LaFromboise Added to List of Bullpen Candidates

2016 Chachi New Additions #12

2015 Topps Pro Debut #47

2016 Chachi Departures #11

2016 Chachi Departures #12

The long list of Phillies offseason comings and goings got a little longer on Friday when the team claimed left-handed reliever Bobby LaFromboise off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. LaFromboise appeared in 11 games last season for the Pirates, pitching to a 1.13 ERA over eight innings.  This is the fourth time in two years that he's been plucked from the waiver wire, having bounced from the Mariners to the Padres to the Pirates to Angels to the Phillies.

To make room for the new reliever on the 40-man roster, former top prospect Jesse Biddle was designated for assignment.  Biddle, who is from Philadelphia, was the team's #1 pick in 2010, but injuries have hampered his professional career so far.  He's set to miss the entire 2016 season following Tommy John surgery.

Finally, a few other former Phillies found homes this past week when the Rangers signed Jordan Danks and the Cubs signed Jonathan Pettibone.

Moving On - 2015-2016 Offseason

• Chase d'Arnaud - inf (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent the Atlanta Braves, 11/24/15.
• Justin De Fratus - rhp (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Seattle Mariners, 12/2/15.
• Erik Kratz - c (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/8/15.
• Sean O'Sullivan - rhp (10/9/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Boston Red Sox, 12/11/15.
• Kevin Correia - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency.
• Adam Loewen - lhp (10/10/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11/7/15.
• Dustin McGowan - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Miami Marlins, 12/10/15.
• Seth Rosin - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency.
• Brian Bogusevic (10/26/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League, 12/9/15.
• Domonic Brown (10/26/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Chad Billingsley - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Jeff Francoeur - of (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Aaron Harang - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Jerome Williams - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Cliff Lee - lhp (11/2/15) - Team option declined and elected free agency.
• Jordan Danks - of (11/6/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Texas Rangers, 1/19/16.
• Ethan Martin - rhp (11/6/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 12/11/15.
• Jonathan Pettibone - rhp (11/6/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 1/29/16.
• Nefi Ogando - rhp (12/2/15) - Claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.
• Ken Giles - rhp (12/12/15) - Traded with Jonathan Arauz to the Houston Astros for Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Thomas Eshelman, Brett Oberholtzer and Vincent Velasquez.

New Additions - 2015-2016 Offseason

• Jeremy Hellickson - rhp (11/14/15) - Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Sam McWilliams.
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/30/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals.
• Peter Bourjos - of (12/2/15) - Claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
• David Hernandez - rhp (12/9/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Tyler Goeddel - of (12/10/15) - Selected from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Rule 5 draft.
• Daniel Stumpf - lhp (12/10/15) - Selected from the Kansas City Royals in the Rule 5 draft.
• Charlie Morton - rhp (12/12/15) - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Whitehead.
• Brett Oberholtzer - lhp and Vincent Velasquez - rhp (12/12/15) - Acquired with Mark Appel, Harold Arauz and Thomas Eshelman from the Houston Astros for Ken Giles and Jonathan Arauz.
• Bobby LaFromboise (1/29/16) - Claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.

Already Gone - 2015-2016 Offseason

• Dan Otero - rhp (11/3/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. (Designated for assignment, 12/12/15 and traded to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations, 12/18/15.)
• A.J. Achter - rhp (11/20/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. (Designated for assignment, 12/12/15 and claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels, 12/17/15.)

1950 Philadelphia Bulletin Pin-Ups Dick Sisler

Today would have been my Dad's 72nd birthday.  There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him or wish that I could tell him something.  He would have loved the new Star Wars movie and he'd be amazed at how quickly his grandsons are growing up.  His oldest grandson Doug is showing signs of the athleticism that he possessed, although those skills skipped a generation since they missed me. Doug keeps busy with soccer and basketball and he'll enter his second year of Little League in the spring.

Dad's youngest grandson Ben is a knowledge sponge, soaking in everything he can about the 50 states and anything else that interests his five-year-old brain.  Ben says and does things on a daily basis that would send my Dad into hysterics.

As a continuing tribute to him, here's a Dick Sisler item I've never featured on this blog.  Sisler and Del Ennis were his favorite players as a kid and I never miss an opportunity to add one of their cards to my Phillies collection.

We miss you Sir and we'll be thinking about you today.

Phillies Get Lough

2014 Topps Heritage #278

It's probably no less active than any other January for the Phillies, but this January has seemed to be particularly quiet.  I didn't even receive a notification on my phone announcing the latest non-roster invitee signing yesterday afternoon, but I caught news of the signing on Twitter.

