Happy Birthday Doug!

It's hard to believe, but Doug turns eight today!

I'm convinced that our township is secretly plotting against me since they placed Doug on the Braves last season and on the Marlins this past spring.  If he somehow ends up on the Mets for the 2015 season, I'm going to need to come to terms with not only having a Mets hat in my house but having to root for the Mets (at least the Little League version) throughout the baseball season.

In any event, I continue to be amazed by this terrific kid and I'm so proud to be his Dad.

Happy birthday Doug!

Final Look at 2013-2014 Phillies Transactions

2014 Chachi Almost #6

For some odd reason, I wanted to take a look back one more time at the moves made between the end of 2013 season and through the end of the 2014 season.  Read it and weep.

One of the players not appearing on this list is pitcher Jason Marquis, who probably would have joined the club in mid-August if not for the impressive performance from Jerome Williams.  The former All-Star signed with the Phillies in early June.  With the IronPigs, Marquis went 3-1 with a 4.63 ERA in eight starts.  Having not made the big club by the end of August, he requested and was granted his release.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13.)

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 12/18/13.)

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Seattle Mariners, 2/11/14.)

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers, 1/27/14.)

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cincinnati Reds, 1/31/14.)

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13.)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13.)

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the New York Mets, 1/18/14.)

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed by the Toronto Blue Jays and announced his retirement, 12/9/13.)

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago White Sox, 11/24/13.)

Erik Kratz (12/3/13) - Traded with Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brad Lincoln.

Joe Savery (2/16/14) - Designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics.

Kevin Frandsen (3/23/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and signed with the Washington Nationals as a free agent, 3/26/14.

Coming Back

Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Shawn Camp (11/11/13) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Chicago Cubs.

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Reid Brignac (11/17/13) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.

Jeff Manship (12/2/13) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.

Brad Lincoln (12/3/13) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen.

Wil Nieves (12/5/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sean O'Sullivan (12/17/13) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the San Diego Padres.

Roberto Hernandez (12/18/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tony Gwynn, Jr. (12/22/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ronny Cedeno (1/12/14) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the San Diego Padres.

A.J. Burnett (2/16/14) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Koyie Hill (3/17/14) - Acquired from the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later or cash.

Jayson Nix (3/28/14) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash.

Departed During the Season

Jayson Nix (5/12/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.)

Ronny Cedeno (6/29/14) - Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Raywilly Gomez.

Steve Susdorf (7/10/14) - Released by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Roberto Hernandez (8/7/14) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two players to be named later or cash.  (Phillies would later receive Jesmuel Valentin and Victor Arano.)
John Mayberry, Jr. (8/31/14) - Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Gustavo Pierre

Arrived During the Season

Grady Sizemore (6/24/14) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.

Jerome Williams (8/10/14) - Selected off waivers from the Texas Rangers.

Memory Lane
2013 In-Season Transactions
2012-2013 Offseason Moves
2012 In-Season Transactions
2011-2012 Offseason Moves

The First Moves of the 2014-2015 Offseason

2014 Chachi Almost #7

I'm the guy who gets an alert from MLB Trade Rumors titled "Minor League Free Agents" and I immediately stop what I'm doing to check it out.  Three Phillies were on the list of new free agents, and another pitcher joined the ranks of ex-Phillies a few days later.

Presented below are your first Ex-Phillies of the offseason.

2014 Phillies Team Issue 2 #17

Moving On
Reid Brignac (10/2/14) - Elected free agency.
Jeremy Horst (10/2/14) - Elected free agency.
Jeff Manship (10/2/14) - Elected free agency.
Sean O'Sullivan (10/6/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and released.

Horst spent the entire season in Triple-A, earning him the final Chachi Almost card of 2014.  He had an impressive 2012 campaign, pitching to a 1.15 ERA in 32 games.  But everything seemed to fall apart for him in 2013 (0-2, 6.23 ERA in 28 games) and he hasn't been heard from since.  Horst appeared in three Phillies team issued sets - the 2012 second series set, and both 2013 sets.

Brignac and Manship both appeared in the 2014 second series set, marking their only appearances on Phillies cardboard.  O'Sullivan had a card in the 2014 Lehigh Valley IronPigs set and will join the ranks of Missing Links - Phillies players with no Phillies baseball cards.

