The Infield that Never Was - 2013 Phillies

Michael Young, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard 

If the season had been different this would have been the infield for a playoff caliber team.  Instead Chase Utley and Ryan Howard once again had stints on the DL.  The veteran quartet ended up playing 38 games together, which is actually a lot more then I would have guessed.

Sources
espn bottom line
baseball-ref.com

Phillies Cards that Never Were - Michael Young

The Phillies have officially bid farewell to Michael Young after a 126 game stint.

There have been only a few Michael Young cards with him representing the Phillies, and I don't think I have picked up any of them yet.  As a Phillies player I think Young can be found in 2013 Topps Heritage and A&G.

However there are Cards that Never Were

2011 Faux Topps Michael Young

This seasons Phillies starting lineup cards still feature 2011 Topps.
 
And

Scoreboard Card - Michael Young

This season the Phillies also feature these Scoreboard Bios that have a Baseball Card Motif.  The design echoes 2003 Topps.

Michael Young's is off to the Los Angeles to see if he can make get involved in the Postseason with Dodgers. A decade from not it will be hard to remember Young played for the Phillies at all.

Regardless best of luck to Mr Young in LA, at least we will have one Phils player to root for in October. 

Sources
ESPN bottom line

Snapshots 2013 05 18 Reds 10 @ Phillies 0

Another brutal performance by the Phillies during a Team Phungo outing. Phils lost 10-0 on a day when they didn't have an AB with runner in scoring position until they were down by 8 in 8th inning.  The Phillies didn't have a potential lead changing AB after the first inning.

Hamels Heroes

Cole Hamels hosted a group of veterans "Hamels Heroes" for the game.  Veterans were also honored when three of them worked the 3rd inning base exchange. The Hamels Foundation (run by Cole with wife and Survivor Alum Heidi) partners with the Philadelphia VA to assist Veterans in the area.  The endeavor was noted on this weekends Fox telecast.

 SnapShots

 

Joey Votto

Votto batting in the first - He reached base six times on Saturday including a Home Run and two walks - His league leading OBP stands at .473. Despite the very good on base day, Votto only ranked 6th on the Baseball-ref Batting game score rankings.  He wasn't the only offensive contributor for the 2013 big red machine - Every Reds starting position player had either or run scored or an RBI.

Bronon Arroyo

The Reds didn't just excel at the plate. Bronson Arroyo (pictured here with his signature leg kick) demonstrated his veteran savvy taking a shutout 2 outs into the eighth. He only gave up 5 hits with a pair of walks, both in the final inning.    

 Jimmy Rollins Socks High

Not sure - J-Roll may be sporting the retro look for Day games, noticed it when the Phils were getting blown out my Ohio's other team on Wednesday.

Todd Frazier

1998 Little League World Series Hero (from nearby Toms River New Jersey) Todd Frazier always has friends in attendance.

 Michael Young



 One of the Phillies off-season acquisitions.  Young picked up a single to help maintain his .300 BA. 


Previous 2013 Snapshot Postings

May 15 - Cleveland Indians 10 @ Phillies 4
May 5 - Miami Marlins 14 @ Phillies 2
April 20 - St Louis Cardinals 5 @ Phillies 0

Yes so far this season in four games I have seen the Phillies get outscored 39-6. 

Snapshots 2013 04 20 Cardinals 5 @ Phillies 0

Team Phungo's first game of 2013 was pretty miserable. The night featured brisk cold, gusty winds, and Zero offense from the home squad.

Despite the crummy game and weather we had a decent night and did get a couple of pix worth noting.

Snapshots 

2013 04 20 Flags at Half-staff

The flags were at Hall-Staff as a memorial and tribute to the victims and heroes involved in the Boston Bombings.

Lance Lynn

The star of the game was Cardinals 25 year old pitcher Lance Lynn who tossed 7 innings of 1 hit ball. This is a photo of Lynn tossing a warmup pitch late in the game. The lone hit was a leadoff double by John Mayberry Jr on a 3-2 pitch leading off the 5th.  
  

 Cliff Lee

Cliff Lee pitched poorly - He only got in trouble in only one inning, the 3rd, when he walked the bases loaded in front of three consecutive singles, but that was enough.  He was never on the whole night, He went 2-0 on the first two batters of the game and went ball 1 for all four batters he faced in the first.  His fastball was high frequently throughout the evening. 

Hall of Fame

Ryne Sandberg

The Phillies new third base coach Ryne Sandberg chats with friends and fans pregame. With each passing game Sandberg looks like the next manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

 Cards that Never Were

2011 Faux Topps Michael Young

Two years in the Phillies starting lineup cards still feature 2011 Topps. 2011 was, of course, the last time the Phillies made the post season where they were eliminated by this weekends opponent, the St Louis Cardinals.

Scoreboard Card - Michael Young

This season the Phillies also feature these Scoreboard Bios that have a Baseball Card Motif.  The design echoes 2003 Topps. 

1977 Topps featured in MLB fantasy preview - First Phils cards for Michael Young and Ben Revere

Each of the last couple of years MLB.com has put together a fantasy guide.  For the players cover photo in the feature a baseball card has been produced in one of the past Topps designs.  This year they have chosen 1977 Topps.

