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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Phillies Double Dippers - 1973 to 2015

This particular post has been lingering in my draft post folder since way back when the Phillies signed Marlon Byrd in November 2013.  Since we're quickly approaching the two-year anniversary of my first drafting this post, I decided to add this season's double dipper and finally hit the orange Publish button.

Here's my original text from November 2013 . . .

There's been a lot written and said over the past week with regards to the recent Marlon Byrd signing. The majority of the local media and most Phillies fans tend to absolutely despise the deal, and those of us who are taking a wait and see approach are in the minority.  By nature, I'm an optimistic person so I have to believe that General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. and his staff of advisers has to have some clue as to what they're doing.  But this post isn't about Amaro and his questionable moves, and I'm not about to delve into the pros and cons of the recent Byrd signing.

What does interest me however, is the fact that Byrd is the latest in a long line of ex-Phillies who have made their way back into red pinstripes after a stint elsewhere.  In a comment to this post, Jim from Downingtown made the excellent suggestion that I dedicate a post to Phillies making multiple appearances with the franchise over the years.  I'm sure fans of most teams feel the same way, and this is a very regional way to view the world, but it seems to me as if the Phillies dip back into their alumni pool more than most teams.  Garvey Cey Russell Lopes has an excellent feature on his blog where he looks at Dodgers Double Dippers, and my initial thought upon reading through these series of posts was, "So the Phillies aren't the only team to do this over and over?"

Rather than run this out over a series of several posts, and sticking with my theme of looking back over the last 40 years, I decided to just capture in one place those players who have made multiple appearances with the Phillies since 1973.  It was interesting for me to realize that most of the Phillies two-timers came during the 1990s.  Some of these reunions went well, and some were just plain awful.  Only time will tell on which side Byrd's return will fall.

1976 Topps #624
1981 Donruss #153
1982 Fleer #261
1989 Topps Tiffany #418
Name First Dip, Double Dip
Tony Taylor 1960-1971, 1974-1976
Dick Allen 1963-1969, 1975-1976
Joe Hoerner 1970-1972, 1975
Tim McCarver 1970-1972, 1975-1980
John Vukovich 1970-1971, 1976-1977, 1979-1981
Dick Ruthven 1973-1975, 1978-1983
Mike Anderson 1971-1975, 1979
Del Unser 1973-1974, 1979-1982

Ed Farmer 1974, 1982-1983
Willie Montanez 1970-1975, 1982
Bill Robinson 1972-1974, 1982-1983
Randy Lerch 1975-1980, 1986
Bob Dernier 1980-1983, 1988-1989

1994 Stadium Club Phillies #223
2000 Stadium Club Chrome #97
2002 Nabisco Phillies #15
2004 McDonald's Phillies #22
Dickie Noles 1979-1981, 1990
Rick Schu 1984-1987, 1991
Jay Baller 1982, 1992
Larry Andersen 1983-1986, 1993-1994
Mark Davis 1980-1981, 1993
Milt Thompson 1986-1988, 1993-1994
Randy Ready 1989-1991, 1994-1995
Kyle Abbott 1992, 1995
Charlie Hayes 1989-1991, 1995
Ruben Amaro, Jr. 1992-1993, 1996-1998
Pete Incaviglia 1993-1994, 1996
Terry Mulholland 1989-1993, 1996
Jeff Parrett 1989-1990, 1996
Gary Bennett 1995-1996, 1998-2001
Toby Borland 1994-1996, 1998

Andy Ashby 1991-1992, 2000
Mickey Morandini 1990-1997, 2000
Ricky Bottalico 1994-1998, 2001-2002
Dennis Cook 1989-1990, 2001
Todd Pratt 1992-1994, 2001-2005
Dave Hollins 1990-1995, 2002
Mike Williams 1992-1996, 2003
Doug Glanville 1998-2002, 2004
Terry Adams 2002-2003, 2005
Jose Mesa 2001-2003, 2007
Tadahito Iguchi 2007, 2008

2011 Topps Target
Throwback #89
2013 Topps Chasing
History #CH-39
2014 Bowman Chrome #162
 
2015 Topps Opening
Day Blue #190
Nelson Figueroa 2001, 2010
Placido Polanco 2002-2005, 2010-2012
Cliff Lee 2009, 2011-2014
Brian Sanches 2006, 2012
Jim Thome 2003-2005, 2012
Chad Durbin 2008-2010, 2013
Marlon Byrd 2002-2005, 2014
Erik Kratz 2011-2013, 2015

