REALMUTO RETURNS

2020 Stadium Club #17

Sometimes Phillies news happens that's so big I completely overlook mentioning it on this blog.  Such is the case with the recent re-signing of All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, officially announced this past Friday.  While I'm quick to post on seemingly random non-roster invitee announcements, I occasionally miss the bigger news as I assume everyone who has found their way here is already well aware of Realmuto's return.  Nevertheless, I'll make it official here!  Realmuto's five-year deal takes him through the 2025 season and will pay the fan favorite $115.5 million.  I'm suddenly excited for the 2021 season to begin.

I was also delaying this post in the hope that the Didi Gregorius signing would become official, but we're still waiting on all of the details to be settled there.

In ex-Phillies news, pitcher Cole Irvin was traded to the A's on January 30th to free up a 40-man roster spot, and outfielder Kyle Garlick and pitcher Victor Arano were both claimed off waivers by the Braves after being designated for assignment on January 18th.  Short-time Phillies reliever Deolis Guerra will join Irvin in Oakland as the right-hander was signed to a minor league contract on Tuesday.

2021 Chachi Depatures #16

2021 Chachi Departures #15

2021 Chachi Departures #17

2021 Chachi Departures #1

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).
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• 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.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/14/20) - Signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
• 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.

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).

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.

Already Gone - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Kyle Holder - inf (1/30/21) - Traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations.

2020 Chachi #24 Cole Irvin

#47
Cole Rj Irvin
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  217
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  January 31, 1994, Anaheim, CA
How Obtained:  Selected by the Phillies in the 5th round of the June 2016 amateur player draft
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2023, free agency eligible in 2026
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2019-

First Phillies Card:  2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #18
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps Update #US108

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2019

12 - Irvin baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 8/11/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #42
2019 Chachi Photo Cards #47
2020 Chachi #24

Cole Irvin impressed in his big league debut last May, allowing only a run over seven strong innings against the Royals.  He struggled somewhat after that and was shifted to the bullpen in September where he found some success as a long reliever.

Irvin made the Phillies opening day roster this season, and he appeared in two games before his roster spot was needed by Spencer Howard on August 9th.  He's currently with the team's taxi squad training in Lehigh Valley.

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

2019 and 2020 Chachi Photo Cards - Signed!

In February, before the coronavirus shut everything down, fellow collector Rick made his annual trip to Clearwater with copies of Chachi photo cards in hand.  He was able to get a number of the photos signed and he was gracious enough to get duplicate cards signed for me as well.

The cards for Jay Bruce, Austin Davis, JD Hammer and Cole Irvin are from last year's photo card set, while the Deivy Grullon and Blake Parker cards are from this year's set.  The Parker card is officially an uncorrected error card, as he's currently and has always been #53 with the Phillies.  He even included his correct uniform number within his signature.

Thanks again to Rick for sending these along, as they brightened up what had been an otherwise glum day.  I hope we're all back to trying to obtain player autographs relatively soon.

And I hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy, helping where you can and focusing on staying positive.

Game 160 - 2019 Topps Now #220 Cole Irvin

Phillies 5, Marlins 4 (15)
Game 160 - Friday Night, September 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 80-80, 4th place, 17 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies outlasted the Marlins, winning 5-4 in 15 innings on a walk-off ground ball from Adam Haseley booted by shortstop Miguel Rojas to allow the winning run to score.

What It Means:  The Phillies need to win their final two games of the season to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2011.

What Happened:  RBIs from Bryce Harper (first inning triple, fifth inning sacrifice fly), Rhys Hoskins (first inning sacrifice fly) and Adam Haseley (fourth inning single) led to a 4-4 tie from the 5th through the 15th innings.  Haseley grounded out to Rojas in the 15th with the bases loaded, but Rojas was unable to handle the ball as Hoskins scored the winning run.

Featured Card:  Cole Irvin and Ranger Suarez combined for six innings of scoreless relief, with Suarez ultimately picking up the win.  Irvin earned a Topps Now card following his strong outing in his big league debut back on Mother's Day.  Since his September call-up, Irvin has appeared in eight games and he owns a 0.73 ERA.  In 12 1/3 innings this month, he's struck out seven and allowed only one earned run.

Field Report:  And we were there!  Granted, we didn't make it through all 15 innings, but we still lasted fairly late into the night.  Ben and I arrived early and enjoyed the views from our seats in the Diamond Club with a few hundred other loyal fans.  Doug and Jenna arrived following Doug's baseball practice.  It was a gorgeous night for baseball, and our final night game until the 2020 season.

