Pitchers and Catchers Report!

2014 Topps Update #US-281

We made it!  On Wednesday, there will be activity in Clearwater as it's the first official reporting day for the team's pitchers and catchers.  The day prior, the Phillies continued to tinker with their roster, making a few roster moves.

Kaleb Ort (rhp) was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins, and Diego Castillo (inf) was designated for assignment.  Castillo had been on the 40-man roster for eight days.  Ort has appeared in 47 games with the Red Sox over the past three seasons.  In 2023, he appeared in 21 games overall, making two starts, and was 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA in 23 innings pitched.  Ort has appeared in several minor league team sets, but has yet to receive a mainstream baseball card.

Andrew Bellatti (rhp) and Simon Muzziotti (of) both cleared waivers and were outrighted to the IronPigs.  They'll join the ranks of non-roster invitees, updated below.

And finally, David Buchanan (rhp) was signed to a minor league contract (!) and invited to spring training.  Buchanan, now 34, last pitched for the Phillies in 2015, and he's been active in Japan and Korea ever since.  In 30 starts last season with the Samsung Lions, Buchanan was 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA in 188 innings pitched.  It's an intriguing signing, and there's a good chance Buchanan makes a return with the Phillies at some point during the 2024 season.

Camp Head Count:  58

Player (position) - 2023 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card

1.  Mick Abel (rhp) - Phillies - 2023 Topps Pro Debut #PD-86

2.  Ryan Burr (rhp) - Rays - 2019 Topps Total (White Sox)

3.  Griff McGarry (rhp) - Phillies - 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-GM

4.  Tyler McKay (rhp) - Phillies - N/A

5.  Tyler Phillips (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-TP

6.  Jose Ruiz (rhp) - White Sox / Diamondbacks - 2020 Topps Total #720 (White Sox)

7.  Nick Snyder (rhp) - Rangers - N/A

8.  Aramis Garcia (c) - Phillies - 2020 Topps Total #477 (Giants)

9.  Cody Roberts (c) - Phillies - N/A

10.  William Simoneit (c) - Athletics - N/A

11.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Opening Day Luck of the Irish #LI-3

12.  Nick Podkul (inf) - Phillies - N/A

13.  Carlos De La Cruz (of) - Phillies - 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-CDC

14.  Matt Kroon (of) - Phillies - N/A

15.  Cal Stevenson (of) - Athletics / Giants / Phillies - 2023 Topps Heritage #508

16.  Andrew Bellatti (rhp) - Phillies - 2023 Topps Heritage #568

17.  Simon Muzziotti (of) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Update #US19

18.  David Buchanan (rhp) - Samsung Lions (KBO) - 2015 Topps #218

Game 61 - 2015 Topps Heritage High Numbers #506 David Buchanan

Brewers 12, Phillies 4
Game 61 - Friday Night, June 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 32-29, 3rd place, 3 games behind the Braves and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Vince Velasquez was hit early and often in this 12-4 shellacking from the Brewers.

What It Means:  The Phillies are 1-6 so far in June, with their visit to first place back on May 26th now a distant, but pleasant, memory.

What Happened:  Velasquez gave up 10 runs in his 3 2/3 innings of work.  Ryan Braun hit a pair of home runs and the Brewers banged out 13 hits.  Carlos Santana hit his 10th home run and Cesar Hernandez had a three-hit night.

Featured Card:  Velasquez became the first starting pitcher to allow 10 runs in a game since David Buchanan accomplished the feat on August 11, 2015 against the Diamondbacks.

Phils Acquire Buchholz from Red Sox

2017 Chachi New Additions #6

2016 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #25

In a somewhat surprising move, the Phillies yesterday acquired veteran right-handed pitcher Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox for infield prospect Josh Tobias.  Buchholz is a two-time A.L. All-Star and has played 10 seasons in Boston.  In 2016, he appeared in 37 games (21 starts) putting together an 8-10 record and a 4.78 ERA.  Buchholz's salary is $13.5 million for this coming year, and he'll become a free agent following the season.