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

September 29th to October 1st: Mets at Phillies


Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Mets 89-67, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 9 1/2 games ahead of the Nationals
Phillies 59-97, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 30 games behind the Mets

Mets Probables:  Bartolo Colon (14-12, 4.15), Steven Matz (4-0, 2.27), Logan Varrett (1-1, 2.70)
Phillies Probables:  David Buchanan (2-9, 7.96), Alec Asher (0-5, 7.52), Jerad Eickhoff (2-3, 3.07)

At the Ballpark:  There are no promotions or giveaways scheduled.  The N.L. East champs will most likely trot out their B or C team while the Phillies will do their best to stave off the inevitable 100 loss season.

Mets Leaders
Average:  Daniel Murphy - .285
Runs:  Curtis Granderson - 96
Home Runs:  Lucas Duda and Curtis Granderson - 25
RBIs:  Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy - 70
Stolen Bases:  Curtis Granderson - 11

Wins:  Bartolo Colon and Jacob deGrom - 14
ERA:  Jacob deGrom - 2.60
Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 198
Saves:  Jeurys Familia - 42

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .287
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 60
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 23
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 77
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 19+

Wins:  Ken Giles, Aaron Harang and Aaron Nola - 6*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 4.86
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 106*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 13^

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins (tied) and 137 strikeouts.
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Nationals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

1985 Topps #677
1985 Topps #302
1985 Topps Appreciation:  We've reached the penultimate series of this dreadful season, and I've got two cards of mustachioed former Mets and Phillies to feature.  Before checking his Baseball Reference page, I had forgotten that Wally Backman played two seasons for the Phillies in 1991 and 1992.  I had thought he was only around for a single season, but he did in fact suit up in both the maroon pinstripes of 1991 and the red pinstripes of 1992.  Backman of course started his career with 9 seasons with the Mets.

Tim Corcoran was a teammate of Backman's on the 1986 Mets team for all of six games.  He accumulated seven at-bats with the Mets in April and June going 0 for 7 before being released on June 9th.

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #9 Mike LaValliere

#10
Michael Eugene LaValliere
Catcher

By the time Mike LaValliere was Major League ready for the Phillies, Ozzie Virgil had inserted himself as the team's everyday catcher with John Russell and Darren Daulton waiting in the wings. LaValliere was a September call-up in 1984, appearing in six games and starting only two.

"Spanky" found much more success with the Pirates, winning a Gold Glove in 1987 and helping them win the N.L. East pennant in 1990, 1991 and 1992.  He would later speak of his desire to exact revenge against his first team for letting him go following the 1984 season.  During his years with the Cardinals and Pirates, LaValliere hit .303 (70 for 231) with four home runs against the Phillies including a blast against Kevin Gross on June 19, 1986 in his first meeting against his original team.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 18, 1960, Charlotte, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent, July 12, 1981
Major League Teams:  Phillies 1984, St. Louis Cardinals 1985-1986, Pittsburgh Pirates 1987-1993, Chicago White Sox 1993-1995
Professional Affiliations:  Phillies 1981-1984, St. Louis Cardinals 1985-1986, Pittsburgh Pirates 1987-1993, Chicago White Sox 1993-1995

Phillies Career
6 games, 0 for 7
Acquired:  Via free agency
Debut:  September 9, 1984 - Entered in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Phillies catcher, replacing Virgil who had been pinch-run for in the top of the inning.
Final Game:  September 30, 1984
Departed:  Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals, January 23, 1985

1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #12
1986 Donruss Rookies #35
1987 Topps #162
1995 Flair #26
1 LaValliere Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #12

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1986 Donruss Rookies #35
First Topps Base Card:  1987 Topps #162
Last Mainstream Card as Player:  1995 Flair #26
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Nickname Greats #NG-ML
Other Notable Cards:  1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #12, 1987 Topps Traded #61T, 1992 Topps #312, 1993 Upper Deck #120, 1994 Topps #147

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

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.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Monday, September 28, 2015

2015 Phillies Team Issue #4 Andres Blanco

Phillies 12, Nationals 5
Game 156 - Sunday Afternoon, September 27th in Washington
Record - 59-97, 5th Place, 30 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Most of the action in this 12-5 Phillies victory happened late as the Phillies scored eight runs in the ninth after Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon choked Bryce Harper in the dugout.

