2019 Chachi #36 Mitch Walding

#29
Mitchell S. Walding
Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  213
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  September 10, 1992, Lodi, CA
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 5th round of the June 2011 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2018-
Acquired:  Via draft
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2022, free agency eligible in 2025

2012 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #28

2018 Chachi #38

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

2018 Topps Update #US106

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2012 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #28
First Phillies Card:  2018 Topps Update #US106 (with Jesmuel Valentin)
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2018 Topps Update #US106 (with Jesmuel Valentin)
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  2018 Topps Update #US106

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

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #38
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6
2019 Chachi #36
2019 Chachi Photo Cards #29

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

2019 Chachi #29 Phillies Coaches - Pedro Guerrero

#60
Pedro Manuel Guerrero
Assistant Hitting Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  177
Opening Day Age:  30
Born:  December 3, 1988, San Pedro de Macoris, DR
Teams - As Coach:  Phillies 2018-

2018 Chachi #28

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #58
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #58
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #60

3 - Guerrero baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/1/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #28 (with Dusty Wathan, Chris Young and Jim Gott)
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11 (with Jesmuel Valentin and Jerad Eickhoff)
2019 Chachi #29 (with Dave Lundquist and Bobby Dickerson)

I shouldn't have added "Jr." to Guerrero's name on his 2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival card, and this should be considered an uncorrected error within the set.

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

Beato, Valentin Depart - Hot Stove Excitement!

2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9

For the sake of completion, I wanted to update the list below to reflect the departures of minor league free agents Pedro Beato and Jemuel Valentin.  Both appear on the comprehensive list of minor league free agents recently published by Baseball America.

Pedro Beato tallied just 2/3 of an inning with the Phillies back in 2017 before landing on the disabled list.  He didn't receive a call-up in 2018, but he's the Lehigh Valley IronPigs all-time saves leader, having converted 68 of 73 save opportunities.  He'll join the Missing Links club, having no Phillies baseball card appearances to his name.  His IronPigs cards can be found in the 2017 and 2018 team sets, and he's also on a league leaders card within the 2018 Topps Heritage Minor League set.

Jesmuel Valentin appeared in 46 games for the Phillies in 2018, hitting .177 (14 for 79) in limited action in the infield and outfield.  Valentin has appeared in three of the team's photo card sets and he's also in the 2018 Topps Update set, sharing a card with Mitch Walding.

Moving On - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Trevor Plouffe - inf (10/4/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Bautista - of (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Asdrubal Cabrera - inf (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Aaron Loup - lhp (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Wilson Ramos - c (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jesmuel Valentin - inf (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Florimon - inf/of (11/3/18) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Highlights from the 2018 Phillies Phestival (Part 2) #StrikeOutALS

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #17

Presented here are the remaining cards from the limited edition Chachi insert set I created to commemorate our amazing time at this year's Phillies Phestival benefiting the ALS Association.  Part 1 can be found here along with some of my memories from the event.

If you plan to go to the event in 2019, we'll see you there!

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16

2018 Chachi #33 Jesmuel Valentin

#9
Jesmuel Jose Valentin
Infield

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Opening Day Age:  23
Born:  May 12, 1994, Manati, PR
Drafted:  Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers between the 1st and 2nd rounds of the June 2012 draft.
Teams:  Phillies 2018
Acquired:  Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers with Victor Arano for Roberto Hernandez, August 28, 2014

2014 Topps Pro Debut #63

2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #32

9 Valentin Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2014 Topps Pro Debut #63
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #32
First Phillies Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #76
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #76
Newest Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9

2017 Phillies Team Issue #76

First (Indirect) Mention on The Phillies Room:  August 8, 2014 - Transaction:  Early yesterday afternoon, the Phillies finally announced their first semi-major deal of the season, sending starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers for two players to be named later or cash.  Hernandez is currently tied for the team lead in wins with six.  Unless he appears as a Phillie in the Topps Update set, Hernandez's sole Phillies card will be his oversized card in the team issued set.

First (Actual) Mention on The Phillies Room:  October 9, 2014 - Final Look at 2013-2014 Phillies Transactions . . .

Departed During the Season

Jayson Nix (5/12/14) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.)

Ronny Cedeno (6/29/14) - Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Raywilly Gomez.

Steve Susdorf (7/10/14) - Released by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Roberto Hernandez (8/7/14) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two players to be named later or cash.  (Phillies would later receive Jesmuel Valentin and Victor Arano.)
John Mayberry, Jr. (8/31/14) - Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Gustavo Pierre

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi Almost #10
2018 Chachi #33
2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #9

Card statistics through 6/13/18.

