Look Away if You've Already Moved on from the 2020 Phillies

2020 Chachi Almost #13

2020 Chachi Almost #15

2020 Chachi Almost #20

2020 Chachi Almost #16

In an effort to put the 2020 Phillies season behind me as quickly as possible, I wanted to get this post out of the way.  Every year, I create my custom Chachi cards during the offseason and the early stages of spring training, which means I end up with several "Almost" cards of players who didn't get the call to the big club during the season.  Those cards are presented here.

Victor Arano, Seranthony Dominguez and David Robertson spent the season either injured, recovering from an injury or getting surgery to repair an injury.  Arano and Dominguez should return, while Robertson will not.  Despite the bullpen's woes, JD Hammer never got the call to join the team and Odubel Herrera remains exiled following his arrest for domestic violence last year.  Christian Bethancourt was a non-roster invitee to spring training and then disappeared, with no sign of any transaction (that I can find) to tell us where he ended up.  Finally, veterans Mikie Mahtook and Nick Martini were also non-roster invitees who later joined the taxi squad in Allentown as part of the team's 60-player pool.  Neither got the call to leave Lehigh Valley and travel to Philadelphia.

2020 Chachi Almost #18

2020 Chachi Almost #19

2020 Chachi Almost #14

2020 Chachi Almost #17

Also presented below is a final look at the team's 2019-2020 offseason moves and other player additions and deletions during the pandemic-shortened season.  For some reason, I failed to post my Departures cards of Fernando Salas and Mitch Walding when they originally left the team and solely for the sake of completeness, they're presented here.

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency, signed the San Francisco Giants (1/18/20).
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (1/7/20).
• Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals (2/12/20).
• Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/9/20).
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers (1/22/20).
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (2/15/20).
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (1/16/20).
• Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (2/9/20).
• Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released, signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Japan) (11/2/19).
• Jared Hughes - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Houston Astros (2/17/20).
• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jason Vargas - lhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jerad Eickhoff - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres (12/27/19).
• Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/31/20).
• Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1/8/20).
• Mitch Walding - 3b (11/4/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (2/2/20).
• Maikel Franco - 3b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Kansas City Royals (12/27/19).
• Cesar Hernandez - 2b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (12/29/19).

2020 Chachi Departures #2

2020 Chachi Departures #3

Coming Back - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (12/20/19).
• Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (2/5/20).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (2/12/20).

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/2/19) - Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
• Zack Wheeler - rhp (12/9/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (12/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• Ronald Torreyes - inf (1/2/20) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Minnesota Twins.
• Neil Walker - inf (1/22/20) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (1/31/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
• Deolis Guerra - rhp (2/5/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Kyle Garlick - of (2/15/20) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tyler Gilbert.

Arrived During the 2020 Season

• David Hale (rhp) - 8/21/20, Acquired from the New York Yankees for Addison Russ (rhp).
• Brandon Workman (rhp) and Heath Hembree (rhp) - 8/21/20, Acquired from the Boston Red Sox with cash and a player to be named later for Nick Pivetta (rhp) and Connor Seabold (rhp).
• David Phelps (rhp) - 8/31/20, Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for three players to be named later.

Departed During the 2020 Season 

• Nick Williams (of) - 8/15/20, Selected off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. 
• Edgar Garcia (rhp) - 8/18/20, Traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later.
• Nick Pivetta (rhp) - 8/21/20, Traded to the Boston Red Sox with Connor Seabold (rhp) for Brandon Workman (rhp), Heath Hembree (rhp), a player to be named later and cash.
• Austin Davis (lhp) - 8/26/20, Traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later and  cash.
• Deivy Grullon (c) - 9/3/20, Selected off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.
• Neil Walker (inf) - 9/15/20, Cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Game 71 - Father's Day at the IronPigs; Phillies Game Skipped

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #17

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #11

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #15

While Jenna took Ben to a family graduation party in Quakertown, Doug and I travelled a little further north to take in an IronPigs game in Allentown.  The rain held out until after the game was over, and it was a wonderful way to spend Father's Day.  Doug continued his minor league ballpark tradition of (a) getting many autographs and (b) getting a ball tossed to him at some point during the game.

