.  In 28 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Rasmussen went 3-11 with a 4.11 ERA.  The lefty will make his Phillies or Phillies minor league baseball card debut in 2014.

Memory Lane
2012 Additions - Zach Collier, Ethan Martin, Trevor May and Jonathan Pettibone
2011 Additions - Phillippe Aumont, Jake Diekman, Tyson Gillies and Sebastian Valle
2010 Additions - Cesar Hernandez, Matt Rizzotti, Harold Garcia, Freddy Galvis and Justin De Fratus*
2009 Additions - Quintin Berry, Yohan Flande and Jesus Sanchez

*Somehow I skipped this year, and didn't do a post.

2013 Topps Chrome #26 Carlos Ruiz

I wanted to wait until the Carlos Ruiz re-signing was official before I posted anything with my thoughts on the return of arguably one of the more popular Phillies over the past decade.  I was initially happy to see that Ruiz would be returning, especially in light of the slow development of his potential replacements, but I was a little shocked to see that the length of the contract was three years with a club option for a fourth year.  At most, I thought the Phillies would try to re-sign Ruiz to a one year deal with perhaps a vesting option for a second year.

Ruiz will be 37 when the 2016 season begins, and there's a good chance he'll only be catching half of the team's games at that point, at the very most.  In any event, my initial shock at the length of the contract slowly wore off when I read a few key articles on the signing, basically opining, "Well what else were the Phillies supposed to do?"

Ruiz was reportedly close to signing with the Red Sox and reuniting with Shane Victorino, but Boston wasn't willing to add on a guaranteed third year.  Top catching prospect Tommy Joseph missed significant time in 2013 with a concussion and former top catching prospect Sebastian Valle has slowly dropped down the depth charts as he's struggled against minor league pitching.  Neither of these guys, nor recent back-ups Erik Kratz or Cameron Rupp, are equipped to be the team's every day catcher in 2014.  Guys like Brian McCann and Jarrod Saltalamacchia were out there, but the Phillies have too much money tied up elsewhere to have made a serious run at either of them.

So Chooch is back, and it will be great to see the familiar #51 behind home plate in 2014.  But I wonder if I’ll feel the same way before the start of the 2016 season?

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.

Coming Back
Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.
Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2013 Chachi #73 Checklist 1-73

I'm posting this year's Chachi set checklist earlier than usual, which is a definite sign of my wanting to put the 2013 season in the past and keep the focus on the future.  This year's set came in with four more cards than in the prior year, mainly due to the number of different relief pitchers used during 2013 in an effort to find someone who could effectively and consistently record a few outs.

Work has already begun in earnest on the 2014 Chachi set at the Chachi World Headquarters.  I'm looking forward to spending a season using the 1988 Topps design to create my custom Phillies cards.  There are no postseason cards in the 1988 Topps set, so I'm excited for the challenge of creating a template for the 2014 postseason cards I'll be needing in October when the Phillies make their triumphant return.

Pitchers and catchers will be reporting before you know it.

2013 Chachi #72 Leading Firemen - Jonathan Papelbon & Antonio Bastardo

This is my least favorite card of the entire 2013 Chachi set.

2013 Leaders
1.  Jonathan Papelbon - 29
2.  Antonio Bastardo - 2
3.  B.J. Rosenberg - 1

Top 5 Since 1973
2002 - Jose Mesa - 45
1993 - Mitch Williams - 43
2001 - Jose Mesa - 42
2008 - Brad Lidge - 41
1987 - Steve Bedrosian - 40

Bottom 5 Since 1973
1974 - Eddie Watt - 6
1981 - Tug McGraw - 10
1973 - Mac Scarce - 12
Four seasons with 14 saves leading the team

2010 Bowman Prospects #BP53 Leandro Castro

It's only a few weeks removed from the end of the World Series, but we've already reached an important off-season milestone.  The first fringe minor league players have received their official invitations to Phillies Spring Training.  Looking back at the list I compiled last year, 9 of the 21 invitees eventually spent some time with the big club.  Nothing against any of these guys, but that's more an indication of the team's struggles in 2013 than anything else.

Here are the first four players who will be wearing numbers in 70s this coming February in Clearwater.

Player (position) - 2013 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Shawn Camp (rhp) - Cubs/Diamondbacks - 2012 Topps Update #US238 (Cubs)
2.  Leandro Castro (of) - Phillies - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #84 (Phillies)
3.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Phillies - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)
4.  Clete Thomas (of) - Twins - 2010 Topps #441 (Tigers)

Outfielder Castro is the most intriguing name to me on the list.  (And that's not really saying much.)  Signed in 2007, Castro has slowly made his way through the Phillies minor league system.  He spent 2013 with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, hitting .256 in 117 games with 8 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Memory Lane
2013 Non-Roster Invitees

1988 Phillies - The Missing Links

1989 Score Hottest 100 Rookies #67, 1989 Upper Deck #430,
1988 Donruss #487 and 1988 Fleer Update #U-108

An awful team with a large number of fringe, journeyman relievers results in the highest number of "Missing Links" Phillies thus far in our look back to the 1980s.  In the late '80s, Donruss, Fleer, Score and Topps were churning out more sets than ever and trying to cash in on the booming rookie card business.  For this reason alone, guys who probably wouldn't have a Phillies card today (and I'm looking at you, Alex Madrid) ended up with numerous Phillies cards over several brands and products.

Alas, as you'll see below, if you were a short-term bullpen plug or a fourth-string catcher for the 1988 Phillies, there's absolutely no cardboard proof of your time in marroon pinstripes.  However, thanks to my limited computer graphic design skills, I've created 1988 Topps Phillies cards for each player not appearing on a 1988 Topps card here and here.

