Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s - #18 Matt Whiteside

#37
Matthew Christopher Whiteside
Relief Pitcher

A successful relief pitcher with the Texas Rangers in the early 1990s, Matt Whiteside was released at the end of spring training in 1998 and signed on with the Phillies.  He made the club's opening day roster and was used sparingly throughout April and May, appearing in only 10 games.  He was hit hard in his final appearance on May 29th, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits over three innings and was designated for assignment the following day.  Whiteside played out the remainder of the 1998 season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, appearing in 30 games and compiling a 6.48 ERA.

Following his short time with the Phillies organization, Whiteside pitched in parts of eight more seasons in professional baseball, including a stint in Japan in 2003.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  August 8, 1967, Charleston, MO
Drafted:  Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 25th round of the 1990 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Texas Rangers 1992-1997; Phillies 1998; San Diego Padres 1999-2000; Atlanta Braves 2001; Toronto Blue Jays 2005
Professional Affiliations:  Texas Rangers 1992-1997; Phillies 1998; San Diego Padres 1999-2000; Atlanta Braves 2001; Colorado Rockies 2002, 2003; Yokohama Bay Stars (Japan) 2003; Atlanta Braves 2004; Toronto Blue Jays 2005; Pittsburgh Pirates 2006

Phillies Career
10 games, 1-1, 8.50 ERA, 18 innings, 6 home runs allowed
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Texas Rangers, March 27, 1998.
Debut:  April 3, 1998 - Pitched two innings of scoreless relief (following Mike Grace and Darrin Winston) in a 5-1 loss to the Braves.
Final Game:  May 29, 1998
Departed:  Granted free agency, October 16, 1998.  Signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres, November 16, 1998.

1993 Topps #468

1994 Donruss #606

1995 Topps #254

1996 Fleer #266

0 Whiteside Baseball Cards in My Collection
First Card:  N/A
Last Card:  N/A

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1993 Topps #468
First Topps Base Card:  1993 Topps #468
Last Mainstream Card:  1996 Fleer #266
Other Notable Cards:  1991 ProCards #2689, 1993 Bowman #283, 1993 Pinnacle #590, 1993 Upper Deck #390, 1994 Donruss #606, 1994 Topps #629, 1995 Topps #254, 2006 Choice Indianapolis Indians #28

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.

1998 Phillies - The Missing Links

1998 Pacific Online #569, 1998 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 10th Anniversary (#15),
1995 Topps #254 and 1998 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #9

This post adds two more unfortunate souls to the list of players who appeared with the Phillies during the mostly lost decade of the '90s, yet never appeared on cardboard with the team.

40 players suited up with the Phillies during the 1998 season.  Without checking Baseball Reference, I would have pegged that number a little higher, but 40 it is.

3 Cards or More
35 Players

Relievers Jerry Spradlin, Yorkis Perez and Billy Brewer all made the cut with exactly three Phillies cards.  Each of those guys were featured in a few Phillies Team Issue sets and the 1998 Pacific Online set.  When I was trying to create my Phillies Wall back in the late-90s, the 1998 Pacific Online set was a necessity.  Weighing in with 780 different cards, the set featured middle inning relievers and back-up catchers during an era when the other card manufacturers were ignoring those guys.  It's not a pretty set, but it definitely served its purpose.

2 Cards
Darrin Winston (7 games in 1997 and 27 games in 1998) - 1998 Pacific Online #576 and 1998 Phillies Team Issue #58

Winston already made the list in 1997.

1999 Sports Illustrated #61

1 Card
Mike Welch (10 games in 1998) - 1999 Sports Illustrated #61
Jon Zuber (30 games in 1996 and 38 games in 1998) - 1998 Phillies Team Issue (Special Edition)*

Welch had to share his sole Phillies card with Marlon Anderson and Gary Bennett.  Welch, a right-handed reliever was acquired from the Mets in December 1997 for minor leaguer Hector Mercado.

*See the comment after this post from reader Steve F. for more information.

0 Cards
Matt Whiteside (10 games in 1998)
Robert Dodd (4 games in 1998)

Pitchers Whiteside and Dodd join the infamous list.  Whiteside had been a mainstay in the Rangers bullpen for the better part of the '90s before the team unceremoniously released him in Spring Training 1998.  The Phils signed him a few days later.  He spent the bulk of the '98 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, although he does not appear in the Red Barons team set; most likely because he actually opened the season on the Phillies active roster.  So Whiteside is the classic case of a player caught in the middle - he was acquired too late to be included within the team issued postcard set, and he was still with the Phillies when the Red Barons were compiling the checklist for their team set.

Dodd does appear in the Red Barons set, and he took Whiteside's spot in the bullpen when the team designated Whiteside for assignment in late May.  Dodd appeared in four games with the Phillies in late May/early June, winning a game, but allowing four earned runs in five innings (7.20 ERA).

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