Spring Training Game 5 - Wheeler Deals in First Spring Start

New York Yankees	7
Philadelphia Phillies	7

2022 Topps #582

Spring Training Game 5

Thursday Afternoon, February 27

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 2-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler looked solid in his first spring start, and Kyle Schwarber made his Phillies debut at first base as the team played to a 7-7 tie against the Yankees in Clearwater.

What It Means:  Schwarber played 10 games at first base in 2021 for the Red Sox, and his only other action at the position came in one game for the Cubs in 2017.  The added versatility can't hurt, and if Schwarber is serviceable at first, that gives Bryce Harper the opportunity to DH in some games.

What Happened:  Wheeler allowed a hit and struck out four in his two shutout innings.  Jose Alvarado and Jordan Romano both looked great out of the bullpen, each striking out a pair in their innings of work.  The Phillies held a 6-3 tie heading to the eighth, but the Yankees scored four times off reliever Max Lazar.    In the bottom of the ninth, Oscar Mercado was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second and eventually scored after Yankees' pitcher Cade Austin issued three straight walks.

Johan Rojas and Rafael Lantigua both homered for the Phillies, while Edmundo Sosa and Christian Arroyo both had multi-hit afternoons.

Featured Card:  Wheeler or Schwarber would be good picks here, but I suspect they'll get plenty of Featured Card time during the regular season.  Arroyo could be a dark horse candidate to make the opening day roster, and so far this spring the infielder is 4 for 8 with a home run and three RBIs.

Camp Head Count:  66

Spring Training Game 4 - Harper Drilled, Phils Win

Philadelphia Phillies	9
Toronto Blue Jays	6

2025 Topps
2024 All Topps Team #ATT-5

Spring Training Game 4

Wednesday Afternoon, February 26

TD Ballpark - Dunedin, FL

Record - 2-2

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies held on for the win against the Blue Jays as Bryce Harper getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning overshadowed the results of the game.

What It Means:  Harper is expected to be fine after he was hit in the right triceps by Jays' pitcher Richard Lovelady.  The slugger exited the game as a precaution and the postgame injury report was that he had suffered a bruise and no x-ray was needed.

What Happened:  Joe Ross got the start, and allowed a pair of runs in his two innings of work.  The Phillies bullpen kept the Blue Jays offense off the board until the ninth inning when Tristan Garnett allowed four runs (three earned) on three walks and a double.

Gabriel Rincones, Jr. hit his second home run of the spring in the third.  Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto all contributed RBI singles in the sixth.  Kody Clemens made it 9-2 Phillies with a two-run double in the top of the eighth.

Featured Card:  Harper will get plenty of featured card opportunities throughout the 2025 season, but given he was the story of the game I'll go with a recently added card of his from 2025 Topps.  The scan of this card doesn't do it justice, as there's a cool glittery/foil thing going on behind Harper's photo.

Camp Head Count:  66

Spring Training Game 3 - Sanchez Looks Sharp, Phils Win

Philadelphia Phillies	5
Tampa Bay Rays	4

2024 Choice Reading Fightin
Phils (1st Edition) #4

Spring Training Game 3

Tuesday Afternoon, February 25

Charlotte Sports Park - Port Charlotte, FL

Record - 1-2

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez looked sharp in his spring debut and a team of likely reserves and IronPigs came up with timely hits against the Rays in the 5-4 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies and Pirates game was rained out on Monday, so Sanchez had his spring debut delayed by a day.  

What Happened:  Sanchez went his scheduled two innings, allowing a hit and striking out three.  Nicholas Padilla picked up the win in relief, while Aaron Schulfer and Jose Cuas closed it out with two scoreless innings.  Edmundo Sosa started the scoring for the Phillies with a two-run single in the third.  Otto Kemp gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead with an RBI-double in the fourth.  The Rays tied it up in the bottom of the fourth, on a throwing error by shortstop Aidan Miller, but RBI singles in the seventh from Carson Taylor and Rafael Lantigua gave the Phillies a 5-3 lead. 

Featured Card:  Sosa started the scoring, but Taylor gave the Phillies the lead in the seventh with his RBI-single.  Taylor spent all last season in the Phillies' minor league system, after having spent the the prior three years climbing the ladder in the Dodgers' system.