Game 65 - 2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9 Jesmuel Valentin

Rockies 7, Phillies 2
Game 65 - Wednesday Night, June 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 34-31, 3rd place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jesmuel Valentin was the only bright spot in this forgettable 7-2 loss to the Rockies.

What It Means:  Maybe there were two bright spots . . . Hector Neris pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out the side.

What Happened:  Nick Pivetta suffered through his fourth straight subpar start, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits in his 5 innings.  The offense was limited to home runs from Jorge Alfaro (5) and Valentin (1), his first career home run.  Valentin had earlier doubled twice in the ballgame.

Featured Card:  I was going to go with the Luis Garcia card that Doug had signed (see below) but after Valentin homered in the 9th, it tipped the scales in his favor.

Field Report:  We picked the worst game of the series to attend!  Still, the four of us had fun and Doug continued to have pre-game autograph success.  He added additional autographs of coaches Rick Kranitz and Dusty Wathan to his collection along with signatures from Valentin and Garcia.  Valentin seems to be this year's Ty Kelly as he's made time to sign a few autographs at each game we've attended this season.

Alfaro rounds the basees after his home run

Game 47 - On the Field for Batting Practice #StrikeOutALS

Phillies 4, Braves 0
Game 47 - Wednesday Night, May 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 28-19, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta dealt against the Braves, helping secure the series win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are a half game behind the Braves in the division as they open up a Memorial Day weekend series at home against the Blue Jays.

What Happened:  Arrieta struck out 7 in his 6 2/3 innings of work.  Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris took care of the final 7 outs.  Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez contributed RBI singles while Maikel Franco and Nick Williams added RBI doubles.

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #4

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #3

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #6

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Back in November, my wife Jenna and I attended the 40th Anniversary Gala of the Philadelphia ALS Association.  A close family friend of ours is battling ALS and the work of the Association is invaluable to the ALS patients and families in our community.

Jenna bid on and won a Phillies VIP Package that included a signed baseball from Rhys Hoskins, a signed bat from Nick Williams and a signed catcher's mitt from Cameron Rupp.  The package also included the opportunity to watch the Phillies take batting practice before a game and a behind the scenes tour of Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies contacted Jenna in April and we picked this game against the Braves for our "VIP" experience, partly because it was also Star Wars Night.  The experience did not disappoint.

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #9

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #8

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #10

The highlight of course was getting to watch the Phillies take batting practice from right behind home plate.  We were told not to call over to the players, but several of them wandered over to us anyway.  Thanks to Scott Kingery, Carlos Santana, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jesmuel Valentin for taking time to sign some autographs and pose for pictures.  Santana offered Ben a hug, and Ben managed to avoid touching the pine tar already accumulating on Santana's right shoulder.  Broadcasters Tom McCarthy and Gregg Murphy also obliged with autographs and pictures.

After the players had all batted, manager Gabe Kapler made his way over to us and asked to see Doug's stack of Phillies baseball cards.  He looked at each one, pausing for comments, and then was impressed to see a Williams card in the style of the original 1983 Topps set.  It's something we and our sons will never forget.  Thanks again to the Phillies for a truly memorable experience!

Grapefruit Game 24 - 2017 Phillies Team Issue #76 Jesmuel Valentin

Twins 4, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 24 - Sunday Afternoon, March 18th in Ft. Myers
Record - 9-14-1

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola looked solid in one of his final tune-ups before the regular season starts in this 4-3 loss to the Twins.

What It Means:  With Jake Arrieta possibly not being ready for the beginning of the season and Jerad Eickhoff out for a few months due to injury, all eyes will be on Nola to get off to a strong start to 2018.

What Happened:  Nola allowed a pair of runs on four hits in his five innings of work.  Gregorio Petit hit a solo home run off Jake Thompson in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.  Jesmuel Valentin had tied the game in the 7th with a three-run home run, his third of the spring.  Scott Kingery started at third base and had two hits.

Featured Card:  It would seem as if the Phillies are going to start the season with a four-man bench and an eight-man bullpen.  Aaron Altherr is a lock for one of the spots and the second spot will go to either Andrew Knapp or Cameron Rupp as the back-up catcher.  That leaves two spots remaining for Valentin, Pedro Florimon, Roman Quinn, Ryan Flaherty or Adam Rosales.  Valentin almost made the team last spring, but the final two spots went to Brock Stassi and Daniel Nava.  He was close enough though to merit a card in the team-issued set available for sale at the ballpark throughout most of the season.

