2024 Chachi #32 Ricardo Pinto

#51 / Ricardo Antonio Pinto / Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  183
Opening Day Age:  30

Born:  January 20, 1994, Guacara, Venezuela
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent with the Phillies, February 19, 2024

Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2017; Tampa Bay Rays 2019; Philadelphia Phillies 2024

2024 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #25

Ricardo Pinto made a surprising return to the majors in 2024, but the reunion with the Phillies, his original club, was short-lived.  Pinto had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley on April 2nd, following the early season struggles of Connor Brogdon.  His first appearance in the majors since 2019 was a relative success as he pitched four innings of mop-up duty against the Reds, earning a save.  It was mostly downhill from there, and Pinto would appear in five more games, seeing his ERA rise to 10.97, before being designated for assignment.  He'd eventually report back to Lehigh Valley, but was released on August 12th.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP248
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2017
Favorite/Only 2024 Card:  2024 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #25
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  15 as of 12/22/24, 1 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2017 Chachi #42

2017 Chachi Photo Night #14

2018 Chachi Departures #13

2024 Chachi #32

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #31 Nick Nelson / 2024 Chachi #33 Orion Kerkering

Phils Sign Merrifield / Games Start Tomorrow!

2023 Topps Update #US291

2023 Topps Heritage #524

2023 Topps Big League #136

2023 Topps Heritage #668

2017 Chachi Photo Night #14

The Phillies spent most of the offseason with little to no roster movement, but once camp started in Clearwater there was a sudden flurry of moves.  By my unofficial tally, 65 days passed between the Phillies re-signing Aaron Nola on November 19th and the signing of Kolby Allard on January 23rd.  As we look forward to the first Grapefruit League action tomorrow afternoon, here's a look at the latest comings and goings over the past week.

• On February 14th, the signing of Spencer Turnbull (rhp) was announced, and McKinley Moore (rhp) was designated for assignment.  Turnbull is 12-29 over parts of five seasons with the Tigers.  In 2023, he was 1-4 with a 7.26 ERA in seven starts and I'm assuming he'll provide some starting pitching depth at Triple-A.

• On February 16th, Moore and Diego Castillo (inf) were both claimed off waivers.  Moore went to the Yankees with Castillo going to the Orioles.  It's surprising to me Moore would be let go, given he had been identified as one of the organization's top pitching prospects.

• There were a flurry of moves on Monday, with the biggest being the signing of Whit Merrifield (inf) to a one-year deal to provide a solid infield or outfield bench option.  Merrifield has long been a Phillies Room favorite, as he's one of our son Doug's favorite non-Phillies players.  Like Merrifield, Doug prides himself in being able to play all over the diamond, wherever the team needs him to play.  And I'm excited to add some Merrifield baseball cards to my 2024 Phillies binder

• To make room for Merrifield, Kaleb Ort was designated for assignment and later traded to the Orioles for cash considerations.  Ort had been on the 40-man roster for six days.

• Finally, three more non-roster invitees were added, bringing the total spring head count to 61.  Austin Brice (rhp) last pitched in the majors in 2022 with the Pirates, and he's a veteran of seven big league seasons having spent time with the Marlins, Reds, Marlins again, Red Sox and Pirates.  David Dahl (of) was an All-Star with the Rockies in 2019, and he's spent most of the past two seasons bouncing around the minor league systems of the Brewers, Nationals, Dodgers and Padres.  And Ricardo Pinto (rhp) returns to the Phillies, having last pitched in 25 games for the team in 2017.  He's been all over the place since then, having last pitched in the Mexican League in 2023.