Faux 1977 Topps Michael Young

Looks like somebody took a short cut on the position, the flag on the original 1977 Topps cards had the position written out rather then abbreviated. Back in 1977 the Player name was green for the Phils and cards also contained a facsimile autograph.

Faux 1977 Topps Ben Revere 

The Phillies other significant offensive acquisition this winter was Ben Revere who is also not featured in 2013 S1 Topps, so this is sort of his first Phils card as well.

Other uniform changers around the division:
 

Faux 1977 Topps Justin Upton

Just picked up by the Braves in the last couple of weeks.

Faux 1977 Topps Rafael Soriano

The Nats who had a pretty sharp bullpen in 2012 added Soriano for 2013.  With guys like the Uptons and Soriano entering the division it is shaping up to be another competitive canpaign in the NL East.
 
If you want to see more faux 1977 Topps check out the MLB.com player preview. 

Previous Previews featured on Phungo
2012 (1986 Topps)

2011 (1983 Topps)

2010 (1987 Topps)

Phungo Game Report - 2009 09 07 Rangers 4 @ Orioles 5

Saturday was a great day for a game and the Phils were on the road so I ventured down to Camden Yards in Baltimore to catch the Orioles hosting the Rangers.

The O's are fielding what one would think is a pretty forgettable team and are attempting to not suffer a hundred losses. As dreadful as this sounds they are not awful to watch - in fact since there is no one at the stadium, it is a good opportunity to catch some of their young talent which will hopefully help the O's compete in the future.

Three of the O's Baseball America Top 5 Prospects were in action Saturday - Catcher Matt Weiters (#1), Left Fielder Nolan Reimold (5) and 2008 #4 overall pick Brian Matusz got the start.

The Texas Rangers are potentially playoff bound and feature a good mix of young talent and some veterans. Sadly Josh Hamilton is on the shelf and was out of the lineup.

After a rough start Matusz settled down and managed to pitch 6 good innings after a shaky 3 run first highlighted by a David Murphy home run. For the game Matusz gave up 4 runs over 7 innings on 6 hits and only 1 walk. It was good enough to give the O's a 5-4 Win. Former Phil Kevin Millwood did not pitch nearly as well - first he could not hold the 3 run lead that the O's spotted. Millwood would leave after only completing 5 innings and giving up 5 runs.

The Offensive highlights were provided by long time Oriole Melvin Mora who was 3 for 4 with a Homer and 3 RBIs. It may be Mora's last great game with the O's.

Some Snapshots:
Good Guy Awards go out to the Rangers Derek Holland, Julio Borbon, and I think this is Michael Young who were all spotted signing autographs. Robert Andino signed a few Autos on the home side.

It was Negro League Recognition Day at Camden Yards and the Widow Hall of Famer Leon Day (foreground) threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches.

2009 09 05 Mrs Leon Day

2009 09 05 Melvin Mora
Melvin Mora was the offensive hero of the day. As part of the Negro League Celebration the Orioles wore the uniforms of the 1949 Baltimore Elite Giants (Pronounced E-Light)



2009 0905 Brian Matusz v Ian Kinsler

Good seats for everyone. The payed attendence was a shade under 18,000 but I am not sure that half that many actually showed up.

phungo 5 with Texas Rangers Cards

This week the Phillies are hosting the Washington Nationals, and I've have decided to go a slightly different route with Phungo 5. We are going to check in with a blogger representing one of the two clubs descended from the Washington Senators, The Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers Cards covers the Rangers club which emerged when the Senators migrated to Texas in 1972. TRC is the first AL blog to appear in the Phungo 5 and has hooked us up with some good information about Rangers Past, Present, and Future.

1) Do you know of any Washington Senators connections to the Rangers anymore or is that so far in the past that no one really mentions it?

It is still mentioned occasionally. The team still owns the rights to the name "Washington Senators" (that's why the Nats couldn't use the name) and uses Washington jerseys for throwback games. Tom Grieve is the first person who comes to mind to make the connection. Tom played for one season for Washington before the move. For quite awhile he was practically the face of the Rangers, serving as the GM and now as a broadcaster. Toby Harrah is also a fairly big name and played for both teams.

2) I look at the Rangers rotation and I see two former Phils in Kevin Millwood and Vincente Padilla plus a guy that couldn't get himself on the mound as a Phil a year ago (Kris Benson) - am I wrong to have a knee jerk reaction against this staff?

You are in the case of Kevin Millwood. Kevin has started three games this season and has completed one of them while posting a 1-1 record. Those numbers are a little misleading though. He is carrying a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings and has 14 strikeouts compared to 4 walks. I worry more about the offense when Millwood starts. Padilla is a different story. He also has a 1-1 record but the similarities end there. He has a 9.64 ERA in 14 innings and 11 strikeouts to 5 walks. I get this weird rash on Padilla's nights to pitch. Benson is just Padilla on the DL. I guess your knee jerk reaction about the staff went 2 for 3. In summary, I would take Millwood over Mitch Williams (former Ranger) but would have to take Mitch over the other two...