What It Means:  I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.  Harper failed to run hard to first base following an eighth inning pop-up and Papelbon greeted him at the top steps of the dugout with words of frustration and the eventual neck grab.  The two had to be separated in the Nationals dugout with Phillies Room favorite and current Nationals hitting coach Rich Schu leading the charge.

1986 Topps Stickers #122
What Happened:  With the score tied up at two, courtesy of a two-run home run from Jeff Francoeur in the eighth, Andres Blanco hit a two-run home run off Papelbon in the ninth.  The flood gates opened after that and before the inning was over the Phillies plated eight runs in the single most productive inning of their season.

Also, Aaron Altherr made a spectacular diving catch for the final out of the eighth inning.

Featured Cards:  I was going to be snarky and feature a Papelbon card, or even a Schu card, but I'll take the high road and post Blanco's first ever Phillies card from earlier in the season.

Oh what the heck, here's a Schu oddball-ish sticker just because he's only been on the blog once so far in 2015.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

2015 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #20 Colton Murray

Nationals 2, Phillies 1 (12 Innings)
Game 155 - Saturday Afternoon, September 26th in Washington
Record - 58-97, 5th Place, 30 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils tied the game in the eighth, but couldn't push another run across as the Nationals eventually prevailed in 12 innings, 2-1.

What It Means:  The Mets won their game, giving them the N.L. East pennant and eliminating the Nationals from postseason play.  We bounced between watching the Phillies game, the Mets game and the local news coverage of the Pope's visit to Philadelphia all afternoon.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola shut down the Nationals in his five innings of work, allowing six hits while striking out five.  Adam Loewen allowed a run in the sixth, but Brian Bogusevic tied it up with a double in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Entering yesterday's game, only three other players on the Phillies active roster had pitched less innings for the Phillies this season than Colton Murray:

  • Colton Murray - 5 innings, last pitched September 15th
  • Ken Roberts - 3 innings, last pitched September 16th
  • Nefi Ogando - 3 innings, last pitched September 16th
  • Jeff Francoeur - 2 innings, last pitched June 16th
Murray, understandably rusty, surrendered the game-winning double to Bryce Harper that scored the winning run for the Nationals.  I don't know a lot about Murray, but hopefully we'll see more of him next season with the Phillies.  This is his sole 2015 baseball card from the IronPigs first team set.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

2015 Chachi #69 Aaron Altherr HL


Phillies 8, Nationals 2
Game 154 - Friday Night, September 25th in Washington
Record - 58-96, 5th Place, 29 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Altherr and Jerad Eickhoff starred in this 8-2 victory over the free-falling Nationals.

What It Means:  With a Phillies win or a Mets win today, the Nationals will be officially eliminated from the postseason.  (I actually smiled writing that.)

What Happened:  It was the Altherr and Eickhoff show.  Eickhoff pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out 10.  Eickhoff struck out Bryce Harper three times in the game, joining Matt Harvey, Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner as the only pitchers this season to accomplish that feat.

Altherr hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third, a solo home run in the fifth and stroked a double in the seventh.  He finished the night having gone 4 for 5 with 5 RBIs.  Darin Ruf (10) and Cody Asche (12) also homered in the winning effort.

Featured Card:  Altherr's historic run around the bases took 14 seconds and was made possible by an ill-advised diving attempt on the ball by Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor.  Taylor missed the ball and it rolled all the way to the warning track.  It was the first inside-the-park grand slam for a Phillies player since Ted Kazanski did it on August 8, 1956.  When he hit his out-of-the-park home run in the fifth, Altherr became the first Phillies player since Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones to hit an inside-the-park grand slam and a "normal" home run in the same game since Jones did it on June 19, 1951.