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

19.  Austin Brice (rhp) - Diamondbacks/Twins - 2023 Topps Pro Debut #PD-86

20.  David Dahl (of) - Padres/Dodgers - 2019 Topps Total (White Sox)

21.  Ricardo Pinto (rhp) - Mexico - 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-GM

2019 Chachi #14 Nick Pivetta

#43
Nicholas Jhoncarlo Pivetta
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  210
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  February 14, 1993, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Drafted:  Selected by the Washington Nationals in the 4th round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017-
Acquired:  Acquired from the Washington Nationals for Jonathan Papelbon and cash considerations, July 28, 2015
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible 2021, free agency eligible 2024

2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23

2017 Chachi #40

2017 Chachi Photo Night #9

2017 Chachi #40

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23
First Phillies Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #43
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #43
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2017 Topps Update #US235
Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps Phillies #PP-11

2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #43

18 - Pivetta baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 4/20/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi Almost #10
2017 Chachi #40
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15
2017 Chachi In Action #6
2017 Chachi Archives #3
2017 Chachi Photo Night #9
2018 Chachi #14
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9
2019 Chachi #14

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

Final Look at Offseason Moves (Late May Edition)

2018 Chachi Departures #14

2018 Chachi Departures #13

I almost deleted this post from my draft folder, but then I decided it would be amusing to look back at the players who appeared with the Phillies last season and have since moved on.  I know "it's still early," but to think back to where the club was last year compared to where they are this year makes me hopeful that better things will continue to come.

This post also serves as a final "Departure" tribute to catcher Cameron Rupp, and to a lesser extent, reliever Ricardo Pinto.  As of Friday night, Rupp was hitting .257 with 7 home runs for the Triple-A Round Rock Express.  His final Phillies baseball cards can be found within both Series One of the Topps flagship release as well as the Topps Phillies retail team set.

Cameron Rupp Complete Chachi Checklist
2013 Chachi #63
2014 Chachi #53
2015 Chachi #10
2016 Chachi #10
2016 Chachi #43 HL - Rupp Hangs On
2016 Chachi Archives #7
2016 Chachi Photo Day #34
2017 Chachi #7
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11
2017 Chachi Archives #4
2017 Chachi Photo Night #28 (with Clay Buchholz and Andrew Knapp)
2017 Chachi Photo Night #29 (with Iggy)
2018 Chachi Fly Eagles Fly #3
2018 Chachi Departures #14

Ricardo Pinto Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #42
2017 Chachi Photo Night #14
2018 Chachi Departures #13

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League, 3/16/18.
• Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the New York Mets, 1/22/18.
• Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2/24/18.
• Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Francisco Giants, 1/30/18.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent
  with the Kansas City Royals, 3/20/18.
• Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, 12/18/17.
• Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2/6/18.
• Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
• Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/14/17.
• Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
• Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
• Freddy Galvis - ss (12/15/17) - Traded to the San Diego Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.
• Tommy Joseph - 1b (3/19/18) - Claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.
• Cameron Rupp - c (3/26/18) - Released and signed as a minor league free agent with the Texas Rangers, 4/3/18.
• Ricardo Pinto - rhp (3/27/18) - Traded to the Chicago White Sox for future considerations.

Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.

New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Engelb Vielma - inf (11/20/17) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Carlos Santana - 1b (12/20/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians.
• Drew Hutchison - rhp (2/15/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (3/12/18) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Chicago Cubs.

Already Gone - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Engelb Vielma - inf (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2018 Chachi #14 Nick Pivetta

#43
Nicholas Jhoncarlo Pivetta
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  210
Opening Day Age:  25
Born:  February 14, 1993, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Drafted:  Selected by the Washington Nationals in the 4th round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017-
Acquired:  Traded from the Washington Nationals for Jonathan Papelbon and cash considerations, July 28, 2015

2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23

2017 Chachi #40

2017 Topps Update #US235

13 Pivetta Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23
First Phillies Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #43
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #43
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2017 Topps Update #US235
Newest Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #43

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  July 29, 2015  - All-Time Phillies Saves Leader Papelbon Traded to Nationals - There has been a deal.

The big news throughout the day yesterday was the pending trade of the Phillies all-time saves leader, and general overall nutjob Jonathan Papelbon.  The deal was officially announced before the start of the fifth inning in last night's game and I'm glad the Papelbon era (2012-2015) has officially come to a close.