Camp Head Count:  47

Phillies Comings & Goings - Mid-Season Update

2017 Chachi Almost #8

2017 Chachi Almost #9

2017 Chachi Almost #10

2017 Chachi Almost #11

With the symbolic half-way point of the season approaching, I wanted to take the opportunity to refresh the Phillies comings and goings listing and clear out some of the custom cards from my draft folder.

The four Chachi Almost cards at the top of the post are for players who won't be suiting up for the Phillies in 2017.  Jesmuel Valentin had his season cut short with surgery to repair his separated shoulder.  Pitchers Dalier Hinojosa and Mario Hollands were released from their minor league contracts while Taylor Featherston was traded to the Rays.  I also wanted to pay a final Phillies Room tribute to Joely Rodriguez who was the first (of many?) casualties from the 2017 Phillies bullpen as the lefty was designated for assignment and ultimately traded to the Rangers.

2017 Phillies Team Issue #63

Dalier Hinojosa Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi #55
2016 Chachi Preview #4
2016 Chachi #25
2017 Chachi Almost #8

Mario Hollands Complete Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #19
2015 Chachi Almost #4
2016 Chachi Almost #18
2017 Chachi Almost #9

Taylor Featherston Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi New Additions #13
2016 Chachi #50
2017 Chachi Almost #11

Joely Rodriguez Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi New Additions #2
2016 Chachi #62
2017 Chachi #20
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5 (with Zach Eflin)

2017 Chachi Departures #6

2017 Chachi Departures #20

Joining the Departures insert set are Frank Herrmann and Cedric Hunter.  Herrmann, who pitched briefly for the Phillies last season is now in Japan while Hunter signed with the Reds.  Hunter, last year's opening day left fielder, was suspended in November for testing positive for amphetamine.

Frank Herrmann Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #57
2017 Chachi Departures #6

Cedric Hunter Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #6
2017 Chachi Departures #20

Finally, I'll have an upcoming post dedicated to Ryan Howard who briefly signed with the Braves organization before being released in early May.

Moving On - 2016-2017 Offseason

• Cedric Hunter - of (10/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Cincinnati Reds, 4/4/17.
• James Russell - lhp (10/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 2/13/17.
• Emmanuel Burriss - inf (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Washington Nationals, 12/13/16.
• Frank Herrmann - rhp (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles (Japan).
• Jimmy Paredes - of (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan), 1/15/17.
• Patrick Schuster - lhp (10/7/16) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/5/16.
• Ryan Howard - 1b (11/3/16) - Team option declined, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 4/6/17.
• Charlie Morton - rhp (11/3/16) - Team option declined, elected free agency and signed with the Houston Astros, 11/16/16.
• Peter Bourjos - of (11/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago White Sox, 1/27/17.
• A.J. Ellis - c (11/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed with the Miami Marlins, 12/12/16.
• David Hernandez - rhp (11/3/16) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Francisco Giants, 2/14/17.
• Darin Ruf - 1b-of and Darnell Sweeney - inf-of (11/11/16) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Howie Kendrick.
• Elvis Araujo - rhp (11/18/16) - Claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.
• David Buchanan - rhp (11/23/16) - Released and signed with the Yakult Swallows (Japan), 12/20/16.
• Cody Asche - of (12/2/16) - Designated for assignment, non-tendered and signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago White Sox, 1/6/17.
• Phil Klein - rhp (12/14/16) - Released and signed with the Yokohama BayStars (Japan), 12/20/16.
• Severino Gonzalez - rhp (1/19/17) - Designated for assignment and traded to the Miami Marlins for a player to be named later or cash considerations, 1/24/17.
• Alec Asher - rhp (3/28/17) - Traded to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

New Additions - 2016-2017 Offseason

• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/16) - Acquired from the Houston Astros for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
• Howie Kendrick - lf (11/11/16) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Darin Ruf and Darnell Sweeney.
• Joaquin Benoit - rhp (12/6/16) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Daniel Nava - of (12/12/16) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Kansas City Royals.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (12/20/16) - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Josh Tobias.
• Michael Saunders - of (1/19/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Departed During the 2017 Season

• Tyler Goeddel - of (4/5/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.
• Dalier Hinojosa - rhp (5/16/17) - Released.
• Mario Hollands - lhp (5/23/17) - Released.
• Taylor Featherston - inf (6/9/17) - Traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash.
• Joely Rodriguez - lhp (6/13/17) - Traded to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later or cash.
• Jeanmar Gomez - rhp (6/20/17) - Designated for assignment.
• Michael Saunders - of (6/20/17) - Designated for assignment.

Arrived During the 2017 Season

• Ty Kelly - inf (4/22/17) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.
• Casey Fien - rhp (5/9/17) - Purchased from the Seattle Mariners.

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.