Tuesday, October 13, 2020

2011 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards - 2nd Edition


Number of Cards:
  42
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The cards have a very basic design, with full color photos and a red and white bottom border including the player's number, name and position.  The Phillies script logo appears in one of the upper corners.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The Phillies issued a second edition 40-card set much earlier than in the previous year, as I found this set for sale at Citizens Bank Park on June 12, 2011.  A few months later in mid-August, the Phillies reconfigured the set's make-up, perhaps several times, ultimately resulting in two new cards (I think) for Domonic Brown and Hunter Pence.  I wrote about my discovery of these two extra cards in this post.

A version of the set was sold throughout August and September with a somewhat fluid checklist.  As detailed in a post at the 14,000 Phillies blog at the time, his version of the set dropped five cards - Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero, Dane Sardinha, Mike Zagurski and the Broadcasters card - and added the Pence card.  Fellow collector Steve also pointed out at the time that his first version of the set included the Brown card, but not the Pence card.  And to confuse things further, his second version of the set dropped six cards - the five cards noted above and Danys Baez.  I've taken a closer look below at the comings and goings of these players.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position on the front of cards): 

1. Danys Baez (#55 - RHP)
2. Antonio Bastardo (#58 - LHP)          
3. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO)
4. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP)
5. Jose Contreras (#52 - RHP)
6. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO)
7. Ben Francisco (#10 - OF)
8. Ross Gload (#7 - OF/1B)
9. Greg Gross (#18 - CO)
10. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP)
11. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP)
12. David Herndon (#57 - RHP)
13. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B)

14. Raul Ibanez (#29 - LF)
15. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP)
16. Cliff Lee (#33 - LHP)
17. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP)
18. Pete Mackanin (#22 - CO)
19. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP)
20. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG)
21. Michael Martinez (#19 - INF/OF)          
22. John Mayberry Jr. (#15 - OF)
23. Pete Orr (#5 - INF/OF)
24. Roy Oswalt (#44 - RHP)
25. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - CO)
26. Placido Polanco (#27 - 3B)

27. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP)
28. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)
29. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C)
30. Dane Sardinha (#4 - C)
31. Juan Samuel (#12 - CO)
32. Brian Schneider (#23 - C)
33. Michael Stutes (#40 - RHP)
34. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B)
35. Wilson Valdez (#21 - INF)
36. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF)
37. Vance Worley (#49 - RHP)
38. Mike Zagurski (#59 - LHP)          
39. Phillie Phanatic
40. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version: 

1. Domonic Brown (#9 - OF)        

2. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF)
One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Sardinha
First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (3):  Pence, Stutes, Worley
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (29):  Baez, Bastardo, Blanton, Brown, Contreras, Francisco, Gload, Halladay, Hamels, Herndon, Howard, Ibanez, Kendrick, Lee, Lidge, Madson, Martinez, Mayberry Jr., Orr, Oswalt, Polanco, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Schneider, Utley, Valdez, Victorino, Zagurski

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (6):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gross, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  This card features the same line-up of broadcasters and photo as found in the first edition set - Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Jim Jackson, Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews.

Surprises:  Given I purchased my set on June 12th, I went back and looked at the active Phillies roster on that date, noting everyone on the 25-man roster, except Brown, received a card.  So I'm even more confused as to why my set initially excluded the Brown card.  The set adds Blanton, Lidge, and Schneider, who were all on the disabled list on June 12th, along with Orr and Mayberry, Jr. who were with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on that date.

Looking at the key dates of the added and subtracted players from the updated versions of the set:

June 4 - Mike Zagurski optioned to Lehigh Valley.
June 16 - J.C. Romero designated for assignment.
June 23 - Jose Contreras placed on the disabled list and he'd miss the rest of the season.
June 24 - Dane Sardinha outrighted to Lehigh Valley and Romero released. 
July 22 - Danys Baez designated for assignment.
July 29 - Hunter Pence acquired from Astros.
August 1 - Baez released.

Why the Phillies would go through the trouble of pulling cards of players who had departed the organization is a mystery to me.

Omissions:  Pitcher Juan Perez spent 37 days on the Phillies' active roster, recalled on June 23rd when Contreras went out for the season.  I'm reaching here as that 's the only logical addition that could have been included in any updated set.  I'm guessing the Phillies employees responsible for these sets didn't spend a lot of time deciding if they should add Pence and Perez or just Pence.

Variations/Rarities:  Over the years, and again with the help of Steve, I've learned there are a number of somewhat rare cards available in the style of this set.  There are at least 7 versions of these photo cards available with a Phillies logo on the back, and these cards were used primarily for the players to sign at various public appearances.  The photos for these variations are the same used for the regularly issued cards and the list below might not be complete.

Phillies Logo Back       
1. Greg Gross (#18 - CO) 

2. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF)
3. Placido Polanco (#27 - 3B)
4. Brian Schneider (#23 - C)
5. Michael Stutes (#40 - RHP)     
6. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF)
7. Vance Worley 
(#49 - RHP)

Offseason Additions
1. Laynce Nix (#7 - OF)
2. Jonathan Papelbon (#58 - RHP)

3. Jim Thome (#25 - 1B)
4. Ty Wigginton (#24 - INF/OF)
5. Dontrelle Willis (#53 - LHP)

Additionally, the Phillies used this design to feature new players who joined the team during the 2011-2012 offseason.  These cards were presumably produced for the sole purpose of public appearances during the team's various winter caravan stops, and again there's only the Phillies script logo on the backs.  Thome, Papelbon and Wigginton joined the club in November while Nix and Willis were signed in December.  All of these variations and rarities have a 2012 copyright date on the backs.

Also See:  I featured a few cards from the 2011 Phillies Postcards set here, and these cards aren't to be confused with the 2011 Phillies Fan Appreciation Night Postcard set, which 14,000 Phillies covered in a post here.

Resources:  14,000 Phillies; Phillies collector Steve


This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past five-plus years.

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