Outfielder David Lough joins the stable of non-roster invitees who will join the Phillies in Clearwater in a few weeks.  Lough appeared in 84 games for the Orioles last season, hitting .201 with 4 home runs.  Unless there's a rash of spring injuries, I imagine Lough open the season in the outfield for the IronPigs.  He's appeared on his share of recent baseball cards, with appearances in the 2014 Topps Heritage, 2014 Topps Update and 2015 Topps sets.

Player (position) - 2015 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  James Russell (lhp) - Cubs - 2015 Topps #255 (Braves)
2.  Emmanuel Buriss (inf) - Nationals - 2010 Topps Update #US-82 (Giants)
3.  Ryan Jackson (inf) - Royals/Angels - 2013 Panini Prizm #238 (Cardinals)
4.  Frank Herrmann (rhp) - Angels/Pirates - 2010 Topps Update #US-89 (Indians)
5.  Chris Leroux (rhp) - Brewers/Phillies - 2013 Panini Select #205 (Pirates)
6.  Reinier Roibal (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
7.  J.P. Arencibia (c) - Orioles/Rays - 2014 Topps #627 (Rangers)
8.  Greg Burke (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2009 Bowman Chrome #103 (Padres)
9.  Ernesto Frieri (rhp) - Rays - 2014 Topps #240 (Angels)
10.  Gregory Infante (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter #84 (White Sox)
11.  Angelys Nina (inf) - Rockies - 2012 Bowman Prospects #BP45 (Rockies)
12.  Andrew Bailey (rhp) - Yankees - 2013 Topps Heritage #344 (Red Sox)
13.  Edward Mujica (rhp) - Red Sox/Athletics - 2015 Topps #131 (Red Sox)
14.  Cedric Hunter (of) - Braves - 2011 Topps #554 (Padres)
15.  Mark Appel (rhp) - Astros - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #219 (Astros)
16.  J.P. Crawford (ss) - Phillies - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #208 (Phillies)
17.  Zach Eflin (rhp) - Phillies - 2014 Topps Pro Debut #184 (Padres)
18.  Andrew Knapp (c) - Phillies - 2014 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #146 (Phillies)
19.  Gabriel Lino (c) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP199 (Phillies)
20.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
21.  Brock Stassi (1b) - Phillies - N/A
22.  Jake Thompson (rhp) - Rangers/Phillies - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #129 (Rangers)
23.  Nick Williams (of) - Rangers/Phillies - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #175 (Rangers)
24.  David Lough (of) - Orioles - 2015 Topps #290 (Orioles)

Earlier Than Ever, Here are the New Uniform Numbers

2015 Topps #628

2015 Topps Heritage #516

2013 Topps #281

2014 Topps Heritage #80

In an unusual move, and a move that I suspect was designed by the Phillies solely to personally delight me, new players were assigned uniform numbers upon their arrivals beginning in mid-November.  There was another update to roster numbers in early December and then one-off updates as additional non-roster invitees were added.  In years past, the roster page on the Phillies website had the dreaded "--" in place of any uniform number for new arrivals until mid to late January.

As of this writing, there are still some corrections needed.  The Phillies currently have assigned #78 to non-roster infielders Angelys Nina and Brock Stassi.  Similarly, #61 is currently assigned to both pitcher Greg Burke and assistant coach Jorge Velandia.  I'm sure these duplicate assignments will be fixed before pitchers and catchers officially report on February 18th.  Finally, non-roster invitee Cedric Hunter doesn't even appear on the Phillies website yet and he'll need a number once spring training starts.

As I've done in the past, here's a look at the new uniform numbers for the 2016 edition of the Phillies. (Buckle up, because this is quite the long list.)

New Players - Under 60 Division
#2 Tyler Goeddel - Both Ben Revere and Chase d'Arnaud wore this number last season.  It's a good sign for Goeddel's chances of sticking with the Phillies that they assigned him such a low uniform number.

#15 Emmanuel Burriss - Burriss is going with the number last worn by Jordan Danks, since the #16 he wore last season with the Nationals is currently occupied by Cesar Hernandez.
#17 Peter Bourjos - Neither of Bourjos' prior numbers (#25 and #8) were available, so he takes over the number last worn by Brian Bogusevic.
#19 J.P. Arencibia - The last Phillies player to wear #19 was Tony Gwynn, Jr. in 2014.
#21 Ryan Jackson - Adam Loewen wore this number last season.
#28 Vincent Velasquez - Both Kevin Correia and Erik Kratz wore #28 in 2015.  Velasquez had worn #67 with the Astros last season.

