Unused 2020 Chachi Fan Favorites Cards

Another offseason activity of mine is looking ahead to the upcoming Phillies schedule and planning out the cards I'll use for the Phillies and their opponents for each series preview post.  The pandemic meant the planned 2020 schedule was thrown out the window, and cards I created for several expansion teams went unused.  Again, solely to get these cards out there and out of my draft folder, here are the remaining Fan Favorites cards that would have appeared throughout the 2020 season if not for the pandemic.

Larry Milbourne was a casualty of the early season series cancellations due to the coronavirus outbreak on the Marlins.

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #4

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #8

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #9

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #10

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #12

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #14

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #15

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #17

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #19

Official Phillies Arrivals and a Departure

2014 Chachi Departures #4

2014 Chachi New Additions #3

2014 Chachi New Additions #4

As I'm writing this, Jimmy Rollins is officially still a member of the Phillies . . .

Before the inevitable happens and that deal becomes official, I wanted to take a quick look at the other guys who came and went last week.  I have to admit, none of these moves are overly exciting to me but I'm hoping that the Phillies powers that be have an inkling of what they're doing and that these moves are the first steps to getting the team back to its winning ways.

Bastardo Traded to the Pirates

On Wednesday, at right around the same time the Rollins deal was going down, the Phillies traded left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo to the Pirates for left-handed pitcher Joely Rodriguez.  Bastardo had earned the ire of Phillies fans over the past few years with his inconsistent pitching and ability to come into a crucial relief situation and douse the flames with gasoline.

I only have 18 of Bastardo's cards in my collection, which is odd considering he's been bouncing around with the Phillies since 2009.  Such is the fate of a non-closing relief pitcher in today's baseball card world.

Rodriguez is 23 years old and has pitched in the Pirates system since 2009.  He pitched for Double-A Altoona last year, going 6-11 with a 4.84 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 134 innings pitched.  It doesn't appear as if he's had any mainstream baseball cards to date.

Phillies Select Two in Rule 5 Draft

The Phillies have always been active in the annual Rule 5 draft, and this year's draft was no exception.  They first claimed infielder/outfielder Odubel Herrera from the Texas Rangers and shortly after selected pitcher Andy Oliver from the Pirates.  Both need to remain on the active roster all season, or be offered back to their former teams.

Herrera is already being mentioned as the team's starting center fielder in 2015, hopefully providing a little more offensive punch than Ben Revere did in 2014.  Based on my limited research, Herrera doesn't have any mainstream baseball cards yet.

Oliver has actually seen time in the Majors with the Tigers in 2010 and 2011 and he was traded to the Pirates in late 2012.  With Triple-A Indianapolis last season, Oliver pitched 64 innings over 48 games with a 2.53 ERA.  He had several Topps baseball cards in 2010, including appearances in Bowman Chrome and Topps Update.

2009 Upper Deck Update #U46 Antonio Bastardo

Diamondbacks 10, Phillies 6 (10 Innings)
Game 104 - Saturday Night, July 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 45-59, 5th Place, 12 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Another Why Even Bother Post-Vacation Massive Catch-Up, Part 1 of 8

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee had his second straight mediocre outing since returning from the DL and Antonio Bastardo crashed and burned in the 10th, allowing the Diamondbacks to take the lead and eventually win the game, 10-6.

What It Means:  I'm writing these posts semi-real time following these games while the kids are taking naps or otherwise recovering from days at the beach.  Once I'm back home, post-vacation, I'll scan in the featured card, upload and publish.  So as I sit here writing this (beer in hand, ocean visible from our second story deck, in complete vacation mode) I have no way of knowing whether or not I've seen Bastardo pitch for the Phillies for the last time or not and if he'll be traded prior to Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline.  But I sure hope so and I sure hope he is.  (Post vacation update - He's still here.)

What Happened:  Lee lasted just five innings, surrendering three runs on nine hits.  The recently reliable bullpen allowed the Diamondbacks to creep back into the game as the Phils at one point held a 6-2 lead.  Bastardo looked awful in the 10th, giving up four runs on three hits and walk.

Cody Asche (7) and Marlon Byrd (20) hit home runs for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  For a guy who has been a part of the Phillies bullpen since 2009, Bastardo has had surprisingly few widely released Phillies cards.  By my very unofficial tally, he appeared on this 2009 Upper Deck Update card and has only appeared within two other major releases - 2009 Topps Heritage and 2012 Topps.