@Phillies #PopeGallery #PopeInPhilly #PopeInUS

1984 Tastykake Phillies #8
2006 Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards
1984 Fleer #643
1984 Fleer #648
1984 Fleer Stickers #123
1984 Topps #229
1985 Topps #92
1985 Topps All-Star Glossy #1

Friday, September 25, 2015

Phillies at Nationals: September 25th to September 27th


Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

Phillies 57-96, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 29 games behind the Mets
Nationals 78-74, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 7 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Jerad Eickhoff (1-3, 3.16), Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.84), Aaron Harang (6-15, 4.93)
Nationals Probables:  Jordan Zimmermann (13-8, 3.49), Stephen Strasburg (10-7, 3.81), Gio Gonzalez (11-8, 3.94)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight, the first 25,000 fans will receive a Zimmermann bobble head commemorating his 2014 no-hitter.  Fans attending Sunday afternoon's game will receive a pair of Nationals gloves.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .292
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 59
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 23
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 77
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 19+

Wins:  Ken Giles, Aaron Harang and Aaron Nola - 6*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 4.93
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 104*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 13^

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .341
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 116
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 41
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 95
Stolen Bases:  Michael Taylor - 16

Wins:  Jordan Zimmermann - 13
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.98
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 249
Saves:  Drew Storen - 29

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins (tied) and 137 strikeouts.
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Nationals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

1985 Topps #584
1985 Topps #526
1985 Topps Appreciation:  Kevin Gross and David Palmer were two-fifths of the Phillies starting rotation in 1988, a season that saw the Phillies finish with 96 losses.  (I would anticipate that the Phillies top the 96 loss mark for 2015 at some point this weekend.)

Gross accompanied Lance Parrish to the 1988 All-Star Game as the Phillies representatives after putting up an 8-5 record and a 2.89 ERA in the first half of the season.  He'd finish the 1988 season with a 12-14 record and the Phillies would trade him to the Expos on December 6th for Jeff Parrett and Floyd Youmans.  I wrote a little about that trade in this post from last season.

Palmer began his career with six seasons in Montreal, and he'd come to the Phillies by way of the Braves in 1988.  In his only season in Philadelphia, Palmer complied a 7-9 record over 22 starts.

1956 Topps #114 Jim Owens

Marlins 1, Phillies 0
Game 153 - Thursday Night, September 24th in Miami
Record - 57-96, 5th Place, 29 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Alec Asher had by far his best start of his big league career, but the offense couldn't produce anything for him in this 1-0 loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies offense looks completely wiped out and in need of a rest.

What Happened:  Asher allowed just a run on three hits in his seven innings of work and he collected his first single and double for good measure.  The bats went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  Asher's record dropped to 0-5, making him the first Phillies rookie pitcher to lose his first five starts since Jim Owens accomplished the feat in 1955 and 1956.  I've been spending a lot of time with the 1956 Topps set recently, getting ready to kick off something new.  Since I don't have Owens' 1955 Topps card in my collection yet, here's his 1956 Topps card which I first featured on the blog over six years ago.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

1982 Fleer #476 Dale Berra (and a New Blog . . . )

Marlins 4, Phillies 3 (11 Innings)
Game 152 - Wednesday Night, September 23rd in Miami
Record - 57-95, 5th Place, 28 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ken Giles' first blown save of the season and some sloppy defense by the Phillies led to the 11-inning loss to the Marlins, 4-3.

What It Means:  There are 10 more games left in the Phillies 2015 season.

What Happened:  It's a shame the Phillies couldn't pull this one out, as they battled back to tie the game in the 8th and take the lead in the 10th.  Giles allowed a single to Ichiro Suzuki to start the 10th and then committed an error on a sacrifice bunt from Dee Gordon, which was ruled a hit for some reason by the official scorer.  Another sac bunt and another error from Carlos Ruiz allowed the Marlins to tie up the game.  Gordon's RBI-double in the 11th off Jerome Williams broke the tie and won the ballgame.

Featured Cards:  I really wanted to pay tribute to Yogi Berra, who passed away at the age of 90 early Wednesday morning.  Several of the blogs I follow posted images of Berra's iconic baseball cards throughout the day yesterday and I really enjoyed seeing them all.

The closest I can come to a Phillies-related baseball card to pay tribute to Berra is this card from the 1982 Fleer set featuring his son Dale and Phillies catcher Keith Moreland watching a foul pop down the third base line at The Vet.

1956 Topps #110
And because it's Yogi, I'll break one of the blog's rules and show off his classic 1956 Topps card too. You may have noticed the 1956 Topps Del Ennis card on the left sidebar with the Coming Soon teaser.  I'm happy to announce that I'm finally working towards getting my 1956 Topps blog off the ground and the shell of it is up and running.  Semi-regular posting should begin in mid-October and my goal is to complete the blog is less time (about 20 years) than it took my Dad and me to build the set.  Please check it out and spread the word!

