2009 Phillies Team Issue

I updated this post here in June 2024 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  41
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The Phillies went with black borders for the first time ever.  The cards have a very basic design featuring the team logo and the player's number, name and position in a digital font.  Other than the 2008 World Champions card, which is my all-time favorite card from a team issued set, there's no indication that the Phillies had won the World Championship in 2008 on the cards themselves.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 37-card set was available at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of season.  Following the signing of Pedro Martinez on July 15th and the acquisition of Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco on July 29th, cards of Martinez, Lee and Francisco, along with back-up catcher Paul Bako, were inserted into the set.  With the addition of these four cards to the update set, five cards available from the original set were removed - the 2008 World Champions card, along with the cards for Coste, Gradoville, Jenkins and Paulino.

Complete Standard Checklist (37):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2008 World Champions 2 - Sam Perlozzo CO 4 - Eric Bruntlett 6 - Ryan Howard 7 - Pedro Feliz 8 - Shane Victorino 10 - Geoff Jenkins 11 - Jimmy Rollins 12 - Matt Stairs 15 - Davey Lopes CO 16 - J.C. Romero 17 - Mick Billmeyer CO 19 - Greg Dobbs 23 - Ronny Paulino 25 - Milt Thompson CO 26 - Chase Utley 27 - Chris Coste 28 - Jayson Werth 29 - Raul Ibanez

30 - Rich Dubee CO 35 - Cole Hamels 37 - Chad Durbin 39 - Brett Myers 41 - Charlie Manuel MG 43 - J.A. Happ 45 - Pete Mackanin CO 46 - Ryan Madson 47 - Scott Eyre 50 - Jamie Moyer 51 - Carlos Ruiz 54 - Brad Lidge 55 - Clay Condrey 56 - Joe Blanton 60 - Tim Gradoville CO 61 - Chan Ho Park Phillie Phanatic Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist (4):

10 - Ben Francisco 23 - Paul Bako

34 - Cliff Lee 45 - Pedro Martinez

One and Done (1):  Bako
First Appearances (8):  Eyre, Francisco, Ibanez, Lee, Martinez, Park, Paulino, Stairs
Returning Players (21):  Blanton, Bruntlett, Condrey, Coste, Dobbs, Durbin, Feliz, Hamels, Happ, Howard, Jenkins, Lidge, Madson, Moyer, Myers, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Utley, Victorino, Werth

Bako wrapped up his 12-year career playing 44 games with the Phillies in 2009.  His card in this set in his sole Phillies baseball card.  Paulino was traded on March 27th to the Giants for Jack Taschner, and never appeared in a game for the Phillies.  He has a second Phillies card in the 2009 Topps Heritage set.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.  (I'm not counting the semi-rare Matt Stairs card from 2008 as his official first appearance.)

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gradoville, Lopes, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Thompson
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown atop the dugout is his alternate day uniform.
Broadcasters (1):  Harry Kalas, who passed away on April 13, 2009, is joined on this card by Tom McCarthey, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke.
Commemorative Cards (1):  2008 World Champions

The 2008 World Champions card (see below) features Hamels, Utley, Howard, Rollins, Lidge, Manuel, Madson, Victorino, Werth, Myers, Ruiz and Moyer decked out in tuxedos with red bow ties flanking the World Series trophy.  Gradoville is listed above with the coaches, but he was actually the team's bullpen catcher.

Variations/Rarities:  14,000 Phillies featured a post a few years ago containing a Jayson Werth card I had never seen before.  The card was distributed to kids participating in the team's annual Home Run Derby competition and contains a purple facsimile autograph and the Home Run Derby logo. The card uses a different photo than Werth's regular team issued card.

And as pointed out in a comment from Steve F. in an earlier post, a card was issued for Placido Polanco in the style of the 2009 team issued set.  Polanco was signed as a free agent on December 3rd.

Finally, Rick adds a number of other rarities available in the design of this set in his comment below.  Of most interest to me personally is the blank backed Roy Halladay card, which would be his first official Phillies card.

• 3 - Lou Marson (2008 statistics on back)
• 4 - Kyle Drabek (Reading Phillies)
• 23 - Brian Schneider (blank back)
• 27 - Placido Polanco (blank back)
• 28 - Jayson Werth (Home Run Derby)
• 34 - Roy Halladay (blank back)
• 40 - Michael Taylor (Reading Phillies)

Rick adds that several cards are available with a 2010 copyright date and a 2009 National League Champions logo on the backs.  I've addded to the list Rick originally provided with a few additional cards I've picked up over the years. 

• 11 - Jimmy Rollins
• 34 - Roy Halladay
• 35 - Cole Hamels
• 37 - Chad Durbin
• 43 - J.A. Happ
• 46 - Ryan Madson
• 54 - Brad Lidge

Also See:  Here's my original post from August 31, 2009, covering the discovery of the updated team issued set.
Trivia:  Beckett.com has no record of this set in its database, and the checklist at The Trading Card Database omits the four update cards.
Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)