For the Red Sox, the dealing of Buchholz gives them some payroll flexibility and opens up a back of the rotation spot for a younger arm.  For the Phillies, this would seem to give the team a logjam of starting pitching with Buchholz expected to fall in somewhere between Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola or Jared Eickhoff.  Vince Velasquez would seem to have the best shot at the final rotation spot, with Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin, Alec Asher and Adam Morgan all expected to be in the mix as well. If the wheels come off the Phillies' season early, Buchholz could find himself dealt to a contender in July.

Buchholz appeared in the Topps flagship and Topps Heritage sets last year.  To make room for the new pitcher on the roster, Richie Shaffer, with the organization for less than a week, was designated for assignment.

I'd sad to see Tobias go.  We saw him play this summer at Lakewood, and he was one of the few players who took the time to sign a number of autographs for the younger fans - my two sons included.  I have two Tobias cards in my collection, both from minor league team sets.

* * *

2017 Chachi Departures #9

2017 Chachi Departures #10

In other news, it was reported yesterday that both David Buchanan and Phil Klein will be playing in Japan next season.  Buchanan signed with the Yakult Swallows while Klein signed with the Yokohama BayStars.

David Buchanan Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #44
2015 Chachi #16
2016 Chachi Almost #15
2017 Chachi Departures #9

Phil Klein Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #52
2016 Chachi Fan Appreciation Day #8
2017 Chachi Departures #10

Moving On - 2016-2017 Offseason

• Cedric Hunter - of (10/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• James Russell - lhp (10/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• Emmanuel Burriss - inf (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Washington Nationals, 12/13/16.
• Frank Herrmann - rhp (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Jimmy Paredes - of (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Patrick Schuster - lhp (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/5/16.
• Ryan Howard - 1b (11/3/16) - Team option declined and elected free agency.
• Charlie Morton - rhp (11/3/16) - Team option declined, elected free agency and signed with the Houston Astros, 11/16/16.
• Peter Bourjos - of (11/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• A.J. Ellis - c (11/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed with the Miami Marlins, 12/12/16.
• David Hernandez - rhp (11/3/16) - Elected free agency.
• Darin Ruf - 1b-of and Darnell Sweeney - inf-of (11/11/16) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Howie Kendrick.
• Elvis Araujo - rhp (11/18/16) - Claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.
• David Buchanan - rhp (11/23/16) - Released and signed with the Yakult Swallows (Japan), 12/20/16.
• Cody Asche - of (12/2/16) - Designated for assignment and non-tendered.
• Phil Klein - rhp (12/14/16) - Released and signed with the Yokohama BayStars (Japan), 12/20/16.

Coming Back

• Jeremy Hellickson - rhp (11/3/16) - Elected free agency, accepted team's qualifying offer, 11/14/16.
• Andres Blanco - inf (12/14/16) - Resigned by the Phillies to a one-year contract.

New Additions - 2016-2017 Offseason

• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/16) - Acquired from the Houston Astros for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
• Howie Kendrick - lf (11/11/16) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney.
• Joaquin Benoit - rhp (12/6/16) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (12/20/16) - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Josh Tobias.

Already Gone - 2016-2017 Offseason

• David Rollins - lhp (12/2/16) - Claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers.  Designated for assignment, 12/14/16.
• Richie Shaffer - 3b (12/14/16) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.  Designated for assignment, 12/20/16.

16 Who Were Almost Phillies

2016 Chachi Almost #10

2016 Chachi Almost #11

2016 Chachi Almost #12

2016 Chachi Almost #13

Beginning in Spring Training, whenever I come across a cool photo of a newer player or coach in a Phillies uniform, I set it aside and eventually create a Chachi card.  I also make it a point to create Chachi cards for anyone added to the team's 40-man roster, or anyone who played for the Phillies in a prior season who is still with the organization.  This way, when an Alec Asher or a Roman Quinn gets the call to the big leagues, their Chachi card is ready to go.  The Phillies Room and the Chachi card creation process runs like a well-oiled machine, the envy of custom card creators throughout the land.*

These are the 16 remaining cards I created this year for players (and one coach) who didn't suit up for the Phillies in 2016.