3 Cards or More
35 Players

1988 Tastykake Phillies #15

Infielder Shane Turner squeaks onto this list.  Turner shares card space with seven other prospects on a multi-player 1988 Tastykake Phillies card, and he shares a Major League Prospects card in the 1989 Fleer set with Scott Service.  His lone solo Phillies card can be found in the 1989 Score Hottest 100 Rookies set.

Along with his appearance in the 1989 Fleer set, Service appeared on Phillies cards in the 1990 Bowman and Upper Deck sets.  Until researching this post, I had no idea that Service put together an impressive 12-year career.

2 Cards
Jackie Gutierrez (33 games in 1988) - 1989 Tastykake Phillies Update and 1989 Upper Deck #430

Gutierrez was the Super Michael Martinez of his day, hitting .247 in his 33 games with the 1988 Phillies, occassionally spelling Mike Schmidt at third or Steve Jeltz at shortstop.  Before coming to the Phillies, he played in parts of five seasons with the Red Sox and Orioles.

1 Card
Bill Almon (20 games in 1988) - 1988 Tastykake Phillies #15
Danny Clay (17 games in 1988) - 1988 Fleer Update #U-108

Almon wrapped his 15-year career with with the Phils, hitting .115 (3 for 26) in 26 games from April to mid-June.  Had he not been with the team on opening day, his 1988 Tastykake Phillies card probably wouldn't exist.  Clay was one of the two prospects acquired from the Twins in June 1987 for reliever Dan Schatzeder.  He made it into 17 games with the Phillies, compiling a 6.00 ERA thanks in part to his 21 walks in 24 innings.

1988 Score #337 and #328, 1987 Topps #98 and 1986 Donruss #489

0 Cards
Bob Sebra (3 games in 1988 and 6 games in 1989)
Bill Dawley (8 games in 1988)
Bill Scherrer (8 games in 1988)
Salome Barojas (6 games in 1988)

Al Pardo (2 games in 1988 and 1 game in 1989)

For some reason, I could have sworn Sebra spent more time with the Phillies than his nine games in 1988 and 1989.  My 15-year-old brain had him as one of the main pitchers with the '88 and '89 Phillies, but the fact is he really wasn't around that much.  Sebra was acquired from the Expos in September 1988 and traded away to the Reds in July 1989.  Given his short tenure with the club, it's no surprise that he doesn't have any Phillies cards.

1985 Fleer #482

Dawley and Scherrer are perhaps better known for their time with the Astros and Tigers, respectively.  Dawley pitched 8 2/3 total innings with the Phillies, going 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA before earning his release following the season.  Scherrer, who earned a World Series ring with the 1984 Tigers, signed with the Phillies in June 1988 after being released by the Orioles.  He lasted a little over a month with the team, pitching 6 2/3 innings with an ERA of 5.40 and was released on August 1st.

Perhaps the most obscure former Phillie on the 1988 squad was Mexican-born right-handed reliver Salome Barojas.  In between 16 seasons in the Mexican League, Barojas pitched for the White Sox (1982-1984), Mariners (1984-1985) and very briefly with the Phillies.  Barojas was purchased by the Phils from the Mexico City Reds on July 28th and he made six appearances with the club in September.  In 8 2/3 innings, Barojas compiled a 8.31 ERA and he was released immediately following the season.

Finally, catcher Pardo was a September call-up from Triple-A in both 1988 and 1989.  He went 0 for 3 in his 3 at-bats with the Phillies, understandably not earning any Phillies cardboard.

Past Missing Link Posts

1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1981 Phillies - Jerry Reed

1982 Phillies - Stan Bahnsen and Alejandro Sanchez

1983 Phillies - Steve Comer

1984 Phillies - Renie Martin, Jim Kern and Mike LaValliere

1985 Phillies - None

1986 Phillies - Tom Gorman and Jeff Bittiger
1987 Phillies - None

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

1999 Phillies - Joel Bennett, Domingo Cedeno, Joe Grahe and Torey Lovullo

2000 Phillies - Clemente Alvarez, Kirk Bullinger, Mark Holzemer and Bryan Ward

2014 Chachi Transactions #4 Marlon Byrd

Yesterday, the Phillies reunited with Marlon Byrd who was originally drafted by the team back in 1999.  The right-handed hitting Byrd hit .291 with 24 home runs and 88 RBIs last season with the Mets and Pirates.  The home run total was his career high, and he fell just one RBI short of his career high of 89 which he accomplished with the 2009 Rangers.  He was signed to a two-year, $16 million deal and there's a vesting option for 2016.

There seems to be more question marks around this signing than certainty.  What's known is that Byrd is expected to receive the majority of starts in right field and that he would be a defensive upgrade at that position.  What's not known is whether or not Byrd can come anywhere close to the success he found in 2013.  This also puts the status of Darin Ruf and John Mayberry, Jr. in doubt.  While I believe it's time for Mayberry to move on, I'd like to see Ruf get an extended shot at being an everyday starter.  Byrd's arrival means that Ruf will either fill a bench role or get his shot with another team.

The bulk of Byrd's Phillies baseball cards can be found in 2003 and 2004 releases, when his "hot prospect" status meant inclusion in just about every possible base and insert set.  And one more Byrd thought - My wife Jenna and I were at the Phillies game on the night of May 14, 2005, when they flashed on the side score boards that Byrd had been traded to the Washington Nationals for Endy Chavez.  So much has happened in the 8 1/2 years since that night.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Cesar Jimenez (10/24/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Carlos Ruiz (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.