Six in a Row and the Final 2014 Chachi Cards

2014 Chachi #71

Phillies 4, Rockies 3
Game 40 - Late Monday Night, May 18th in Denver
Record - 17-23, 4th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels pitched a gem while Odubel Herrera and Carlos Ruiz provided clutch hits in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie as the Phillies eventually defeated the Rockies, 4-3.

What It Means:  The Phils have won six in a row and they've passed the Marlins in the standings for sole possession of fourth place.  They're now 2 1/2 games behind the third place Braves.

What Happened:  Hamels pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing a run on six hits while striking out seven.  Luis Garcia and Jonathan Papelbon (10th save) held the Rockies scoreless over the final five outs.  With the score tied at one, and with two outs in the sixth, Herrera's double plated two runs to give the Phils the lead.

Featured Cards:  I thought this would be a good place to feature the final two cards from the 2014 Chachi set.  Honestly, these team leaders cards probably didn't get the attention they deserved on this blog since I was so anxious to put the 2014 season behind me.

The Leading Firemen card below features a great photo from the combined no-hitter thrown by four different Phillies pitchers on Labor Day.  I tried hard to use this photo for the eventual no-hitter Highlight card, but the four individual pictures I ended up using worked better with the 1988 Topps Highlights card design.  And I really wish the dude walking by with the large gray trash can hadn't photo bombed the shot.

2014 Chachi #72

2015 Chachi Checklist is Live!

2014 Chachi #73

With the final Phillies roster moves announced this afternoon, the first 33 cards in the 2015 Chachi set have been revealed on the set's official checklist page.  Who's ready for Jeff Francoeur's first unofficial Phillies card?  Who's been waiting weeks to finally see Jeanmar Gomez in red pinstripes on virtual cardboard?  Who among us hasn't spent time daydreaming about finally gazing upon an Odubel Herrera Phillies card?  Our wait is almost over.

Featured above is the checklist from the 2014 Chachi set, which borrowed the 1988 Topps design.  I've featured a number of cards from the various 2015 Chachi insert sets already, but the official cards will debut shortly after opening day and will use the colorful 1985 Topps design.

* * *

This post will also serve to wrap up the final transactions made on Easter Sunday to parse the roster down to the required 25 players.

Final Camp Head Count:  28 + 1 - 4 = 25.  As reported Saturday night, Dustin McGowan was officially signed and will join the Phillies bullpen.  He joins non-roster invitees Francoeur and Andres Blanco who also officially made the opening day roster.

Outfielder Jordan Danks was optioned to Lehigh Valley, while Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Pettibone and Mario Hollands will start the season on the disabled list.  Hollands was placed on the 60-day disabled list, opening up the needed 40-man roster spot.

Here's a final run-down of the team's off-season moves, although I'll add to this list if any of the other offseason non-roster invitee signings eventually make their way up to the big club.

2015 Chachi Departures #12

2015 Chachi Departures #13

Moving On
Reid Brignac (10/2/14) - Elected free agency.  (Signed with the Miami Marlins organization 11/19/14)
Jeremy Horst (10/2/14) - Elected free agency.  (Signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization 1/27/15)
Jeff Manship (10/2/14) - Elected free agency.  (Signed with the Cleveland Indians organization 12/24/14)
Tony Gwynn, Jr. (10/10/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed with the Washington Nationals organization 3/2/15)
B.J. Rosenberg (10/27/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization 2/7/15)
Mike Adams (10/30/14) - Team option declined, making him a free agent.  (Signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization 3/1/15)
Kyle Kendrick (10/30/14) - Elected free agency.  (Signed with the Colorado Rockies 2/4/15)
Wil Nieves (10/30/14) - Elected free agency.  (Signed with the San Diego Padres organization 2/3/15)
A.J. Burnett (11/3/14) - Declined option for 2015, elected free agency.  (Signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates 11/14/14)
Brad Lincoln (11/4/14) - Elected free agency.  (Signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization 11/18/14)
Antonio Bastardo (12/10/14) - Traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Joely Rodriguez.
Jimmy Rollins (12/19/14) - Traded with cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tom Windle and Zach Eflin.
Marlon Byrd (12/31/14) - Traded with cash to the Cincinnati Reds for Ben Lively.