#30 David Hernandez - Reliever Justin De Fratus had worn this number for the past two seasons.  Hernandez has worn this number with the Diamondbacks since 2011.
#31 Michael Mariot - Jerome Williams wore #31 for the past two seasons.  Mariot had previously worn #48 with the Royals.
#34 Brett Oberholtzer - Oberholtzer's more familiar #39 was unavailable, so he takes over the number last worn by Aaron Harang.  The pitcher first wore #65 in 2013 when he made his debut with the Astros.
#38 Andrew Bailey - Bailey had worn #38 last season for the Yankees.

2012 Topps Update #US138

2013 Topps #96

2015 Topps #296

2014 Topps Heritage #328

#40 James Russell - Non-roster invitee Russell takes over the number he's worn during six seasons with the Cubs, which means the old #40, Aaron Altherr, needs a new number.  (See below.)
#41 Ernesto Frieri - Originally assigned #44, Frieri assumes Wall of Fame member Charlie Manuel's number.  No player or coach had been assigned Manuel's number since the former manager's firing in August 2013.  The last Phillies player to wear this number was Gavin Floyd in 2004.  Frieri's switch to #41 was made after the Phillies had signed Edward Mujica.
#44 Edward Mujica - The often injured Jonathan Pettibone was the last player to wear this number.  Mujica last wore #44 as a member of the Cardinals in 2012 and 2013.
#47 Charlie Morton - Sean O'Sullivan's old number went to Morton, whose more familiar #50 is currently occupied by Hector Neris.  Let's watch to see if a deal is struck for Neris' #50 given Morton's veteran status.

#53 Daniel Stumpf - Ken Giles won't be needing #53 with the Phillies anymore, so his old number went to Stumpf.
#56 Frank Herrmann - Nefi Ogando and Cesar Jimenez both wore this number last season for the Phillies.
#58 Jeremy Hellickson - The franchise's all-time saves leader won't be needing #58 this season, so Hellickson takes over the number.  Hellickson had previously worn this number with the Rays and Diamondbacks.

New Numbers
#23 Aaron Altherr - Altherr takes over the number last worn by departed manager Ryne Sandberg.  His old #40 went to non-roster invitee Russell.

New Coaches

1997 SP #139

#9 John McLaren - McLaren takes over the number that had been assigned to Domonic Brown since 2010.
#12 Mickey Morandini - In the least surprising number-related news, the new first base coach will wear the number he wore during his playing days with the Phillies.  The departed assistant hitting coach John Mizerock wore the number last season.
#33 Rick Kranitz - The new bullpen coach will wear the number last worn by Cliff Lee.

Phillies in Number Only
#30 A.J. Achter - Achter was property of the Phillies for less than a month this offseason before his roster spot was needed by Morton.  The roster page had assigned #30 to Achter before it ultimately went to David Hernandez.
#38 Dan Otero - Otero briefly assumed the number worn by Chad Billingsley in 2015.  The Giles trade required a roster opening and Otero was traded to the Indians for cash.

Highest number - Not counting Dalier Hinojosa and his #94, catcher Logan Moore wins the award this year with his #84 assignment.

Numbers available - The only real number under 60 currently available is the #3 worn by Jeff Francoeur last season.  As has been the case for the Phillies in recent years, they'll do everything to avoid assigning numbers of greats who have recently departed.  For that reason #11 (Jimmy Rollins), #26 (Chase Utley) and #35 (Cole Hamels) have yet to be reassigned and they most likely won't be in 2016.

If I had to guess, I'd say Hunter ends up with #3, Velandia switches to #62, and Nina and Stassi flip a coin to see who ends up with #76.

Memory Lane

2012 New Numbers

2013 New Numbers
2014 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2015 New Numbers

Pitchers and Catchers Report One Month from Today #SpringTraining

2016 Chachi Preview #6

Phillies Baseball Cards with Griffey & Piazza #HOF2016

2003 Topps 205 Triple Folder #TF33

I was happy to see that both Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza were voted into the Hall of Fame last week and their election had me checking my Phillies baseball card inventory for their "Phillies" cards.  I'm sure there are other cards out there featuring both Griffey and Piazza with former Phillies players, but these are the cards I have currently in my collection.

Mike Piazza
The Phillies have commissioned beautiful oil paintings of all Phillies players in the Hall of Fame and all "native sons" in the Hall of Fame.  These paintings, which I believe have all been painted by Dick Perez, hang within the Phillies Hall of Fame Club inside Citizens Bank Park.  As Piazza is from nearby Phoenixville, his painting will now also grace the walls of the Phillies' Hall of Fame Club.