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #8 Renie Martin

#37
Donald Renie Martin
Relief Pitcher

Taking over the #37 recently vacated by Jim Kern, Renie Martin was another recognizable name and face (at least to me) when he joined the 1984 Phillies in late August.  Martin enjoyed his best seasons with the Royals in 1980 and 1981.  He faced the Phillies in the 1980 World Series pitching a total of 9 2/3 innings over three separate relief appearances, allowing three runs.

Martin came to the Phillies from the Giants as the player to be named later in the Al Oliver trade, and he took the roster spot of Don Carman who was optioned to Portland.  He made his Phillies debut against the Giants on August 30th and he'd appear in 8 more games with the club throughout September.  Released by the Phils in November, Martin would go back to the Royals where he'd spend the next two seasons pitching for their Triple-A team in Omaha.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  190
Born:  August 30, 1955, Dover, DE
Drafted:  Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 19th round of the 1977 amateur draft, June 15, 1977
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Royals 1979-1981, San Francisco Giants 1982-1984, Phillies 1984
Professional Affiliations:  Kansas City Royals 1979-1981, San Francisco Giants 1982-1984, Phillies 1984, Kansas City Royals 1985-1986

Phillies Career
9 games, 0-2, 4.60 ERA in 15 2/3 innings
Acquired:  Acquired from the San Francisco Giants to complete an earlier deal in which the Giants sent Al Oliver to the Phillies for Kelly Downs and George Riley.
Debut:  August 30, 1984 (Game 2) - Relieved Kevin Gross and pitched three innings of relief, allowing a run on three hits.
Final Game:  September 30, 1984 (Game 2)
Departed:  Released on November 9, 1984.  Signed as a minor league free agent with the Kansas City Royals, January 29, 1985.

1980 Topps #667
1981 Topps #452
1984 Donruss #445
1984 Fleer #381
3 Martin Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1984 Donruss #445
Last Card:  1984 Topps #603

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1980 Topps #667 (with Bill Paschall and Dan Quisenberry)
First Topps Base Card:  1980 Topps #667
Last Mainstream Card:  1984 Topps #603
Other Notable Cards:  1981 Topps #452, 1982 Topps Traded #66T, 1984 Fleer #381

Sources:  Thanks to reader Mike who sent me his Martin in a Phillies uniform creation and inspired me to try my hand at my own creation.  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

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.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Mackanin Notches First Non-Interim Win

2015 Phillies Team
Issue #45
2015 Phillies Team
Issue #25
Phillies 6, Marlins 2
Game 151 - Tuesday Night, September 22nd in Miami
Record - 57-94, 5th Place, 28 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Harang turned in a nice start and Cody Asche had his first career multi-home run game in this 6-2 win over the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies snapped their six-game losing streak and gave Pete Mackanin his first win as a non-interim manager.  It was announced earlier in the day that Mackanin would be the Phillies manager in 2016 and his contract includes an option for 2017.

What Happened:  In his first decent start in what seems like months, Harang allowed just two runs on two hits over seven innings of work.  He earned his first win since July 30th.  Asche hit his 10th and 11th home runs of the season and Darin Ruf hit his ninth home run of the season in the seventh. Freddy Galvis also enjoyed a three-hit game.

Featured Cards:  Mackanin and Asche share the honors for this post and here are their cards from the first team issued photo card set.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Phillies at Marlins: September 22nd to September 24th


Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:10
Marlins Park - Miami, FL

Phillies 56-94, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 29 games behind the Mets
Marlins 64-86, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 21 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Aaron Harang (5-15, 5.04), David Buchanan (2-9, 8.49), Alec Asher (0-4, 9.78)
Marlins Probables:  Tom Koehler (10-13, 3.90), Adam Conley (4-1, 4.22), Jarred Cosart (2-4, 4.43)

At the Ballpark:  Discounted ticket packages are available for this series, but the Marlins don't have any giveaways or special promotions planned.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .293+
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 59
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 23
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 77
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 19+

Wins:  Ken Giles and Aaron Nola - 6*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 5.04
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 101*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 13^

