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.

Rodriguez is Non-Roster Invitee #21

2018 Topps Update #US108

While the Phillies continue to circle around free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, they're also still tinkering with a potential supporting cast, adding infielder Sean Rodriguez to their list of non-roster spring training invitees.  It's going to be crowded in Clearwater, as Rodriguez brings the list of current players heading to camp to 60.

Rodriguez is an 11-year big league veteran, and he appeared in 66 games last season for the Pirates.  He's played with the Angels (2008-2009), Rays (2010-2014), Pirates (2015-2016, 2017-2018) and Braves (2017).  He appeared in a career-high 140 games for the Pirates in 2016, spending time at every position except catcher and pitcher.

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)

Uniform Number Update - 2019 Edition

2015 Topps #400

2016 Topps Heritage #384

2017 Topps Update #US149

2018 Topps Big League #94

2018 Topps Heritage #388

New uniform numbers recently popped up on the team's roster page on its website, and that means we're officially getting closer to the start of spring training.  As I've done the past few years, here's a run-down of the new numbers.  As of this writing, the newly acquired J.T. Realmuto hasn't officially been assigned a number, but I would think he'll end up with his familiar #11, which is conveniently available.

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

• #2 Jean Segura - The new shortstop takes the number worn by J.P. Crawford last year, one of the players sent to the Mariners for Segura.
• #12 Juan Nicasio - Jose Bautista wore this number last season, and the #58 worn by Nicasio during his two-game stint with the Phillies in 2017 is now occupied by Seranthony Dominguez.
• #22 Andrew McCutchen - Cutch assumes his familiar #22, coaxed away from manager Gabe Kapler.
• #30 David Robertson - This number was vacant last season, having been worn by Matt McBride in spring training.
• #47 James Pazos - The Phillies will not be retiring this number for Aaron Loup, so it's available for Pazos.
• #52 Jose Alvarez - The same can be said for #52 and its wearer last season, Zac Curtis.

It should also be noted that several non-roster invitees have been assigned low numbers, including #9 Phil Gosselin, #18 Lane Adams, #31 Shane Robinson, #33 Matt McBride, #40 Gregorio Petit and #44 Rob Brantly.

New Coaches

• #3 Paco Figueroa - Former first base coach Jose David Flores was #3 in 2018.
• #10 Bobby Dickerson - Trevor Plouffe briefly wore this number last season.
• #57 David Lundquist - Luis Garcia had worn this number since making his debut in 2013.

Number Swaps

• #19 Gabe Kapler - When McCutchen claimed #22, Kapler switched to #19 which is a number he wore with the Rangers, Red Sox and Rays during his playing days.

Highest Number
JoJo Romero was assigned #79 which is the highest new number.  Pat Neshek (#93) and Tommy Hunter (#96) are coming back with their curiously chosen numbers as well.

Duplicate Numbers
#28 - The Phillies website lists this number for both Vince Velasquez, who has worn it the last three seasons and non-roster invitee Andrew Romine.  My guess here is that Romine is actually #21 and this is just an error on the website.

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

Numbers Available - Machado/Harper/Keuchel Division
#13, #34, #60

Numbers Available - Up for Grabs Division
#21 - How is this number not taken for the second year in a row?  Non-roster invitee Collin Cowgill wore this number last spring and Clay Buchholz had the number for a very brief time in 2017.
#39 - Worn by pitching coach Rick Kranitz last year.
#41 - Worn by Carlos Santana last season.  I'm guessing this number goes to the recently signed Drew Butera, who hasn't yet shown up on the Phillies website.

Phils Acquire Realmuto in Trade with Marlins

2019 Chachi New Additions #7

2019 Chachi Departures #9

On Thursday afternoon, the Phillies acquired All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins for catcher Jorge Alfaro, along with pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart.  The Phillies also sent $250,000 in international bonus slot money to the Marlins.  Realmuto's arrival indicates the Phillies are ready to graduate from the rebuilding phase to the contending phase.  Could a major free agent signing be next for the club?

Realmuto is signed through the 2020 season.  In the past five seasons with the Marlins, he's averaged 18 home runs and 73 RBIs per season - numbers that will hopefully increase in the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.  Even if the Phillies don't land one of either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, the offseason acquisitions of Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson and other key bullpen pieces instantly make the Phillies a better team (at least on paper) heading into 2019.

Realmuto has been a regular in all Topps sets since 2015, and his most recent card can be found in the recently released 2019 Topps Series 1.

Jorge Alfaro leaves the Phillies after one full season with the club, although he saw time with the Phillies in 2016 and 2017.  In 143 games with the Phillies, Alfaro hit .270 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs.  Alfaro's departure means that Jerad Eickhoff and Nick Williams are the last two remaining out of the six players the Phillies acquired from the Rangers in July 2015 for Cole Hamels.  My Alfaro baseball card collection (2015-2018) stands at 58 different cards.

