Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s - #7 Omar Olivares

#00
Omar (Palqu) Olivares
Relief Pitcher

Omar Olivares pitched for eight teams during his 12-year career, but the team for which he had the shortest tenure was the Phillies.  The 1995 Phillies were a team in desperate need of pitching help, and they claimed Olivares off waivers from the Rockies on July 11th.  He appeared in just five games with the club before being outrighted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he appeared in seven games for the Red Barons.  The Phillies released him following the season.

A lifetime .240 hitter, his biggest moment with the Phillies came in his final appearance with the club on July 24th when he pinch-hit for Tyler Green in the bottom of the fifth inning against his former Rockies teammates.  Olivares crushed a two-run, pinch-hit home run off Bryan Rekar in a game the Phillies would ultimately lose, 11-3.  His pitching line that day outweighed his offensive skills, as he allowed three runs on four hits in four innings of mop up duty.

Olivares became the first player in franchise history to wear #00.  Al Oliver had worn #0 in 1984 and Rich White would become the second player to wear #00 in 2006.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 6, 1967, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Signed:  Signed by the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent, September 15, 1986
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1990-1994; Colorado Rockies 1995; Phillies 1995; Detroit Tigers 1996-1997; Seattle Mariners 1997; Anaheim Angels 1998-1999; Oakland Athletics 1999-2000; Pittsburgh Pirates 2001
Professional Affiliations:  San Diego Padres 1987-1989; St. Louis Cardinals 1990-1994; Colorado Rockies 1995; Phillies 1995; Detroit Tigers 1996-1997; Seattle Mariners 1997; Anaheim Angels 1998-1999; Oakland Athletics 1999-2000; Pittsburgh Pirates 2001; Cleveland Indians 2002

Phillies Career
5 games, 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 7 strikeouts and 2 walks in 10 innings pitched
Acquired:  Selected off waivers from the Colorado Rockies, July 11, 1995
Debut:  July 14, 1995 - Pitched an inning of shutout relief against the Expos, relieving Kyle Abbott
Final Game:  July 25, 1995
Departed:  Granted free agency, October 16, 1995, and signed as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers, December 20, 1995

1 Olivares Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1995 Pacific #410
Last Card:  1995 Pacific #410

1991 Donruss #503

1991 Topps #271

1995 Pacific #410

2002 Topps #136

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1991 Donruss #503
First Topps Base Card:  1991 Topps #271
Last Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps #136
Other Notable Cards:  1987 ProCards #1996, 1992 Topps #193, 1993 Topps #490, 1993 Upper Deck #194, 1994 Topps #689, 2000 Fleer Tradition #299

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

1995 Phillies - The Missing Links

1996 Leaf Signature Extended Autographs (#190), 1995 Topps Traded #90T,
1995 Fleer Update #U-120 and 1996 Score #238

This little project of mine really picked up some speed with the rogue's gallery that made up the 1995 Phillies team.  There were 50 players who appeared at some point with the 1995 Phillies, so it's only natural that some of them would never be represented on cardboard as Phillies.  Couple the large number of players with decreased baseball card production in 1995, and there are quite a few missing links.

3 or More Cards
36 Players

1995 Phillies Team Issue #5 and
1996 Phillies Team Issue #37

2 Cards
Russ Springer (14 games in 1995 and 51 games in 1996) - 1996 Leaf Signature Extended Autographs and 1996 Phillies Team Issue #33
Dave Gallagher (62 games in 1995) - 1995 Phillies Team Issue #17 and 1995 Topps Traded #90T
Gene Harris (21 games in 1995) - 1995 Fleer Update #U-120 and 1995 Phillies Team Issue #33

Springer was actually a key contributor to the 1996 squad, but as a middle reliever he was among the first to get cut by the card companies when it came to player selection.  Gallagher wrapped up his 9-year career with a decent season with the Phillies.  He hit .318 as the team's fourth outfielder.  Harris was shipped to the Orioles in June for Andy Van Slyke.  By the time his Fleer Update card was released, he was already an ex-Phillie.

1 Card
Gary Varsho (72 games in 1995) - 1995 Phillies Team Issue #5

Steve Frey (9 games in 1995 and 31 games in 1996) - 1996 Phillies Team Issue #37

Andy Carter (20 games in 1994 and 4 games in 1995) - 1994 Phillies Team Issue Update #50

Kevin Flora (24 games in 1995) - 1996 Score #238

Ryan Karp (1 game in 1995 and 15 games in 1997) - 1994 Bowman #552

Paul Fletcher (1 game in 1993 and 10 games in 1995) - 1993 Bowman #272

Varsho appeared on a number of team-issued cards between 2002 and 2006 during his time as a Phillies coach, but he had only one card with the Phillies as a player.

1994 Bowman #552,
1995 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Team Issue (#6), (#20) and (#22)

0 Cards
Kevin Elster (26 games in 1995)

Omar Olivares (5 games in 1995)

Chuck Ricci (7 games in 1995)

Dennis Springer (4 games in 1995)
Jim Deshaies (2 games in 1995)

1995 Pacific #410

If you remember Elster and Deshaies playing with the Phillies, than you are truly a die-hard Phillies fan.  Elster came to the Phillies in July after bouncing from the Yankees and Royals organizations in June.  The Beckett database shows that Elster didn't appear on one single baseball card in 1994 or 1995, and by the time he was featured on a few 1996 cards he was already with the Rangers.

The only thing I remember about Olivares' stay with the Phillies is that he wore #00.  Ricci actually won a game with the Phillies, and the only Phillies-related card I have of him doesn't even feature a photo of the guy.  Dennis Springer (no relation to Russ) started his 8-year career with 4 games with the 1995 Phillies.  His claim to fame is that he gave up Barry Bonds' 73rd home run back in 2001.  He's featured in the same all-painting minor league set as Ricci.

Deshaies caught on with the Phillies in a last-ditch effort to keep his career going after 11 seasons spent mostly with the Astros.  He started two games with the club in late July, going 0-1 with a 20.25 ERA in 5 1/3 innings.  He was released on July 31st.

So there were five Phillies from the 1995 season who never appeared on a Phillies baseball card.  I have a feeling that number is about to jump once we hit the dark days of 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Past Missing Link Posts

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