1995 Donruss Dominators #2 - with Darren Daulton and Ivan Rodriguez
2003 Topps 205 Triple Folder #TF33 - with Bobby Abreu
2003 Topps 205 Triple Folder #TF49 - with Bobby Abreu

1994 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #TP6

1994 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #TP6 (Back)

Ken Griffey, Jr.
Two of the three Griffey cards in my collection pair him with Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra.  The other card is in my collection because it includes Bobby Abreu.

1994 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #TP6 - with Lenny Dykstra
1994 Topps #388 - with Lenny Dykstra
2004 Bazooka 4 on 1 Sticker - with Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter and Garret Anderson

Memory Lane
2012 Inductees - Larkin and Santo
2013 Inductees - O'Day, Ruppert and White
2014 Inductees - Cox, Glavine, LaRussa, Maddux, Thomas and Torre
2015 Inductees - Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz
2016 Inductees - Griffey and Piazza

Nine Top Prospects Invited to Camp

2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #219

2015 Bowman Scouts' Top 100 #BTP-16

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Top Prospects #5

Nine of the Phillies top prospects were added to the list of non-roster invitees on Wednesday, increasing the total number of non-roster invitees to 23.  Unless there are any further roster additions or subtractions between now and February 18th, the Phillies will open spring training with 63 players competing for 25 roster spots.

As in the norm, I'll leave the reporting on these players' accolades to the experts.  What I'm most interested in is looking at their available baseball cards.

Mark Appel (rhp) - Acquired in December from the Astros in the Ken Giles deal, Appel will receive his first Phillies cards in 2016.

J.P. Crawford (ss) - I already have 22 cards of the Phillies top prospect in my collection.  He appeared on several Bowman inserts from 2015 along with cards in the Topps Pro Debut and Topps Heritage Minor Leagues sets.

Zach Eflin (rhp) - There are six different cards featuring Eflin available throughout the various Reading Fightin Phils team sets issued in 2015.

2015 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #13

2015 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #18

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #13

Andrew Knapp (c) - Knapp has 2015 cards in the Clearwater Threshers team set and the Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set.

Gabriel Lino (c) - Lino has been appearing on Phillies minor league cards since 2012 and he's in both the 2015 Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Reading Fightin Phils team sets.

Logan Moore (c) - Moore has been around for a while, first appearing on a Phillies card back in 2011.  He's also in the 2015 Reading Fightin Phils team sets.

2015 Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set #25

2015 Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set #26

2015 Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set #27

Brock Stassi (1b) - Like Moore, Stassi has been appearing on Phillies minor league cards since 2011 and his 2015 cards can be found in the Reading Fightin Phils team sets.  He has yet to appear within a mainstream baseball card issue.

Jake Thompson (rhp) - Thompson's first Phillies card can be found in the Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set.

Nick Williams (of) - Like Thompson, Williams' first Phillies card can be found in the Reading Fightin Phils Holiday Set.  I would suspect we'll see a lot more Phillies cards for both Thompson and Williams in 2016.

Player (position) - 2015 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  James Russell (lhp) - Cubs - 2015 Topps #255 (Braves)
2.  Emmanuel Buriss (inf) - Nationals - 2010 Topps Update #US-82 (Giants)
3.  Ryan Jackson (inf) - Royals/Angels - 2013 Panini Prizm #238 (Cardinals)
4.  Frank Herrmann (rhp) - Angels/Pirates - 2010 Topps Update #US-89 (Indians)
5.  Chris Leroux (rhp) - Brewers/Phillies - 2013 Panini Select #205 (Pirates)
6.  Reinier Roibal (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
7.  J.P. Arencibia (c) - Orioles/Rays - 2014 Topps #627 (Rangers)
8.  Greg Burke (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2009 Bowman Chrome #103 (Padres)
9.  Ernesto Frieri (rhp) - Rays - 2014 Topps #240 (Angels)
10.  Gregory Infante (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter #84 (White Sox)
11.  Angelys Nina (inf) - Rockies - 2012 Bowman Prospects #BP45 (Rockies)
12.  Andrew Bailey (rhp) - Yankees - 2013 Topps Heritage #344 (Red Sox)
13.  Edward Mujica (rhp) - Red Sox/Athletics - 2015 Topps #131 (Red Sox)
14.  Cedric Hunter (of) - Braves - 2011 Topps #554 (Padres)
15.  Mark Appel (rhp) - Astros - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #219 (Astros)
16.  J.P. Crawford (ss) - Phillies - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #208 (Phillies)
17.  Zach Eflin (rhp) - Phillies - 2014 Topps Pro Debut #184 (Padres)
18.  Andrew Knapp (c) - Phillies - 2014 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #146 (Phillies)
19.  Gabriel Lino (c) - Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP199 (Phillies)
20.  Logan Moore (c) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects #BDPP44 (Phillies)
21.  Brock Stassi (1b) - Phillies - N/A
22.  Jake Thompson (rhp) - Rangers/Phillies - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #129 (Rangers)
23.  Nick Williams (of) - Rangers/Phillies - 2015 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues #175 (Rangers)