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #211

2018 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #27

Hopefully Sanchez, regarding as the team's top pitching prospect, won't come back to haunt the Phillies.  He made it up to High-A Clearwater last season, and we're likely a few years away from seeing him in a Marlins uniform.  Stewart was impressive with the Low-A Lakewood BlueClaws last season, starting 20 games and going 8-1 with a 2.06 ERA.  I've accumulated 14 Sanchez cards over the past two seasons, and the only two cards I have for Stewart are from recent minor league team sets.

Alfaro  Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #58
2017 Chachi #52
2018 Chachi #10
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12
2019 Chachi Departures #9

Moving On - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Trevor Plouffe - inf (10/4/18) - Elected free agency.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

List of Non-Roster Invitees Reaches 20 Players

2018 Topps Royals #KR7

On Tuesday afternoon, the Phillies signed veteran catcher Drew Butera to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.  Butera brings the list of non-roster invitees to 20, and reports are that he'll receive serious consideration for the back-up catcher role.

Butera is a nine-year big league veteran, having seen time with the Twins (2010-2013), Dodgers (2013-2014), Angels (2015), Royals (2015-2018) and Rockies (2018).  He has a career batting average of .201 spanning 497 games.

His first mainstream baseball cards can be found in the 2005 Bowman Draft set, and last year he was featured in the Topps Royals retail team set.

Rumor has it the Phillies are kicking the tires on a few more potential free agents, a couple of which have a few more baseball card appearances than Butera.

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)

The First Phillie of 2019 #ToppsBaseball #FirstPhillie

My wife Jenna finally found packs of 2019 Topps at the third Target she visited on Thursday afternoon.  I open way less packs of baseball cards these days, given that it's easiest for me to head to eBay to buy the Phillies team sets or inserts I want.  Still, I don't think I'll ever abandon the tradition of finding and opening those first packs of Topps' flagship set every year.

The first Phillie was found within the first pack I opened, a few cards from the top.  Ranger Suarez gets the honors this year, although I was slightly surprised to see him appear given he only pitched in 4 games last season for the Phillies.

My immediate impression of 2019 Topps is that I like the design a lot more than I have in recent years.  The one-sided and team colored borders are reminiscent of the 1982 Topps design, and the modern gradient found on the right side of the cards isn't too intrusive.  I would have preferred the player's first name to be on top of the last name, but that quirky feature is slowly growing on me.  The backs are clean and easy to read with the standard Topps write-up and some statistics.  It's odd that Suarez's card contains his minor league totals from 2018, and not his Major League totals.

Ballpark cards are included within Topps flagship this year, and I liked that the Phillies card features their new primary logo for 2019 (quietly announced a few months back) and their logo from 1992 to 2018 on the scoreboard in the top left corner.  Quality control issues continue to persist at Topps however, as the team's starting catcher on the back of this card is listed as "Jesus" Alfaro.


Past First Phillies

2010 Topps #300 Chase Utley

2011 Topps #242 Brad Lidge

2012 Topps #98 Domonic Brown

2013 Topps #6 Ryan Howard
2014 Topps #90 Ethan Martin
2015 Topps #309 Maikel Franco
2016 Topps #15 Ryan Howard
2017 Topps #247 Hector Neris
2018 Topps #26 Cesar Hernandez
2019 Topps #303 Ranger Suarez

Learning, Listening and Hitting with Milt Thompson

On Saturday, my son along with other young baseball players, spent three hours talking hitting, fielding and some of the mental aspects of baseball with former Phillies player Milt Thompson.  Doug came away from the experience with some key tips that are bound to help him once his spring season gets started.  Thompson took time with each player in attendance, working one on one with them on their swings and their overall approach at the plate.  I was among a handful of fathers who stood against the batting cages for the duration of the training, listening to Thompson's advice and swapping stories of our memories from his playing days.

Thompson wrapped up the session a few minutes early for a lengthy Q&A session with the kids.  He fielded questions about playing with Mike Schmidt and Ozzie Smith, about his memories with the 1993 Phillies team, and about coaching Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard.  He talked about his current role as the roving hitting instructor for the Cincinnati Reds' minor league system.  He then stayed afterwards fulfilling every (occasionally multiple) autograph request and posing for individual pictures with each of the kids.

Doug had him sign a baseball and Thompson also handed out his Phillies Alumni photo card to each kid.  Doug dutifully asked if he could have an extra card signed and Thompson obliged without hesitation, which is how the card shown here came to be in my collection.

Overall, it was a great afternoon for the kids (and some of the parents!) and Doug won't soon forget this experience.