Phils Add Pair of Castillos, Rucker; Getting Closer to Pitchers and Catchers

2023 Topps #430

2023 Topps Heritage #568

2023 Topps #251

2022 Topps Update #US19

We've started to play a little long toss at The Phillies Room, in anticipation of the imminent return to (mostly) daily posting.  As we start to get loose, hopefully we won't tweak anything, avoiding the fate of Brandon Marsh who felt something wrong with his knee and underwent surgery on Friday.  The Phillies are hoping Marsh is fine and active in time for opening day.

The Quietest Offseason continued with three more roster additions.  With the 40-man roster now at a full 40 and 15 official non-roster invitees coming to camp, there will be 55 players suiting up in Clearwater soon.  Pitchers and catcher report on Wednesday, with the first full squad work out scheduled for Monday, February 19th.  The first Grapefruit League game is less than a week after that on Saturday, February 24th against the Blue Jays in Dunedin.

Here's a quick look at the three roster moves made this past week:

• On Monday, Diego Castillo (inf) was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees.  Castillo played in 96 games for the Pirates in 2022, batting .206, and appeared in just one game for the Diamondbacks in 2023.  He played five positions in the field for the Pirates (ss, 2b, rf, 1b, 3b) while also pitching in two games and DH'ing in two games.  That's him as #64 on the Pirates team card from the 2023 Topps set. 

•  On Tuesday, Michael Rucker (rhp) was acquired from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.  Andrew Bellati (rhp), who was out of options, was designated for assignment to make room for Rucker on the 40-man roster.  In 96 games with the Cubs over the past three seasons, all in relief, Rucker is 5-2 with a 4.96 ERA over 123 1/3 innings pitched.  As is the fate of many relievers these days, Rucker has yet to appear on any mainstream baseball cards. 

•  A day later, Max Castillo (rhp) was claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, with Simon Muzziotti (of) designated for assignment.  In 21 games with the Blue Jays and Royals in 2022 and 2023, Castillo was 0-3 with a 5.43 ERA in 59 2/3 innings pitched.  Although he's appeared in less games than Rucker, Castillo made it into the 2023 Topps set last year.

2022 Chachi #14 Simon Muzziotti

#40
Simon Jose Muzziotti
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Opening Day Age:  23
Born:  December 27, 1998, Cumana, Venezuela
How Obtained:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox organization, July 5, 2016
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2018 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws
First Phillies Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  2021 R-Phils Holiday #17
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

6 - Muzziotti baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/12/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2022 Chachi #14

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

2022 Chachi #13 Johan Camargo / 2022 Chachi #15 Kyle Gibson

Game 5 - Quiet Bats Lead to Loss

2021 Topps Heritage
Minor League #83

Mets 2, Phillies 0
Game 5 - Tuesday Night, April 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 3-2, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler battled through 4 2/3 innings in his season debut, but the Phillies offense was silent in this 2-0 loss to the Mets.

What It Means:  The rubber match is this afternoon with Aaron Nola facing off against Max Scherzer.

What Happened:  Wheeler loaded the bases in the first after hitting two batters and walking another, but he worked out of the jam and settled in.  He was chased in the fifth following a solo home run from Brandon Nimmo.  Cristopher Sanchez walked Nimmo to start the eighth, and Nimmo would eventually come around to score the Mets' second run.

The potent Phillies line-up had six hits and was 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  Alec Bohm, who apologized for his comments made during Monday night's game, received a loud ovation when he came to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Simon Muzziotti made his first big league start, batting ninth and playing center field.  Muzziotti struck out and laid down a nice sacrifice bunt before being pinch-hit for by Bohm.  The young (23) outfielder missed almost two full seasons as a result of the pandemic shut down in 2020 and visa issues in 2021.  I have only five baseball cards of his in my collection so far, including this card from last year's Topps Heritage Minor League set.

Field Report:  Jenna and I took in this game from Section 115.  Jenna enjoyed the street corn chicken nachos, while I went with the classic combination of two dogs and a beer.  The crowds have died down somewhat since opening weekend, but I'd expect attendance to climb back up once the weather gets warmer.