Unfortunately, starting pitcher Enyel De Los Santos gave up a trio of home runs (two to Bobby Bradley) and the Clippers, the top affiliate for the Indians, won the game 3-1.  Following the game, the IronPigs opened up the outfield for a Father's Day catch on the field, which was the highlight of the afternoon for both of us.  The afternoon outing merited another 10 cards in the growing Ballpark Visits insert set.  Our next stop is scheduled for Lakewood in July to take in a BlueClaws game.

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #8

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #10

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #13

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #16

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #9

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #12

2019 Chachi Ballpark Visits #14

Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Phillies had a very bad day.

Braves 15, Phillies 1
Game 71 - Sunday Afternoon, June 16th in Atlanta
Record - 39-32, 2nd place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The bullpen game concept completely backfired as the Braves demolished each Phillies pitcher presented to them.

What It Means:  With J.T. Realmuto and Jay Bruce out of the line-up with minor injuries, and no reliable fifth starter in sight, this was a massacre of a ballgame.  Moves will need to be made if the Phillies hope to catch the Braves, and they'll enter the week looking up and two and half games back.

What Happened:  Only utility player Sean Rodriguez, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning, escaped without allowing a Braves run.  Vince Velasquez (2 1/3 innings, 4 runs), Cole Irvin (3 2/3 innings, 6 runs) and Jerad Eickhoff (1 inning, 5 runs) were all torched.

Transactions:  Pat Neshek was activated from the Injured List and Irvin was recalled from the IronPigs.  Ranger Suarez and Edgar Garcia were sent back down, but neither arrived in Allentown in time for Sunday's IronPigs game.

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

Game 20 - 2019 Chachi Photo Cards #9 Phil Gosselin

Phillies 8, Rockies 5
Game 20 - Saturday Night, April 20th in Denver
Record - 12-8, 1st place, 1 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies temporarily rebounded from their horrendous Friday night loss to down the Rockies, 8-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies would need a win on Sunday to split the four-game series with the Rockies.  (Spoiler alert: It didn't happen.)

What Happened:  The big hits in this game were a three-run double from Phil Gosselin in the fourth and a three-run home run (5) from Bryce Harper in the seventh.  Andrew McCutchen provided some insurance with a solo home run (4) in the ninth.  Aaron Nola pitched somewhat better than his previous starts, working out of trouble during most of his 5 2/3 innings of work.  He allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out nine.

Featured Card:  Harper's homer was big, but it was Gosselin's double that gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead.  I've already featured the above card in an earlier post, but since I have no Gosselin cards to feature here, I'll go with this one again.  I've since had to add two more cards to the Chachi Photo Cards insert set (see below).

Transactions:  Three players landed on the disabled list on Saturday - reliever Victor Arano (elbow), infielder Scott Kingery (hamstring) and shortstop Jean Segura (hamstring).  The loss of both Kingery and Segura to hamstring injuries means that Gosselin will be the team's starting shortstop for at least the next 10 days.  Drew Anderson (rhp), Austin Davis (lhp) and Mitch Walding (3b) were all recalled from Lehigh Valley.

2019 Chachi Photo Cards #54

2019 Chachi Photo Cards #29

Game 104 - 2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #29 Mitch Walding

Reds 6, Phillies 2
Game 104 - Saturday Night, July 28th in Cincinnati
Record - 58-46, 1st place,  2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Matt Harvey and the Reds bullpen held the Phillies to just four hits in this 6-2 loss.

What It Means:  Fortunately, the Braves keep losing too.

What Happened:  Rhys Hoskins provided the only offense with a two-run home run (21) in the 4th.  Asdrubal Cabrera made his Phillies debut, playing shortstop and batting 5th, and went 0 for 4 at the plate.

Featured Card:  Let's take a minute to appreciate Mitch Walding.  The third baseman has been on the Phillies active roster for 15 games this season and so far he's gone 0 for 14 with 10 strikeouts.  But then on Saturday night, during an IronPigs double header, Walding exploded for three, three-run home runs and finished the night having gone 5 for 7 with 10 total RBIs.  The timing of his explosion is a bit of cruel irony given the big club's current lethargy at the plate.

Transaction:  With Cabrera added to the active roster, infielder Jesmuel Valentin was optioned to Lehigh Valley.  Of interest to a few of us, assistant hitting coach Pedro Guerrero, Jr. gave his #13 to Cabrera and switched to #88.