Papelbon was traded to the Nationals (with cash considerations) for Double-A prospect Nick Pivetta. Pivetta is a lanky right-handed starting pitcher who was drafted by the Nationals in 2013.  Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked him the Nationals 10th best prospect.  He has yet to appear on any mainstream baseball cards although a quick eBay search shows that he has several cards in recent Nationals minor league team sets.

I decided to add Pivetta to the growing Chachi Almost set and hopefully he's appearing on a Chachi base card in the near future.  Given that he's recently appeared in three games for Double-A Harrisburg, I went ahead and assigned him to the Reading Fightin Phils for his card.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi Almost #10
2017 Chachi #40
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15
2017 Chachi In Action #6
2017 Chachi Archives #3
2017 Chachi Photo Night #9
2018 Chachi #14

Card statistics through 5/21/18.

2017 Topps Now #517 Rhys Hoskins

Phillies 6, Dodgers 2
Game 151 - Tuesday Night, September 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 60-91, 5th place, 31 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Rhys Hoskins had a clutch, three-run double in the seventh to give the Phillies the lead and ultimately a 6-2 win over the Dodgers.

What It Means:  The Phils are playing like they don't realize they're supposed to lose.  If they win three more games in their final 11 they'll avoid a 100-loss season which at one point seemed like their inevitable destiny.

What Happened:  Hoskins singled home the Phillies' first run in the sixth.  Odubel Herrera worked a bases loaded walk to tie the game at two before Hoskins cleared the bases to give the Phils a 5-2 lead. Aaron Altherr padded the lead with a solo home run (18) in the eighth.

Aaron Nola allowed two runs on five hits in his seven innings of work on the way to his 12th win. Herrera collected his 40th double of the season, the most since Jayson Werth had 46 in 2010.

Featured Card:  Get ready for Hoskins to appear in every Topps release and every conceivable insert set in 2018!  Here's another of his cards from the Topps Now release.

Finally, I thought this pre-game photo was really cool, featuring the past winners of the organization's annual Paul Owens Award, honoring the best position player and pitcher within the minor league system.  Current year winners Scott Kingery and Tom Eshelman are flanked by prior winners, including Chase Utley.

L to R - Mickey Morandini, Chase Utley, Rhys Hoskins, Freddy Galvis, Scott Kingery, Tom Eshelman, Luis Garcia,
Maikel Franco, J.P. Crawford, Andrew Knapp, Ricardo Pinto and Ben Lively

Phils Take Series; Photo Night Highlights! (Part Two)

2017 Chachi Photo Night #8

2017 Chachi Photo Night #32

Phillies 6, Brewers 3
Game 96 - Sunday Afternoon, July 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 34-62, 5th place

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff pitched six solid inning and Nick Williams started the scoring with a two-run home run in the fourth as the Phillies defeated the Brewers, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies have won back-to-back series for the first time since April.  The first place Astros roll into town to begin a three-game series on Monday night.

What Happened:  Along with allowing only two runs on three hits over six innings, Eickhoff also contributed two hits and scored a run.  Luis Garcia pitched a perfect ninth to record his first save of the season.  Howie Kendrick had a clutch two-run single in the fifth.

Featured Cards:  Here's the next gallery of extremely limited edition Chachi insert cards from Saturday's Photo Night.  Eickhoff and Williams highlight the post given their efforts in this win.

2017 Chachi Photo Night #12

2017 Chachi Photo Night #13

2017 Chachi Photo Night #14

2017 Chachi Photo Night #15

2017 Chachi Photo Night #16

2017 Chachi Photo Night #17

2017 Chachi Photo Night #18

2017 Chachi Photo Night #19

2017 Chachi Photo Night #20

2017 Chachi Photo Night #21

2017 Chachi #42 Ricardo Pinto

#51
Ricardo Antonio Pinto
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  165
Born:  January 20, 1994, Guacara, VZ
Home:  San Joaquin, VZ
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent, December 28, 2011
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Via free agency

2014 Choice Williamsport
Crosscutters #23

10 Pinto Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2014 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #23
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #20

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #42

Card statistics through 6/24/17.