2014 Chachi #24 Antonio Bastardo

#59

Antonio Francisco Bastardo

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  198

Born:  September 21, 1985, Hato Mayor, DR

Home:  Hato Mayor, DR

Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Teams:  Phillies 2009-

Acquired:  Via free agency

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 2009 Topps Heritage #515

#13 - 2014 Phillies Team Issue #59

In addition to the 13 Phillies cards, I have three minor league cards of Bastardo in my collection.

First Chachi Card:  2009 Chachi #38

2013 Chachi #72 Leading Firemen - Jonathan Papelbon & Antonio Bastardo

This is my least favorite card of the entire 2013 Chachi set.

2013 Leaders
1.  Jonathan Papelbon - 29
2.  Antonio Bastardo - 2
3.  B.J. Rosenberg - 1

Top 5 Since 1973
2002 - Jose Mesa - 45
1993 - Mitch Williams - 43
2001 - Jose Mesa - 42
2008 - Brad Lidge - 41
1987 - Steve Bedrosian - 40

Bottom 5 Since 1973
1974 - Eddie Watt - 6
1981 - Tug McGraw - 10
1973 - Mac Scarce - 12
Four seasons with 14 saves leading the team

2013 Chachi #23 Antonio Bastardo

#59

Antonio Francisco Bastardo

Relief Pitcher

Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 5'11"  Weight: 198

Born: September 21, 1985, Hato Mayor, DR

Home: Hato Mayor, DR

Signed: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Teams: Phillies 2009-

Acquired: Via free agency

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

2012 Chachi #24 Antonio Bastardo

#37

Antonio Francisco Bastardo

Relief Pitcher

Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 5'11"  Weight: 197

Born: September 21, 1985, Hato Mayor, DR

Home: Hato Mayor, DR

Signed: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Teams: Phillies 2009-

Acquired: Via free agency

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

2012 Topps #117 Carlos Ruiz

Phillies 7, Padres 3
Game 33 - Friday Night, May 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 15-18, 5th Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Carlos Ruiz and John Mayberry, Jr. each drove in three runs and the bullpen pitched three scoreless innings as the Phillies downed the Padres, 7-3.

What It Means:  Manager Charlie Manuel called a team meeting following Wednesday night's horrendous loss, and the talking to from the the manager seemed to pay off in this game.  The Phillies looked more focused, there were no mental lapses, and the bullpen got the job done.

The Phils added three new players to their roster before the game.  Lefty relievers Jake Diekman and Raul Valdes are now in, while relievers Joe Savery and Brian Sanches are out.  Laynce Nix landed on the disabled list with a bum calf and infielder Hector Luna was recalled to take his place.

2012 Topps #287

What Went Right:  Mayberry started the scoring with a two-run home run in the second and Ruiz added a two-run home run in the fourth.  They both knocked in insurance runs in the seventh.  It was Mayberry's first home run of the year, and the three RBIs doubled his total for the season.  Ruiz continues to be the team's most consistent hitter, and his three-hit night raised his season average to .340.

Vance Worley earned his third win the of the year while striking out nine and allowing three runs over six innings.  Antonio Bastardo entered in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings while striking out the side in the eighth.  Chad Qualls pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the win for the Phils.

Maybe this is the turning point of the season?  Let's hope so.

Featured Cards:  The stars of the game were Ruiz, Mayberry and Bastardo.  Featured here are the cards of Ruiz and Bastardo from Topps' Series One release, and hopefully Mayberry gets his card in Series Two.  (Mayberry has a card in the Phillies Topps team set, which uses the same design as the flagship set.)

2011 Chachi #64 Leading Firemen - Ryan Madson & Antonio Bastardo

A few weeks ago, General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. made it clear that if the Phillies could not re-sign free agent-to-be Ryan Madson, he would search outside the organization for the team's 2012 closer.  It was essentially a vote of no confidence for closer-in-waiting Antonio Bastardo.  It was also a statement with regards to the severity of Jose Contreras' elbow injury.  Contreras enters 2012 in the final year of his contract.  He had surgery in early September to repair a tendon in his pitching elbow, and his recovery time is expected to be four to six months.

There were five pitchers who saved games for the Phillies in 2011:

1.  Ryan Madson - 32 saves
2.  Antonio Bastardo - 8 saves
3.  Jose Contreras - 5 saves
4.  David Herndon - 1 save
5.  Brad Lidge - 1 save

The club holds an option on Lidge's contract for the 2012 season, and it's very much expected that they'll decline it.  If they decide to pick it up, the Phillies will be on the hook for Lidge's 2012 salary of $12.5 million.

