Series Preview - Phillies at Diamondbacks: August 17th to August 19th

2021 Chachi 1986 Topps Missing Links #16

2021 Chachi Fan Favorites #11

Tuesday and Wednesday 9:40, Thursday 3:40
Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ

At the Ballpark:  There doesn't appear to be any promotions or giveaways for this series.  In a parallel universe, we're at this series and then traveling to San Diego for the Phillies-Padres series as well.  Our vacation schedules were changed numerous times because of the pandemic and this Phoenix to San Diego trip unfortunately won't be happening this year.

Phillies 61-57
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Kyle Gibson
Ranger Suarez
Zack Wheeler

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .305
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 68
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 24
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 68
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 12

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 10
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.56
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 187
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12

Diamondbacks 38-81
5th Place in the N.L. West, 39 games behind the Giants

Diamondbacks Probables
TBD
TBD
Madison Bumgarner

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  Josh Rojas - .281
Runs:  Josh Rojas - 54
Home Runs:  Eduardo Escobar - 22
RBIs:  Eduardo Escobar - 65
Stolen Bases:  Nick Ahmed and Josh Rojas - 7

Wins:  Merrill Kelly - 7
ERA:  Merrill Kelly - 4.30

Strikeouts:  Merrill Kelly - 118
Saves:  Joakim Soria - 6

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Bamboo Brad Returns; Flurry of Ex-Phils Sign Elsewhere

2021 Chachi New Additions #10

2021 Chachi Departures #3

2021 Chachi Departures #4

2021 Chachi Departures #5

2021 Chachi Departures #6

On Wednesday, the official first day of spring training, the Phillies announced the return of popular super utility player Brad Miller, who had spent last season with the Cardinals.  Miller's introduction of a lucky bamboo plant to the Phillies clubhouse during the summer of 2019 sparked a mini winning streak, and led to an increase in bamboo sales across the local area.  To make room for Miller on the 40-man roster, reliever Seranthony Dominguez was placed on the 60-day IL as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

At this point, most of the ex-Phillies that made up the rogue's gallery of the 2020 team have found new homes, with the exceptions of relievers Jose Alvarez and David Robertson.  The day will come when we no longer have to reflect back on the pain caused by the team's 2020 bullpen.  Of the players listed below, I'm saddest to see the departure of Phil Gosselin and I hope The Phillies Room Favorite finds himself a steady job on the Angels' roster.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics (2/2/21).
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs (12/14/20).
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/17/21).
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees (2/12/21).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets (2/14/21).
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels (2/11/21).
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, singed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians (2/5/21).
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs (2/12/21).
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians (2/16/21).
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (2/11/21).
• David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
• Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Kyle Garlick - of (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
• Victor Arano - rhp (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
• Cole Irvin - lhp (1/30/21) - Traded to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations.

2021 Chachi Departures #7

2021 Chachi Departures #8

2021 Chachi Departures #9

2021 Chachi Departures #10

2021 Chachi Departures #11

Coming Back - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent (1/4/21).
• J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (1/29/21).
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (2/10/21).

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Johan Quezada - rhp (10/30/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (12/7/20) Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
• Kyle Holder - inf (12/10/20) - Selected from the Yankees in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.
• Sam Coonrod - rhp (1/9/21) - Acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Carson Ragsdale.
• Archie Bradley - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
• C.J. Chatham - inf (1/18/21) - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later.
• Matt Moore -lhp (2/3/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
• Chase Anderson - rhp (2/8/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Brad Miller - inf (2/17/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Already Gone - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Kyle Holder - inf (1/30/21) - Traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (2/5/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins.
• Johan Quezada - rhp (2/10/21) - Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations.

Series Preview - Braves at Phillies: August 7th to August 10th

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #13

2020 Chachi 1991 Topps Missing Links #2

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:05, Monday 6:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  This was originally scheduled (pre-pandemic) as Alumni Weekend and there would have been ceremonies to induct Manny Trillo into the Wall of Fame, along with a 40th anniversary celebration of the 1980 World Championship team.  The Phillies are still advertising this as Alumni Weekend on their television broadcasts, so I'm assuming they have a few things in store to mark the occasion.

