1985 Phillies - No Missing Links

1985 Topps Traded #121T, 1986 Donruss #34 and 1986 Topps #418

For just the second time since I started this series, I came across a year in which every single player spending time with the Phillies actually has a Phillies baseball card.  (The only other year to this point is 1993.)  I don't think there's any real reason for this to have happened in 1985, as it wasn't a terrific year for the Phils.  But with a little luck, and the existence of the team-issued Tastykake sets, every member of the 1985 squad graces at least a little Phillies cardboard.

In fact, there are just 10 players who appeared with the Phillies in 1985 who didn't appear in either the regular Topps base or traded set.  I created cards for these 10 players, and posted them here.

3 Cards or More
32 Players

Right-handed reliever Dave Shipanoff just makes the cut with three total cards from the 1986 Donruss, Fleer and Tastykake sets.  He appeared in 26 games with the Phils in late 1985, before injuries cut his career short.

2 Cards

Derrel Thomas (63 games in 1985) - 1985 Topps Traded #121T and 1986 Topps #158
Rocky Childress (16 games in 1985 and 2 games in 1986) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies and 1986 Tastykake Phillies

Thomas finished up his 15-year career with the Phillies.  He has the distinction of appearing with three different teams on 1985 baseball cards.  His 1985 Topps card features him as a member of the Expos.  The Expos sold Thomas to the Angels in September 1984, and he played in just 14 games with California.  Fleer hustled a little more than Topps and has him with the Angels on his 1985 card.  Finally, Topps issued a Phillies card for Thomas within its traded series.

Childress never received a standard-sized Phillies card.

1 Card

Pat Zachry (10 games in 1985) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies

Alan Knicely (7 games in 1985) - 1986 Topps #418
Rich Surhoff (2 games in 1985) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies

The inclusion of Knicely's card within the 1986 Topps set always puzzled me, and it would never happen in today's Topps sets.  Knicely came to the Phillies in August 1985 as part of the Bo Diaz deal with the Reds.  Injuries limited his time with the club, and his final Phillies line reads - 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.

Technically, Zachry has two cards as he's featured with the rest of the Phillies pitching staff on a multi-player card included within the 1985 Tastykake set.  The 1976 National League Rookie of the Year appeared in just 10 games for the Phillies before getting released in June 1985.

Surhoff, B.J.'s older brother, pitched just one full inning for the Phillies, earning a win on September 8th.  On September 13th, he was traded to the Rangers for Dave Stewart.

Past Missing Link Posts

1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1981 Phillies - Jerry Reed

1982 Phillies - Stan Bahnsen and Alejandro Sanchez

1983 Phillies - Steve Comer
1984 Phillies - Renie Martin, Jim Kern and Mike LaValliere

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

1999 Phillies - Joel Bennett, Domingo Cedeno, Joe Grahe and Torey Lovullo

2000 Phillies - Clemente Alvarez, Kirk Bullinger, Mark Holzemer and Bryan Ward

1985 Topps Phillies - Missing Links

My post on the 1985 Topps Phillies cards is not quite ready yet, but I wanted to share these "cards that never were" for players who should have had Phillies cards in the 1985 Topps set.  There are only ten players who appeared with the Phils in 1985 who didn't have Topps Phillies cards in either Topps' regular or traded sets.  Here are those missing ten cards:

PR1

PR2

PR3

PR4

PR5

PR6

PR7

PR8

PR9

PR10

Scrapbook Sunday: September 1, 1985

1985 Topps #PR9

I've always had the need to know which players were on the Phillies' current roster, and for as long as I've been a fan, I've been able to rattle off the 25 names currently available to suit up on any given night. When I started this blog, one of the first things I added was a list of the team's current roster (look left), which I update as soon as I get wind of a transaction. Each name on the roster is linked to that player's baseball cards I've featured so far in The Phillies Room. Go ahead and click around a little - it's good fun.

1985 Topps #PR8

From opening day until August 31st, there are 25 men on the active roster and then on September 1st, something glorious happens.  On September 1st, teams have the option of expanding their rosters to 40 active players.  I like this.  I know there are some who feel it cheapens the pennant races by altering the rules of engagement for the final month of the season.  But I like it.  I like that Paul Hoover is on the roster now as a 3rd catcher, and he'll (hopefully) only play in one game - the game the day after (hopefully) the Phils clinch a play-off spot.  I like that there are pinch-runners galore and late inning defensive switches.  To date, the Phils have added only 3 players to bring the total number of names on the line-up card to 28*, but I suspect that number will expand.

1985 Topps #PR1

25 years ago, I don't think I was aware of this rule yet.  I had become very familiar with the Phillies' 25 players and then all of the sudden, extra names started showing up in the boxscores.  (The list I created in pencil lists 27 players, so I'm assuming a couple of those guys were on the DL at the time.)  It was only after I dutifully wrote out each players' number and name, underlining each player for some reason, that I had to come back and write out the numbers and names of the "New Players" in pen.

1985 Topps Traded #62T

None of these guys had a huge impact on the '85 Phillies, and only Steve Jeltz received a proper Topps card, appearing in that year's traded series.  The other cards featured here are cards I've created to fill the gaps and to satisfy my inner 11-year-old who never had a proper Rocky Childress Phillies' card.  Fred Toliver picked up his first and only Major League save on September 3rd.  Alan Knicely was used as a pinch-hitter throughout September, going 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.  Rich Surhoff, B.J.'s older brother, pitched in only 2 games before getting shipped to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Dave "Smoke" Stewart.   Childress appeared in 16 games for the '85 Phils, compiling a 6.21 ERA.  And then there's Steve Jeltz.  Jeltz spent parts of 7 seasons with the Phils, compiling a .213 average.

*Increased to 29 today and it will go up again to 31 on Monday.