Camp Head Count:  66

Spring Training Game 2 - Working Out the Kinks

Baltimore Orioles	7
Philadelphia Phillies	3

2024 Choice Reading Fightin
Phils (3rd Edition) #16

Spring Training Game 2

Sunday Afternoon, February 23

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 0-2

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies played their Clearwater home opener on Sunday afternoon, dropping a sun-splashed affair to the Orioles, 7-3.

What It Means:  Will this spring ever end? 😄

What Happened:  Tyler Phillips got the start, and he allowed three runs to the Orioles on a pair of hits, including a solo home run to Vimael Machin in the second.  Machin had been a non-roster invitee for the Phillies back in 2023.  Most of the Phillies pitchers to follow Phillips didn't fare much better, with only John McMillon and Carlos Francisco throwing scoreless frames.

The Phillies offense was fairly quiet.  Their first hit came in the third when Christian Arroyo launched a long home run to center to make it 3-1, Orioles.  The only other offensive action for the Phillies came in the seventh when Justin Crawford led off by slapping a single down the third base line and Gabriel Rincones, Jr. hit the first pitch he saw deep over the right-center field fence.

This was the first of many televised Phillies games in 2025, and I loved being able to settle into a Sunday afternoon routine of watching the ballgame, despite the outcome.

Featured Card:  Arroyo was headed towards featured card status until Rincones' more impressive home run a few innings later.  The Reading Fightin Phils issued three team sets throughout last season, and this is Rincones' card from the third and final set, released in September.

Camp Head Count:  66

Spring Training Game 1 - Baseball is Back!

Philadelphia Phillies	6
Detroit Tigers	7

2024 Topps Heritage #476

Spring Training Game 1

Saturday Afternoon, February 22

Joker Marchant Stadium - Lakeland, FL

Record - 0-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped the Grapefruit League lid-lifter late, falling to the Tigers by a score of 7-6.

What It Means:   I started composing these Phillies game summary posts at some point during the 2009 season, and I briefly considered stopping the daily routine following the 2024 season.  I know I'm not breaking any news here, and my readership is several dozen views a post, at best.  (And who know how many of those are just bots?)  But this blog brings me joy, always has, and my brief hesitation to continue this daily practice throughout 2025 was quickly put aside when I realized how much I'd miss doing this.  I also realized how much I needed to keep doing this.

Our country is an embarrassing mess.  The Phillies, baseball cards, and by extension this blog, give me a daily respite from the doom-scrolling that might otherwise occupy what free time I have.  I don't have any grand answers, and I wish I did, but I can be kind to others suffering or sad and try to help.  I can continue to support the causes and organizations that provide much-needed empathy and make a difference to our communities.  I can share some Phillies highlights and a baseball card on a daily basis, ensuring my mental health is getting some attention.  We can and we will keep moving forward.  Play ball.

What Happened:  Non-roster invitee Nabil Crismatt got the start for the Phillies, and he pitched two scoreless innings.  Relievers Jose Cuas, Austin Schulfer and Wesley Moore let the Tigers chip away at what had been a 6-1 Phillies lead heading to the bottom of the sixth.  Buddy Kennedy had the first home run of the spring for the Phillies in the fifth, and catcher Josh Breaux added a solo shot in the sixth.

Featured Card:  Kennedy's two-run home run gave the Phillies a 5-0 lead.  A few innings earlier, in the third, Max Kepler collected his first hit in a Phillies uniform, driving home a pair with a single to center.  Kepler has been penciled in as the team's regular left fielder, and it was good to see him start strong.  This is the only card of his in my Phillies Collection so far, from last year's Topps Heritage set.

Camp Head Count:  66

As spring training games began, the Phillies officially had 66 players in camp - 40 on the 40-man roster and 26 non-roster invitees.  Weston Wilson (inf) is the first player to succumb to injury, and an oblique injury will keep him on the shelf for about six weeks.

Spring Training 2025: Non-Roster Invitees

2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #29

2022 Topps Heritage #656

2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #11

2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #33

2024 Choice Buffalo Bisons #8

In years' past, news of Phillies' non-roster invitees trickled in over the weeks and months leading to the opening of spring training.  This year, the Phillies gave us one big press release on January 14th announcing 23 non-roster invitees, and they's added three more names to the list since then.

Here's a look at the 26 non-roster invitees opening camp with the Phillies, their 2024 organizations and one of the more recently available baseball cards.