Sunday's starter for the Phillies is listed as "TBD," but it's expected (and hoped) this will be the big league debut for top pitching prospect Spencer Howard.

Braves 9-5
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game behind the Marlins

Braves Probables
Kyle Wright (0-1, 7.50)
TBD
Max Fried (2-0, 2.04)
Sean Newcomb (0-1, 6.57)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Dansby Swanson - .296
Runs:  Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson - 11
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 3
RBIs:  Dansby Swanson - 13
Stolen Bases:  Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson - 3

Wins:  Max Fried - 2
ERA:  Max Fried - 2.04
Strikeouts:  Touki Toussaint - 20
Saves:  Mark Melancon - 2

Phillies 3-4
Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Marlins

Phillies Probables
Vince Velasquez (0-0, 12.00)
Jake Arrieta (0-1, 5.40)
TBD
Aaron Nola (0-1, 3.97)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .333
Runs:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 6
Home Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 3
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 8
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 1

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.08

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 19
Saves:  Hector Neris - 2

2020 Chachi #13 Phil Gosselin

#8
Phillip David Gosselin
Infield-Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  188
Opening Day Age:  31
Born:  October 3, 1988, West Chester, PA
How Obtained:  Signed by Phillies as minor league free agent, December 18, 2018
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible following 2020 season, free agency eligible following 2023 season
Major League Teams:  Atlanta Braves 2013-2015; Arizona Diamondbacks 2015-2016; Pittsburgh Pirates 2017; Texas Rangers 2017; Cincinnati Reds 2018; Philadelphia Phillies 2019-

First Phillies Card:  2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9

Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2015

1 - Gosselin baseball card in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 7/28/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #33
2019 Chachi Photo Cards #9
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1 (with Jay Bruce)
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2
2020 Chachi #13

Gosselin, known affectionately by his teammates as "Goose" or "Barrels," has had only a few mainstream baseball card appearances despite playing parts of eight seasons in the majors.  He's had just one Phillies card to date, in the team's second series of team-issued photo cards last season.

Other than his 2015 Topps flagship appearance, Gosselin also has cards in 2011 Topps Pro Debut, 2016 Topps Heritage and 2017 Topps Heritage.

Gosselin returned to the Phillies in 2020 after being outrighted off their 40-man roster on November 4th.  He re-signed with the team on December 20th and was the first of the many non-roster invitees invited to 2020 spring training.  Originally a long-shot to make the team, his extremely hot bat during spring training and Summer Camp won his roster spot and led the team to release Josh Harrison.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 2 - 2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9 Phil Gosselin

Phillies 7, Marlins 1
Game 2 - Saturday Afternoon, July 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 1-1, Tied for 1st Place with every team in the division

One Sentence Summary:  Phil Gosselin continued to swing a hot bat and Zack Wheeler looked fantastic in his Phillies debut as the team downed the Marlins, 7-1.

What It Means:  Easy wins are way more fun than hard wins, and this was an easy win.  The score was tied at 1-1 entering the sixth but it felt as the Phillies were in control the entire time.

What Happened:  Wheeler pitched seven innings, allowing a run on five hits while striking out four. Tommy Hunter and Deolis Guerra pitched the two scoreless innings of relief.  Didi Gregorius got the Phillies on the board with his second home run in as many days in the second inning.  Gosselin hit his first home run in the sixth, giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead and J.T. Realmuto padded that lead with a three-run home run in the seventh.  It's notable that Rhys Hoskins had walked and Bryce Harper had laid down a perfect bunt along the third base line where the Marlins' defensive shift had left third base undefended.  Realmuto then hit his blast with both on base.  Gosselin added a second home run in the eighth for good measure.

Couple of cool notes from this game - Gregorius became the first shortstop in Phillies team history to homer in each of the team's first two games of the season (Meghan Montemurro Tweet) and Gosselin joins Ricky Ledee (June 11, 2004) as the only Phillies DH with two home runs in a game (Matt Gelb Tweet).