2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #20 Ricardo Pinto

Marlins 10, Phillies 2
Game 51 - Wednesday Afternoon, May 31st in Miami
Record - 17-34

One Sentence Summary:  The Marlins subjected the Phillies to a good old-fashioned butt whoopin' in the series finale.

What It Means:  Here's a summary of the ugliness:
- The Phillies finished May with a record of 6-22, representing their worst May since 1928 when they went 3-22.  (Meghan Montemurro via Twitter.)
- The Phillies are 17-34 overall, making it their worst start through 51 games since 1945 when they went 11-40.  (Todd Zolecki via Twitter.)

What Happened:  Aaron Nola lasted three innings, allowing four runs on five hits.  The offense scattered 10 hits, but went 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  Ricardo Pinto made his big league debut in this game (see below) and this is his most recent card from the Reading Top Prospects set.

Transaction:  Vince Velasquez was placed on the disabled list and Pinto was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Pinto's stay may be short as the Phillies will need two additional starting pitchers in the coming week.

Phillies Debut:  Pinto had a rough go of it in his debut.

• Ricardo Pinto (rhp) - Wearing #51, Pinto entered in the fourth inning following the quick hook for the laboring Aaron Nola.  He allowed four runs on six hits, including one of Justin Bour's two home runs for the day.

Phillies Overhaul 40-Man Roster

2016 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #1

2016 Topps Heritage Minor League #64

2016 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Playoff #23

2016 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #9

On Friday afternoon, in the biggest 40-man roster overhaul in recent memory, the Phillies dropped three players and added 11 in preparation for the upcoming Rule 5 draft.  Over the past seven offseasons, the most prospects added to the 40-man roster in November prior to this was five.  Here's a look at the 11 players added, their 2016 clubs, and a few brief notes.

• Drew Anderson (rhp) - Lakewood/Clearwater - Struck out 78 in 70 innings and pitched the first four innings of a combined Threshers no-hitter in July.
• Mark Appel (rhp) - Lehigh Valley - Acquired from the Astros in the Ken Giles trade and missed most of the season with a shoulder injury.
• Dylan Cozens (of) - Reading - Co-winner (with Rhys Hoskins) of the 2016 Paul Owens Award for the best Phillies position player in their minor leagues.
• Elniery Garcia (lhp) - Clearwater - 12-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 20 games.

2016 Topps Heritage Minor League #183

2016 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Top Prospects #14

2016 Topps Heritage Minor League #13

2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23

• Andrew Knapp (c) - Lehigh Valley - Hit .266 with 8 home runs and 46 RBIs in 107 games.
• Ben Lively (rhp) - Reading/Lehigh Valley - Winner of the 2016 Paul Owens Award for the best Phillies pitcher in the minors.
• Ricardo Pinto (rhp) - Reading - Represented the Phillies on the World Team in the 2016 Futures Game.
• Nick Pivetta (rhp) - Reading/Lehigh Valley - Acquired from the Nationals for Jonathan Papelbon, went a combined 12-8 with a 3.27 ERA in 27 starts.
• Alberto Tirado (rhp) - Lakewood/Clearwater - Acquired from the Blue Jays (with Jimmy Cordero) for Ben Revere.
• Jesmuel Valentin (inf) - Reading/Lehigh Valley - Hit .269 in 125 games.
• Nick Williams (of) - Lehigh Valley - One of the top prospects in the organization, hit .258 with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs for the IronPigs.

2016 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #24

2016 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Playoff #21

2016 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #2

To create some room for all the additions, the Phillies designated David Buchanan and Cordero for assignment and announced that Elvis Araujo was claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.

2016 Chachi Departures #5

Elvis Araujo Chachi Checklist

2015 Chachi New Additions #1
2015 Chachi #37
2016 Chachi #34
2017 Chachi Departures #5

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

*Somehow I skipped 2010 and didn't do a post.