Highlights from the 2018 Phillies Phestival (Part 1) #StrikeOutALS

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3

I still can't believe we had never attended this event until last year.  On Thursday afternoon, Jenna and our two sons attended the annual Phillies Phestival benefiting the ALS Association.  For those of you not familiar with this event, it's the Phillies' signature charity event featuring an afternoon of player autograph stations, a silent auction, mystery grab bags for sale featuring signed memorabilia and everything else Citizens Bank Park has to offer.  The Phillies raised over $725,000 during the afternoon, passing the $18 million mark in terms of money raised for the charity since 1984.

We have a close family friend currently battling ALS, and I've recently become more involved with the Association.  My employer was a table sponsor at the event, giving us the opportunity to arrive early and have our pictures taken with Cesar Hernandez and coach Jose David Flores.  As I did last year, I've made a set of special edition cards to commemorate our day, and I'll break the set into two separate posts.

Here are my best memories from the event:

• We hustled.  We learned from last year that you go as quickly as you can to each autograph station, saving the other fun stuff for last after the players stop signing.  There were 20 total autograph stations and we hit 14, breaking into groups of two about 45 minutes into the event.  Had we broken up earlier, we probably could have hit more but it was fun to stick together for the beginning.  For the record, we missed the tables of Nick Williams/Andrew Knapp, Scott Kingery/Dylan Cozens, Rhys Hoskins, Charlie Manuel, Gabe Kapler/coach Rob Thomson and Tommy Hunter/coach Rick Kranitz.  No offense to the last table mentioned, but my autograph-seeking son flat out opted to pass on their table.

•  As was the case last year, everyone was exceedingly pleasant.  I stood in line by myself for the 1993 Alumni table, adding autographs of Kevin Stocker, Tommy Greene, Larry Andersen, John Kruk, Larry Bowa and Mickey Morandini.  Somewhat predictably, that bunch spent the time I was in line cracking jokes and discussing their plans for the evening.

• Thanks to fellow collectors Steve F. and Rick for the texts with table updates and leads on potential new photo cards.  The only new photo cards seemingly available from the event is a new card of J.P. Crawford in the style of the 2017 team-issued update set and a new Phillies Alumni photo card for former manager Charlie Manuel.  I've updated the 2017 Phillies Team Issue Update post here, and I'll have a comprehensive post on the Alumni Cards out soon.

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

• Relatively new additions Austin Davis, Mitch Walding and Dylan Cozens had nothing available to sign.  My hope was that the Phillies would produce special photo cards for the trio but they were sitting at their stations with nothing but Sharpies in front of them.

• Our oldest son Doug was on a mission to get as many autographs as possible in the two-hour signing period and by his count, he came away with 35 different autographed cards!  Credit needs to go to our youngest son Ben who helped his older brother with his mission, at one point telling Victor Arano that his name was Doug so that Arano would personalize the autograph for his brother.  Ben does not show the same zeal for autograph collecting as his brother, but I was beyond proud of him for being helpful.

• Doug and I were the last two people in line to get Jake Arrieta's autograph.  He was actually unbuttoning his jersey as we walked in, getting ready to leave the room.  He saw Doug round the corner, put his jersey back on and posed for a picture with Doug.  Great memory.

• Our luck with the mystery grab bags wasn't great, but I'm fine with that as everything went towards a great cause.  We came away with autographed baseballs from Luis Garcia (x 2) and Adam Morgan and an autographed hat from Hector Neris, as well as 3 Mike Schmidt bobble heads and a mini Harry Kalas statue.

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Chachi #38 Mitch Walding

#29
Mitchell S. Walding
Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  213
Opening Day Age:  25
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

2012 Choice Williamsport
Crosscutters #28

10 Walding Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2012 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #28
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
Newest Card:  2017 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Theme Night #14

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  January 4, 2018 - Phillies Announce First 10 Non-Roster Invitees . . . The Phillies got a late start this offseason in announcing their first batch of non-roster invitees, as last year's first group of non-roster invitees was announced in mid-December.  Nevertheless, this brings us another step closer to spring training!  Here's a look at the first 10 players who will suit up in spring training wearing numbers in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

10.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #38

Card statistics through 6/13/18.