1. Josh Breaux (c) - Yankees / Phillies - 2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #29
2. Payton Henry (c) - Blue Jays - 2024 Choice Buffalo Bisons #5
3. Paul McIntosh (c) - Marlins - 2024 Choice Pensacola Blue Wahoos #17
4. Caleb Ricketts (c) - Phillies - 2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #11
5. Rodolfo Castro (inf) - Phillies - 2023 Topps Heritage #453
6. Otto Kemp (inf) - Phillies - 2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #33
7. Rafael Lantigua (inf) - Blue Jays - 2024 Choice Buffalo Bisons #8
8. Aidan Miller (inf) - Phillies - 2024 Topps Pro Debut #PD-31
9. Carson Taylor (inf) - Phillies - 2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #7
10. Justin Crawford (of) - Phillies - 2024 Topps Pro Debut #PD-124
11. Gabriel Rincones Jr. (of) - Phillies - 2024 Topps Pro Debut #PD-54
12. Matt Kroon (util) - Phillies - 2024 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #14
13. Nabil Crismatt (rhp) - Dodgers / Rangers / Padres - 2023 Topps World Baseball Classic #17
14. Jose Cuas (rhp) - Cubs / Blue Jays / Phillies - 2024 Topps Heritage #151
15. Joel Kuhnel (rhp) - Astros / Blue Jays / Brewers / Rays - 2020 Topps Update #U-281
16. Griff McGarry (rhp) - Phillies - 2024 Topps Pro Debut #PD-16
17. John McMillon (rhp) - Royals / Marlins - 2024 Topps #571
18. Nicholas Padilla (rhp) - White Sox - 2024 Choice Charlotte Knights #16
19. Andrew Painter (rhp) - Phillies - 2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #37
20. Austin Schulfer (rhp) - Twins / Tigers - 2023 Choice St. Paul Saints SGA
21. Guillo Zuniga (rhp) - Angels - 2023 Topps Now World Baseball Classic #WBC-22
22. Tristan Garnett (lhp) - Phillies - 2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #20
23. Nick Vespi (lhp) - Orioles - 2024 Choice Norfolk Tides #39
24. Koyo Aoyagi (rhp) - Hanshin Tigers - 2024 Topps NPB #78
25. Christian Arroyo (inf) - Brewers - 2023 Topps #352
26. Oscar Mercado (of) - Padres / Tigers - 2024 Choice El Paso Chihuahuas #17

Aoyagi signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on January 17th, and he's a veteran of nine seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.  Aoyagi was a an All-Star in Japan in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

On Valentine's Day, the Phillies officially signed Christian Arroyo (inf) and Oscar Mercado (of) to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training.  Arroyo has spent seven seasons in the majors as a back-up infielder with the Giants, Rays, Indians and Red Sox.  Mercado, who played in one game for the Phillies in 2022, was most recently in the majors with the Cardinals in 2023.

2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #7

2024 Topps Pro Debut #PD-54

2024 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #14

2024 Topps Heritage #151

2020 Topps Update #U-281

2024 Topps #571

2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #20

2023 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary #91

2023 Topps NPB #105

2023 Topps #352

2024 Chachi Leftovers

2024 Chachi Almost #2

2024 Chachi Almost #3

2024 Chachi Almost #4

2024 Chachi Friendly Encounters #3

With pitchers and catchers having reported to Clearwater and only a matter of weeks to go before spring training games start, I wanted to clear out my draft folder and post a few lingering 2024 Chachi cards.  Before Christmas, I began posting cards from the 2024 Chachi set on a daily basis, wrapping up with card #64, Seth Johnson, on February 6th.  I start the process of creating Chachi cards this time each year, and as was the case with the players featured here, they did not actually suit up with the Phillies in 2024 and therefore weren't part of the official 2024 Chachi set.

Darick Hall (1b) - Hall played in 59 games with the Phillies between 2022 and 2023, and spent all of last season with the Triple-A IronPigs.  In December, he signed as a minor league free agent with the Pirates.

Rodolfo Castro (inf) - Castro lost the 2024 season to injuries, and he's back in camp with the Phillies in 2025 as a non-roster invitee.

Dylan Covey (rhp) - Covey and his beard made 28 appearances for the Phillies in 2023, making one start.  He too was hit by the injury bug in 2024, pitching in 18 games with three of the Phillies' minor league teams.  He was signed by the Mets on Halloween, placed on waivers on February 6th, and signed by the Braves on February 11th.

