Final Look at 2017-2018 Phillies Player Moves

2019 Chachi Preview #2

2019 Chachi Preview #3

2019 Chachi Preview #4

2019 Chachi Preview #5

As the season continues for 9 teams (sorry Cubs fans), I wanted to take one last look back at the transactions that shaped the 2018 Phillies.  This is a listing of every player who joined or left the organization between the final pitch of the 2017 season and the final pitch of the 2018 season.  I'm not showing minor league moves here, only players who spent time with the Phillies in 2017 or 2018.  It's an interesting list, but I sincerely hope this coming offseason's list is more impressive.

Moving On - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Henderson Alvarez - rhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed with Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League, 3/16/18.
• Ty Kelly - 2b-of (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the New York Mets, 1/22/18.
• Kevin Siegrist - lhp (10/4/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2/24/18.
• Andres Blanco - inf (11/2/17) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the San Francisco Giants, 1/30/18.
• Clay Buchholz - rhp (11/2/17) - Elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent
  with the Kansas City Royals, 3/20/18.
• Hyun Soo Kim - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, 12/18/17.
• Daniel Nava - of (11/2/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2/6/18.
• Jesen Therrien - rhp (11/6/17) - Outrighted off 40-man roster and elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11/29/17.
• Michael Mariot - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, 11/29/17.
• Colton Murray - rhp (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/14/17.
• Brock Stassi - 1b (11/6/17) - Elected free agency, signed as a minor league free agent with the Minnesota Twins, 12/7/17.
• Cameron Perkins - of (12/11/17) - Claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
• Freddy Galvis - ss (12/15/17) - Traded to the San Diego Padres for Enyel De Los Santos.
• Tommy Joseph - 1b (3/19/18) - Claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.
• Cameron Rupp - c (3/26/18) - Released and signed as a minor league free agent with the Texas Rangers, 4/3/18.
• Ricardo Pinto - rhp (3/27/18) - Traded to the Chicago White Sox for future considerations.

Coming Back - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Pedro Florimon - inf-of (11/13/17) - Signed to a minor league contract.

New Additions - 2017-2018 Offseason

• Pat Neshek - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Colorado Rockies.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (12/15/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Enyel De Los Santos - rhp (12/15/17) - Acquired from the San Diego Padres for Freddy Galvis.
• Carlos Santana - 1b (12/20/17) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians.
• Drew Hutchison - rhp (2/15/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (3/12/18) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Chicago Cubs.

Arrived During the 2018 Season

• Trevor Plouffe (4/23/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the Texas Rangers organization.
• Asdrubal Cabrera (7/27/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for Franklyn Kilome.
• Wilson Ramos (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash.
• Aaron Loup (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Jacob Waguespack.
• Justin Bour (8/10/18) - Acquired with cash from the Miami Marlins for McKenzie Mills.
• Luis Avilan (8/22/18) - Acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Felix Paulino.
• Jose Bautista (8/28/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for a player to be named later or cash.

Departed During the 2018 Season

• Drew Hutchison (6/5/18) - Designated for assignment and elected free agency.
• Hoby Milner (7/15/18) - Sold to the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Zac Curtis (7/31/18) - Designated for assingnment and claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, 8/7/18.
• Jake Thompson (8/14/18) - Traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations.
• Mark Leiter, Jr. (9/1/18) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Ben Lively (9/5/18) - Claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals.

Game 135 - 2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #8 Austin Davis

Cubs 7, Phillies 1
Game 135 - Saturday Night, September 1st in Philadelphia
Record - 72-63, 2nd place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The offensive struggles continued and Zach Eflin was hit around in his five innings of work as the Cubs defeated the Phillies, 7-1.

What It Means:  The Braves came from behind to beat the Pirates, increasing their lead in the division to three games.  As Scott Lauber pointed out in his Tweet, Eflin has a 6.20 ERA since the roster shuffling that sent him to AAA temporarily.

What Happened:  Other than a Nick Williams RBI single in the 4th, the Phillies offense was dormant.  The Cubs tacked on three late inning runs against relievers Edubray Ramos and Austin Davis.  Davis' two runs allowed were unearned due to his own throwing error.

Featured Card:  Davis was at the center of a bizarre scene in the 8th inning.  While consulting the small piece of paper he's kept in his back pocket all season for upcoming pitch selections, umpire Joe West approached Davis and confiscated the paper.  It was a frustrating moment in a frustrating game in what has been a frustrating second half.  (Davis has yet to appear on a Phillies baseball card.)

