Phungo Cards - The Phuture is Now

Tomorrow Reigning AL Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee is scheduled to make his first career appearance at Citizen's Bank Ballpark as a Philadelphia Phillie.

A year ago three Players represented the Phillies at the MLB Futures game: Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald.

2009 Phungo #9 Jason Donald
2009 Phungo #32 Carlos Carrasco

Last week all three of those players along with pitching prospect Jason Knapp were traded to the Cleveland Indians for Cliff Lee.

The Phils are currently somewhat prospect rich and they could afford the trade player wise. I am happy to have Cliff Lee on board, but I will also miss the homegrown prospects that I have been hearing about and following these last few years. The three prospects were likely not going to factor significantly into the Phils plans this year or next. Things happen quickly in sports and baseball, soon the Phils young core of talent will be aging. There best opportunity to win is now and I am glad to see the organization is going after the type of talent that can help the players that are there succeed.

Both the Phungo Cards feature photos taken at the 07 futures game and the cards are dated as such. It was a great day and I am surprised I didn't take more photos, but I hadn't really gotten the phungo card idea in my head yet at the time. Neither card number is significant, I think other than maybe I had high hopes for Carrasco and gave him Steve Carlton's number - that would have been extremely presumptious.

Swag from Padrographs - Carlos Carrasco

Rod from Padrographs ( a recent Phungo 5 participant) was good enough to send me over some extra Phillies he had in his collection. Among the cards was a giant card of Padres and Phils favorite John Kruk, several Sportsflics cards, retro cards of Phillies past like Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn, some 2008 and 09 cards and a couple of 2000 Topps which I am extremely short on and real glad to have received.

2008 Donruss Threads #85 Carlos Carrasco

I love this card, 1 Carrasco is pretty decent Phils prospect and 2 I have a fair chunk of this set and am considering collecting it. That being said, this card has always intrigued me, if your Donruss and you don't have a lisence why do they screw up the things that they can control? Carlos Carrasco is probably the highest ranking PITCHING prospect in the Phils system - yet they show him bunting. That is weak. I think Threads is only a 100 card set - lets put some effort in guys.

2008 Documentary #2902, PHI92 July 9th Cardinals 2 @ Phillies 4
2009 Topps #12 Andrew Carpenter

Rod also sent bunches of new cards. I don't believe that I have any Documentary cards, but I would like to collect cards of all the Phils games I was at during the 08 season. Unfortunately game 92 wasn't one of them. Game 92 played on July 9th 2008 was a 4-2 victory for the Phils. Chase Utley, pictured, did play in the game and went 1-3 with a walk and a single. Of course UD could have featured Ryan Howard or Pedro Feliz who both homered in the 8th inning.

A few weeks ago I busted open a blasters worth of Hobby Packs of 09 Topps and came up with very few Phils so the Drew Carpenter card is a welcome addition.


2000 Topps #63 Chad Ogea
1992 Classic Best #100 Mike Schmidt (Reverse)

The 2000 Topps set is likely the modern Topps set I have the least amount of Phillies from and I was very happy to see that this Padrographs lot included several of these. The other card is from 1992 Classic Best, I have included the reverse of the card because it features a box score. I am always a fan of cards that feature game stats and it is pretty cool to have a document of the game in which Mike Schmidt hit his 500th Homer.

Big Thanks to the Padrographs crew for sending out this bundle of cards!

2008 07 13 - 2008 All-Star Futures Game

The World team captured the 2008 All-Star Futures game by a 3-0 score. Nine pitchers combined to shutout the USA Squad on only 3 hits. Che-Hsuan Lin, a Low-A Bosox prospect, from Taiwan captured the MVP trophy for the game by collecting two hits including a 2-run Homer into the left field seats. A's farmhand Henry Rodriguez (Hi-A) also excited the crowd by firing several pitches in the Hi 90s and topping out with a handful at 100 MPH.

Plus - The oft-questioned Phils minor league system, sent 4 prospects to the futures game. Carlos Carrasco playing in his third futures game earned the W for the world team pitching a scoreless first where he struck out 2 and got a broken bat grounder to retire all three batters he faced. One of the three US hits was by Jason Donald.

The game was attended by an estimated 20,000. This was so few that we were able to sit in section 7 behind home plate.

Minus - Of course I paid the full price of $75 for my tickets instead of the $20 I could have easily gotten away with.

Hopefully the performance of Team USA is not indicative of what they will do in Beijing. According to the NY Daily News only two of the world players were expected to represent their native countries in the Olympic games.

Shenanigans - According to Topps Ryan Howard is an "Own the Game" caliber player, unfortunately he does not own enough of it to make the All-Star team. This is despite the fact that he leads the league in both Homers and RBIs. To find the last RBI/HR leader at the break to be a non-star you have to go clear back to Hank Sauer in 1948.

BlogBlogBlog - Baseball America is always a good place for Futures Game Coverage.

BlahBlahBlah - Apparently Jim Leyritz is bent out of shape about not being formally invited to participate in All-Star festivities. Not sure if DUI related manslaughter charges have anything to do with the Yankees oversight.

Off the Diamond - Team Phungo stuck around for the first inning of the celebrity softball game. Wade Boggs Homered in the first AB for the AL/Yankees squad.

This was my third and most likely final trip to Yankee Stadium. I am not a Yankees fan and did not go to enough games for the stadium to have any particular memories for me, but I did enjoy the handful of trips I made to the House that Ruth Built.

Scoop - According to a Phungo source Pat Gillick was spotted at the Futures Game sitting w/ Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

Useless Info - Spotted hungry autograph hounds outside of the Inter-continental @ 48th & Lexington.

On Deck - Next game on the team Phungo slate is a Phillies road game @ DC scheduled for 7/31, but I would think we will try and squeeze in a game or two between now and then.