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Dee Gordon - .332
Runs:  Dee Gordon - 78
Home Runs:  Giancarlo Stanton - 27
RBIs:  Giancarlo Stanton - 67
Stolen Bases:  Dee Gordon - 53

Wins:  Tom Koehler - 10
ERA:  Tom Koehler - 3.90
Strikeouts:  Tom Koehler - 125
Saves:  A.J. Ramos - 28

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with a .298 average and 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins (tied) and 137 strikeouts.
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Nationals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

Final Look at 2014-2015 Phillies Transactions

2015 Chachi Almost #7
2015 Chachi Almost #13
2015 Chachi Almost #14
It's been an active year in terms of Phillies player movement, and I have a sneaky suspicion that this coming year will bring another boatload of moves.  As we get ready to mercifully close the books on the 2015 season I wanted to feature the final Chachi Almost cards of the five pitchers who spent all or most of the season on the disabled list and never got a chance to join the official Chachi set.

Jonathan Pettibone and Cliff Lee missed the entire 2015 season due to injury, and it's unlikely that Lee will ever pitch again.

Ethan Martin and Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, both with the Phillies at points during the 2014 season, also both battled back from injuries.  Martin has been pitching with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils while Gonzalez was crushed in two starts for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

2015 Chachi Almost #11
2015 Chachi Almost #12
Finally, the recently acquired Matt Harrison made three starts for the Rangers before moving to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels deal.  His bad back led to an early end to his 2015 season and hopefully we'll see him in Clearwater in 2016.

Here also is the final listing of offseason and in season player moves for your 2015 Philadelphia Phillies.

Moving On - 2014-2015 Offseason
  • Reid Brignac (10/2/14) - Elected free agency and signed with the Miami Marlins organization, 11/19/14.
  • Jeremy Horst (10/2/14) - Elected free agency and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, 1/27/15.
  • Jeff Manship (10/2/14) - Elected free agency and signed with the Cleveland Indians organization, 12/24/14.
  • Tony Gwynn, Jr. (10/10/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster.  Elected free agency and signed with the Washington Nationals organization, 3/2/15.
  • B.J. Rosenberg (10/27/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster.  Elected free agency and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, 2/7/15.
  • Mike Adams (10/30/14) - Team option declined, making him a free agent and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, 3/1/15.
  • Kyle Kendrick (10/30/14) - Elected free agency and signed with the Colorado Rockies, 2/4/15.
  • Wil Nieves (10/30/14) - Elected free agency and signed with the San Diego Padres organization, 2/3/15.
  • A.J. Burnett (11/3/14) - Declined option for 2015.  Elected free agency and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11/14/14.
  • Brad Lincoln (11/4/14) - Elected free agency and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, 11/18/14.
  • Antonio Bastardo (12/10/14) - Traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Joely Rodriguez.
  • Jimmy Rollins (12/19/14) - Traded with cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tom Windle and Zach Eflin.
  • Marlon Byrd (12/31/14) - Traded with cash to the Cincinnati Reds for Ben Lively.
Coming Back - 2014-2015 Offseason
  • Andres Blanco (11/13/14) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.
  • Sean O'Sullivan (12/16/14) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.
New Additions - 2014-2015 Offseason
  • Brian Bogusevic (10/22/14) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins organization.
  • Jeff Francoeur (11/11/14) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the San Diego Padres.
  • Elvis Araujo (11/13/14) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians organization.
  • Chase d'Arnaud (11/13/14) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • Odubel Herrera (12/11/14) - Selected in the annual Rule 5 draft from the Texas Rangers.
  • Aaron Harang (1/5/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves.
  • Jeanmar Gomez (1/8/15) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • Jordan Danks (1/16/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.
  • Chad Billingsley (1/29/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • Dustin McGowan (4/5/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Departed During the 2015 Season
Arrived During the 2015 Season
  • Kevin Correia (6/8/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the San Francisco Giants organization.
  • Dalier Hinojosa (7/15/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
  • Erik Kratz (7/17/15) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Seattle Mariners organization.
  • Jerad Eickhoff  and Alec Asher (7/31/15) - Acquired with Matt Harrison, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro and Jake Thompson from the Texas Rangers for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations.
  • Darnell Sweeney (8/19/15) - Acquired with John Richy from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Chase Utley and cash considerations.
  • Ken Roberts (8/30/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies.
Memory Lane