Coming Back
Andres Blanco (11/13/14) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.
Koyie Hill (11/20/14) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.
Sean O'Sullivan (12/16/14) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

New Additions
Elvis Araujo (11/13/14) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians organization.
Joely Rodriguez (12/10/14) - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Antonio Bastardo.
Odubel Herrera (12/11/14) - Selected in the annual Rule 5 draft from the Texas Rangers.
Andy Oliver (12/11/14) - Selected in the annual Rule 5 draft from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Aaron Harang (1/5/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves.
Jordan Danks (1/16/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.
Chad Billingsley (1/29/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dustin McGowan (4/5/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2014 Chachi #68 Stolen Base Leaders - Revere & Rollins

I read the article this morning in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Jimmy Rollins' first few days in Dodgers camp in Arizona, and I've now seen a few pictures of the Phillies former shortstop wearing Dodger blue.  It still doesn't seem right.

Rollins was second on the team in stolen bases (28) last year behind Ben Revere and Revere's total (49) was the highest for a Phillies player since Juan Samuel stole 53 bases in 1985.  However, Revere seems to be one of the few position players in danger of losing his starting job this spring as the Phillies plan to take a long look at Rule 5 draft pick Odubel Herrera in center.

In fact, Herrera is leading off and playing center this afternoon in the first baseball game the team has played since the last day of September.  Herrera's .372 average in the Venezuelan winter league earned him the league's batting title and MVP honors.

Here's the complete list of Phillies players with more than one stolen base last season:

1.  Ben Revere - 49
2.  Jimmy Rollins - 28
3.  Chase Utley - 10
4.  Domonic Brown - 7
5.  Carlos Ruiz - 4
6.  Marlon Byrd - 3
6.  Tony Gwynn, Jr. - 3

I'm very anxious for these exhibition games to start.  Let's get this thing going.

2014 Chachi #67 RBI Leaders - Howard & Byrd

As is often the case, the two players who led the team in home runs last season also led the team in runs batted in.  Ryan Howard fell five RBI short of hitting the century mark, which would have been the first time he's reached that threshold since 2011.  Here's the rest of the team's top nine in RBIs from the 2014 season:

1.  Ryan Howard - 95

2.  Marlon Byrd - 85

3.  Chase Utley - 78

4.  Domonic Brown - 63

5.  Jimmy Rollins - 55

6.  Cody Asche - 46

7.  Carlos Ruiz - 31

8.  Ben Revere - 28

9.  John Mayberry, Jr. - 21

2014 Chachi #66 Home Run Leaders - Byrd & Howard

Last year's Phillies home run leader, Marlon Byrd, recently started his spring training in Goodyear, Arizona with his new team, the Cincinnati Reds.  He's the Reds biggest offseason acquisition and he hopes to help the team improve upon its fourth place finish in the N.L. Central last year.

Ryan Howard, who was second on the club in home runs last year, hopes to help his current team, still the Phillies, climb out of the cellar in the N.L. East.  Reports out of Clearwater are that Howard looks more "agile" and "quick" so far this spring which hopefully translates into "doesn't swing and miss out the outside junk away" during the regular season.

Here are the team's top nine home run hitters last year, which was the third year in a row the leader had less than 30 home runs.  Jimmy Rollins led the club with 23 home runs in 2012 and Domonic Brown took the honors in 2013 with 27 home runs.

1.  Marlon Byrd - 25
2.  Ryan Howard - 23
3.  Jimmy Rollins - 17
4.  Chase Utley - 11
5.  Cody Asche - 10
5.  Domonic Brown - 10
6.  John Mayberry, Jr. - 6
6.  Carlos Ruiz - 6
7.  Freddy Galvis - 4

2014 Chachi #65 Batting Leaders - Revere & Utley

The Phillies have been very quiet so far this offseason, which has allowed me to focus on my project of documenting the team issued sets issued over the past 60 years.  I thought I'd take a short weekend break from my project and cleanse the palette with a leaders card from the past season.

Ben Revere ran away with the team's batting title this year, although his average dipped at the end from its high water mark of .316 on September 5th.  Here's the complete list of six players who had enough qualifying at-bats this past season to be considered for the title.  How many of these guys will still be on the roster following this coming week's Winter Meetings in San Diego?