Transaction:  Before the game, local product Jeff Singer (lhp) had his contract selected from the IronPigs and Corey Knebel (rhp) was placed on the Covid injured list.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Prospects Added to 40-Man Roster; Cotham Named New Pitching Coach

2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #8

2019 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #33

2020 Topps Pro Debut #PD-106

2019 R-Phils Phillies Top 25 Prospects #15

2019 Choice Medusas de Lakewood #20

2019 R-Phils Phillies Top 25 Prospects #17

For the first time since a group of Phillies became free agents following the World Series, there was some movement with the team's roster.  As part of the annual offseason ritual of preparing for the rule 5 draft, teams must add draft-eligible players to their 40-man roster if they're to be protected. The Phillies added six of their top prospects to the 40-man roster yesterday, as summarized below.

Normally I'd include a sentence or two here about each player's prior year minor league performance, but with no minor league baseball in 2020 there's not much to say.

• Kyle Dohy (lhp) - Dohy was a spring training non-roster invitee in 2020, but then left off the 60-player pool over the summer.
• Bailey Falter (lhp) - One of three lefties added, Falter pitched for Reading in 2019.
• Damon Jones (lhp) - Jones was a non-roster invitee and a member of the 60-player pool.
• Nick Maton (inf) - Like Jones, Maton was a non-roster invitee and a member of the 60-player pool.
• Francisco Morales (rhp) - Ranked the team's 4th top prospect by MLB Pipeline, Morales projects as a starting pitcher and he reached Low-A Lakewood in 2019.
• Simon Muzziotti (of) - Center fielder Muzziotti spent all of 2019 with Clearwater and he's apparently an above average defender.

Granted 2020 was a bizarre season, but three of the four prospects (Garrett Cleavinger, Mauricio Llovera and JoJo Romero) added to the 40-man roster this time last year saw action with the Phillies over the summer.

Memory Lane

2009 Additions - Quintin Berry, Yohan Flande and Jesus Sanchez
2010 Additions - Cesar Hernandez, Matt Rizzotti, Harold Garcia, Freddy Galvis and Justin De Fratus
2011 Additions - Phillippe Aumont, Jake Diekman, Tyson Gillies and Sebastian Valle
2012 Additions - Zach Collier, Ethan Martin, Trevor May and Jonathan Pettibone
2013 Additions - Aaron Altherr, Kelly Dugan, Tommy Joseph and Rob Rasmussen
2014 Additions - Jesse Biddle, Adam Morgan and Nefi Ogando
2015 Additions - Jimmy Cordero, Roman Quinn and Edubray Ramos
2016 Additions - 11 prospects
2017 Additions - Seranthony Dominguez, Franklyn Kilome, Ranger Suarez, Jose Taveras and Engelb Vielma
2018 Additions - Arquimedes Gamboa, Edgar Garcia and Adonis Medina
2019 Additions - Garrett Cleavinger, Mauricio Llovera, JoJo Romero and Cristopher Sanchez

2020 Additions - Kyle Dohy, Bailey Falter, Damon Jones, Nick Maton, Francisco Morales and Simon Muzziotti

* * *

2017 Topps #188

Earlier Friday afternoon, the Phillies named Caleb Cotham as their new pitching coach, the team's fifth  pitching coach in as many years.  Admittedly, I know nothing about Cotham other than he appeared in the 2016 and 2017 Topps sets.  He appeared in 35 games (all in relief) with the Yankees in 2015 and the Reds in 2016, going 1-3 with a 7.15 ERA over 34 innings pitched.  His manager with the Yankees in 2015 was current Phillies manager Joe Girardi and his manager with the Reds in 2016 was outgoing Phillies pitching coach Bryan Price.

Cotham had been the Reds assistant pitching coach the past two seasons.  The Phillies are still looking for a new bullpen coach to replace Jim Gott, as Gott's contract was not renewed following the 2020 season.

Phillies Pitching Coaches Since 1970

Ray Rippelmeyer 1970-1978
Herm Starrette 1979-1981
Claude Osteen 1982-1988
Darold Knowles 1989-1990
Johnny Podres 1991-1996
Jim Wright 1996
Galen Cisco 1997-2000
Vern Ruhle 2001-2002
Joe Kerrigan 2003-2004
Rich Dubee 2005-2013
Bob McClure 2014-2017
Rick Kranitz 2018
Chris Young 2019

Bryan Price 2020

Caleb Cotham 2021-