Stay on Target . . . Getting Closer to Baseball

2020 Chachi New Additions #10

Most of my offseason attention has been turned towards building and posting my two other blogs, covering the 1956 and 1965 Topps sets.  After the Zack Wheeler and Didi Gregorius signings in December, transactions and non-roster invitees have slowly trickled in and I wanted to run another catch-up post before the joy of pitchers and catchers reporting kicks in.  Phillies pitchers and catchers are set to officially report on February 11th.

A number of ex-Phillies recently found new homes, as updated below.  The Phillies also made another waiver claim, taking Reggie McClain from the Mariners.  McClain has no major baseball card appearances to his name to date.

Trevor Kelley was designated for assignment to make room for McClain on the 40-man roster, but at least Kelley has a coveted Chachi New Additions insert card to show for his time in the Phillies organization.

2020 Chachi Departures #15

2020 Chachi Departures #1

2020 Chachi Departures #17

2020 Chachi Departures #9

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency, signed the San Francisco Giants (1/18/20).
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (1/7/20).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/9/20).
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers (1/22/20).
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (1/16/20).
• Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released.
• Jared Hughes - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jason Vargas - lhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jerad Eickhoff - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres (12/27/19).
• Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/31/20).
• Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1/8/20).
• Maikel Franco - 3b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Kansas City Royals (12/27/19).
• Cesar Hernandez - 2b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (12/29/19).

2020 Chachi Departures #7

2020 Chachi Departures #16

Coming Back - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (12/20/19).

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Robert Stock - rhp (10/30/19) - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
• Cristopher Sanchez - lhp (11/20/19) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for Curtis Mead.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/2/19) - Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
• Zack Wheeler - rhp (12/9/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (12/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• Nick Martini - of (1/14/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (1/31/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

Price Hired as Pitching Coach; First Offseason Moves

2015 Topps Heritage #269

2020 Chachi New Additions #1

2020 Chachi Departures #1

2019 Topps Total #530

The Phillies wasted no time in naming their new pitching coach, officially hiring Bryan Price the morning following the conclusion of the World Series.  Price replaces Chris Young, who lasted just one season in that position.  Price pitched in the Angels and Mariners systems between 1984 and 1989, and then served as the pitching coach for the Mariners (2000-2006), Diamondbacks (2007-2009) and Reds (2010-2013).  He managed the Reds for three full seasons beginning in 2014, and was fired in 2018 after his team got off to a 3-15 start.  In his three-plus seasons managing the Reds, his teams finished with a record of 279-387.

In player news, reliever Robert Stock became the first new addition to the 40-man roster when he was claimed off waivers from the Padres on Wednesday.  Stock appeared in only 10 games for the Padres in 2019 and finished the season on the 60-day injured list with a biceps ailment.  A former catcher, Stock's most recent baseball card can be found in the 2019 Topps Series Two offering.

Finally, the first two names were added to what is sure to be a long list of departing players this offseason.  Reliever Fernando Salas and catcher Rob Brantly, two of the shortest tenured members of the 2019 Phillies, became minor league free agents the day after the regular season ended on September 30th.  Remarkably, Salas earned a Phillies baseball card in the Topps Total set, despite appearing in only 3 games and pitching 2 2/3 innings.  Brantly's time in red pinstripes was limited to one pinch-hit at-bat (he struck out) in July.  My son Doug captured Brantly's short time in the Phillies dugout with a pre-game selfie.

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Robert Stock - rhp (10/30/19) - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.

2019 Chachi #53 Rob Brantly

#44
Robert Jacob Brantly
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  195
Opening Day Age:  29
Born:  July 14, 1989, San Diego, CA
Drafted:  Selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 3rd round of the June 2010 draft
Teams:  Miami Marlins 2012-2013; Chicago White Sox 2015, 2017; Phillies 2019
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians organization, December 14, 2018

2013 Topps #511

2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #3

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2013 Topps #511
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #3
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #3

1 - Brantly baseball card in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 7/15/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #53

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

Game 91 - 2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #3 Rob Brantly

Nationals 4, Phillies 0
Game 91 - Friday Night, July 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 47-44, 3rd place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The flat Phillies fell easily to the Nationals, 4-0, in the second half opener.

What It Means:  Jon Morosi's Tweet is depressing:  On May 29th, the Phillies led the N.L. East by 3 1/2 games.  Since then, they're 14-22 with only the Mets having a worse record in the N.L.  This is the furthest out of first place they've been all season.

What Happened:  Nick Pivetta labored through five innings, allowing three runs on six hits.  The offense had eight hits, seven of them singles, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  Catcher Rob Brantly made his Phillies debut, striking out as a pinch-hitter against Sean Doolittle to end the game.  He was kind enough to sign Doug's card before the game.  Doug reported he made sure to honor each and every pre-game autograph request before returning back to the dugout.

Field Report:  Jenna and Doug attended this game, and Doug's pregame autograph hunt garnered signatures from Brantly (along with a selfie) and injured star Andrew McCutchen.  The signed Cutch ball was the highlight of Doug's night and he rode that joy through the duration of a rather boring game.

Transactions:  J.T. Realmuto was placed on the paternity list for a game, and he's expected to rejoin the Phillies on Saturday.  Brantly had his contract selected from the IronPigs and reliever Pat Neshek was moved to the 60-day injured list.

Phillies Announce First Round of Non-Roster Invitees

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #33

2017 Topps Heritage #135

2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #16

2015 Topps Heritage #667

2014 Topps #483

On Friday, the Phillies announced their first 7 non-roster invitees who will suit up with numbers in the 60s and 70s in February.  Here's a list of the newest Phillies with a look at their latest mainstream baseball card appearances.

Player (position) - 2018 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Jeremy Bleich (lhp) - Athletics - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #35 (Yankees)
2.  Rob Brantly (c) - Braves/Indians - 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #33 (Marlins)
3.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Reds/Braves - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)
4.  Josh Martin (rhp) - Indians - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP160 (Indians)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Phillies - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Gregorio Petit (inf) - Twins - 2015 Topps Heritage #667 (Yankees)
7.  Shane Robinson (of) - Yankees - 2014 Topps #483 (Cardinals)

As I've done the past several years, I also wanted to look back at the crop of 2018 non-roster invitees and show the success ratio the group had in joining the team's major league roster.  Of the 23 players invited to camp last year without a guaranteed roster spot, only 5 actually made the leap to the big club during the season.  I've noted those players below with a "**" next to their names.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
**2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
4.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
5.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
6.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
7.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
**8.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
9.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
**10.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60 (Padres)
11.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N (Phillies)
12.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
13.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4 (Phillies)
**14.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114 (Phillies)
15.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
16.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
17.  Francisco Rodriguez (rhp) - Tigers/Nationals - 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen #185 (Tigers)
18.  Adam Rosales (inf) - Athletics/Diamondbacks - 2017 Topps #377 (Athletics)
19.  Ryan Flaherty (2b) - Orioles - 2017 Topps #314 (Orioles)
20.  Collin Cowgill (of) - Padres - 2015 Topps Update #US385 (Angels)
21.  Nick Rickles (c) - Nationals/Phillies - N/A
**22.  Drew Hutchison (rhp) - Pirates - 2016 Topps #343 (Blue Jays)
23.  Fernando Abad (lhp) - Red Sox - 2016 Topps Heritage #613 (Twins)