1.  Ben Revere - .306
2.  Chase Utley - .270
3.  Marlon Byrd - .264
4.  Jimmy Rollins - .243
5.  Domonic Brown - .235
6.  Ryan Howard - .223

Programming Note:  The Phillies Room will be mainly on auto-pilot for a few days beginning mid-week as we take some time to prepare for the upcoming holidays.  If needed, I'm ready and willing to fly to San Diego to assist the team's current management with suggested player moves.

Moving On - Seven More Exit Phillies

2014 Chachi #69

The former Phillies club added seven members since my last off-season update in mid-October.  Mike Adams, Kyle Kendrick, Wil Nieves, A.J. Burnett, Koyie Hill and Brad Lincoln are now all officially free agents, and they'll be playing elsewhere in 2015.  On Monday night, Burnett declined his side of an option for 2015 which would have resulted in him earning $12.75 to pitch for a rebuilding Phillies club.  Rather than take the money and play for a team in flux, Burnett decided to try to sign with a contender.

Andres Blanco did not accept his assignment to Lehigh Valley, making him a free agent as well.

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.
Tony Gwynn, Jr. (10/10/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
Mike Adams (10/30/14) - Team option declined, making him a free agent.
Kyle Kendrick (10/30/14) - Elected free agency.
Wil Nieves (10/30/14) - Elected free agency.
Andres Blanco (11/1/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.
A.J. Burnett (11/3/14) - Declined option for 2015, elected free agency.
Koyie Hill (11/4/14) - Elected free agency.
Brad Lincoln (11/4/14) - Elected free agency.

2014 Topps Update #US-77

Catcher Koyie Hill and pitcher Brad Lincoln became free agents yesterday.  Both were in the IronPigs team set and Lincoln had his sole Phillies card in the first team issued set, released in early April.

I have six Phillies baseball cards in my collection for Adams, four of which come from the two team issued sets from 2013 and 2014.  Adams also appears in both the 2013 and 2014 Topps Update sets.  Nieves is in the 2014 Topps Update set as well, and he was in both team issued sets from this past season.

I have five Burnett cards in my 2014 Phillies collection, although three of those cards (Donruss Jersey Kings, Panini Prizm and Topps) feature him wearing a Pirates uniform made to look like a Phillies uniform.  To date, the only cards featuring Burnett in an actual Phillies uniform are from the two team issued sets.

Finally, Kendrick's time with the team comes to an end after a topsy turvy tenure.  Including minor league cards, I have 51 Kendrick cards in my collection dating back to his 2004 card from the Batavia Muckdogs team set.  Unless he appears in a few early 2015 releases with the Phillies, his final Phillies card can be found within the second series of Topps' 2014 flagship set.

2014 Chachi #70 Victory Leaders - Kendrick, Hamels & Burnett

Braves 2, Phillies 1
Game 162 - Sunday Afternoon, September 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 73-89, 5th Place, 23 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The 2014 Phillies shuffled off into the history books with a 2-1 loss to the Braves.

What It Means:  It means the Phillies finished with an identical record as 2013.  No forward momentum, no big set back, just the status quo for the 2014 Philadelphia Phillies.  In 2015, they'll try to avoid a third straight losing season for the first time since the dark ages of 1994 through 2000.

What Happened:  Cole Hamels turned in another great performance . . . and suffered his ninth loss of the year.  Hamels allowed two runs on three hits in his eight innings of work while striking out seven.  The sole Phillies run came when Ben Revere grounded into a double play in the eighth and Freddy Galvis scored from third.

Featured Card:  I had to come up with a team leader template for this year's Chachi set, since there were no leaders cards within the original 1988 Topps set.  I decided to use the Team Leaders cards that I mocked back in this post, and I've tried to mimic the faded border of the photos in the originals.  I'll feature the other Phillies Team Leaders, as depressing as they may be, throughout the coming weeks.

Memory Lane - Game 162
This is the sixth season in a row I've summarized the daily happenings of the Phillies, and I'll be back for a seventh season in 2015.  Again, I know you're going to get better analysis and more frequent updates elsewhere, but I do this because it's fun for me.  I sincerely enjoy the interaction with all my readers, and thank you for sticking around during this long season.