Camp Headcount Increases to 54

2011 Topps #554

There has been little to no Phillies news for the past few weeks, which is why I got excited yesterday morning when my Twitter feed started percolating with Tweets from the Phillies beat writers.  The news wasn't all that major, unless you happen to be a Cedric Hunter super collector.  Hunter, the sole outfielder among the now 14 Phillies non-roster invitees, will be joining the team in a little over six weeks in Clearwater.

Hunter spent all of last season with the Braves Triple-A club in Gwinnett, hitting .283 in 138 games with 12 home runs and 77 RBIs.  His sole big league experience in his 10 year professional career came in 2011 when he appeared in six games for the Padres.

With the addition of Hunter, the camp headcount now stands at 54.  Also of note is the fact that the Phillies, earlier than ever, have assigned new uniform numbers to the herd of new additions joining the roster so far this offseason.  Every player except Hunter has been assigned a uniform number per the Phillies website.  I'll have a post up soon looking at the uniform number assignments.

Player (position) - 2015 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  James Russell (lhp) - Cubs - 2015 Topps #255 (Braves)
2.  Emmanuel Buriss (inf) - Nationals - 2010 Topps Update #US-82 (Giants)
3.  Ryan Jackson (inf) - Royals/Angels - 2013 Panini Prizm #238 (Cardinals)
4.  Frank Herrmann (rhp) - Angels/Pirates - 2010 Topps Update #US-89 (Indians)
5.  Chris Leroux (rhp) - Brewers/Phillies - 2013 Panini Select #205 (Pirates)
6.  Reinier Roibal (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
7.  J.P. Arencibia (c) - Orioles/Rays - 2014 Topps #627 (Rangers)
8.  Greg Burke (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2009 Bowman Chrome #103 (Padres)
9.  Ernesto Frieri (rhp) - Rays - 2014 Topps #240 (Angels)
10.  Gregory Infante (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter #84 (White Sox)
11.  Angelys Nina (inf) - Rockies - 2012 Bowman Prospects #BP45 (Rockies)
12.  Andrew Bailey (rhp) - Yankees - 2013 Topps Heritage #344 (Red Sox)
13.  Edward Mujica (rhp) - Red Sox/Athletics - 2015 Topps #131 (Red Sox)
14.  Cedric Hunter (of) - Braves - 2011 Topps #554 (Padres)

#Phillies Pitchers and Catchers Report in 45 Days

2016 Chachi Preview #5

Makes me want to hug someone.

Santa Crossed 7 Cards Off My Most Wanted List (#SBWTMABCTJ)

1952 Topps #223

1953 Bowman Color #65

1953 Topps #146

For the fifth year in a row, my Mom took it upon herself to personally demolish the majority of my "Ten Most Wanted - Vintage" list found on the sidebar.  Here's what it looked like prior to Christmas, and as you can tell by the seven cards featured within this post, the list now needs seven new residents.

The Pre-SBWTMABCTJ List

I've always received baseball cards for Christmas, and I'm very lucky that my Mom has kept the tradition alive started by her and my Dad many years ago.  In recent years, our family has gathered at my Mom's house the day after Christmas to spend time together and exchange gifts.  This year, I was happy to unwrap the Star Wars book I asked for and I was also thrilled to receive the Beatles 1+ CD/Blu-Ray collection from my Mom.  But there's just something about unwrapping small packages shaped like baseball cards in top loaders that brings me back to those special Christmases from the 1970s and 1980s.

(As an aside here, I think it's fitting that my Mom's main Christmas presents to me this year were once again related to the Beatles, Star Wars and baseball cards.  This is pretty much what my typical Christmas gifts have consisted of for the past 35+ years.)

For past after-Christmas posts, I've spread out the haul from the annual Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim (#SBWTMABCTJ) over several posts.  This year, I wanted to keep these seven cards together in one post in order to maximize their collective awesomeness.

1950 Bowman #30

1952 Bowman #4

1950 Bowman #30 Eddie Waitkus
This card brings me down to needing just six cards to complete the 19-card 1950 Bowman Phillies team set.  The first line on the back of this card is still bizarre to read today:  "Eddie had appeared in 54 games last season and was hitting at a .306 clip when he was shot and seriously wounded by a demented girl fan."

