Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s - #21 Joe Grahe

#50
Joseph Milton Grahe
Pitcher

A workhorse reliever for the Angels in the early 1990s, Joe Grahe pitched 17 games for the Rockies in 1995 and then would spend the next three seasons trying to get back to the majors.  Between 1992 and 1994, Grahe appeared in at least 40 games with the Angels, notching a career high 21 saves in 1992.

Signed by the Phillies in February 1999, Grahe began the season with Double-A Reading before his 0.90 ERA in his first seven games earned him a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  He pitched well for the Red Barons and when the Phillies shook up their bullpen in early July, Grahe got the call along with Steve Schrenk.  (Mike Grace was sent down and Yorkis Perez landed on the disabled list.)  Grahe appeared in five games in his first stint with the Phils, not allowing a run in four innings pitched.  After a brief demotion, Grahe was again recalled in late August, sticking around through the end of the season and used sparingly as a fifth starter and occasional reliever.

Grahe became a free agent following the 1999 season, but he'd resign with the Phillies.  He'd appear in just six minor league games in 2000 before his playing career came to an end.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  196
Born:  August 14, 1967, West Palm Beach, FL
Drafted:  Drafted by the California Angels in the 2nd round of the 1989 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  California Angels 1990-1994; Colorado Rockies 1995; Phillies 1999
Professional Affiliations:  California Angels 1990-1994; Colorado Rockies 1995; Bangor Blue Ox (independent) 1997; Nashua Pride (independent) 1998; New York Yankees 1998; Phillies 1999-2000

Phillies Career
13 games, 5 starts, 1-4, 3.86 ERA, 32 2/3 innings, 16 strikeouts, 17 walks
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees organization, February 2, 1999.
Debut:  July 3, 1999 - Pitched 2 shutout innings in a 21-8 blowout win against the Cubs, relieving Paul Byrd.  Struck out three and walked three.
Final Game:  October 1, 1999 - Started against the Expos and was chased after 1/3 inning having allowed five runs on six hits and a walk.
Departed:  Departed the Phillies organization at some point during or after the 2000 season.

1991 Donruss #737

1995 Topps #278

1999 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #6

2000 Q Cards Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #10

2 Grahe Baseball Cards in My Collection
1999 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #6
2000 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #10

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1991 Donruss #737
First Topps Base Card:  1991 Topps #426
Last Mainstream Card:  1995 Topps #278
Other Notable Cards:  1991 Score #367, 1992 Topps #496, 1993 Topps #129, 1993 Upper Deck #290, 1994 Topps #691

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s
1 Louie Meadows
2 Dave LaPoint
3 Darrin Chapin
4 Mickey Weston
5 Bob Wells
6 Tom Edens
7 Omar Olivares

8 Kevin Elster

9 Jim Deshaies

10 Chuck Ricci
11 Dennis Springer
12 Manny Martinez
13 Rafael Quirico
14 Bronson Heflin
15 Glenn Dishman
16 Rob Butler
17 Mike Robertson
18 Matt Whiteside
19 Robert Dodd
20 Joel Bennett
21 Joe Grahe
22 Domingo Cedeno
23 Torey Lovullo

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.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

1999 Phillies - The Missing Links

2000 MLB Showdown 1st Edition #337, 1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Team Issue #21 and #6,
1999 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #6

I'm enjoying researching these Missing Links posts almost as much as I'm enjoying researching and composing my Topps Phillies series of posts.  I plan on continuing these posts through the 2000s, but with the caveat that I may need help as I move through that decade.  My baseball card collection from the '90s is much more comprehensive than what I currently own from the '00s.

But before we get to Y2K, here's a look at those members of the 1999 Phillies team with sparse to non-existent Phillies cardboard representation.  There were 41 different players to suit up with the Phils in 1999.

1999 Phillies Team
Issue #12

3 Cards or More
31 Players

2 Cards
Steve Montgomery (53 games in 1999) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #57 and 2000 MLB Showdown 1st Edition #337
Tom Prince (4 games in 1999 and 46 games in 2000) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #12 and 2000 Phillies Team Issue #22

This will sound very strange to all but a few of my readers, but I was beyond thrilled when I tracked down Montgomery's Phillies card from the MLB Showdown set.  It drove me batty that this guy appeared in so many games for the Phillies in 1999, yet he didn't have a proper (regular sized) baseball card.


1 Card

Steve Schrenk (32 games in 1999 and 20 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #52

Scott Aldred (29 games in 1999 and 23 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #30

Jim Poole (51 games in 1999) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #41
Paul Spoljaric (5 games in 1999) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #50

If not for the Phillies team issued postcard set, this quartet of relievers would have no Phillies baseball cards to their names.

1999 Phillies Team Issue #50 and #41

2000 Phillies Team Issue #52 and #30

0 Cards
Domingo Cedeno (32 games in 1999)
Torey Lovullo (17 games in 1999)
Joe Grahe (13 games in 1999)
Joel Bennett (5 games in 1999)

Cedeno never had a chance for a Phillies card as he falls into that black hole category of players acquired and released by the team within the same year.  He was acquired by the Phillies in early July from the Mariners as an emergency back-up for shortstop Alex Arias, who was forced into starting duties when Desi Relaford tore ligaments in his wrist.  Upon Relaford's return in September, Cedeno was unceremoniously released after posting a .152 average in 32 games.

1994 Topps #776

Lovullo was a September call-up for the Phillies.  He played the last of his 17 games in the Majors with the Phils, after enjoying seven seasons with the Tigers, Yankees, Angels, Mariners, A's and Indians.

Like Lovullo, Grahe was a veteran who had previously played in parts of six seasons with the Angels and Rockies.  He spent the 1999 season, his last in the Majors, between the Phillies and their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton.

Bennett was briefly forced into the starting rotation in May when Spoljaric was traded away to the Blue Jays in exchange for Robert Person.

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

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