And finally, we met Jose Alvarado at an autograph signing at the Deptford Mall back in July.  Kody Clemens was also there and I briefly wrote about this poorly organized event here.

And with those three cards out of the way, and cleared from my draft folder, it's time to turn the page to the 2025 Chachi set!

Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Phillies Cards

2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions #15

2004 Topps Pristine #7

As is usually the case each January, I let this blog go mostly dormant with the exception of posting a daily 2024 Chachi card.  Before spring training starts in earnest, I wanted to revisit something I used to do annually whenever a new class of Hall of Famers was announced.  For each new class of Hall of Fame inductees, I go through my Phillies Collection and see how many cards of each I have.  This would mean the new Hall of Famer is typically featured on a multi-player card with a Phillies player, or in the case of Dick Allen and Billy Wagner, the new Hall of Famer actually spent time with the Phillies.

This exercise is a little easier this year as I'm proud to report my entire Phillies Collection is now tracked in a massive Excel schedule, AND also available for me to browse and search on the Trading Card Database.  I started updating my collection at TCDB a few years ago, and with the Phillies and Complete Sets collections now updated, I'll turn my attention to the "Everything Else" catch-all category.

Here's a look at Cooperstown's 2025 class, and the baseball cards I have of them in my Phillies Collection.

Dick Allen - I have 55 cards of Allen in my Phillies Collection, and 65 cards of the slugger overall.  Back in December, I posted a gallery of his Topps flagship cards here, and I've also liked this 2009 Upper Deck card of his.

Dave Parker - Parker shows up twice in my Phillies Collection.  He's on a strange 1982 Fleer Stamps issue, pointing at the camera and putting his arm around a hesitant Steve Carlton.  He also shares space with Pete Rose and Bill Madlock on a 1984 Topps Active Career Leaders subset card.

CC Sabathia - Sabathia shows up twice on 2011 Topps Diamond Duos insert cards with Carlton and Cliff Lee.  My all-time favorite memory involving Sabathia can be found here.

Ichiro Suzuki - Ichiro shares a card with Richie Ashburn in the 2007 Topps Heritage Then and Now insert set, and he's on an incredibly random "Classic Combo" card with Chase Utley in the 2007 Topps Update set.

Billy Wagner - And finally, I have 40 cards of closer Wagner in my Phillies Collection, given he appeared in 120 games with the club in 2004 and 2005.  59 of Wagner's 422 career saves came while wearing a Phillies uniform, which is his third most by franchise behind the Astros and Mets.  Browsing a gallery of Wagner's Phillies cards, this 2004 Topps Pristine card is my favorite, non-team issue card of his.  His 2005 Topps flagship card is a close second.

1982 Fleer Stamps #241

2011 Topps Diamond Duos #DD-23

2007 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN7

2007 Topps Update #UH279

2025 Topps - The First Phillie!

I didn't hesitate earlier this year when the e-mail from Topps arrived in my inbox alerting me that boxes of 2025 Topps Series One were on sale from their website.  I've missed out in the past, having to go to the secondary market (eBay) and paying an upcharge when the need to open new baseball cards inevitably overpowered me in prior Februarys.  I didn't go crazy, adding just a hobby box and a blaster to my cart, and then waiting patiently for the February 12th release date.

The box was waiting for me when I arrived home on Wednesday, but sports practices required us to wait until Thursday to open the first packs of 2025 Topps as a family.  The first Phillie, this Alec Bohm card, came quickly within the first pack I opened.

Topps has been on a roll over the past several years, and with the exception of the misfire with 2020's design, the 2025 Topps design adds to four solid set designs in the past five years.  Updating my top ten gallery below, the 2025 set takes the place of the 2015 set in the #2 spot, with 2015 leaving the list after 10 years (!).  I've used this summary in the past to describe the new Topps flagship design, but this is what a baseball card in the year 2025 should look like - crisp, great photo, modern graphics, some non-intrusive glittery effects and a little bit of silver foil with the Topps logo.  I really like that we get the team's logo and name going up the side of a card, and the curved lines along the left border are a nice modern update to the 1982 Topps design.

