1999 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts of the photo cards once again feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in white letters against a blue band.  Scott Rolen's card celebrates his 1998 Gold Glove win with a picture of a Gold Glove on the front of his card.  The card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fifth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - OF) 2. Marlon Anderson (#16 - 2B) 3. Alex Arias (#26 - INF) 4. Gary Bennett (#14 - C) 5. Jeff Brantley (#45 - RHP) 6. Billy Brewer (#49 - LHP) 7. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 8. Paul Byrd (#34 - RHP) 9. Galen Cisco (#43 - Pitching Instructor)      10. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 11. Dave Doster (#15 - INF) 12. Rob Ducey (#25 - OF)

13. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 14. Ron Gant (#5 - OF) 15. Doug Glanville (#6 - OF) 16. Wayne Gomes (#61 - RHP) 17. Mike Grace (#44 - RHP) 18. Ramon Henderson (#59 - Bullpen Coach)      19. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF) 20. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 21. Carlton Loewer (#46 - RHP) 22. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor) 23. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 24. Steve Montgomery (#57 - RHP)

25. Chad Ogea (#33 - RHP) 26. Yorkis Perez (#48 - LHP) 27. Jim Poole (#41 - LHP) 28. Tom Prince (#12 - C) 29. Desi Relaford (#8 - SS) 30. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 31. Ken Ryan (#51 - RHP) 32. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 33. Kevin Sefcik (#11 - OF) 34. Paul Spoljaric (#50 - LHP) 35. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach)      36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (2):  Poole, Spoljaric

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (13):  Anderson, Bennett, Brantley, Byrd, Doster, Ducey, Gant, Loewer, Montgomery, Ogea, Perez, Prince, Ryan
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (13):  Abreu, Arias, Brewer, Brogna, Glanville, Gomes, Grace, Jordan, Lieberthal, Relaford, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik

I'm not counting Yorkis Perez's fairly rare photo card issued at the 1998 ALS Autograph and Auction Party as his first appearance.

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic gets a close up on his 1999 card.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  The entire 25-man opening day roster makes it into the set, along with catcher Tom Prince who began the year on the disabled list.  Relievers Billy Brewer and Steve Montgomery also receive cards, although they began the season in Triple-A.

Omissions:  It's fairly easy to piece together an imaginary update set checklist, as the injury prone 1999 Phillies team made fairly frequent roster moves and acquisitions throughout the season.  Seven additional players suited up for the Phillies prior to the All-Star break, and an update set released in early July could have consisted of Joel Bennett, Joe Grahe, Robert Person, Cliff Politte, Steve Schrenk, Amaury Telemaco and Randy Wolf.  On the day of the ALS Autograph Party and Auction, June 21st, Person, Telemaco and Wolf were all on the active roster.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Rick confirmed there are no rarities to be found with this set's design, although in a comment to the original post for this set he mentioned there are a few variations available with facsimile autographs.

Also See:  The Phillies produced three Stadium League sets, and these have proved to be somewhat difficult for me to track down.

• Stadium League SGA - This is a standard-sized, 9-card set with gray borders, given away on Fan Appreciation Day, October 3rd.  The backs of the cards contain individual player highlights from the 1999 season.
• Stadium League Phillies Finest - This is a standard-sized, 9-card set with no borders and Phillies Finest written on the back.  The 14,000 Phillies database entry for the set states the cards were given away as prizes to kids playing a card flipping game in the Fun Zone at Veterans Stadium.
• Stadium League Phillies Finest (5 x 7) - This is a larger version of the 9-card Fun Zone giveaway set, and the origin of these cards is (so far) unknown.

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2000 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in grey letters against a red stripe background.  The Interleague Play Inaugural Year logo is also featured on the fronts of the cards.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards notes that the set was sold for $10.  For the third year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Ruben Amaro (#37 - OF) 2. Ron Blazier (#22 - RHP) 3. Ricky Bottalico (#52 - RHP) 4. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 5. Galen Cisco (#42 - Pitching Instructor)         6. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 7. Darren Daulton (#10 - 1B/OF) 8. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 9. Reggie Harris (#40 - RHP) 10. Rex Hudler (#14 - INF) 11. Gregg Jefferies (#25 - LF) 12. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF)

13. Mark Leiter (#31 - RHP) 14. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 15. Calvin Maduro (#50 - RHP) 16. Wendell Magee, Jr. (#29 - OF) 17. Derrick May (#34 - OF) 18. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor)         19. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 20. Michael Mimbs (#47 - LHP) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - 2B) 22. Bobby Munoz (#35 - RHP) 23. Mark Parent (#8 - C) 24. Erik Plantenberg (#41 - LHP)