October 4, 2009 - Catcher Paul Hoover singled in the winning run in the 10th in a 7-6 win over the Marlins.
October 3, 2010 - The Phillies lost 8-7 to the Braves in their final tune-up before facing the Reds in the N.L.D.S.
September 28, 2011 - The Phillies closed out the 2011 regular season with a 13-inning victory against the Braves, setting a franchise record with their 102nd regular season win.
October 3, 2012 - The Phillies closed out their 2012 season with a lethargic 5-1 loss to the N.L. East Champion Nationals.
September 29, 2013 - Zach Miner got the ball for the Phillies and lasted 2 1/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to the Braves.

Let's go Angels!

Jerome Williams - 3 Wins, 3 Different Teams

Phillies 3, Athletics 0
Game 155 - Saturday Afternoon, September 20th in Oakland
Record - 71-84

One Sentence Summary:  Jerome Williams pitched another great game and Ken Giles notched his first career save as the Phillies shut out the A's, 3-0.

What It Means:  Williams set a record by defeating the A's for the third time this season, with each of his three wins coming as a member of a different team.  As a member of the Astros, Williams won against the A's on April 26th.  He won again as a member of the Rangers on July 25th.  And he completed the hat trick with a win yesterday.

What Happened:  Williams pitched seven innings, allowing just four hits while striking out three.  Giles, filling in for the suspended Jonathan Papelbon, closed out the game to earn his first career save on his 24th birthday.

2014 Bowman Prospects #BP99

Freddy Galvis provided all the offense the Phillies would need with a two-run home run (his 4th) in the seventh inning.

Featured Cards:  I took a family vote as to whether or not Williams' feat deserved a Chachi Record Breakers card.  My wife and oldest son voted that it did in fact deserve a card, while my youngest son abstained from the vote due to indifference.  I cast the deciding vote, figuring that the feat was cool enough to merit its own card.

I also wanted to include a Giles card, to celebrate his first of hopefully many saves in a Phillies uniform.  This is his first mainstream baseball card, from this year's Bowman set.

2014 Chachi #63 Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez

#75

Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  200

Born:  September 23, 1986, Havana, Cuba

Home:  Miami, FL

Signed:  Signed as a free agent, August 30, 2013

Teams:  Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Via free agency

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 2014 Bowman Prospects #BP105
#3 - 2014 Bowman Chrome Top 5 Mini Refractors #BM-PP4

Gonzalez climbed through the minor league ranks this season, appearing in Clearwater (8 games), Reading (11 games) and Lehigh Valley (12 games).  His rapid ascension meant that he was completely omitted from all 2014 Phillies minor league team sets.

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #63

2014 Chachi #62 Maikel Franco

#7

Maikel Antonio Franco

Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180

Born:  August 26, 1992, Azua, Dominican Republic

Home:  Azua, Dominican Republic

Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent, January 13, 2010

Teams:  Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Via free agency

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP112

#6 - 2014 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP68

I also have seven Phillies minor league baseball cards featuring Franco.

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #62

Phillies Throw Combined No-Hitter!

2014 Chachi #61

Phillies 7, Braves 0
Game 137 - Monday Afternoon, September 1st in Atlanta
Record - 63-74

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon combined to no-hit the Braves as the Phillies won a memorable Labor Day game in Atlanta.

What It Means:  It means (for me at least) that this was the highlight of the 2014 Phillies season.  We all watched each and every pitch of the last two innings together, and we cheered when first baseman Darin Ruf caught the line drive from Phil Gosselin to end the game and give the Phillies their first combined no-hitter in franchise history.  Very cool stuff.

What Happened:  Hamels threw the first six innings, but departed when his pitch count reached 108.  Diekman, Giles and Papelbon shut down their nine batters in order.  Marlon Byrd made a spectacular diving catch in the third to preserve the no-hitter.

Somewhat lost in the shuffle due to the amazing pitching performance was Ben Revere's first career five-RBI day.  Revere cleared the bases with a triple in the seventh.  Jimmy Rollins had three hits and an RBI triple, with his triple giving him 658 multi-hit games as a Phillie - the most in franchise history.  Richie Ashburn was the previous record holder with 657 multi-hit games.

Other cool stuff/random thoughts from the no-hitter . . .