We were particularly impressed with how Topps found a new way to display the player's position.  The diamond in the bottom right indicates where the player would stand on the field, and it's one of those things I can't believe we've not seen on a baseball card before.  The backs are nice and clean too, as has been the case in recent years, and kudos to Topps for once again making the card number easy to find and easy to read.  My only very minor complaint is that some of the teams have player's last names in black (not white) making those harder to read.  I would have preferred Topps go with all white for every last name for each team.

Revisiting my top ten ranking below, I might move 2022 and 2019 ahead of 2023.  I still don't like the bottom three, but 2021 may eventually take over the worst design spot in my mind.

Best - 2024 Topps #194

#2 - 2025 Topps #7

#3 - 2023 Topps #278

#4 - 2022 Topps #249

#5 - 2019 Topps #303

#6 - 2016 Topps #15

#7 - 2018 Topps #26

#8 - 2021 Topps #79

#9 - 2017 Topps #247

Worst - 2020 Topps #221

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
2020 Topps #190 Aaron Nola

2021 Topps #79 Roman Quinn

2022 Topps #249 Zack Wheeler

2023 Topps #278 Aaron Nola

2024 Topps #194 J.T. Realmuto

2025 Topps #7 Alec Bohm

2024 Chachi #64 Seth Johnson

#51 / Seth William Johnson / Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  205
Opening Day Age:  25

Born:  September 19, 1998, Concord, NC
Acquired:  Traded by the Baltimore Orioles with Moises Chace to the Phillies for Gregory Soto, July 30, 2024

Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible 2028
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2024

Pitching prospect Seth Johnson came over to the Phillies in July as part of the return from the Orioles for beleaguered reliever Gregory Soto.  He pitched well in his seven minor league starts, earning a call-up to the Phillies on September 8th to make his big league debut against the Marlins.  It did go well.  Johnson was in trouble from the outset, and he'd depart the game in the middle of the third inning.  His final line for the day - nine runs on eight hits, including a home run, three walks and a 34.71 ERA.  He'll hopefully get a chance to bring that ERA down a bit with the Phillies in 2025.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2019 Bowman Draft #BD-90
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Favorite 2024 Card:  N/A
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  None as of 12/24/24, none added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2024 Chachi #64

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #63 Aramis Garcia / 2024 Chachi #65 Kyle Schwarber HL

2024 Chachi #63 Aramis Garcia

#41 / Aramis Michael Garcia / Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  228
Opening Day Age:  31

Born:  January 12, 1993, Hialeah, FL
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent with the Phillies, February 16, 2023

Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 2018-19; Oakland Athletics 2021; Cincinnati Reds 2022; Philadelphia Phillies 2024

2024 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #4

With catcher J.T. Realmuto banged up and third string catcher Rafael Marchan also battling injuries, Aramis Garcia got the call to the Phillies on September 7th.  The veteran catcher would appear in three games, making two starts behind the plate on September 8th and 11th.  In his short time with the Phillies, he went hitless in seven at-bats, with three strikeouts.  Garcia became a minor league free agent following the season, and signed with the Diamondbacks on November 19th.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2014 Bowman Draft #DP50
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2019
Favorite/Only 2024 Card:  2024 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #4
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  2 as of 12/24/24, 1 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2024 Chachi #63

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #62 Buddy Kennedy / 2024 Chachi #64 Seth Johnson

2024 Chachi #62 Buddy Kennedy

#19 / Clifton Lewis Kennedy / Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  190
Opening Day Age:  25

Born:  October 5, 1998, Millville, NJ
Acquired:  Purchased by the Phillies from the Detroit Tigers, June 7, 2024

Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible 2028
Major League Teams:  Arizona Diamondbacks 2022-23; Detroit Tigers 2024; Philadelphia Phillies 2024

Millville's own Buddy Kennedy, grandson of former Phillies' third baseman Don Money, joined the Phillies organization in early June.  He was active for a pair of games August 26th and 27th, but didn't get any game action before being sent back down to Lehigh Valley.  Recalled again on September 6th, Kennedy would make his Phillies debut as a late inning defensive replacement at third base in a 16-2 win over the Marlins.  He'd start a game each at third base and second base over the final month of the season, contributing a clutch game-tying double against the Mets on September 15th in a game the Phillies would ultimately win.  In eight games with the Phillies, Kennedy batted .182 (2 for 11) with his one big double. 

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Now #375
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2023
Favorite 2024 Card:  N/A
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  None as of 12/24/24, none added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2024 Chachi #62

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #61 Tyler Gilbert / 2024 Chachi #63 Aramis Garcia