2019 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition

Number of Cards:  45
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The second series of team-issued photo cards features a blue border along the bottom with the player's name and a script Phillies logo.  The player's uniform number appears in the upper right-hand corner against a striped design, and there is no position listed on the front of the cards.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The set went on sale for at Citizens Bank Park beginning on Tuesday, May 28th for $5.  Earlier that day, it was announced Odubel Herrera had been arrested in Atlantic City for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.  The team made the decision to pull the Herrera cards from every set and it's fairly obvious each set has been unsealed, with the Herrera card removed and then resealed.  The team has either already disposed of the undistributed Herrera cards or they're sitting in a box somewhere to be re-inserted into the sets at a future date.  (See update below.)

Team set packaging has been opened and then re-sealed

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.  The set comes in clear packaging with Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins facing up on either side, and with the cards originally packaged in alphabetical order.

2 - Jean Segura 3 - Bryce Harper 4 - Scott Kingery 5 - Nick Williams 7 - Maikel Franco 8 - John Mallee CO 9 - Phil Gosselin 10 - J.T. Realmuto 12 - Juan Nicasio 13 - Sean Rodriguez 15 - Andrew Knapp 16 - Cesar Hernandez 17 - Rhys Hoskins 19 - Gabe Kapler MG 21 - Vince Velasquez 22 - Andrew McCutchen 24 - Roman Quinn 27 - Aaron Nola 30 - David Robertson 35 - Jim Gott CO 38 - Paco Figueroa CO 39 - Bobby Dickerson CO 43 - Nick Pivetta

45 - Chris Young CO 46 - Adam Morgan 48 - Jerad Eickhoff 49 - Jake Arrieta 50 - Hector Neris 51 - Enyel De Los Santos 52 - Jose Alvarez 56 - Zach Eflin 57 - Dave Lundquist CO 58 - Seranthony Dominguez 59 - Rob Thomson CO 60 - Pedro Guerrero CO 61 - Edubray Ramos 62 - Dusty Wathan CO 64 - Victor Arano 81 - Craig Driver CO 82 - Bob Stumpo CO 87 - Sam Fuld 93 - Pat Neshek 95 - Mike Calitri 96 - Tommy Hunter Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (0)
First Appearances (2):  De Los Santos, Gosselin
Returning Players (28):  Alvarez, Arano, Arrieta, Dominguez, Eflin, Eickhoff, Franco, Harper, Hernandez, Hoskins, Hunter, Kingery, Knapp, McCutchen, Morgan, Neris, Neshek, Nicasio, Nola, Pivetta, Ramos, Realmuto, Robertson, Rodriguez, Quinn, Segura, Velasquez, Williams

I commended the first series checklist for being "wonderfully comprehensive," and unfortunately the pattern didn't continue with the second series.  The set only adds cards for De Los Santos and Gosselin, while dropping cards for Altherr, Butera, Cozens, Herrera, Pazos and Rios.  Altherr, Butera and Pazos are no longer in the Phillies organization, but a case could have been made for keeping in cards for Cozens and Rios.

Also deserving consideration for the set but omitted are Drew Anderson, Austin Davis, Edgar Garcia, Cole Irvin and even Mitch Walding.  I understand the omission of JD Hammer as he was recalled the weekend before the set's release and I'm assuming the cards had already been printed and packaged by then.

No offense to the team's ML Player Information Coordinator, Fuld, or their Manager for Advanced Scouting, Calitri, but I'd rather have cards for any of the omitted pitchers than repeats for them again.  A David Montgomery tribute card also would have been fitting and appropriate.  (One of these days, I'm hoping the Phillies put me in charge of crafting the checklist for these sets!)

There has not been a broadcasters card since the 2017 first edition team photo card 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.

Manager (1):  Kapler

Coaches (11):  Dickerson, Driver, Figueroa, Guerrero, Lundquist, Gott, Mallee, Stumpo, Thomson, Wathan, Young
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (0)
Other Cards (2):  Calitri, Fuld

Rarities:  Updated 7/12/19 - For being a group leader this season, and purchasing at least 100 tickets, the Phillies sent me a "Publication Package" recently that included a 2019 Yearbook, Media Guide, program and photo card set.  Much to my surprise, I realized the photo card set still had a clean seal, unlike the sets currently available at the ballpark from which the Herrera cards had been pulled.  The set sent to me by the Phillies contained not only the missing Herrera card but an Aaron Altherr card.

Altherr was selected off waivers by the Giants on May 11th, over two weeks before these sets went on sale at the ballpark on May 28th.  These two cards should be considered rarities from this issuance and not part of the regular set.

• 23 - Aaron Altherr
• 37 - Odubel Herrera

Update (1/25/20):  Fellow collector Rick was sent a photo from Joe Girardi's appearance at the Reading Fightin Phils' Baseballtown Winter Caravan held on January 21st.  Girardi is shown signing photo cards in the style of this set.

• 25 - Joe Girardi MG