2014 Chachi Cloth Patches

As the season winds down, I wanted to feature the "cloth patches" I created to headline each of my series preview posts.  I originally used these during the 2013 season, and I brought them back for the 2014 season.*  I'll be moving on with a new design in 2015 . . . although I haven't quite decided what that new design is going to be.  Presented below are all 30 teams, by division.

*Two of the teams changed their primary logos for 2014.  Using last year as a reference point, can you spot the different logos?

2014 Chachi Wax Box Cards

I averted a near disaster a few nights ago, when I was taking out the recycling and I dropped an empty box that had previously contained 36 2014 Chachi wax packs.  The box landed top down, and I couldn't believe that there were four more Chachi cards printed on the bottom!  I carefully cut around the outside border of the four cards, and I'm presenting these rarities here.  They're the same as the regular Chachi cards, but with a baby blue border.  The cards feature former Phillies with their new teams and Phillies Room favorite Rheal Cormier.

The box I was getting ready to recycle was from the late third series of this year's Chachi cards, so I'll have to track down boxes from the first and second series to see if those boxes had cards on the bottom too.  Let this be a lesson to you!  Always check your wax box bottoms to see if there are any hidden treasures to add to your collection.

Now the only thing I have to decide is whether I should cut them out or keep them together on one panel in order to retain their future value.

2014 Chachi Almost #5 Jo-Jo Reyes

I'm more than a little shocked that the number of names featured below hasn't grown over the past several months.  In early July, it seemed as if the Phillies were primed for a complete fire sale with veterans and upcoming free agents heading to contending teams.  To date, the Phils have made one trade, sending Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers.

The first player to be named later in that deal was actually named recently - infielder Jesmuel Valentin, son of former big leaguer Jose Valentin.  The younger Valentin has appeared in the 2012 Bowman Draft set and the 2014 Topps Pro Debut set, along with a few other prospect-based sets such as Elite and Leaf.

The player featured here, the latest member of the Chachi Almost insert set, was a long-shot to ever join the list below of "Arrived During the Season."  Jo-Jo Reyes last pitched in the Majors in 2011 with the Orioles.  Since then, he's pitched within the Pirates and Angels organizations and he spent 2013 pitching in Korea.  The Phils signed him to a minor league deal in early July and in five starts with the IronPigs, Reyes went 1-3 with a 10.45 ERA.  He was recently released, but at least his time within the Phillies organization will be marked with a Chachi Almost card.

(And here's a little family secret . . . when my wife was pregnant with our second son, we joked with friends and family that we were going to name him Jo-Jo.  We were both excited when Reyes signed his deal with the Phillies and slightly disappointed when it didn't pan out.)

Departed During the Season

Jayson Nix (5/12/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.)

Ronny Cedeno (6/29/14) - Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Raywilly Gomez.

Steve Susdorf (7/10/14) - Released by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Tony Gwynn, Jr. (7/21/14) - Designated for assignment and released on 7/27/14.  (Resigned to a minor league contract by the Phillies on 8/3/14.)

Roberto Hernandez (8/7/14) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two players to be named later or cash.

Arrived During the Season

Grady Sizemore (6/24/14) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.

Jerome Williams (8/10/14) - Selected off waivers from the Texas Rangers.

Phillies Select Nola with First Pick

Nationals 4, Phillies 2
Game 58 - Thursday Afternoon, June 5th in Washington
Record - 24-34, 5th Place, 7 games behind the Braves and Marlins

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals completed the three-game sweep of the Phillies with a 4-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phils have now lost six in a row, and they head to Cincinnati for a three-game series with the Reds.

What Happened:  Kyle Kendrick actually pitched better than usual, allowing four runs in his seven innings of work.  The offense was mostly quiet with the exception of a two-run home run from John Mayberry, Jr. in the seventh.  Hopefully the Red Sox scouts were watching.

Featured Card:  I haven't created any draft pick cards in the past, but for some reason I felt the need to make a card for the Phillies #1 draft pick this year, pitcher Aaron Nola.  Nola was selected seventh overall last night and was a junior last season with LSU.  Overall, Nola went 30-6 with a 2.09 ERA in his college career, winning SEC player of the year honors in 2013 and 2014.  He becomes the first college pitcher drafted by the Phillies since they took Joe Savery in 2007.