3) Seems to me Ian Kinsler and Michael Young autograph cards are a bit undervalued - Do you think my opinion is correct, If Michael Young keeps himself healthy he may be a 3000 hit guy - and we all know what that means. and if I am looking to pick up some cheap autos of Rangers prospects - who would you recommend? Please tell me Joaquin Arias - I know I have a couple of those laying around already.

Kins and Young are undervalued but don't tell anyone, I am scooping them up as quick as I can. Both of them have HOF potential in my mind. Prospecting is not my strong point but I'll give it a shot. At this point Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz are the top pitching prospects. Both are starters and are supposed to carry the team into the future. Justin Smoak and Max Ramirez are both near the top of the position players list. Arias got hurt a couple of years ago and got passed up by Elvis Andrus. There is a very real possibility that he will end up on the trade block.

2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome #BDPP89 Elvis Andrus
2007 Bowman Heritage #22 Michael Young


4) Last month you came out with a column regarding Ivan Rodriguez and his possible involvement with PEDs. It has only been a month - Have there been any developments in your relationship with your Pudge collection.

Not really. I have continued to add cards to the collection through trades but haven't made any additions through buying. I am still hoping that he will eventually clarify his statements on the matter.

5) I see you are a Civil War Buff, Have you ever been to Gettysburg?

Yes. Went years ago when I was in high school. Awesome place. My current location keeps me from seeing as many battlefields as I would like though. If anyone ever gets a chance to get to Prairie Grove, Arkansas they should. Great park.

We will award Texas Rangers Cards a 5 out of 5 this week. Thanks for the tips on Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park and letting us know what else is going on at the Ballpark in Arlington.

This weekend will be the first 2009 meeting between the Phillies and those stinkin' Mets. To mark the occasion we are hosting a Phungo 5 with the Mets card and memorabilia Blog Sports Locker.

If anyone would like to volunteer as the Nationals Rep for Phungo 5 please let me know. For a look back a previous Phungo 5 click here and find out what Wax Heaven had to say about the Florida Marlins.

2008 Allen Ginter Blaster

The crack research staff at Dinged Corners had theorized that the blasters for A+G may be frontloaded with hits and good pulls. I was interested in testing this Hypothesis and in the name of research, I picked up a blaster of 2008 Allen & Ginter at Walmart. This, as I said, is strictly research and definitely not due to a card collecting addiction. Yes strictly research - first some pretty pictures:

#212 Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Composer
#AGR-MYMichael Young Game Used Relic
#242 Ngwenya Takudzwa
TWGV17 - Worlds Greatest Victories Brown vs Board of Education

Obviously, the Michael Young Relic is notable and pushes the blaster into the Win Category - or at least it would if the card was not damaged - It is difficult to see in the scan but the protective plastic covering is bent forward in the bottom center of the card.

The first of the other notables is Tchaikovsky, My girlfriend is pursuing a degree related to Russian Language so whenever we run into anything in this realm it's a bonus - nice historical and cultural card. I found it a little disconcerting that Topps used an important historical moment like Brown v Board of education to hock their crack the code game, regardless I am glad to have drawn this card. Finally, the most Rugby player Ngwenya Takudzwa just to show you the toughness of this Allen & Ginter product.

Here are the details on the rest of the box:

Hit - Michael Young Damaged
Base 39/350
SP 4/50 (#324 Kotchman, #335 Phillip Hughes, #336 Allen Fischer - arm wrestling champ, #343 Bengie Molina)
mini base 3 (Jose Reyes, Lincecum, Teixeira)
mini A&G back 3 (1:5) (Miguel Tejada, Adam Laroche, Josh Willingham)
Checklists 2

Other Inserts
TWGV17 - Greatest Victories Brown vs Board of Education
US 18 - Louisiana - Papelbon
US 39 - Rhode Island - Konerko
US 46 - Virginia - David Wright
WDS5 - Mako Shark
WL12 - (1:12) Finland - Tarja Halojen (Conan O'Brien)

Base Highlights - A-Rod, Vlad, Former Phil Aaron Rowand, Maddux, Wild Bill Hickock, Grand Canyon, Chpper, Iditarod champ and former Pirates Shortstop Jeff King, Dickens, and Olympian Mark Spitz.

The Damage - $21.19

The inserts were pretty good. Looks like I may have gotten the GU Michael Young instead of a state card. The three state cards I received in this blaster were also present within a blaster break by Cardboard Junkie. There was a world leader rather than a base mini and I also came out slightly ahead on the mini A&G backs. Also one of the mini's was the Mako Shark for which I have not seen pack ratios. The A&G LaRoche mini overlapped a base card in the blaster. As far as raw numbers I came out with 52 cards (+2 checklists) which is 4 more than the 48 expected.

I had only picked up a single hobby pack of Allen Ginter prior to the blaster, this did result in a single duplicate of the Serena Williams base card. The mini from that pack was Lance Berkman - His base card was present in the blaster.

The big minus was that I didn't get one Phillies card. 39 base cards 6 minis 4 states and no Phils.

Despite this omission I am happy with the box - and based on the results I would have to agree with Dinged Corners. The relic puts the blaster above average - also the other inserts tended to run slightly better than expected.