Transactions:  The first wave of September roster additions arrived with Aaron Altherr, Dylan Cozens and Yacksel Rios being recalled from Lehigh Valley.  Pedro Florimon, Ramos and Davis were all activated from the disabled list and Jesmuel Valentin was designated for assignment to make room for Florimon on the 40-man roster.

Finally, Mark Leiter, Jr., recently designated for assignment in order to add Jose Bautista to the 40-man roster, was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays.  In two seasons with the Phillies, Leiter appeared in 39 games and made 11 starts.  He departs with a 3-7 record and a 5.03 ERA over 107 1/3 innings.

2018 Topps #573

Leiter, Jr. Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #37
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #18
2017 Chachi In Action #4
2018 Chachi #37

Arrived During the 2018 Season

Trevor Plouffe (4/23/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the Texas Rangers organization.
Asdrubal Cabrera (7/27/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for Franklyn Kilome.
Wilson Ramos (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash.
Aaron Loup (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Jacob Waguespack.
Justin Bour (8/10/18) - Acquired with cash from the Miami Marlins for McKenzie Mills.
Luis Avilan (8/22/18) - Acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Felix Paulino.
Jose Bautista (8/28/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for a player to be named later or cash.

Departed During the 2018 Season
Drew Hutchison (6/5/18) - Designated for assignment and elected free agency.
Hoby Milner (7/15/18) - Sold to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Zac Curtis (7/31/18) - Designated for assingnment and claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, 8/7/18.
Jake Thompson (8/14/18) - Traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations.
Mark Leiter, Jr. (9/1/18) - Claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.

2018 Chachi #37 Mark Leiter, Jr.

#31
Mark Leiter, Jr.
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  212
Opening Day Age:  27
Born:  March 13, 1991, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 22nd round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017-
Acquired:  Via draft

2014 Brandt Lakewood BlueClaws #15

2017 Chachi #37

2017 Topps Update #US287

2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59

12 Leiter, Jr. Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2014 Brandt Lakewood BlueClaws #15
First Phillies Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2017 Topps Update #US287
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59
Latest Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #31

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  February 24, 2017 - Exhibition Game with University of Tampa . . . Roman Quinn (2 for 3, two runs scored, solo home) and Dylan Cozens (2 for 3, 4 RBIs, 2-run home run) paced the offense as the Phillies top prospects defeated the University of Tampa squad. Mark Leiter, Jr. and six other pitchers held the Spartans to two hits.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #37
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #18
2017 Chachi In Action #4
2018 Chachi #37

Card statistics through 6/13/18.

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #21 Mark Leiter, Jr.

Phillies 8, Marlins 0
Game 125 - Wednesday Night, August 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 46-79, 5th place, 29 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Mark Leiter, Jr. took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Rhys Hoskins homered again as the Phillies defeated the Marlins, 8-0.

What It Means:  In the midst of all the darkness that is the Phillies 2017 season, there has occasionally been some light.

What Happened:  Leiter allowed just a hit while striking out five over seven innings.  Hoskins hit his 7th home run in his 14th game and drove in five runs.

Featured Card:  Hopefully, Leiter shows up in the 2017 Topps Update set but for now I'll need to keep featuring his minor league cards from prior years.

Transaction:  Nick Pivetta (who had been the 26th man in Tuesday's double header) was optioned back to the IronPigs.  In need of bullpen arms, Drew Anderson was recalled and Cameron Perkins was sent down.

2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59 Mark Leiter, Jr.

Rockies 8, Phillies 5
Game 108 - Saturday Night, August 5th in Denver
Record - 39-69, 5th place, 25 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Nick Pivetta was hit hard by the Rockies, and a Phillies comeback fell short in this 8-5 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies are 0-for-August having lost their first five games of the month.  I find myself daydreaming about the offseason, which is a true sign of how bad things are.

What Happened:  Pivetta lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs (six earned) on seven hits.  Daniel Nava and Freddy Galvis both had three-hit nights with Nava contributing a three-run home run (4) in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Mark Leiter, Jr. relieved Pivetta in the third and had a fantastic outing.  In 4 1/3 scoreless innings, Leiter allowed two hits while striking out nine.  It was the highest strikeout total by a Phillies reliever since Lowell Palmer struck out 10 on May 3, 1970.  He became the sixth reliever in Major League history to strike out nine or more without allowing a walk, becoming the first to accomplish the feat since Bruce Ruffin did it (with the Rockies) on September 14, 1993.

This is the sole Leiter Phillies card in my collection to date, which I picked up at the Phillies Phestival in May.