1952 Bowman #4 Robin Roberts
This is one of two vintage Roberts cards I received this year, both representing two of the most valuable remaining cards standing in the way of me having a complete run of Phillies Bowman cards from 1948 to 1955.

1952 Topps #223 Del Ennis
This card may be my favorite of the bunch.  Featuring one of my Dad's favorite players, this is now the nicest 1952 Topps card in my collection.  The card is well-centered with no front or back blemishes and it has three sharp corners with only a minor ding on the lower left corner.  I still have a ways to go to complete the 1952 Topps Phillies team set, but this card gets me a little closer.

I need to mention again how pristine this card is.  This is pretty much what I imagine the 1952 Topps cards looking like when they were pulled out of a nickel pack over sixty years ago.

1953 Bowman Color #65 Robin Roberts
This is the second Roberts card from this year's haul, and now the only vintage Bowman card of the Hall of Famer that I'm currently missing is his 1949 Bowman rookie card.  This is one of those cards that I've seen for sale at card shows for years, but I've never owned.  I'm thrilled to finally have this card as part of my collection.

1953 Topps #146 Granny Hamner
The card's front reads Granville, but the card's back points out three times that the player's nickname is actually "Granny."  The 1953 Topps Phillies team set is now well within reach for me, as I need just four more cards.

1957 Topps #70

1959 Topps #317

1957 Topps #70 Richie Ashburn
This was one of two "modern" baseball cards I received from the SBWTMABCTJ and this is the final Ashburn Topps cards I needed to finish off my complete run of his Topps cards from 1951 to 1959.  For good measure, my Mom also added in the next card.

1959 Topps #317 N.L. Hitting Kings - Willie Mays & Richie Ashburn
Like the 1953 Bowman Color Robin Roberts card, this is one of those cards I had admired for years at various baseball card shows.  This card commemorates the 1958 N.L. batting title race, decided on the final day of the season when Ashburn went 3 for 4 to top Willie Mays' 2 for 5.  Ashburn finished at .350 with Mays at his heels with a .347 average.

And there you have it.  Thanks to my Mom's continuation of an annual tradition, I now have the pleasure of crossing seven more vintage Phillies cards off my want lists.

2011 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim

Part 1 - Continuing a Tradition

Part 2 - 1971 Topps Set - 13 More Down

Part 3 - 1952 Topps Phillies

Part 4 - 1951 Bowman Phillies

Part 5 - Curt Simmons - Two New Bowman Cards

Part 6 - 1955 Bowman and Topps Phillies

2012 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1941 Double Play Litwhiler & May
Part 2 - 1963 Topps John Herrnstein rookie card (featuring Willie Stargell)
Part 3 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 1
Part 4 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 2
Part 5 - 1950 Bowman Del Ennis

2013 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1998 Upper Deck Scott Rolen
Part 2 - 1968 Topps Phillies Team Card
Part 3 - 1966 Topps Bob Uecker
Part 4 - 1955 Bowman Robin Roberts
Part 5 - 1965 Topps Johnny Callison
Part 6 - 1954 Bowman Richie Ashburn

2014 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1952 Bowman and 1953 Bowman Color Richie Ashburn
Part 2 - 1950 Bowman Roberts, 1951 Topps Blue Backs Jones, 1955 Bowman Wyrostek
Part 3 - 1995 Collector's Choice Hayes and 1999 Fleer Mystique Burrell

2015 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Seven Phillies Cards from the 1950s Crossed Off the List

Posting will continue to be light as I continue my winter hibernation.  Happy New Year!

2015 @ReadingFightins Holiday Set

I may be mistaken, but I don't recall ever seeing a holiday themed baseball team set before.  The Reading Fightin Phils Tweeted out a few weeks back that they had released a limited edition holiday themed team set.  The team wisely advertised the set as a great stocking stuffer idea, so I picked up two sets for my stocking and Doug's stocking.  (His set turned into a belated birthday gift.)

The set is notable for including the entire late season roster, which features most of the top prospects in the Phillies system . . . at least until the recent Ken Giles deal.  The set also features all six (!) Fightin Phils team mascots.  Where possible, players are featured wearing their gaudy "Christmas in July" uniforms, and I've picked a few of my favorites to show off here.

Also of interest is that this set contains the first Phillies-related cards for non-roster invitee Reinier Roibal, along with a few of the top prospects acquired from the Rangers - Jake Thompson and Nick Williams - in the Cole Hamels trade.

I'm not sure exactly how "limited" these sets actually are, but I'm glad I added this festive set to my collection.

* * *

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

1959 Topps #208 Willie Jones

When you get a chance, please read this fantastic article about the author's (The Philadelphia Inquirer's Frank Fitzpatrick's) Christmas Eve encounter with Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones.  I'll take this over a kale cake recipe any day.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoiler Free Post (#MTFBWY)

2015 Topps #131

I'm in the midst of a social media black-out since we're not seeing the new Star Wars movie until Saturday.  However, my phone still alerted me yesterday afternoon when the Phillies announced the signing of two more relievers to minor league contracts.  The suddenly crowded bullpen should hopefully be an upgrade over last season.  Actually, anything would pretty much be an upgrade over last season.

Andrew Bailey (rhp) - The Haddonfield, NJ resident was a two-time All-Star and won the A.L. Rookie of the Year award with the A's in 2009.  He hasn't come close to replicated his rookie season success over the past five seasons with the A's, Red Sox and Yankees.

Edward Mujica (rhp) - Mujica is a ten year veteran, and he split last season between the Red Sox and A's going 3-5 with a 4.75 ERA in 49 relief appearances.  He was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 2013.

Player (position) - 2015 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  James Russell (lhp) - Cubs - 2015 Topps #255 (Braves)
2.  Emmanuel Buriss (inf) - Nationals - 2010 Topps Update #US-82 (Giants)
3.  Ryan Jackson (inf) - Royals/Angels - 2013 Panini Prizm #238 (Cardinals)
4.  Frank Herrmann (rhp) - Angels/Pirates - 2010 Topps Update #US-89 (Indians)
5.  Chris Leroux (rhp) - Brewers/Phillies - 2013 Panini Select #205 (Pirates)
6.  Reinier Roibal (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
7.  J.P. Arencibia (c) - Orioles/Rays - 2014 Topps #627 (Rangers)
8.  Greg Burke (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2009 Bowman Chrome #103 (Padres)
9.  Ernesto Frieri (rhp) - Rays - 2014 Topps #240 (Angels)
10.  Gregory Infante (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter #84 (White Sox)
11.  Angelys Nina (inf) - Rockies - 2012 Bowman Prospects #BP45 (Rockies)
12.  Andrew Bailey (rhp) - Yankees - 2013 Topps Heritage #344 (Red Sox)
13.  Edward Mujica (rhp) - Red Sox/Athletics - 2015 Topps #131 (Red Sox)

1962 Salada-Junket Coins #86B Andy Carey

Curt Flood instantly comes to mind when I think of former players refusing to report to the Phillies following a trade.  When researching my post for Andy Carey's 1956 Topps card, which is up this morning, I didn't realize that Carey had also once refused to report to the Phillies.

On December 15, 1961, Carey (along with Frank Barnes) was traded by the White Sox to the Phillies for Taylor Phillips and Bob Sadowski.  Carey refused to report to the Phillies in March 1962, as he preferred not to spend his final year in baseball on the last place Phillies and he intended to focus full-time on his growing California brokerage business.  The Phils received Cal McLish from the White Sox as consolation for Carey's refusal to report, and Carey was eventually swapped to the Dodgers where he finished his career closer to home.

For Phillies collectors, Carey is included within the 1962 Salada-Junket coin set, marking his only appearance with the team on any collectibles.  The set's creators originally released the Carey coin featuring him in a White Sox uniform, but the photo was updated to feature him in the Phillies hat and uniform he'd never actually wear.

Frieri, Arencibia Headline New Group of Non-Roster Invitees

2014 Topps Heritage #232

I really appreciate the Phillies spacing out their roster change announcements to once a day, giving me a chance to catch up with the additions and departures daily.  Yesterday, the Phillies added five players to the list of now 11 non-roster invitees.

Of the new players added, I would think former Rays J.P. Arencibia and Ernesto Frieri have the best shots of making the team.  Arencibia is a catcher who appeared in 24 games last season, hitting .310 with 6 home runs and 17 RBIs.  He hit a career high 23 home runs in 2011 with the Blue Jays.

Frieri was the Angels closer for parts of 2 1/2 seasons between 2012 and 2014, compiling 71 saves. He saved two games with the Rays last season and had a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings pitched.

Player (position) - 2015 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1.  James Russell (lhp) - Cubs - 2015 Topps #255 (Braves)
2.  Emmanuel Buriss (inf) - Nationals - 2010 Topps Update #US-82 (Giants)
3.  Ryan Jackson (inf) - Royals/Angels - 2013 Panini Prizm #238 (Cardinals)
4.  Frank Herrmann (rhp) - Angels/Pirates - 2010 Topps Update #US-89 (Indians)
5.  Chris Leroux (rhp) - Brewers/Phillies - 2013 Panini Select #205 (Pirates)
6.  Reinier Roibal (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
7.  J.P. Arencibia (c) - Orioles/Rays - 2014 Topps #627 (Rangers)
8.  Greg Burke (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2009 Bowman Chrome #103 (Padres)
9.  Ernesto Frieri (rhp) - Rays - 2014 Topps #240 (Angels)
10.  Gregory Infante (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter #84 (White Sox)
11.  Angelys Nina (inf) - Rockies - 2012 Bowman Prospects #BP45 (Rockies)

Four More Ex-Phillies Move Along

2016 Chachi Departures #6

2016 Chachi Departures #7

2016 Chachi Departures #8

2016 Chachi Departures #9

While we were waiting for the Ken Giles trade to be officially announced, four other ex-Phillies moved on to new teams.  Each of these players recently signed minor league deals with their new teams.

Dustin McGowan (rhp) - McGowan joined the Phillies on opening day last season, and he'd appear in 14 games with the club, going 1-2 with a 6.94 ERA.  His sole Phillies card can be found within the second team issued photo card set, released in June.  McGowan will try to earn a spot in the Marlins bullpen in 2016.

Erik Kratz (c) - In his second stint with the Phils, Kratz made it into 12 games in September, hitting .227 with two RBIs.  He didn't appear on any new Phillies baseball cards this time around and he'll be heading to spring training with the Padres.

Ethan Martin (rhp) - Martin came to the Phillies from the Dodgers in the July 2012 Shane Victorino deal.  He pitched in 17 games for the club in 2013 and 2014, and missed the bulk of the past two seasons with shoulder ailments.  He appeared on a bunch of Major and minor league cards with the Phillies in 2013 and 2014, but he didn't receive any cards last year.  Martin signed a minor league deal with the Braves.

Sean O'Sullivan (rhp) - Finally, O'Sullivan, who had a horrible season with the Phillies (1-6, 6.08 ERA) signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox.  O'Sullivan had a card in the team's second series photo card set and actually made it into the Topps Update set with the Phillies.

Moving On - 2015-2016 Offseason

• Chase d'Arnaud - inf (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent the Atlanta Braves, 11/24/15.
• Justin De Fratus - rhp (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Seattle Mariners, 12/2/15.
• Erik Kratz - c (10/9/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/8/15.
• Sean O'Sullivan - rhp (10/9/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Boston Red Sox, 12/11/15.
• Kevin Correia - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency.
• Adam Loewen - lhp (10/10/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11/7/15.
• Dustin McGowan - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Miami Marlins, 12/10/15.
• Seth Rosin - rhp (10/10/15) - Elected free agency.
• Brian Bogusevic (10/26/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League, 12/9/15.
• Domonic Brown (10/26/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Chad Billingsley - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Jeff Francoeur - of (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Aaron Harang - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Jerome Williams - rhp (11/2/15) - Elected free agency.
• Cliff Lee - lhp (11/2/15) - Team option declined and elected free agency.
• Jordan Danks - of (11/6/15) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency.
• Ethan Martin - rhp (11/6/15) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 12/11/15.
• Jonathan Pettibone - rhp (11/6/15) - Elected free agency.
• Nefi Ogando - rhp (12/2/15) - Claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins.
• Ken Giles - rhp (12/12/15) - Traded with Jonathan Arauz to the Houston Astros for Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Thomas Eshelman, Brett Oberholtzer and Vincent Velasquez.

New Additions - 2015-2016 Offseason

• Dan Otero - rhp (11/3/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. (Designated for assignment 12/12/15)
• Jeremy Hellickson - rhp (11/14/15) - Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Sam McWilliams.
• A.J. Achter - rhp (11/20/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. (Designated for assignment 12/12/15)
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/30/15) - Claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals.
• Peter Bourjos - of (12/2/15) - Claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
• David Hernandez - rhp (12/9/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Tyler Goeddel - of (12/10/15) - Selected from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Rule 5 draft.
• Daniel Stumpf - lhp (12/10/15) - Selected from the Kansas City Royals in the Rule 5 draft.
• Charlie Morton - rhp (12/12/15) - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Whitehead.
• Brett Oberholtzer - lhp and Vincent Velasquez - rhp (12/12/15) - Acquired with Mark Appel, Harold Arauz and Thomas Eshelman from the Houston Astros for Ken Giles and Jonathan Arauz.