Game 53 - 2017 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #10 Mitch Walding

Dodgers 8, Phillies 2
Game 53 - Late Wednesday Night, May 30th in Los Angeles
Record - 30-23, 3rd place, 1 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  This late night game was mostly devoid of highlights for the Phillies, as the Dodgers easily won, 8-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies will go for the series split tonight and then head to San Francisco for some more late-night, West Coast baseball.

What Happened:  Dodgers starter Ross Stripling allowed a run on four hits in his seven innings of work.  The Phillies didn't score until Nick Williams hit a solo home run (6) in the seventh.  Zach Eflin gave up five runs in his four innings of work.

Featured Card:  Mitch Walding made his Major League debut, starting at third base.  Unfortunately, the debut didn't go so well as Walding went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts.  Walding doesn't have any 2018 baseball cards yet and he's still waiting for his first Phillies card.

Transaction:  Walding had his contract purchased from Lehigh Valley and Pedro Florimon was placed on the disabled list.  Jerad Eickhoff was moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Walding on the 40-man roster.

Phillies Announce First 10 Non-Roster Invitees #CountdownToClearwater

2017 Topps #46

2017 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #17

2017 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Theme Night #14

2017 Topps Update #US30

The Phillies got a late start this offseason in announcing their first batch of non-roster invitees, as last year's first group of non-roster invitees was announced in mid-December.  Nevertheless, this brings us another step closer to spring training!  Here's a look at the first 10 players who will suit up in spring training wearing numbers in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Player (position) - 2017 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Phillies - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Eric Fryer (c) - Cardinals - 2011 Bowman Draft #36 (Pirates)
4.  Steve Geltz (rhp) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors Real One Autograph #ROA-SG (Angels)
5.  Matt McBride (c-1b) - Athletics - 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects #MM (Indians)
6.  Heiker Meneses (inf) - Red Sox - N/A
7.  Will Middlebrooks (inf) - Rangers - 2017 Topps #46 (Brewers)
8.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
9.  Danny Ortiz (of) - Pirates - 2017 Topps Update #US30 (Pirates)
10.  Mitch Walding (inf) - Phillies - N/A

Looking back to last year's crop, 9 of the 24 non-roster invitees eventually spent time with the big club and I've indicated those players below with a **.

Player (position) - 2016 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  Sean Burnett (lhp) - Nationals/Dodgers/Braves/Twins/Nationals - 2014 Topps #68 (Angels)
**2.  Pedro Florimon (inf) - Pirates - 2014 Topps #568 (Twins)
3.  Hector Gomez (inf) - Korea - 2015 Topps Update #US229 (Brewers)
**4.  Daniel Nava (of) - Angels/Royals - 2016 Topps Now #293 (Angels)
5.  Bryan Holaday (c) - Tigers/Rangers/Red Sox - 2014 Topps Update #US117 (Tigers)
6.  Cesar Ramos (lhp) - Rangers/Tigers - 2015 Topps Update #US293 (Angels)
**7.  Victor Arano (rhp) - Phillies - 2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #BCAP-VA (Phillies)
**8.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Orioles - 2011 Topps Chrome #199 (Mets)
**9.  J.P. Crawford (inf) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman's Best Top Prospects #TP12 (Phillies)
10.  Taylor Featherston (inf) - Angels/Phillies - 2015 Topps Update #US148 (Angels)
11.  Dalier Hinojosa (rhp) - Phillies - 2015 Immaculate Collection #151 (Red Sox)
**12.  Rhys Hoskins (1b) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD186 (Phillies)
13.  Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2016 Bowman Draft #BD128 (Phillies)
14.  Michael Mariot (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
15.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
16.  Colton Murray (rhp) - Phillies - 2016 Topps #488 (Phillies)
17.  Chace Numata (c) - Phillies - N/A
**18.  Cam Perkins (of) - Phillies - 2014 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP86 (Phillies)
19.  Andrew Pullin (of) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDPP59 (Phillies)
**20.  Brock Stassi (1b) - Phillies - N/A
21.  Ryan Hanigan (c) - Red Sox - 2016 Topps Heritage #694 (Red Sox)
22.  Chris Coghlan (of) - Cubs/Athletics/Cubs - 2016 Topps Update #US274 (Cubs)
23.  Pat Venditte (r/lhp) - Blue Jays/Mariners - 2016 Topps Now #408 (Mariners)
**24.  Hoby Milner (lhp) - Phillies - N/A