2019 Chachi #42 Cole Irvin

#47
Cole Rj Irvin
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  219
Opening Day Age:  25
Born:  January 31, 1994, Anaheim, CA
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 5th round of the June 2016 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2019
Acquired:  Via draft

2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4

2016 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #18

First Phillies Card:  2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #18
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #13

8 - Irvin baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/13/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #42
2019 Chachi Photo Cards #47

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

Game 39 - 2018 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #24 Cole Irvin

Phillies 6, Royals 1
Game 39 - Sunday Afternoon, May 12th in Kansas City
Record - 23-16, 1st place, 3 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  On Mother's Day, Cole Irvin was fantastic in his big league debut, and the Phillies won against the Royals, 6-1.

What It Means:  After another series win, the Phillies will open up a four-game series at home against the Brewers on Monday night.

What Happened:  Irvin went seven strong innings, allowing a run on five hits while striking out five.  The Phillies scored all their runs in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a big error from Adalberto Mondesi and three walks from Royals starter Jakob Junis.  J.T. Realmuto added a two-run double followed by a two-run single from Odubel Herrera to cap the big inning.

Featured Card:  Irvin has appeared on a handful of minor league cards since 2016, and the most recent cards of his in my collection are from last year's IronPigs team set and the Top 30 Prospects set issued by the Reading Fightin Phils.

Transactions:  Irvin had his contract purchased from Lehigh Valley before the game and Austin Davis was sent back down.  Irvin is taking Vince Velasquez's spot in the rotation for now as Velasquez landed on the IL on Saturday.  It was also announced that Aaron Altherr had been claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants.  Altherr becomes the first member of the 2019 Phillies team to officially leave the organization.

Departed During the 2019 Season

• Aaron Altherr (5/12/19) - Selected off waivers by the San Francisco Giants

11 More Players Added to List of Non-Roster Invitees

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #131

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #10

2018 Topps Heritage #579

2018 Topps Heritage Minor League #92

2018 Topps Heritage #641

As of this writing, and hopefully that changes soon with some big news, the Phillies active roster sits at 39 players while their list of non-roster invitees is now 18.  Three more veterans and eight prospects were added to the list on Friday night.

I've added them below with their 2018 organization and last major baseball card appearance listed.

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)

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #6

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #22

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #17

2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #13

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #8

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)

*This is subjective, and for the Phillies prospects largely based on the cards actually in my collection.

Kingery, 7 Other Prospects Invited to Spring Training

2017 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #7

2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N

2017 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #35

2017 Topps Heritage Minors #15

2017 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Theme Night #24

2017 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #17

On Wednesday, the Phillies added eight prospects to their list of non-roster invitees to spring training.  These eight join the previously announced 10 players from early January.  Scott Kingery is perhaps the most interesting name on the list, as the infielder could be the team's second baseman of the future.  Kingery and outfielder Andrew Pullin are appearing as non-roster invitees for the second year in a row.  Rather than go through the career accolades of these players, I wanted to take a look at their available baseball cards.

Edgar Cabral (c) - It appears as if Cabral's only baseball card appearance to date is in the 2017 Lakewood BlueClaws team set.

Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Acquired in December from the Padres for Freddy Galvis, he has a card in the 2016 Topps Heritage Minors set.

Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Acquired in December 2015 from the Astros as part of the Ken Giles deal, Eshelman's first major baseball card can be found within the 2015 Bowman Draft set.  He appeared on a bunch of 2016 Phillies minor league cards but had only one 2017 card, within the Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniforms insert set.

J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Other than appearances in Rockies minor league sets, Hammer hasn't had any mainstream baseball cards to date.  He was acquired in July as part of the return for Pat Neshek.

Cole Irvin (lhp) - Irvin can be found within the 2016 Bowman Draft set and in various Phillies minor league team sets from the past two years.

Scott Kingery (inf) - Kingery first appeared in the 2015 Bowman Draft set and his cards are readily available in Bowman and Topps minor league issues from the past two years.

Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Leibrandt's few cards can be found within the 2015 Clearwater Threshers team set and all three 2017 Reading Fightin Phils team sets.

Andrew Pullin (of) - Pullin is the veteran of this bunch, having appeared on Phillies baseball cards since 2012 when he received a Bowman Draft card.  He's been appearing in Phillies minor league team sets every year since then.

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.  Eric Fryer (c) - Cardinals - 2011 Bowman Draft #36 (Pirates)
4.  Steve Geltz (rhp) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors Real One Autograph #ROA-SG (Angels)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
7.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
8.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
9.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
10.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A
11.  Edgar Cabral (c) - Phillies - N/A
12.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) - Padres - 2016 Topps Heritage Minors League #60
13.  Tom Eshelman (rhp) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Pro Debut Promo Night Uniform #PN-50N
14.  J.D. Hammer (rhp) - Rockies/Phillies - N/A
15.  Cole Irvin (lhp) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD-4
16.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Bowman Draft #BD-114
17.  Brandon Leibrandt (lhp) - Phillies - N/A
18.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Draft Picks #BDPP59