Featured Card:  To date, Gosselin has just one Phillies baseball card, available in last season's second team issued photo card set.  He signed it for us at last year's ALS Phillies Phestival.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

First Four Non-Roster Invitees Announced

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2019 Topps Heritage #552

2019 Topps #477

2018 Topps Heritage #528

For the second year in a row, the Phillies used the Friday before Christmas to announce their first round of non-roster invitees.  I'll add to this list as more names are officially announced.

Phil Gosselin and Josh Harrison are the two most intriguing names on the list for me.  Gosselin will be a non-roster invitee for the second year in a row, while Harrison has the inside track for a bench position with the Phillies given his versatility.  Gosselin led the team in pinch-hits last season, despite spending significant time with the IronPigs.  He's also a member of the exclusive Phillies Room Favorites Club.

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)

2.  Josh Harrison (inf) - Tigers - 2019 Topps Heritage #552 (Tigers)

3.  Mikie Mahtook (of) - Tigers - 2019 Topps #477 (Tigers)

4.  Matt Szczur (of) - Diamondbacks - 2018 Topps Heritage #528 (Padres)

And here's a look at the final list of 2019 non-roster invitees.  Of the 22 players in camp last year, 6 made it to the big club with both Adam Haseley and Sean Rodriguez playing significant roles.  Haseley is slated to be the Phillies' opening day center fielder in 2020.  The ** on the list below indicates those players who got the call to the Phillies in 2019.

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)
8.  Gift Ngoepe (inf) - Blue Jays - 2018 Topps Heritage #579 (Blue Jays)
9.  Edward Paredes (lhp) - Dodgers - N/A
10.  Andrew Romine (inf) - Mariners - 2018 Topps Heritage #641 (Mariners)
11.  Malquin Canelo (inf) - Phillies - N/A
12.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
**13.  Deivi Grullon (c) - Phillies - 2013 Bowman Chrome #BCP128 (Phillies)
**14.  Adam Haseley (of) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #131 (Phillies)
**15.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft Chrome #BDC-4 (Phillies)
16.  Austin Listi (inf-of) - Phillies - N/A
17.  Mickey Moniak (of) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #261 (Phillies)
18.  JoJo Romero (lhp) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #92 (Phillies)
19.  Lane Adams (of) - Cubs/Braves - 2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-241 (Braves)
20.  Drew Butera (c) - Royals/Rockies - 2018 Topps Royals #KR7 (Royals)
**21.  Sean Rodriguez (inf) - Pirates - 2018 Topps Update #US108 (Pirates)
22.  Trevor Plouffe (inf) - Phillies - 2018 Topps Now #499 (Phillies)

Latest Round of Roster Moves - 8 More Free Agents

2020 Chachi Departures #12

2020 Chachi Departures #13

2020 Chachi Departures #14

In a flurry of roster moves on late Monday afternoon, the Phillies parted with eight more players and they now have 35 spots taken on their 40-man roster.

The club declined their options on pitchers Jared Hughes, Pat Neshek and Jason Vargas.  Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, as expected, exercised his player option for 2020 and he'll attempt to bounce back from two lackluster seasons.

2020 Chachi Departures #15

2020 Chachi #13

2020 Chachi Departures #16

2020 Chachi #38

2020 Chachi Departures #17

Pitchers Jerad Eickhoff, Mike Morin, Blake Parker and Edubray Ramos along with infiedler Phil Gosselin were all outrighted off the 40-man roster and all five elected free agency.  The Morin and Parker moves surprised me a little, as I could see both playing a role in the team's 2020 bullpen.  I assume one or both could come back on minor league deals.  It's also tough to see Phillies Room favorite Gosselin let go.

Finally, pitchers Victor Arano, Arrieta, Seranthony Dominguez, Adam Morgan, David Robertson and Robert Stock along with outfielder Andrew McCutchen were activated from the 60-day IL.

This is a good time to link over to my Virtual Phillies Wall, which has been updated to reflect the current status of the team's 40-man roster.  As players are added, such as Stock, they'll appear on a 2020 Chachi New Additions insert card.  The next date to circle on our calendars is December 2nd, when the Phillies will need to make a decision on tendering contracts to Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco in advance of the annual Rule 5 draft.