What intrigues me about Nola is that scouts predict he could be the first starting pitcher selected in this year's draft to make the Majors.  Given the current state of free-fall the team is experiencing right now, it's nice to have something positive to think about.

Welcome Home, Mike Trout! (@Trouty20)

Angels 4, Phillies 3
Game 37 - Tuesday Night, May 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 17-20, 5th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cody Asche's three costly errors led to the Angels 4-3 victory as the town of Millville, New Jersey took over Citizens Bank Park.

What It Means:  It's not going well for the Local 9.

What Happened:  Asche had just an awful night and all four of the Angels runs were unearned.  Cliff Lee was saddled with the loss, despite pitching seven strong innings and striking out seven.

My Mom and my oldest son Doug cheering on Mike Trout

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Normally, there is no way I'd publish a post without a Phillies or a Phillies-related baseball card attached to it.  Yet here I am posting with a custom baseball card of an opposing player in connection with a game the Phillies lost in unspectacular fashion.

I've mentioned this here a few times before, but I was born in Vineland and grew up in Millville, New Jersey, just like the Angels' Mike Trout.  All similarities between myself and Trout end there.  (Other than the fact that we're both pretty nice guys, in my humble opinion.)  I was one of the 8,000-plus Millvillians in attendance at the game on Tuesday night and I was one of the 8,000-plus in attendance who felt an overwhelming sense of hometown pride each time Trout came to bat.  His story has been told and re-told in numerous national and local publications, and I don't have anything much to add here that hasn't already been printed.

1985 TCMA Orlando Twins #12

He's a small town kid with an unbelievable gift and he's been able to showcase that gift on a national stage all while staying true to his Thunderbolt-supporting, Jim's Lunch burg-eating roots.  His stardom has unified the Millville community, and it's converted lifelong Phillies fans to Angels fans.  It still seems surreal to visit Millville and see more Angels hats on heads than Phillies hats, and I'll admit it was more than a little odd on Tuesday night to see my Mom and my sister decked out in Angels gear.

My family knows his family personally, which isn't really saying much since pretty much every family in Millville knows one another.  It seems everyone in Millville has a Mike Trout story, and I'm no different.  My Dad was one of Mike's Dad's guidance counselors in junior high, and it was with a great sense of pride in the summer of 1985 that my Dad brought home Jeff Trout’s minor league card featuring him as a Twins prospect.  I don't remember the exact circumstances of how he obtained this card, but I'll never forget how cool it was when my Dad told me to flip the elder Trout's card over to see "Hometown:  Millville, NJ" printed on the back.  My Dad followed Jeff's son's progression through high school and we both excitedly watched the MLB Network the night Mikey was drafted in 2009.

So you can imagine how proud we all were - my family, my friends, my former school mates - when Trout took the field on Tuesday night as a nationally recognized Major League baseball All-Star.  It seemed only right, and pretty cool, to give him his own Chachi card for this post.

Hopefully I can give him a Phillies card in the official 2021 Chachi set.

Wrapping Up Chachi Set Odds & Ends

2014 Chachi Transactions #17

2014 Chachi Transactions #19

2014 Chachi Transactions #20

2014 Chachi Transactions #22

I have a number of special Chachi insert cards that have been sitting in my draft folder for a few months as I've had no real good reason to post them.  I figured with the entire staff and management team of The Phillies Room away on spring break this week, this would be a good opportunity to feature all these cards together and wrap up a few loose ends.

First up is a quartet of players who joined the ranks of ex-Phillies this past offseason.  Zach Miner and Mauricio Robles were short-timers with the Phillies last season with Miner appearing in 16 games (three as a starter) and going 0-2 with a 4.40 ERA and Robles making it into just three games and pitching 4 2/3 innings.

Miner signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason, and unbeknownst to me Robles signed with the White Sox organization in November.  Had I known about the Robles signing, he would have been featured sooner in the Chachi Transaction insert set, but as it is he's most likely the last card in the set.

Joe Savery was the club's #1 pick back in 2007 and he first appeared with the Phillies in 2011.  In parts of three seasons, Savery went 3-2 in 41 games with a 4.15 ERA.  I first posted about Savery and his long and winding journey to the Majors in this post after he had made his Phillies debut.