Will Venable (of) - The final outfield spot on the opening day roster came down to Venable or Cedric Hunter, with Hunter getting the nod.  Venable requested and was granted his release in June to allow him to sign with the Dodgers.  In 12 games with the Dodgers, he went 1 for 18 (.056).

Angelys Nina (inf) - Nina was released by the IronPigs on the same day Venable was let go.

Reinier Roibal (rhp) - Roibal appeared in 19 games for the IronPigs and Fightin Phils, and was released by the Double-A team in late June.

Edward Mujica (rhp) - The former big league All-Star was an All-Star for the IronPigs before requesting and being granted his release in mid-July.  He spent the rest of the season with the Royals and Twins organizations.

2016 Chachi Almost #14

2016 Chachi Almost #15

2016 Chachi Almost #16

2016 Chachi Almost #17

Mark Appel (rhp) - The top prospect's season ended in late June when he had elbow surgery.

David Buchanan (rhp) - After starting 15 games for the club last season, Buchanan didn't make it back up to the majors in 2016.  In 26 starts for the IronPigs, he went 10-9 with a 3.98 ERA.

Jimmy Cordero (rhp) - A member of the 40-man roster, Cordero lost most of the season to a shoulder injury.

Matt Harrison (lhp) - Get used to seeing this card again in the style of the 2017 Chachi set. Harrison will most likely never pitch for the Phillies due to ongoing back issues, but he has a guaranteed contract and a spot on the team's 40-man roster.

2016 Chachi Almost #18

2016 Chachi Almost #19

2016 Chachi Almost #20

2016 Chachi Almost #21

Mario Hollands (lhp) - Hollands last pitched for the Phillies in 2014 and he's spent the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Gregory Infante (rhp) - A non-roster invitee, Infante spent the bulk of the season in Double-A.  He last pitched in the majors with the White Sox in 2010.

Gabriel Lino (c) - A back-up catcher, Lino split time in 2016 between Clearwater and Reading.

John Mizerock (coach) - The team's assistant hitting coach in 2014 and third base coach in 2015, Mizerock was a coach for the Rooke-A Williamsport Crosscutters in 2016.

2016 Chachi Almost #22

2016 Chachi Almost #23

2016 Chachi Almost #24

2016 Chachi Almost #25

Logan Moore (c) - Another back-up catcher, Moore played for both Lehigh Valley and Reading this season.

Brock Stassi (1b) - Stassi appeared in 117 games for the IronPigs in 2016, hitting .267 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Darnell Sweeney (inf/of) - Like Buchanan, Sweeney seemed to be poised to be a major part of the team's plans in 2016 but like Buchanan he never got the call to the big club in 2016.  In 118 games with the IronPigs, the versatile Sweeney hit just .233.

Nick Williams (of) - Williams hopes to be a part of the team's starting outfield in 2017.  In 125 games with the IronPigs, he hit .258 with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs.

*Maybe.  But probably not.

2014 Topps Phillies

2014 Topps #502

2014 Topps #484

2014 Topps #312

2014 Topps #105

My oldest son Doug recently asked me to help him organize his quickly expanding baseball card collection.  I of course dropped everything and immediately obliged.  When sorting his cards into years, I had no problem identifying Topps cards up through 2010.  I was a little alarmed to discover that I had to check the backs of some of the cards to identify Topps flagship cards from between 2011 and 2014.  (As an aside, I had no issue identifying 2015 Topps cards, which I think is a good thing. And I know I won't have an issue picking out a card from the even more unique 2016 Topps set.)

2014 Topps #180 (Back)

Some people might love the Topps designs for the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 sets, but I find the designs mostly forgettable.  My thought on the 2014 Topps set when it first came out was that it had way too much going on with the design elements on the front, and overall look reminded me of something I'd see in a recent Bowman set.

With that underwhelming assessment out of the way, let's take a look at the 2014 Topps Phillies cards.  I'll be all caught up with this series (finally) until the 2015 Topps Update set comes out next month.

