2014 Phillies Team Issue - 1st Edition

Number of Cards:  41
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  This is the third of four straight team issued sets featuring basically the same design elements.  The player's name, number and position are listed at the bottom of the card in a red and blue design with the Phillies script logo appearing in one of the top corners.  All photos used for this set were taken during spring training 2014.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The set was available for sale at the ballpark from the beginning of the season through mid-August when it was replaced with a new second series set.  I purchased my set on April 12th and it contained the apparently rare Bobby Abreu card.  Abreu was with the club throughout spring training but was released prior to the start of the regular season.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Ben Revere 3 - Marlon Byrd 5 - Steve Henderson CO 6 - Ryan Howard 8 - Juan Samuel CO 9 - Domonic Brown 10 - Larry Bowa CO 11 - Jimmy Rollins 12 - John Mizerock CO 13 - Freddy Galvis 15 - John Mayberry, Jr. 16 - Cesar Hernandez 18 - Darin Ruf 19 - Tony Gwynn, Jr. 21 - Wil Nieves 22 - Bob McClure CO 23 - Ryne Sandberg MG 25 - Cody Asche 26 - Chase Utley 27 - Roberto Hernandez 30 - Justin De Fratus

31 - Brad Lincoln 33 - Cliff Lee 34 - A.J. Burnett 35 - Cole Hamels 37 - Mike Adams 38 - Kyle Kendrick 39 - B.J. Rosenberg 44 - Jonathan Pettibone 45 - Pete Mackanin CO 48 - Phillippe Aumont 49 - Ethan Martin 51 - Carlos Ruiz 53 - Bobby Abreu 54 - Rod Nichols CO 58 - Jonathan Papelbon 59 - Antonio Bastardo 63 - Jake Diekman 74 - Maikel Franco Phillie Phanatic Phillies Broadcasters

One and Done (1):  Lincoln
First Appearances (7):  Asche, Burnett, Franco, Gwynn Jr., Nieves, R. Hernandez, Martin
Returning Players (23):  Abreu, Adams, Aumont, Bastardo, Brown, Byrd, De Fratus, Diekman, Galvis, Hamels, C. Hernandez, Howard, Kendrick, Lee, Mayberry Jr., Papelbon, Pettibone, Revere, Rollins, Rosenberg, Ruf, Ruiz, Utley

This is the only place to find a Brad Lincoln Phillies card.  The reliever made it into two games with the club, pitching to a 11.57 ERA over 2 1/3 innings.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Sandberg
Coaches (7):  Bowa, Henderson, Mackanin, McClure, Mizerock, Nichols, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  Newcomers Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs join Gregg Murphy, Larry Andersen, Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke and Jim Jackson.
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  I'm not aware of any variations or rarities available with this set, but based on collector Steve's experience I know that the Abreu card was pulled shortly after the set was issued.  Apparently most sets available for sale up until the issuance of the second series contain only 40 cards.

In December 2019, fellow collector Rick found a version of the Freddy Galvis card for sale at the annual Phillies holiday sale with a Citizens Bank Park logo on the back and a 2015 copyright.

Trivia:  Maikel Franco made his Phillies debut on September 2, 2014, wearing #7.  His card in this set contains the #74 he wore as a non-roster invitee during spring training.
Resources:  This set hasn't made it yet onto any of the mainstream online checklists/databases.

Farewell Lincoln and Brignac

2015 Chachi Departures #2

2015 Chachi Departures #3

As a younger Phillies fan, I developed an irrational loyalty to such notable Phillies players as Dave Roberts, Ronn Reynolds and Mark Ryal.  I have no idea why.  I'm finding the same pattern is being followed by my seven-year-old son Doug, as one of his favorite players this past season was Reid Brignac.  (He also has a completely unjustified dislike for Jeff Manship, which makes absolutely no sense.)

In any event, we had to break the news to Doug last week that Brignac, along with Brad Lincoln, had signed minor league deals elsewhere.  Brignac received his sole Phillies card this year in the team's second series photo card set, available for sale at the ballpark.  Lincoln was in the first series set, as well as in the IronPigs team set.

With Brignac going to the Marlins, it gave me a chance to break out my 1985 Topps style Marlins template.  I'll have more on the color scheme selected (and why) in a future post.

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.
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.
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)

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.

New Additions
Elvis Araujo (11/13/14) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians organization.

2014 Chachi #21 Brad Lincoln

#31

Brad Eric Lincoln

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  210

Born:  May 25, 1985, Lake Jackson, TX

Home:  Pearland, TX

Drafted:  Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round of the June 2006 draft

Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 2010-2012, Toronto Blue Jays 2012-2013, Phillies 2014

Acquired:  Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen, December 3, 2012

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 2014 Phillies Team Issue #31

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #21

Lincoln Acquired from Jays for Kratz, Rasmussen

2014 Chachi Transactions #8

On Tuesday night, the Phillies pulled off their first trade of the 2013-2014 offseason.  Popular back-up catcher Erik Kratz and pitching prospect Rob Rasmussen were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed pitcher Brad Lincoln.  The bullpen struggled mightily last season, and one of the major to-do's of the off-season was to bolster the young bullpen with some more dependable arms.  Hopefully part of that need has been filled with Lincoln.

Lincoln appeared in 22 games last season for the Blue Jays and he spent the bulk of the summer pitching for Triple-A Buffalo as a result of command issues at the big league level.  In 31 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays, Lincoln walked 22 and struck out 25 while putting together a 1-2 record and a 3.98 ERA.  For his career, which began in Pittsburgh in 2010, Lincoln is 9-11 with a 4.66 ERA in 97 games.  Lincoln wore #49 for the Blue Jays, which is currently occupied by Phillies pitcher Ethan Martin.

2014 Chachi Transactions #7

The righty didn't appear on any mainstream baseball cards in 2013, and his last major baseball card appearance came within the 2012 Topps Update set.

Kratz spent parts of three seasons with the Phillies, filling in as the team's starting catcher at the outset of 2013 due to the suspension of Carlos Ruiz.  In 120 games with the Phils, Kratz hit .220 with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He appeared in the team's postcard sets in 2012 and 2013, and he earned a Phillies card in series two of the 2013 Topps set.  Kratz's departure seemed imminent once it was reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Phillies had reached a deal with back-up catcher Wil Nieves.  (That deal isn't official yet.)

Rasmussen joined the organization in August in the Michael Young trade with the Dodgers.  He leaves the organization with no cardboard proof of his time as Phillies property.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13)

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13)

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.
Erik Kratz (12/3/13) - Traded with Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brad Lincoln.

Coming Back

Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brad Lincoln (12/3/13) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen.