2020 Chachi Almost #10 Nick Williams

#5
Billy Nicholas Williams
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  208
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  September 8, 1993, Galveston, TX
How Obtained:  Acquired with Jerad Eickhoff, Matt Harrison, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Alec Asher from the Texas Rangers for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations, July 31, 2015
Departed:  Claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds, August 15, 2020
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2017-2019

First Phillies Card:  2016 Bowman Prospects #BP105
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2015 Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set #28
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Special Edition #5

Newest Card Added:  2020 Topps Gypsy Queen #154

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  2018-2019

73 - Williams baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 8/15/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi Almost #25
2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #4
2017 Chachi #46
2017 Chachi Archives #9
2017 Chachi Archives #18
2017 Chachi Photo Night #32
2017 Chachi In Action #9
2018 Chachi #5
2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7
2019 Chachi #13
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14 - with Sean Rodriguez
2020 Chachi Almost #10

Nick Williams departed the organization on Saturday, claimed off waivers by the Reds.  Williams was the sixth and final player remaining in the organization from the Cole Hamels trade with the Rangers that recently had its five-year anniversary.

In three seasons with the Phillies, Williams appeared in 290 games and hit .254 with 31 home runs and 110 RBIs.  He was the team's opening day right fielder in 2018, but a lack of production and the arrival of Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper in 2019 left Williams without a position.  He was always quick with an autograph and a smile, and The Phillies Room wishes him all the best with the Reds.

Departed During the 2020 Season 

• Nick Williams (of) - 8/15/20, Selected off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. 

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Highlights from the 2019 Phillies Phestival (Part 1) #StrikeOutALS

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16

On Thursday afternoon, we attended the annual Phillies Phestival, which raises money in the fight against ALS.  One of my collecting regrets (and a regret as a lifelong Phillies fan) is that we never even considered going to this event until three years ago.  As rookies in 2017, we meandered through the ballpark using our pre-assigned autograph tickets and paying cash for autographs when the lines died down.  In 2018, I attended the event on behalf of my employer, which unbeknownst to me, had been a long-time sponsor of the Phestival.  I became involved with the Philadelphia ALS Chapter over the past few years partly in tribute to our friend Bob who passed away in January 2019 after a courageous battle with the disease.  I'm looking forward to continuing (and increasing) my involvement in the coming years.

This year, we again attended as sponsors and it's the first year we were fully prepared to collect autographs as efficiently as possible while still having fun.  Sponsors are given a button to wear, which allows us to stand in any autograph line.  Within the sponsors packet were explicit instructions informing us we couldn't go to the front of any line, which makes complete sense, and that we couldn't go to the Bryce Harper photo booth.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14

Similar to the past two years, I created a special set of Chachi cards to commemorate our day and the autographs we hunted down.  Here's a summary of what and how we did:

• The sponsors assemble in the Diamond Club and my company's name was called around 2:45.  We made our way down to the field to meet with Phil Gosselin and Jay Bruce who would be signing autographs at our designated station.  I let Bruce know it was great not to boo him this season, and my son Doug talked to Gosselin about their mutual history with the All-Star Baseball Academy.  Gosselin is an alumni and Doug is currently on one of their travel teams.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

• We had a plan.  Doug and I took the left side of the ballpark while Jenna and Ben took the right side.  Doug and I started in the Hall of Fame Club, where the lines were very short to start and some of the tables had no lines.  We walked right into the suite where Gabe Kapler was signing and had two people in front of us.  Kapler's a fascinating guy.  Very intense, very polite, very engaging and he made his hat work.

• Jenna and Ben made Aaron Nola their first target, so they had a longer wait to get started.  Doug and I had cleared four tables by the time they were getting Nola's autographs.

• All the players were engaging and friendly, and even though there was a loose "no posed photographs" policy in place this year, pretty much everyone stopped to look and smile while we were taking pictures.  Rhys Hoskins said he remembered being in our Christmas card, although he may have just been being polite.

• Ben's highlight was getting Maikel Franco to sign the back of his favorite Franco t-shirt.  He also talked to the broadcast team for awhile.  When he asked why they didn't have any cards to sign, Scott Franzke said it was because the Phillies couldn't get them all together at the same time.  He was then invited by Ben Davis to sign their table cloth, and he obliged.

• Larry Andersen had run out of photo cards by the time we got to his station (with John Kruk and Mickey Morandini) so he offered Doug a cookie instead of an autograph.  Doug took him up on the offer.

• I was bummed that none of the newer Phillies players had any photo cards produced for them to sign.  I had come prepared with a list of potential exclusive photo cards - Bruce, Edgar Garcia, JD Hammer, Adam Haseley and Ranger Suarez - but there were no new cards to be had.  Bruce and Gosselin had what looked like regular paper at their station with their names printed at the top.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

• When the autograph session time expired, we had visited all but three tables - J.T. Realmuto (by choice since we had already received his autographs in May), Charlie Manual (since we forgot to bring anything for him to sign) and Pat Neshek/Jim Gott.  The Neshek/Gott omission was a symptom of simply running out of time.  The only table we doubled up on was Scott Kingery's as we both had time to visit with him as the clock was ticking down.

• We met up with fellow collector Steve and his son in time to stand in line for our mystery grab bags.  Our five bag haul was decent, with baseballs signed by Roman Quinn (two), Nick Pivetta, and Hector Neris.  We received a pair of Raul Ibanez bobble heads, three solar Liberty Bells, a Jimmy Rollins World Series ring and Jenna got her Mother's Day fleece she had wanted from the May giveaway.

We had a blast, the Phillies raised over $768,000 to aid in the fight against ALS, and we're already making our plans for next year's Phestival!  I've share Part 2 with the rest of the cards from the event in a post coming soon.

The almost completed checklist

Our grab bag haul

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2
2019 Part 1 and Part 2

Game 27 - 2019 Topps Heritage #218 Nick Williams

Phillies 12, Marlins 9
Game 27 - Saturday Night, April 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 15-12, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Leading by a score of 10-1 in the fifth, the Phillies held off the Marlins' comeback efforts in this 12-9 win.

What It Means:  Not related to the game, but this was the first game in Citizens Bank Park history where Dan Baker did not serve as the public address announcer.  Reports are that Baker was feeling under the weather.  Phillies P.R. guy Scott Palmer took his place on an interim basis.

What Happened:  Nick Williams (1) and Andrew McCutchen (5) both homered during the scoring barrage while Bryce Harper and Sean Rodriguez each contributed two-run doubles.  Maikel Franco added a two-run single in the fifth and he and Hoskins are now tied for the team lead in that category with 22.  Jake Arrieta didn't fare so well, exiting after getting into trouble in the sixth.  After Jose Alvarez allowed all three of his inherited runners to score, Arrieta's final line was five innings pitched and five runs allowed on nine hits.

Featured Card:  Making his second straight start in left field, Williams hit his first home run of the year.  His 2 for 4 night raised his season average to .200.

Transactions:  Jean Segura was activated from the Injured List and Dylan Cozens was sent back down to Lehigh Valley.  Segura would exit this game in the second after getting hit in the head by Marlins starter Trevor Richards.

2019 Chachi #13 Nick Williams

#5
Billy Nicholas Williams
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Opening Day Age:  25
Born:  September 8, 1993, Galveston, TX
Drafted:  Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 2nd round of the June 2012 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017-
Acquired:  Acquired with Jerad Eickhoff, Matt Harrison, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Alec Asher from the Texas Rangers for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations, July 31, 2015
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2021, free agency eligible in 2024

2015 Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set #28

2016 Bowman Prospects #BP105

2017 Chachi #46

2017 Chachi Photo Night #32

2018 Topps #226

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2015 Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set #28
First Phillies Card:  2016 Bowman Prospects #BP105
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Special Edition #5
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2018 Topps #226
Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps Gypsy Queen #70

2017 Phillies Team Issue Special Edition #5

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

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi Almost #25
2016 Chachi IronPigs Signing Autographs #4
2017 Chachi #46
2017 Chachi Archives #9
2017 Chachi Archives #18
2017 Chachi Photo Night #32
2017 Chachi In Action #9
2018 Chachi #5
2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7
2019 Chachi #13

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

Annual Section 36 Package Arrives, Marking End of Winter

2018 Topps All-Star Game Factory Set #11

2018 Topps Big League Rainbow Foil #227

2018 Topps Big League Black & White #297

1987 Sportflics #123

2014 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs Refractors #128

Like the groundhog emerging from its hole or the first sign of green leaves on the trees, the annual arrival of a box of baseball cards from Section 36 means that we've survived another winter and spring time is almost here.  Each year, Section 36 reduces its baseball card inventory by parting with cards from 10 years prior.  I was expecting the haul to be heavy with cards from 2009, but to my surprise most of the cards were from the past two years.  I think this is because the prior year packages had already featured quite a few cards from 2009, leaving more room for newer cards in this year's box.

I always enjoy receiving this package, flipping through the cards initially and then sorting them.  I couldn't help but notice Doug eyeing up a few cards as I first flipped through them, and sure enough there are a few cards that have already mysteriously disappeared and have already made their way into his Phillies binder.

Here are some other observations from this year's installment:

• The oldest card received was a 1987 Sportflics Juan Samuel card.  I remember when Sportflics first came out and thinking we were truly living in the future.  Cards that move?  What magical witchcraft is this?
• Curt Schilling, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt were heavily featured in this year's assortment of cards.
• Doug was a huge fan of the 2018 Topps Big League set, so numbered parallels from that set for Vince Velasquez and Nick Williams have already entered his collection.  His favorite autograph-seeking cards are the black and white parallels Topps puts out, so it's only a matter of time before he tracks down a new Williams' autograph.
• Manufactured "Patch" cards confuse me somewhat as an old school collector, but I think these are cool.
• I received a full 2018 Topps Phillies team set with a special foil All-Star Game stamp on the front.  These were available only with complete Topps factory sets and I'm always happy to add these quirky parallels to my collection.
• Finally, and what could be the first of many Bryce Harper cards sent to me from Section 36 over the next 13 years, I received a rare French text variation card of Harper's from the recently released 2019 Topps Heritage set.

2018 Topps Players Weekend Patches #PWP-RH

2019 Topps Heritage French Text #415

2019 Topps 150th Anniversary Manufactured Patches #AMP-RH

Another great package and all welcome editions to The Phillies Room archives!  A return package featuring nothing but Red Sox cards will soon be on its way to Section 36.

Memory Lane - Section 36 Purge

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009 (Mostly in spirit only)

2017 - Mid-Year Surprise Package

Grapefruit Game 3 - 2018 Topps Living Set #86 Nick Williams

Phillies 10, Tigers 6
Spring Training Game 3 - Sunday Afternoon, February 24th in Lakeland
Record - 2-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense banged out 14 hits in this 10-6 drubbing of the Tigers.

What It Means:  The game was more lopsided than the final outcome, as the Tigers added five runs in the final two innings.  Prospect Tyler Viza was hit hard, allowing four runs on five hits in 2/3 of an inning.

What Happened:  Nick Williams started the scoring with a three-run home run (1) in the first.  Drew Butera added his own three-run home run (1) in the fifth and Dylan Cozens hit a bomb (1) that almost cleared the right floor roof in the sixth.  Roman Quinn, Cozens, Scott Kingery and Williams each contributed two hits.  Drew Anderson got the win, allowing a run in his 2 2/3 innings of work.

Featured Card:  This is Williams' card from the Topps Living Set, so called since Topps has pledged to never complete the set.  Each week, three new cards are made available for sale and the selection for the Phillies has been somewhat questionable.  Since its introduction last March, Rhys Hoskins, Kingery, Pat Neshek, Jake Arrieta, Williams, J.P. Crawford, Jorge Alfaro and Aaron Altherr have received the Living Set treatment.