Transaction:  Aaron Altherr can't seem to kick his nagging hamstring injury, and he was placed on the disabled list again.  Cameron Perkins was recalled from Lehigh Valley to take his place on the roster.

2017 Chachi In Action #4 Mark Leiter, Jr.

Phillies 6, Diamondbacks 1
Game 72 - Late Friday Night, June 23rd in Phoenix
Record - 24-48, 5th place, 19 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  In his first major league start, Mark Leiter, Jr. pitched six scoreless innings and helped the Phillies to a 6-1 victory.

What It Means:  The Phillies have a two-game winning streak!

What Happened:  The game was a lot closer than the final score indicates, as the Phillies held a narrow 1-0 lead heading into the eighth inning.  Maikel Franco (9) hit a solo home run to give the Phillies a little cushion and then the offense added four more runs in the ninth.  The big hit was Tommy Joseph's (12) two-run home run (into the pool at Chase Field) to give the Phillies a 6-1 lead.

Featured Card:  Leiter earns an In Action card for his efforts.  He allowed just three hits while striking out five.

Transaction:  To make room for Leiter on the roster, reliever Casey Fien was placed on the 10-day disabled list.

2017 Chachi #37 Mark Leiter, Jr.

#59
Mark Leiter, Jr.
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  March 13, 1991, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Home:  Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 22nd round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Via draft

2014 Brandt Lakewood BlueClaws #15

2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59

8 Leiter, Jr. Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2014 Brandt Lakewood BlueClaws #15
First Phillies Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #37
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #18

Card statistics through 6/18/17.

Highlights from the 2017 Phillies Phestival (Part 2) #StrikeOutALS

Here are the remaining 13 cards from the very limited edition Chachi set from Thursday's Phillies Phestival to benefit ALS reasearch.  Part 1 can be found here.

If you've never gone to this event before, try to make every effort to come out to it in 2018.

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #17

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #18

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #21

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #22

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #20

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #23

2016 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Playoff #2 Mark Leiter, Jr.

Dodgers 5, Phillies 3
Game 21 - Late Friday Night, April 28th in Los Angeles
Record - 11-10, 2nd place, 4 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Kenta Meada held the Phils to five hits over seven innings and Justin Turner had a two-run double in the sixth in this 5-3 loss to the Dodgers.

What It Means:  The six-game winning streak is over.

What Happened:  Jerad Eickhoff lasted 5 2/3 innings, surrendering five runs on nine hits and he's still looking for his first win of 2017.  Freddy Galvis had another multi-hit game including a two-run double in the third.

Featured Card:  Mark Leiter, Jr. made his Phillies debut (see below) and he and his father join Ruben Amaro and Ruben Amaro, Jr. as the only father-son combinations in Phillies history.

Phillies Debuts:  Ty Kelly made his debut in the top of the seventh and Leiter, Jr. entered the game in the bottom of the seventh.  Leiter, Jr. became the tenth player to make his Phillies debut this season and the third (along with Brock Stassi and Andrew Knapp) to make his major league debut.

• Ty Kelly (ph) - Kelly pinch-hit for Luis Garcia in the seventh, striking out against Maeda.
• Mark Leiter, Jr. (rhp) - Leiter, Jr. relieved Garcia and pitched a perfect seventh.  The second batter he faceed, Chase Utley, flied out to left.

2017 Phillies Team Issue

Number of Cards:  40
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The Phillies introduced a bold new design for their first team issued photo card set of 2017.  Player names appear at the top right in a red script font against a blue border.  The Phillies script logo, the player's position and uniform number also appear at the top.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The set has been available for sale at Citizens Bank Park since their home opener on April 7th.  Sets can be found at Phillies Newstands and at souvenir locations throughout the ballpark for $5.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

4 - Andres Blanco 5 - Michael Saunders 7 - Maikel Franco 8 - Juan Samuel CO 9 - John McLaren CO 10 - Larry Bowa CO 12 - Mickey Morandini CO 13 - Freddy Galvis 16 - Cesar Hernandez 17 - Pat Neshek 19 - Tommy Joseph 21 - Clay Buchholz 22 - Bob McClure CO 23 - Aaron Altherr 24 - Roman Quinn 25 - Daniel Nava 27 - Aaron Nola 28 - Vince Velasquez 29 - Cameron Rupp 31 - Michael Mariot