Sadly, Phillies Room favorite Kevin Frandsen is now a member of the rival Nationals.  Presumably the odd man out this past spring, Frandsen landed himself a guaranteed contract with the Nationals, where he'll undoubtedly and repeatedly punish the Phillies throughout this season.

2014 Chachi Preview #3

2014 Chachi Almost #1

2014 Chachi #49

2014 Chachi Almost #3

Finally, here are four cards only a die-hard Phillies and virtual Phillies baseball card aficionado would enjoy.  (All seven or so of us.)  John McDonald probably doesn't need to have another virtual Phillies card, but I loved this photo of him in a throw-back uniform so I went ahead and gave him a card.  Michael Stutes was one of the team's best relievers in 2011, but injuries have hampered his career and he's currently out of baseball following his release a few weeks ago.

Kevin Munson was the team's offseason Rule V draft pick, and he made it part-way through the spring before being sent back to the Diamondbacks.  And veteran infielder Ronny Cedeno was attempting to latch on as bench player with the club, but (thankfully) the Phillies decided to stick with their younger guys and Cedeno was released.  He's since come back to the organization and is playing with the IronPigs.

UPDATE, 6/7/14 - In an unprecedented event, Cedeno will actually have a card in this year's regular Chachi base set.  Following Cedeno's departure at the end of spring training, he was quickly brought back into the fold by the organization and he had his contract selected from the IronPigs in early June.  I will update the official checklist to show this once "Almost" card as an actual "Chachi" card.

The first reader to comment on this lapse in The Phillies Room continuum will receive a coveted The Phillies Room No-Prize.

Happy Birthday Ben!

They say that time flies when you're having fun, and that's definitely been the case over the past four years with our youngest son Ben.  The little dude turns four today, and I couldn't be prouder of how smart, kind and gentle he is.

Happy birthday Ben and we can't wait to celebrate your big day!

Memory Lane

2010 - Welcome Ben!

2010 - Ben is born, Roy Halladay wins, all is right with the world

2011 - Ben turns one as Roy Oswalt pitches the Phillies past the Padres

2012 - Happy 2nd Birthday Ben!

2013 - Happy 3rd Birthday Ben!

Ready or Not, the 25-Man Roster is Set

2014 Chachi Transactions #21

Pirates 3, Phillies 0
Spring Training Game 30 - Friday Night, March 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 9-18-3

One Sentence Summary:  The exhibition season mercifully drew to a close as the Phillies were shut-out by the Pirates, 3-0, in front of a sparse crowd in Philadelphia.

What Happened:  Chase Utley has three hits for the Phillies, accounting for all the team's offense.  Kyle Kendrick pitched five shutout innings in his final tune-up of the spring.

Featured Card/Camp Head Count:  Stay with me here . . . 35 - 11 + 1 = 25.  We'll get there in a little bit.

Some sort of vicious and evil stomach bug along with a current work schedule that could only be described as pure bananas have both conspired to keep me away from any Phillies happenings since Thursday night.  When I could raise my head again and check to see if the roster had been finalized yet for opening day, I was baffled to say the least.  After I've sorted it all out, I updated the sidebar on the left to list the 25 players who will head to Arlington for this year's opener against the Rangers.

Jayson Nix, not to be confused with his brother and former Phillie Laynce Nix, was this year's Ezequiel Carrera, acquired out of nowhere for cash considerations or a player to be named later to fill the last bench spot.  He's the +1 in the equation above.

2012 Grandstand Reading Phillies #10

As for the rest of the departures, 6 players will start the season on the disabled list - Darin Ruf, Freddy Galvis, Mike Adams, Cole Hamels, Miguel Gonzalez and Ethan Martin.  Struggling reliever Phillippe Aumont was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to work on his control.  Finally, non-roster invitees Reid Brignac, Shawn Camp, Koyie Hill and David Buchanan were all reassigned to the minors.

So there you have it, the 25-man roster is ready and so are the first 25 cards of this year's Chachi set, which should debut soon.  Surprise roster addition Mario Hollands will be making his virtual Phillies card debut, as will Jeff Manship.

Finally, we had tickets to the Friday night On-Deck series game with the Pirates, but the aforementioned vicious and evil stomach bug kept me from going.  I'll have to check my favorite blog sources to see if (a) the team went with giant sized cards using something other than the 2011 Topps design for the line-up posted in Ashburn Alley and (b) if the team issued postcard set is available yet.

Play ball!