The Set
Number of cards in the set:  For the ninth year in a row, Series 1 and Series 2 have 330 cards each with #7 omitted in honor of Mickey Mantle.  The Update Series adds another 330 cards.  It's important to note that I'm omitting any gimmick or short-printed cards in these tallies.  A number of star cards are available with a sparkle added to the photo on the front.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  In light of what would come after it, with the unique designs of the 2015 and 2016 Topps sets, this set's design comes off as uninspired and seemingly a mish-mosh of design elements Topps couldn't fit into other sets.  For the third year in a row, the backs of the cards are very plain.

2014 Topps #182

2014 Topps #4

2014 Topps #296

2014 Topps #180

2014 Phillies
Record and finish:  In manager Ryne Sandberg's first (and only) full season, the Phillies went 73-89, finishing in last place in the N.L. East, 23 games behind the Nationals.
Key players:  Chase Utley had a decent year, hitting .270 with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs and he was the team's sole representative at the All-Star game.  Marlon Byrd returned to his original team and led the way with 25 home runs.  Ryan Howard had 95 RBIs, but hit an awful .223 while Jimmy Rollins dipped down below .250 with a .243 average.

The pitching was rough to witness with Kyle Kendrick leading the staff with 10 wins and his 4.61 ERA was just a little worse than team leader A.J. Burnett's 4.59.  Burnett (8-18) was one and done with the Phillies in 2014, opting to take a severe pay cut to return to the Pirates for 2015.  Cole Hamels received very little run support, which explains his 9-9 record despite a 2.46 ERA in 30 starts.  Jonathan Papelbon recorded 39 saves.
Key events:  There were a few big events for the club in 2014 that kept the fans entertained.  First, on June 14th, Rollins collected his 2,235th career hit, eclipsing the franchise mark for most hits previously held by Mike Schmidt.  On Labor Day, Hamels combined with Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Papelbon to throw a combined no-hitter against the Braves.

Finally, top prospect Maikel Franco made his Major League debut the day after the combined no-hitter on September 2nd.

2014 Phillies in 2014 Topps
Who's in:  The complete Phillies team set consists of 29 cards, broken down with 10 cards in Series 1, 11 cards in Series 2 and eight cards in the Update Series.  There are no short-printed, photo variation cards for any of the Phillies.

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#182 Carlos Ruiz (c), #105 Ryan Howard (1b), #502 Chase Utley (2b), #312 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #4 Cody Asche (3b), #296 Domonic Brown (lf), #180 Ben Revere (cf), #484 Marlon Byrd (rf)

2014 Topps #641

2014 Topps #196

2014 Topps #503

2014 Topps Update #US-281

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 4 cards

#641 A.J. Burnett, #196 Cole Hamels, #503 Kyle Kendrick, #US-281 David Buchanan

Roberto Hernandez, who started 23 games but was traded to the Dodgers in early August, got shut out from having a Phillies card.  It bugs me that Topps couldn't bother with an actual photo of Burnett in a Phillies uniform.  His base card is obviously photoshopped, and it still shows him wearing his gold and black Pirates necklaces.  Similarly annoying, but less egregious, is that Byrd's card features a photo from his first stint with the club from between 2002 and 2005.  Byrd wore #3 with the Phillies in 2014.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2014 - 14 Cards

#74 John Mayberry Jr., #90 Ethan Martin, #122 Jonathan Papelbon, #345 Darin Ruf, #451 Luis Garcia, #609 Jonathan Pettibone, #629 Cliff Lee, #637 Freddy Galvis, #US-33 Grady Sizemore, #US-74 Antonio Bastardo, #US-77 Wil Nieves, #US-78 Reid Brignac, #US-129 Mike Adams, #US-181 Tony Gwynn Jr.

• Base cards of players who did not play with the Phillies in 2014 - 2 Cards

#498 Steve Susdorf, #565 Roy Halladay

• 2014 National League All-Star cards - 1 card, #US292 Chase Utley

2014 Topps #122

2014 Topps Update #US-33

2014 Topps #74

2014 Topps #637

Who's out:  I feel like Topps really picked up its game over the past decade in terms of player selection.  Once again, they did a nice job including a full array of Phillies players this season, from the bench guys to the bullpen.  Of the players not receiving cards, I'd include Cesar Hernandez (66 games), along with relievers Diekman, Justin De Fratus, Mario Hollands and Giles.