33 - Rick Kranitz CO 37 - Odubel Herrera 39 - Adam Morgan 40 - Matt Stairs CO 41 - Brock Stassi 45 - Pete Mackanin MG 46 - Jeanmar Gomez 47 - Howie Kendrick 48 - Jerad Eickhoff 50 - Hector Neris 52 - Pat Venditte 53 - Joaquin Benoit 57 - Luis Garcia 58 - Jeremy Hellickson 61 - Edubray Ramos 63 - Joely Rodriguez 64 - Andrew Knapp 76 - Jesmuel Valentin Phillie Phanatic Broadcasters

One and Done (3):  Mariot, Rodriguez, Venditte
First Appearances (10):  Benoit, Buchholz, Kendrick, Knapp, Nava, Neshek, Quinn, Saunders, Stassi, Valentin
Returning Players (17):  Altherr, Blanco, Eickhoff, Franco, Galvis, Garcia, Gomez, Hellickson, Hernandez, Herrera, Joseph, Morgan, Neris, Nola, Ramos, Rupp, Velasquez

As of now, there's no one in the One and Done category as everyone in the set is still currently within the Phillies system.  This could change of course as the season progresses.  As of this writing, the following players in the set have yet to suit up for the Phillies in 2017:  Mariot, Quinn, Valentin and Venditte.  Venditte's position is listed as "SHP" for switch-handed pitcher, which is something I've never seen before on a baseball card.

(Update 4/14/18 - I've updated the One and Done category for Mariot, Rodriguez and Venditte as this set features their one and only Phillies baseball cards.)

The checklist creators did a fantastic job as the set includes ever player on the team's opening day roster.  Strangely enough, both Stassi and Knapp were assigned lower numbers a few days before the season started (#78 to #41 and #64 to #34, respectively) and Stassi's card reflects his new number while Knapp's does not.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set. These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Mackanin
Coaches (7):  Bowa, Kranitz, McClure, McLaren, Morandini, Samuel, Stairs
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  Featuring Andersen, Davis, Franzke, Jackson, Kruk, McCarthy, Murphy, Schmidt
Other Cards (0)

New broadcaster Kruk makes his first appearance in a team-issued photo card set since he appeared on a broadcaster card within the 2003 set.  Stairs appeared on the broadcaster cards in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 sets and this is his first card as a coach.

Phillies Phestival Rarities:  The Phillies Phestival was held on May 11th and the Phillies created three new photo cards for the event in the style of this set. Zach Eflin's card is an actual action shot while cards of Mark Leiter, Jr. and Nick Pivetta are portraits.  All three cards are blank backed.

• 43 Nick Pivetta (portrait)
• 56 Zach Eflin (pitching)
• 59 Mark Leiter, Jr. (portrait)

Additional Card:  In November 2017, I added a blank-backed Nick Williams card to my collection after winning* an autographed Williams bat at an ALS event.  The card came with the bat.  (*My wife would like to point out that she won the auction and the card is on loan from her.)

• 5 Nick Williams (throwing in outfield)

Resources:  Thanks again to fellow collectors Rick and Steve for information on the three rare cards available only from the Phillies Phestival.

2017 Topps Phillies #PHI-13 Andres Blanco

Phillies 6, Mets 2 (10 Innings)
Game 13 - Tuesday Night, April 18th in Flushing
Record - 5-8, 5th place, 3 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies took advantage of a costly Jose Reyes error to tie the game in the eighth, and then eventually won the game with four 10th inning runs.

What It Means:  It wasn't pretty, and the Phillies had several gaffes of their own, but we'll take it.

What Happened:  The Mets were leading 2-1 with two outs in the eighth when Reyes dropped a pop up from Freddy Galvis.  Andres Blanco followed with a game-tying, ground rule double that should have scored Galvis had he run out the dropped pop up.  In the 10th, Cameron Rupp broke the tie with a sacrifice fly, Aaron Altherr singled home Tommy Joseph and Daniel Nava capped the scoring with a two-run single that shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera couldn't handle.

2016 Grandstand Reading
Fightin Phils #13

In his first start of the season, Zach Eflin settled down after allowing two first inning runs.  He lasted five innings, giving up just the two runs on three hits.

Featured Cards:  Blanco gets the honors due to his big pinch-hit double in the eighth.  The super utility player received a card in this year's Topps Phillies retail team set.

Transactions:  Prior to the game, Clay Buchholz was placed on the disabled list and Eflin was recalled from Lehigh Valley.  Buchholz had forearm surgery yesterday and his season is likely done after two games and 7 1/3 innings.

Howie Kendrick was also placed on the disabled list with an abdominal strain and pitcher Mark Leiter, Jr. was selected from the IronPigs.  Leiter, Jr.'s dad pitched for the Phillies in 1997 and 1998, saving 23 games.