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• 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.
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• 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.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

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

Highlights from the 2019 Phillies Phestival (Part 1) #StrikeOutALS

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16

On Thursday afternoon, we attended the annual Phillies Phestival, which raises money in the fight against ALS.  One of my collecting regrets (and a regret as a lifelong Phillies fan) is that we never even considered going to this event until three years ago.  As rookies in 2017, we meandered through the ballpark using our pre-assigned autograph tickets and paying cash for autographs when the lines died down.  In 2018, I attended the event on behalf of my employer, which unbeknownst to me, had been a long-time sponsor of the Phestival.  I became involved with the Philadelphia ALS Chapter over the past few years partly in tribute to our friend Bob who passed away in January 2019 after a courageous battle with the disease.  I'm looking forward to continuing (and increasing) my involvement in the coming years.

This year, we again attended as sponsors and it's the first year we were fully prepared to collect autographs as efficiently as possible while still having fun.  Sponsors are given a button to wear, which allows us to stand in any autograph line.  Within the sponsors packet were explicit instructions informing us we couldn't go to the front of any line, which makes complete sense, and that we couldn't go to the Bryce Harper photo booth.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14

Similar to the past two years, I created a special set of Chachi cards to commemorate our day and the autographs we hunted down.  Here's a summary of what and how we did:

• The sponsors assemble in the Diamond Club and my company's name was called around 2:45.  We made our way down to the field to meet with Phil Gosselin and Jay Bruce who would be signing autographs at our designated station.  I let Bruce know it was great not to boo him this season, and my son Doug talked to Gosselin about their mutual history with the All-Star Baseball Academy.  Gosselin is an alumni and Doug is currently on one of their travel teams.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

• We had a plan.  Doug and I took the left side of the ballpark while Jenna and Ben took the right side.  Doug and I started in the Hall of Fame Club, where the lines were very short to start and some of the tables had no lines.  We walked right into the suite where Gabe Kapler was signing and had two people in front of us.  Kapler's a fascinating guy.  Very intense, very polite, very engaging and he made his hat work.

• Jenna and Ben made Aaron Nola their first target, so they had a longer wait to get started.  Doug and I had cleared four tables by the time they were getting Nola's autographs.

• All the players were engaging and friendly, and even though there was a loose "no posed photographs" policy in place this year, pretty much everyone stopped to look and smile while we were taking pictures.  Rhys Hoskins said he remembered being in our Christmas card, although he may have just been being polite.

• Ben's highlight was getting Maikel Franco to sign the back of his favorite Franco t-shirt.  He also talked to the broadcast team for awhile.  When he asked why they didn't have any cards to sign, Scott Franzke said it was because the Phillies couldn't get them all together at the same time.  He was then invited by Ben Davis to sign their table cloth, and he obliged.

• Larry Andersen had run out of photo cards by the time we got to his station (with John Kruk and Mickey Morandini) so he offered Doug a cookie instead of an autograph.  Doug took him up on the offer.

• I was bummed that none of the newer Phillies players had any photo cards produced for them to sign.  I had come prepared with a list of potential exclusive photo cards - Bruce, Edgar Garcia, JD Hammer, Adam Haseley and Ranger Suarez - but there were no new cards to be had.  Bruce and Gosselin had what looked like regular paper at their station with their names printed at the top.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

• When the autograph session time expired, we had visited all but three tables - J.T. Realmuto (by choice since we had already received his autographs in May), Charlie Manual (since we forgot to bring anything for him to sign) and Pat Neshek/Jim Gott.  The Neshek/Gott omission was a symptom of simply running out of time.  The only table we doubled up on was Scott Kingery's as we both had time to visit with him as the clock was ticking down.

• We met up with fellow collector Steve and his son in time to stand in line for our mystery grab bags.  Our five bag haul was decent, with baseballs signed by Roman Quinn (two), Nick Pivetta, and Hector Neris.  We received a pair of Raul Ibanez bobble heads, three solar Liberty Bells, a Jimmy Rollins World Series ring and Jenna got her Mother's Day fleece she had wanted from the May giveaway.