2009 Topps Heritage #515 Antonio Bastardo

Phillies 6, Reds 4
Game 133 - Thursday Afternoon, September 1st in Cincinnati

One Sentence Summary:  Vance Worley and Antonio Bastardo starred in a Thursday matinee win against the Reds, 6-4.

What It Means:  It's getting historic around here.  For the third time in franchise history, the team is 41 games over .500, and the win capped the Phillies' first four-game sweep in Cincinnati since 1916.  They reached the +41 game mark twice in 1976.

With a record of 87-46, the Phillies enter the weekend series in Florida with no worse than a 7 1/2 game lead in the East.  Their magic number to clinch a play-off spot is 12, and the magic number to clinch the division is 21.  (I promised myself I wouldn't start posting magic numbers until September.)

What Went Right:  Worley (10-1) continued his awesome rookie campaign with another solid effort over 6+ innings.  His line for the day would have been much better if not for a three-run home run from Chris Heisey in the seventh.  Bastardo turned in another great relief performance, inducing an inning-ending double play in the seventh and striking out the side in the eighth.

Ryan Howard (30th) and Michael Martinez (3rd) contributed home runs for the Phils.

Featured Card:  As Todd Zolecki pointed out in his game recap, Bastardo is having an unbelievable season as the Phillies primary left-handed set-up reliever/occasional closer.  He is 6-0 with a 1.38 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings.  But read this nifty tidbit:

Opponents are hitting just .112 against him.  That's the lowest opponent batting average of any player with at least 50 innings pitched in any season in baseball history.

That's worth reading again.  Bastardo is enjoying a season with potential historic significance, and yet he hasn't appeared on a mainstream baseball card since 2009.  (Unless you count the Phillies team issued sets or Chachi cards.)  I haven't scanned the 2011 Topps Update checklist yet, but I hope Bastardo has a card in the set.

2011 Chachi #22 Antonio Bastardo

#58

Antonio Francisco Bastardo

Relief Pitcher

Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 5'11"  Weight: 197

Born: September 21, 1985, Hato Mayor, DR

Home: Hato Mayor, DR

Signed: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Teams: Phillies 2009-

Acquired: Via free agency

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:

Bastardo has yet to appear in a base Topps set.

2010 Chachi #21 Antonio Bastardo

Antonio Bastardo was the lone lefty reliever in the Phillies' bullpen to open the season, due to J.C. Romero's lingering elbow issues. He was optioned back to Lehigh twice before finding himself on the DL with elbow issues of his own. There's no timetable for his return, but he did throw a bullpen session this past weekend in Pittsburgh. Bastardo is card #21 in the 2010 Chachi set.

Phillies debut: June 2, 2009
How acquired: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Others wearing #58 in the 2000s: Lou Collier 2004, Eude Brito 2005-2006, J.D. Durbin 2007, Antonio Bastardo 2009

2009 Postseason: Bastardo was on the Phillies' roster throughout the Postseason, but he only pitched a third of an inning through all 3 series. He did not appear in the World Series.

Pictured: NLDS Game 2, October 8th - Bastardo faced 1 batter in the top of the 8th, striking out the Rockies' Jason Giambi.

2009 Chachi #38 Antonio Bastardo

Antonio Bastardo takes to the hill tonight against the Padres in his Major League debut. He temporarily (?) fills the rotation spot of Brett Myers, following Brett's right hip injury. In 11 games between AAA Lehigh Valley and AA Reading this year, Antonio went 3 and 2, with a 1.90 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 47.1 innings.

Phillies debut: June 2, 2009

How acquired: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Pictured: Spring Training action, to be replaced with a better game day picture once available

2008 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #37 Antonio Bastardo

The Phillies Room Special Report: Myers' Hip Watch '09 (Part 2)

Jayson Stark posted his latest Rumblings & Grumblings today, which included this interesting comparison: "Then there's a left-hander who is climbing everybody's charts, Antonio Bastardo, who has a 50-9 strikeout-walk ratio between Double-A and Triple-A. The Phillies dangled Bastardo in July for Rockies reliever Brian Fuentes. But a year later, he is actually drawing some Johan Santana comparisons, and might have passed [Carlos] Carrasco as their No. 1 pitching prospect."

As we're now 2 months away from the non-waiver trade deadline, Stark's column lists 11 starting pitchers possibly on the Phillies' radar: Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. He mentions catcher Lou Marson, infielder Jason Donald, pitcher Carlos Carrasco, catcher Travis D'Arnaud, shortstop Freddy Galvis, pitcher Kyle Drabek and outfielder Dominic Brown as possible trade bait.

Stark's article also includes an insightful summary of the current Jamie Moyer situation.