Phillies on other teams:  Jerome Williams (#US-236) is in the Update Series with the Rangers.

2014 Topps #498

What's he doing here:  I have no problem at all with the final tribute card for Halladay, showing his full career statistics.  Halladay announced his retirement prior to the 2014 season.  And I think it's great that career minor leaguer Susdorf ended up on a card.  Susdorf made it into three games with the 2013 Phillies after having spent 5 1/2 years in the Phillies minor league system.  He was released by the Triple-A IronPigs in July 2014.

Cards that never were candidates:  Both Hernandez's - Cesar and Roberto, Diekman, De Fratus, Hollands and Giles.  Just to amuse by oldest son Doug, I'd also have a card for reliever Jeff Manship.

Favorite Phillies card:  I really liked the Galvis card when I first saw it, but then it bothered me that you can't even see Galvis's face.  (Besides, I like to think I did this card better.)  I'll go with the Rollins card as my favorite, since it's his last Phillies card as an active player.  Rollins would be traded to the Dodgers in December following the season.

Other Stuff

Variations:  There are no variations to be found between the flagship, retail, Chrome and Opening Day sets.  After years of asking myself, "Well why did they bother to do that?", I find that I'm actually disappointed now when there are no strange, unexplained variations.

2015 Phillies Team Issue 2 #55 David Buchanan

Phillies 5, Rays 3
Game 95 - Monday Night, July 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 33-62, 5th Place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were able to bunch together some hits to support David Buchanan's fine pitching performance in a 5-3 win over the Rays.

What It Means:  This win brought the post-All Star game break win streak up to four.

What Happened:  Buchanan lasted into the seventh inning, allowing three runs on six hits.  Cesar Hernandez had a double and a triple and drove in a pair of runs.

Featured Card:  It seems strange to send down Buchanan after his first win of the season (see below) but the Phillies don't need a fifth starter for a little bit and I'm guessing they want to see if they have anything worthwhile in Jerome Williams prior to the trade deadline.  This is Buchanan's card from this year's second team issued set.

Virtual Phillies Wall Update:  Following this game, Buchanan was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Chad Billingsley was placed on the disabled list.  Williams was activated from the DL and last year's top draft pick Aaron Nola was recalled to make his Major League debut on Tuesday night.

Don't forget to vote in the poll (on the left sidebar) to help determine the design to be used for the 2016 Chachi set!

2015 Chachi #16 David Buchanan

#55

David Andrew Buchanan

Starting Pitcher

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

Born:  May 11, 1989, Atlanta, GA

Home:  Peachtree City, GA

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 7th round of the June 2010 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2014-

Acquired:  Via draft

2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #3

2012 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autographs #AP-DBU

2014 Chachi #44

2014 Topps Update #US-281

14 Buchanan Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #3
First Phillies Card:  2012 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autographs #AP-DBU
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2014 Topps Update #US-281
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue 2 #55
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-3

First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #44

Buchanan Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/29/15.

2015 Topps #218 David Buchanan

Rays 5, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 16 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 17th in Clearwater
Record - 8-7-1

One Sentence Summary:  While wearing their green uniforms for St. Patrick's Day, the Phillies fell to the Rays, 5-3.

What It Means:  David Buchanan is suddenly a very important pitcher on the Phillies staff.  With Jerome Williams a late scratch due to a tight hamstring, Buchanan got the fill-in start and did nothing to hurt his chances of eventually winning a rotation spot.

What Happened:  Buchanan pitched four innings, allowing a run on two hits.  The Phillies managed five hits, two of which came from Odubel Herrera.

Featured Card:  Thanks to his performance from last season, Buchanan earned a card in series one of this year's Topps flagship set.

Memory Lane:  I didn't do anything last year on the blog to commemorate St. Patrick's Day, but here's a look back at a few Irish themed posts from the past.

2010 - Mike Schmidt and the entire 1986 team go green.

2011 - Chase Utley models the green jerseys worn during Spring Training 2006.

2012 - A smiling card of Tugger and Roy Halladay models a green jersey.

2013 - Irish Mike Ryan's 1972 Topps card and Freddy Galvis in green.