We had a blast, the Phillies raised over $768,000 to aid in the fight against ALS, and we're already making our plans for next year's Phestival!  I've share Part 2 with the rest of the cards from the event in a post coming soon.

The almost completed checklist

Our grab bag haul

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2
2019 Part 1 and Part 2

2019 Chachi #33 Phil Gosselin

#9
Phillip David Gosselin
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  200
Opening Day Age:  30
Born:  October 3, 1988, West Chester, PA
Drafted:  Selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round of the June 2010 draft
Teams:  Atlanta Braves 2013-2015; Arizona Diamondbacks 2015-2016; Pittsburgh Pirates 2017; Texas Rangers 2017; Cincinnati Reds 2018; Phillies 2019
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves' organization, December 18, 2018
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2019, free agency eligible in 2022

2015 Topps #379

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2015 Topps #379
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  N/A

0 - Gosselin baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/4/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #33
2019 Chachi Photo Cards #9

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

Game 20 - 2019 Chachi Photo Cards #9 Phil Gosselin

Phillies 8, Rockies 5
Game 20 - Saturday Night, April 20th in Denver
Record - 12-8, 1st place, 1 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies temporarily rebounded from their horrendous Friday night loss to down the Rockies, 8-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies would need a win on Sunday to split the four-game series with the Rockies.  (Spoiler alert: It didn't happen.)

What Happened:  The big hits in this game were a three-run double from Phil Gosselin in the fourth and a three-run home run (5) from Bryce Harper in the seventh.  Andrew McCutchen provided some insurance with a solo home run (4) in the ninth.  Aaron Nola pitched somewhat better than his previous starts, working out of trouble during most of his 5 2/3 innings of work.  He allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out nine.

Featured Card:  Harper's homer was big, but it was Gosselin's double that gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead.  I've already featured the above card in an earlier post, but since I have no Gosselin cards to feature here, I'll go with this one again.  I've since had to add two more cards to the Chachi Photo Cards insert set (see below).

Transactions:  Three players landed on the disabled list on Saturday - reliever Victor Arano (elbow), infielder Scott Kingery (hamstring) and shortstop Jean Segura (hamstring).  The loss of both Kingery and Segura to hamstring injuries means that Gosselin will be the team's starting shortstop for at least the next 10 days.  Drew Anderson (rhp), Austin Davis (lhp) and Mitch Walding (3b) were all recalled from Lehigh Valley.

2019 Chachi Photo Cards #54

2019 Chachi Photo Cards #29

Game 17 - 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen #31 Jake Arrieta

Phillies 3, Mets 2
Game 17 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 11-6, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta was in complete control in this 3-2 win over the Mets.

What It Means:  The series win gives the Phillies their biggest lead to date in the division, and they'll head to Denver for a four-game series against the last place Rockies beginning on Thursday night.

What Happened:  Arrieta pitched eight strong innings, scattering six hits and allowing two runs.  Hector Neris recorded the final two outs of the game for his second save.  Scott Kingery (2) and Cesar Hernandez (2) homered in the win.

Featured Card:  This is the newest Arrieta card in my collection, from the Gypsy Queen set released in late March.

2019 Chachi Photo Cards #9

Transactions:  In a somewhat surprising move, Nick Pivetta was optioned to Lehigh Valley and it was announced Jerad Eickhoff would be taking his spot in the rotation.  Pivetta owns a 8.35 ERA through his first four starts of 2019, and in his final 21 starts of 2018 he went 3-11 with a 5.60 ERA.  With other options available at Triple-A, the Phillies apparently had him on a short leash to start the season.

Infielder Phil Gosselin had his contract purchased to take Pivetta's roster spot as Jean Segura tweaked his hamstring in Tuesday night's game.  Gosselin becomes the first player on the 2019 Phillies without a Phillies baseball card to date.  His Chachi card can be found on the Virtual Phillies Wall, but I also thought he should have a card in the team-issued photo card set.

Tommy Hunter was moved to the 60-day IL to make room for Gosselin on the 40-man roster.