2014 Bowman #204

• Hamels dedicated the game ball from the final out to team president David Montgomery who is currently out on medical leave recovering from jaw cancer.
• This was the third no-hitter caught by Carlos Ruiz, second only to the four caught by Jason Varitek.
• Ruiz, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were in the line-up for all three no-hitters.
• I hope Topps does something cool to commemorate the four pitchers who contributed to this feat.  It would be easy to just feature Hamels on a card, but I'm hoping for a card featuring all four pitchers.
• The Phillies typically give away a set of postcards during the last game of the season showing highlights from the past year.  Do you think they stopped the presses to squeeze in a card for the combined no-hitter?

Featured Cards:  I had to produce a Chachi Highlight card to celebrate this feat, although I had to get a little creative with the photo selections.  I was really hoping to find a photo with all four pitchers smiling and celebrating, but the only photos out there are from the post-game interview and press conference, which seemed somewhat anti-climatic.

Memory Lane:  This is the third no-hitter to be thrown during the lifetime of the Chachi sets.  Here are the links to the other two no-hitters, both courtesy of Roy Halladay.

5/29/10 - Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in Major League history
10/6/10 - Halladay no-hit the Reds in Game 1 of the N.L.D.S.
9/1/14 - Hamels, Diekman, Giles and Papelbon combine for the franchise's 12th no-hitter

2014 Chachi #60 Jerome Williams

Angels 7, Phillies 2
Game 120 - Late Tuesday Night, August 12th in Anaheim
Record - 53-67, 5th Place, 12 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  A seven-run sixth inning, aided by a Marlon Byrd gaffe in right field and Antonio Bastardo's latest poor outing, led to a 7-2 Angels victory over the Phillies.

What It Means:  BASTARDO!!

What Happened:  Had Byrd caught Collin Cowgill's fly ball with two outs in the sixth, the inning would have ended with the game tied 2-2.  Instead, he overran the ball, a run scored and four more runs would score against Bastardo before the inning mercifully ended.

Featured Card:  Jerome Williams became the ninth pitcher to start a game for the Phillies this season.  He did relatively well, pitching five shutout innings and only running into trouble in the sixth.  Here's the back of his 2014 Chachi card:

#31

Jerome Lee Williams

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  240

Born:  December 4, 1981, Honolulu, HI

Drafted:  Selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round of the June 1999 draft

Teams:  San Francisco Giants 2003-2005, Chicago Cubs 2005-2006, Washington Nationals 2007, Los Angeles Angels 2011-2013, Houston Astros 2014, Texas Rangers 2014, Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Selected off waivers from the Texas Rangers, August 10, 2014

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

None, and I doubt there will ever be any.

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #60

2014 Chachi #59 Hector Neris

#50

Hector Neris

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  190

Born:  June 14, 1989, Villa Altagracia, DR

Home:  Villa Altagracia, DR

Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent, April 29, 2010

Teams:  Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Via free agency

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

No Phillies cards for Neris yet, but I do have four minor league baseball cards of his in my collection.

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #59

The photo for this card is just awful and if a better photo of Neris becomes available I'll definitely make an updated card.  This "awful photo version" of Neris' first Chachi card could become a scarce collector's item.

2014 Chachi #56 Andres Blanco

#4

Andres Eloy Blanco

Infielder

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  188

Born:  April 11, 1984, Urama, Carabobo, VZ

Home:  Urama, Carabobo, VZ

Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Royals as an amateur free agent, August 2, 2000

Teams:  Kansas City Royals 2004-2006, Chicago Cubs 2009, Texas Rangers 2010-2011, Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals organization, March 31, 2012

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

I have three IronPigs cards in my collection featuring Blanco, but no Phillies cards.

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #56

2014 Chachi #55 Sean O'Sullivan

#61

Sean Daniel O'Sullivan

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  220

Born:  September 1, 1987, San Diego, CA

Home:  Spring Valley, CA

Drafted:  Selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 3rd round of the June 2005 draft

Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 2009-2010, Kansas City Royals 2010-2011, San Diego Padres 2013, Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the San Diego Padres, December 17, 2013

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

O'Sullivan is in the 2014 Lehigh Valley IronPigs team set, but he has yet to appear on a Phillies baseball card.

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #55