Where the Ex-Phillies Are - N.L. Central

2005 Chachi #7

The N.L. Central is up next for a look at the ex-Phillies now populating camps in Arizona and Florida.  The division got a little lighter in 2013 due to the Astros moving to the A.L. West.  One of the announcements that I missed this past off-season was the appointment of former Phillie David Bell as the Cubs' new third base coach.

Chicago Cubs

Manager Dale Sveum (1992), Third Base Coach David Bell (2003-2006), Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator Lee Tinsley (1996), Outfielder Nate Schierholtz (2012), Pitcher Drew Carpenter* (2008-2011)

Cincinnati Reds

First Base Coach Billy Hatcher (1994), Baseball Operations Assistant Joe Morgan (1983), Special Assistant to the General Manager John Morris (1991)

Houston Astros

Milwaukee Brewers

Manager Ron Roenicke (1986-1987)

Pittsburgh Pirates

Third Base Coach Nick Leyva (manager 1989-1991), Catching Coordinator Tom Prince (1999-2000), Pitcher Mike Zagurski* (2007, 2010-2011)

St. Louis Cardinals

Hitting Coach John Mabry (2002), Infielder Ty Wigginton (2012)

*Non-Roster Invitee

2013 Where the Ex-Phillies Are

N.L. East

2012 Where the Ex-Phillies Are

N.L. East

N.L. Central

N.L. West

A.L. East

A.L. Central

A.L. West

Where the Ex-Phillies Are - N.L. East

2011 Topps Update
All-Star Stitches #AS-73

Baseball is back!  Or at least very, very close to being back.

One of my annual rites of spring is scanning the rosters of the other 29 teams to see where the ex-Phillies have landed. This exercise has become increasingly easier since the invention of the interwebs.  Over the next several posts, I'll take a look at each team's 40-man roster, non-roster invitees and coaching staffs, listing out those players fortunate enough to have once worn the red pinstripes.  I'm going to limit my listing to actual former Phillies and not former Phillies farmhands.

Atlanta Braves
Pitching Coach Roger McDowell (1989-1991), Special Assistant Lee Elia (coach 1980-1981; 1985-1987 and manager 1987-1988)

Miami Marlins
Pitcher Chad Qualls* (2012), Infielder Greg Dobbs (2007-2010), Third Baseman Placido Polanco (2002-2005, 2010-2012), Outfielder Juan Pierre (2012)

New York Mets
Outfielder Marlon Byrd* (2002-2005)

Washington Nationals
Manager Davey Johnson (1977-1978), Hitting Coordinator Rick Schu (1984-1987; 1991), Outfielder Jayson Werth (2007-2010)

*Non-Roster Invitee

2012 Where the Ex-Phillies Are
N.L. East

N.L. Central

N.L. West

A.L. East

A.L. Central

A.L. West

1984 Phillies - The Missing Links

1987 Topps #357, 1984 Topps #603, 1983 Topps #772 and 1986 Fleer Update #U-65

A few days ago, I sat down to try to finally start a post on the Phillies cards within the 2001 Topps set.  My Topps Phillies series of posts has laid dormant since I published the 2000 Topps Phillies post way back in late April 2012.  Instead of focusing on the 2001 Topps Phillies post, however, I decided to tackle the next year in The Missing Links series - 1984.  These Missing Links posts are way more fun to research than the Topps cards of the Phillies teams from the 2000s.

1984 was a lost season for the Phillies, and they tried to plug various roster holes with a combination of fading veterans and suspicious prospects.  Four members of this squad join the ranks of cardboard-less Phillies.

3 Cards or More
33 Players

Al Oliver was acquired from the Giants in late August and appeared in just 28 games for the 1984 Phillies.  But he had Phillies cards in each of the big three sets - Donruss, Fleer and Topps - in 1985.

2 Cards

1984 Cramer Pacific
Coast League #199

Francisco Melendez (30 games in 1984 and 1986) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies and 1986 Tastykake Phillies

First baseman Melendez never had the pleasure of appearing on a Phillies card by himself.  He shares his 1985 Tastykake card with Ken Jackson and his 1986 Tastykake card with Ricky Jordan.  Both cards use the same picture of Melendez, just cropped differently.  He earned his first proper baseball card within the 1989 Donruss set as a member of the Giants.

1 Card
Dave Wehrmeister (7 games in 1984) - 1984 Tastykake Phillies Update
Steve Fireovid (6 games in 1984) - 1984 Tastykake Phillies Update

Ah, yes.  Dave Wehrmeister.  Please see this post for one of the finest pieces of investigative reporting ever attempted by this here blog.  The post includes my attempt at the 1984 Topps Wehrmeister card that should have been.

0 Cards
Renie Martin (9 games in 1984)
Jim Kern (8 games in 1984)
Mike LaValliere (6 games in 1984)
Steve Fireovid (6 games in 1984)

1984 Topps #PR5

Martin wrapped up his 6-year career with 9 uneventful games with the Phils late in the 1984 season.  He was the player to be named later sent by the Giants in the Oliver deal.  Former All-Star Kern spent a little less than two months as property of the Phillies, pitching to a 10.13 ERA in eight relief appearances in June and July.  I've never even seen a picture of Kern in a Phillies uniform.

Before playing in parts of 11 seasons with the Cardinals, Pirates and White Sox, LaValliere was a September call-up with the Phils in 1984.  He appeared in the 1983 TCMA Reading Phillies set, but I have yet to add that set to my collection.

Finally, Fireovid made a brief stop in Philly in the middle of his 16-year odyssey of a professional baseball career.  When all was said and done, Fireovid had spent time with 9 different organizations - Padres, Phillies, White Sox, Mariners, Blue Jays, Royals, Expos, Pirates and Rangers.  His 10 games with the Mariners in 1986 somehow merited him inclusion within the 1987 Fleer, Sportflics and Topps sets.  He also has a card in the 1992 Bowman set as a member of the Rangers.

UPDATE - Fireovid has a card in the very little known 1984 Tastykake Phillies Update set, although I've never actually seen the card for sale.

Past Missing Link Posts

1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1981 Phillies - Jerry Reed

1982 Phillies - Stan Bahnsen and Alejandro Sanchez

1983 Phillies - Steve Comer

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

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

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

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

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

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

2013 Phillies Want List

2013 Topps #206

Bowman
Chrome Prospect Autographs - BCA-CT Tocci, BCA-DC Cozens, BCA-DG Grullon
Future's Game Relics - JR Rodriguez

Bowman Inception
Rookie Autographs - RA-DR Ruf

Bowman Platinum
Prospect Autographs - BPAP-MF Franco

Finest
1993 - 93F-CU Utley, 93F-RH Howard

Panini Hometown Heroes
Base Set - 291 Rose
City Hall Signatures - 5 Kruk
Homegrown Heroes - 17 Schmidt
Hometown Autographs - 72 Samuel, 73 Bowa
Scripted Legacy Autographs - 9 Schmidt

Pinnacle
Clear Vision Hitting - 50 Utley
Clear Vision Pitching - 13 Hamels, 25 Carlton
Position Powers - 4 Utley

Topps Series 1 and 2
Commemorative Patch - CP-23 Schmidt, CP-46 Howard
Cy Young Award Winners Trophy - CY-RH2 Halladay
Manufactured Patch - MCP-17 Schmidt
MVP Award Winners Trophy - MVP-MS Schmidt, MVP-RH Howard
Pennant Chase Code Card - PC21 Phillies
Proven Mettle Coins Copper - CL Lee, ROH Halladay
ROY Award Winners Trophy - ROY-RH Howard, ROY-SR Rolen
Silver Slugger Award Winners Trophy - SS-MS Schmidt, SS-RH Howard
World Series MVP Award Winners Trophy - WSMVP-CH Hamels, WSMVP-MS Schmidt

Topps Allen & Ginter
Autographs - MS Schmidt
Relics - SC Carlton

Topps Archives
1960 Relics - 60R-RH Howard
1971 Greatest Moments - 7 Schmidt
Dual Fan Favorites - DFF-DR Daulton/Ruiz

Topps Chrome
Variations - 90 Revere

Topps Gypsy Queen
Variations - 189 Lee (with Ruiz and Utley)
Autographs - GQA-JK Kruk
Relics - GQR-MS Schmidt

Topps Mariners
Main Set - SEA11 Wells

Topps Museum Collection
Base Set - 63 Sandberg
Canvas Collection - 15 Schmidt

Topps Opening Day
Mascot Autographs - MA-2 Phanatic

Topps Pro Debut
Autographs - PDA-AW Wright, PDA-DC Cozens, PDA-JPE Pettibone, PDA-LB Bonilla

Topps Update
Short-Print Variations - US188 Kruk
League Leaders Pins - MS Schmidt

Minor League Team Sets
Lakewood Blueclaws - SGA set
Willamsport Crosscutters - 15th Anniversary set

2012 Phillies Want List / 2014 Phillies Want List

2005 Phillies Want List

2005 Upper Deck #154

I recently added my complete 2005 Phillies Want List to Google Drive.

I think every collector has a year or more during which there are little to no baseball cards collected.  For me, that year was 2005.  Looking back on the year, I can come up with several excellent reasons as to why collecting baseball cards was very low on my list of priorities:

1.  We were happily living in our first house, and our weekends were filled with day trips, concerts and sporting events.
2.  We went to Disney World - twice.
3.  We got married.

Whenever I see fellow bloggers display cards from 2005, I take special notice since I've seen so few cards from that year.  My 2005 Phillies want list is massive, and I've recently uploaded it to Google Drive.  Once the list is more manageable, I'll list out individual cards here.

Until then, if you have any unwanted or extra 2005 Phillies baseball cards just lying around, I'd gladly give them a good home!

2004 Phillies Want List / 2006 Phillies Want List

2012 Chachi #69 Checklist 1-69

A little less than a year ago, I posted a blank version of the 2012 Chachi checklist card, hoping optimistically that the set would contain at least 100 cards.  Thanks to a lengthy (and successful) postseason run and several season highlights, the 2008 Chachi set was the biggest set to date, with 87 cards.  Alas, missing the postseason for the first time since 2006 and an overall uneventful year meant that the 2012 Chachi set eventually clocked in at just 69 cards.  That's the lowest total since the inaugural 2005 Chachi set and its 63 cards.

With this being the final card in the 2012 Chachi set, I've now updated the Chachi Sets gallery which contains links to the Picasa albums for each set since 2005.  I've added a place holder for the 2013 Chachi set for now, and the first official cards from the new set will debut on Opening Day.

Bring it on.

2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP144 J.C. Ramirez

The 20th, and perhaps final, non-roster invitee almost slipped through The Phillies Room cracks.  With no announcement that I'm aware of, the Phils added righty J.C. Ramirez to the non-roster invitee list.  Ramirez was acquired (with Phillippe Aumont and Tyson Gillies) from the Mariners in December 2009 in exchange for Cliff Lee.  Ironically enough, all four players involved with that trade will be in camp this spring with the Phils.

Ramirez had been on the team's 40-man roster until they signed Chad Durbin.  He was designated for assignment and managed to clear waivers.  So Ramirez remained property of the team, and he was given an invitation to Spring Training to determine if he's more prospect than suspect.

Player (position) - 2012 Organization - Last Major Cardboard Appearance
1.  Steven Lerud (c) - Phillies - 2004 Bowman #160 (Pirates)

2.  Michael Martinez (inf) - Phillies - 2012 Topps #64 (Phillies)

3.  Pete Orr (inf) - Phillies - 2008 Topps Update #UH72 (Nationals)

4.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Mariners - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)

5.  Zach Miner (rhp) - Tigers - 2009 O-Pee-Chee #314 (Tigers)

6.  Humberto Quintero (c) - Royals/Marlins/Brewers - 2012 Topps #590 (Astros)

7.  Andres Blanco (inf) - Phillies - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)

8.  Josh Fields (3b) - Dodgers - 2010 Topps #387 (Royals)

9.  Jermaine Mitchell (of) - Athletics - 2012 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autographs #JM (Athletics)

10.  Rodrigo Lopez (rhp) - Cubs - 2007 Topps #348 (Rockies)

11.  Juan Cruz (rhp) - Pirates - 2012 Topps Update #US36 (Pirates)

12.  Aaron Cook (rhp) - Red Sox - 2011 Topps #230 (Rockies)

13.  Cody Asche (3b) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #115 (Phillies)

14.  Justin Friend (rhp) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #153 (Phillies)

15.  Tommy Joseph (c) - Giants/Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP100 (Giants)

16.  Joe Mather (of) - Cubs - 2012 Topps Update #US25 (Cubs)

17.  Adam Morgan (lhp) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #128 (Phillies)

18.  Kyle Simon (rhp) - Orioles/Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP56 (Orioles)

19.  Yuniesky Betancourt (inf) - Royals - 2012 Topps Update #US47 (Royals)

20.  J.C. Ramirez (rhp) - Phillies - 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP144 (Phillies)

2004 Topps Heritage #206 Michael Young

2004 Topps Heritage #206

The Phillies were a little late this year in assigning numbers to their new acquisitions, but I noticed yesterday on the Phillies website that all 60 players scheduled to be in camp this year now have uniform numbers next to their names.  In my mind, the assignment of new uniform numbers is the final milestone to reach prior to the official start of Spring Training.

As I did last year, here's a run-down of who will be wearing new numbers next week in Clearwater:

New Players

#2 Ben Revere - Revere wore #11 with the Twins.  As that number is currently taken by Jimmy Rollins, he's going with #2, worn last year by departed first base coach Sam Perlozzo.

#3 Delmon Young - Young gets a fresh start with Hunter Pence's old #3.  The outfielder had previously worn #21 with the Twins and Tigers.

#10 Michael Young - Young wore this number for a decade with the Rangers.  Juan Pierre wore the number last season for the Phillies.

#27 John Lannan - Lannan was #31 with the Nationals over the past four seasons, but Erik Kratz has that number with the Phils.  New Marlin Placido Polanco had been wearing #27.

#37 Mike Adams - For the second year in a row, Antonio Bastardo was coerced to give up his number to a more veteran pitcher.  Last year, he surrendered #58 to the newly acquired Jonathan Papelbon.  This year, Adams claimed his familiar #37 from Bastardo.
#43 Ender Inciarte - My guess is that Inciarte was just assigned the lowest number left over after the new veterans got their picks.  Josh Lindblom wore #43 last season.
#45 Chad Durbin - Durbin wore #37 during his first stint with the Phillies.  I wonder what made him choose #45, made famous by Tug McGraw, for this go round?  The Phillies haven't assigned #45 to anyone since Pedro Martinez wore it for part of the 2009 season.

1990 Topps #525

New Coaches
#5 Steve Henderson - The new hitting coach assumes former bench coach Pete Mackanin's old number.
#21 Wally Joyner - Joyner wore #21 during his formidable years with the Angels.  Former hitting coach Greg Gross wore the number last season.
#23 Ryne Sandberg - Sandberg made this number famous during his Hall of Fame career with the Cubs.  Brian Schneider's recent retirement made the number available - although I can't imagine Sandberg wearing any other number.
#54 Rod Nichols - The Phillies "unretired" Brad Lidge's #54 for their new bullpen coach.

New Numbers
#8 Juan Samuel - Samuel wore #12 during his first two years as a Phillies coach.  With Shane Victorino's depature last year, Samuel's old #8 was freed up so he made the switch.
#59 Antonio Bastardo - As discussed above, Bastardo's #59 is his third uniform number in three years.

2002 Topps Total #486

Other Stuff
- From 1 to 60, the following non-retired numbers are still available - #49, #56, #57.  These numbers were last worn by Vance Worley, Joe Blanton and David Herndon, respectively.

- New non-roster invitees receiving low numbers include catcher Humbero Quintero (#12), outfielder Joe Mather (#22), infielders Josh Fields (#24) and Yuniesky Betancout (#25) and pitchers Rodrigo Lopez (#16) and Aaron Cook (#29).  Veterans are typically saved the embarrassment of sporting numbers in the 60s and 70s.

- Outfielder Zach Collier wins the prize for the highest number with #80.  The last player I remember being in camp with a number that high was Chase Utley, back when he was a non-roster invitee in 2002.

2013 Chachi Transactions #16 Brian Schneider

In a little over a week, the baseball complex at Bright House Field in Clearwater will come alive with players stretching, playing catch, fielding ground balls and taking batting practice.  To say that I'm excited about this would be a ginormous understatement.

Before camp officially opens, I wanted to take a look back at the moves made (so far) by the Phillies this offseason.  This post also presents back-up catcher Brian Schneider's final Chachi card, as the 13-year veteran announced his retirement last week.

Schneider was a serviceable back-up during his three years with the Phillies, hitting .212 over 122 games.  He'll pass the back-up catcher baton to Humbero Quintero (initially) and Erik Kratz (eventually).

Moving On

Jason Pridie (10/6/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, 11/6/12)

Tyson Brummett (10/18/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays

David Herndon (10/23/12) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays (Signed a split contract with the New York Yankees, 11/20/12)

Juan Pierre (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 11/17/12)

Brian Schneider (10/29/12) - Filed for free agency (Retired, 1/29/13)

Jose Contreras (10/29/12) - Team option declined

Placido Polanco (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the Miami Marlins, 12/20/12)

Ty Wigginton (10/29/12) - Team option declined (Signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, 12/14/12)

Nate Schierholtz (11/30/12) - Non-tendered (Signed with the Chicago Cubs, 12/21/12)

Vance Worley (12/6/12) - Traded to the Minnesota Twins with Trevor May for Ben Revere

Josh Lindblom (12/8/12) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Lisalverto Bonilla for Michael Young and cash

New Additions

Ender Inciarte (12/6/12) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ben Revere (12/6/12) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Vance Worley and Trevor May

Michael Young (12/8/12) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla

Mauricio Robles (12/14/12) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners

John Lannan (12/18/12) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals.

Mike Adams (12/20/12) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Texas Rangers.

Delmon Young (1/22/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers.
Chad Durbin (1/29/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves.

2013 Chach Transactions #15 Chad Durbin

Earlier this week, the Phillies signed right-hander Chad Durbin to a one-year contract, sparking memories of the now distant 2008 World Championship season.  Durbin was a key part of the Phillies '08 team, serving as a middle reliever and occasional set up guy and pitching to an impressive 2.87 ERA.  He struggled a little over the next three seasons, but had a great season last year with the Braves.  Durbin went 4-1 in 76 games in 2012, with a 3.10 ERA.  He seemed to always pitch especially well against the Phillies.

Durbin is one of two Phillies relievers from the 2008 World Series roster still active.  Here's a brief rundown of what happened to the rest of his bullpen mates:

J.C. Romero (lhp) - Romero was released by the Phillies in June 2011.  Since then, he's appeared in 28 games for the Rockies, Cardinals and Orioles with an ERA of 7.08.  The Orioles released him in August and he's currently looking for employment.

Scott Eyre (lhp) - Eyre rode into the sunset after an impressive 2009 season (1.50 ERA in 42 games) with the Phillies.  He was publishing a blog, Traveling the Country in an RV, up until July 2011.

Brad Lidge (rhp) - Lidge announced his retirement in early December.  A true class act, Lidge's performance went south after his perfect 2008 season.  Froom 2009 to 2012 with the Phils and Nationals, Lidge went 1-12 with a 5.08 ERA.

Clay Condrey (rhp) - Condrey left the Phillies following the 2009 season and signed with the Twins.  His one-year deal with the Twins was the biggest contract he'd ever sign at $900,000.  Unfortunately, elbow problems derailed his career and he never actually pitched for Minnesota.

Ryan Madson (rhp) - Madson assumed the closer's role for the Phillies in 2011, converting 32 saves.  He signed a one-year deal with the Reds prior to the 2012 season, but needed Tommy John surgery to repair his right arm.  The Angels took a chance on him this past offseason, and Madson hopes to get his career back on track in 2013.

Technically, J.A. Happ could be added to this list as he was on the World Series roster but never appeared in a game.  Happ was shipped to the Astros in July 2010 for Roy Oswalt.  Two years later, he was part of another deadline deal sending him to the Blue Jays.

2013 Topps #6 Ryan Howard

I was lucky enough to open my first packs of 2013 Topps last night, a sure sign that spring is right around the corner.  I could really relate to this post over at Uncle Doc's Card Closet celebrating the release of yet another year's Topps cards.  Like him, I clearly remember back in the day when suddenly the 1986 Topps packs were gone and packs of 1987 Topps cards were just "there" at Wawa.  No Tweets, no Facebook previews - the new cards just magically appeared one day.  And I liked it that way.

But enough of me sounding like a grumpy old-timer.

The 2013 Topps cards are out!  My Target blaster yielded just 2 1/2 Phillies - the Ryan Howard base card featured at the top of this post and two red parallels for Cliff Lee and Michael Young (featuring him with the Rangers).  The design of this year's card is very minimalist and my wife Jenna's initial thought was that the cards are reminiscent of something Upper Deck might have put out.  My only minor complaint with the design is that for the second year in a row, there's no position listed on the fronts of the cards.

Also similar to last year, the backs are very plain.  No logo, no second player photo - just a lot of text and numbers.  Topps' big marketing campaign this year is centered around "The Chase," which is supposed to entice collectors to chase down various hard to find inserts, autographs and relic cards in packs of their products.  They've gone with this theme with a line on the back of each player's cards giving a "Career Chase" update.  For Howard, the back of his card notes that he's 462 home runs away from Barry Bonds' all-time record of 762.  Ambitious, to be sure.

So there you have it . . . Another milestone of the offseason checked off the list and we're one step closer to pitchers and catchers reporting.

Past First Phillies
2010 Topps #300 Chase Utley
2011 Topps #242 Brad Lidge
2012 Topps #98 Domonic Brown

2013 Non-Roster Invitees - 7 More Added

2012 Topps Heritage Minors #115, #128 and #153

A sure sign that we're getting closer to pitchers and catchers reporting is that the official number of non-roster invitees now stands at 19.  Last week, the Phillies added five of their top prospects to the list of players who will wear numbers in the 60s and 70s while hoping to impress Charlie Manuel and the rest of the coaching staff.  They also added outfielder Joe Mather, who spent 2012 with the Cubs, and infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, who had a rough year last year with the Royals before earning his release in August.

For me, the most intriguing names on the list are Cody Asche and Tommy Joseph.  Asche is the heir apparent at third base for the Phillies and if all goes according to plan, he'll be manning the hot corner in 2014.  With Clearwater and Reading last season, he hit .324 with 12 home runs and 72 RBIs.  Joseph was acquired from the Giants in the Hunter Pence deal and MLB.com named him the organization's top position player.

Player (position) - 2012 Organization - Last Major Cardboard Appearance

2012 Bowman Chrome
Prospect Autographs
#BCP100

1.  Steven Lerud (c) - Phillies - 2004 Bowman #160 (Pirates)

2.  Michael Martinez (inf) - Phillies - 2012 Topps #64 (Phillies)

3.  Pete Orr (inf) - Phillies - 2008 Topps Update #UH72 (Nationals)

4.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Mariners - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)

5.  Zach Miner (rhp) - Tigers - 2009 O-Pee-Chee #314 (Tigers)

6.  Humberto Quintero (c) - Royals/Marlins/Brewers - 2012 Topps #590 (Astros)

7.  Andres Blanco (inf) - Phillies - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)

8.  Josh Fields (3b) - Dodgers - 2010 Topps #387 (Royals)

9.  Jermaine Mitchell (of) - Athletics - 2012 Bowman Platinum Prospects Autographs #JM (Athletics)

10.  Rodrigo Lopez (rhp) - Cubs - 2007 Topps #348 (Rockies)

11.  Juan Cruz (rhp) - Pirates - 2012 Topps Update #US36 (Pirates)

12.  Aaron Cook (rhp) - Red Sox - 2011 Topps #230 (Rockies)

13.  Cody Asche (3b) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #115 (Phillies)

14.  Justin Friend (rhp) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #153 (Phillies)

15.  Tommy Joseph (c) - Giants/Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP100 (Giants)

16.  Joe Mather (of) - Cubs - 2012 Topps Update #US25 (Cubs)

17.  Adam Morgan (lhp) - Phillies - 2012 Topps Heritage Minors #128 (Phillies)

18.  Kyle Simon (rhp) - Orioles/Phillies - 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP56 (Orioles)
19.  Yuniesky Betancourt (inf) - Royals - 2012 Topps Update #US47 (Royals)

1979 TCMA Baseball History Series #18 Del Ennis

I was talking to my six-year-old son Doug recently about how his Pop-Pop's (my Dad's) birthday was coming up.  Dad would have been 69 today.

Doug asked if we'd still celebrate his birthday even though he wouldn't be here.  And I told him that we'd get together with his Mimi (my Mom) and his Aunt Caca (my sister) and her family to celebrate.  He thought about it for a few minutes and then he said, "I wish the Spirit of Pop-Pop could be there to blow out his candles kind of like how the Spirit of Obi-Wan visited Luke on Dagobah."

I smiled and I agreed with Doug that would definitely be awesome.  Then I heard my Dad's voice remind me, "You're a lucky man, Jimmy."

We miss you Sir.