Among those I'd like to see represent the Phillies in the Living Set:  J.T. Realmuto, Aaron Nola, Richie Ashburn, Mike Schmidt, John Kruk and eventually Mike Trout.

Camp Head Count:  61.

Game 102 - Hoskins, Franco, Williams Each Homer Twice

2018 Topps Allen & Ginter #211

2018 Topps Allen & Ginter #136

2018 Topps Allen & Ginter #313

Phillies 9, Reds 4
Game 102 - Thursday Night, July 26th in Cincinnati
Record - 58-44, 1st place, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The offense launched a franchise-record 7 home runs, backing the big league debut of Ranger Suarez, in this 9-4 win in Cincinnati.

What It Means:  The Braves lost and the Phillies now (unbelievably) have a 2 1/2 game lead in the division.

What Happened:  Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco and Nick Williams all homered twice with Carlos Santana homering once.  The Phillies produced 18 total hits, with Williams going 4 for 5, Hoskins going 3 for 5 and Jorge Alfaro going 3 for 4.  Suarez pitched 5 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits.

Featured Cards:  The only other time in franchise history that the Phillies hit 7 home runs in a game was back on September 8, 1998.  In that game, Rico Brogna, Kevin Sefcik and Bobby Estalella all homered twice and Marlon Anderson homered once.  That team was 23 1/2 games out of first place at the time.

Transaction:  Suarez took the spot of Drew Anderson on the roster as Anderson was sent back to the IronPigs.

Game 49 - 2018 Topps Base Variations #226 Nick Williams #BeBold

Phillies 2, Blue Jays 1
Game 49 - Saturday Afternoon, May 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 29-20, 1st place, 1/2 game ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola carried a no-hitter into the seventh and Nick Williams hit a key, 8th inning pinch-hit home run to give the Phillies a 2-1 win over the Jays.

What It Means:  The Braves loss coupled with this win means that for the first time since the end of the 2011 season, the Phillies are in first place.

What Happened:  Nola looked gassed after a rain delay following the sixth inning.  After walking a pair of batters to open the 7th, Russell Martin singled to left, ending the no-hit bid and tying the game at one.  Williams untied it with his home run (4) in the eighth.  Seranthony Dominguez recorded his first career win with a scoreless eighth and Luis Garcia shut down the Jays in the ninth to notch his first save of the season.

The Phillies scored first in the fifth on Maikel Franco's solo home run (8) to left.

Featured Card:  I vetoed my family's choice for featured card (Nola) and selected Williams since his pinch-hitting has been so successful and so unexpected this year.  He's 9 for 19 this season as a pinch-hitter with three home runs, each of which have given the Phillies the lead in a ballgame.  This is his short-printed base variation card from the Series One Topps flagship release.

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!

2018 Chachi #11 Pedro Florimon

#18
Pedro Alexander Florimon, Jr.
Infield-Outfield

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Opening Day Age:  31
Born:  December 10, 1986, La Romana, DR
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent, June 18, 2004
Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 2011; Minnesota Twins 2012-2014; Pittsburgh Piratees 2015-2016; Phillies 2017-
Acquired:  Signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates, December 9, 2016

2013 Topps #451

2017 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #12

2017 Chachi #54

2017 Topps Now MLB Players Weekend #PW-105

3 Florimon Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2013 Topps #451

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2017 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #12

First Phillies Card:  2017 Topps Now MLB Players Weekend #PW-105*
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #18
Latest Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #18

2018 Phillies Team Issue #18

*Florimon pulled a Louie Meadows on the Nick Williams card issued by Topps as part of their limited Topps Now MLB Players Weekend set.  That's clearly Florimon pictured on the Williams card.

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  December 13, 2016 - I get irrationally excited every offseason at the first announcement of the Phillies non-roster invitees to spring training . . .

Here are the first four of what will probably be a few dozen non-roster invitees to Clearwater beginning in February.

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)

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #54
2017 Chachi In Action #8
2018 Chachi #11

Card statistics through 5/12/18.