25. Mark Portugal (#21 - RHP) 26. Joe Rigoli (#59 - Bullpen Coach) 27. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 28. Scott Ruffcorn (#33 - RHP) 29. Ken Ryan (#51 - RHP) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Kevin Sefcik (#31 - INF) 32. Jerry Spradlin (#48 - RHP) 33. Kevin Stocker (#19 - SS) 34. Danny Tartabull (#45 - OF) 35. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach)         36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (2):  Harris, Plantenberg

First Appearances (14):  Blazier, Brogna, Hudler, Leiter, Maduro, Magee Jr., May, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Ruffcorn, Sefcik, Spradlin, Tartabull
Returning Players (12):  Amaro, Bottalico, Daulton, Jefferies, Jordan, Lieberthal, Mimbs, Morandini, Munoz, Ryan, Schilling, Stocker

Kevin Sefcik's card shows his uniform number as #31, even though Sefcik had switched to #11 at the start of spring training to accommodate veteran addition Mark Leiter who took over #31.  

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, McRae, Mills, Rigoli, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured riding his ATV.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  Change was in the air in 1997, as less than half of the players or coaches featured in this set had appeared in previous team-issued photo card sets.  Relievers Reggie Harris and Erik Plantenberg make their first and last appearances on Phillies baseball cards.  The entire 25-man opening day roster is included in the set, along with Kevin Jordan, who opened the season in the minors, and pitchers Mark Portugal and Ken Ryan, who started the season on the disabled list.  Four additional players began the year on the DL and did not receive cards in the set - pitchers Edgar Ramos, Tyler Green and Mike Grace and long-time center fielder Lenny Dykstra.

Omissions:  Any one not on the opening day roster missed getting a photo card, save for two players who were active at the time of the annual ALS Autograph and Auction Party, held on June 19th - see below.  If the Phillies wanted to issue an update set following the All-Star Break, the set could have included Billy Brewer, Rob Butler, Midre Cummings, Bobby Estalella, Wayne Gomes, Ryan Nye, Ricky Otero and Garrett Stephenson.

Variations/Rarities:  As fellow collector Rick commented on the original post back in November 2014, the Phillies created cards for two additional players for the ALS Autograph and Auction Party - Beech and Gomes.  Also active on June 19th, and not getting cards for the event, were Butler, Nye and Otero.

ALS Autograph and Auction Party 1. Matt Beech (#55 - LHP) 2. Wayne Gomes (#58 - RHP)

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

1996 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Phillies at Mets: August 12th to August 14th

2000 Topps #273

2000 Topps Traded #T107

Friday and Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:40
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday, the first 25,000 fans will receive a Ron Darling Bobblehead.

Phillies 62-49
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (8-5, 3.68)
Aaron Nola (8-8, 3.17)
Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.63)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .293
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 71
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 34
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 69
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 13

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 11
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.63

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 157
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 12

Mets 73-39
1st Place in the N.L. East, 7 games ahead of the Braves

Mets Probables
Max Scherzer (8-2, 1.98)
Jacob deGrom (1-0, 2.53)
Chris Bassitt (9-7, 3.39)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Jeff McNeil - .307
Runs:  Francisco Lindor - 74
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso - 29
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 96
Stolen Bases:  Starling Marte - 14

Wins:  Carlos Carrasco - 13
ERA:  Chris Bassitt - 3.39
Strikeouts:  Chris Bassitt - 129
Saves:  Edwin Diaz - 26

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: August 21st to August 23rd

2020 Chachi 1991 Topps Missing Links #5

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #20

Friday and Saturday 7:10, Sunday 7:08
Truist Park - Atlanta, GA

At the Ballpark:  I can't find anything official, but this appears to be the designated Hank Aaron Weekend at Truist Field, the ballpark formally known as SunTrust Park.

Phillies 9-12
Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (2-1, 2.05)
Zack Wheeler (3-0, 2.81)
Zach Eflin (0-1, 5.14)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .338
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 21
Home Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 8
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 21
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 4

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 3
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.05

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 37
Saves:  Hector Neris - 2

Braves 14-11
1st Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Marlins

Braves Probables
Max Fried (3-0, 1.24)
Robbie Erlin (0-0, 5.40)
Josh Tomlin (1-0, 2.35)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Dansby Swanson - .303
Runs:  Dansby Swanson - 21
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 5
RBIs:  Dansby Swanson - 16
Stolen Bases:  Ender Inciarte - 4

Wins:  Max Fried - 3
ERA:  Max Fried - 1.24

Strikeouts:  Max Fried - 28
Saves:  Mark Melancon - 4

1999 Phillies Team Issue

I updated this post in December 2023 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The fronts once again feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in white letters against a blue band.  Scott Rolen's card celebrates his 1997 Gold Glove win with a picture of a Gold Glove on the front of his card.  The card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fifth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

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

2 - Rico Brogna 3 - Chuck Cottier CO 5 - Ron Gant 6 - Doug Glanville 7 - Terry Francona MG 8 - Desi Relaford 9 - Brad Mills CO 11 - Kevin Sefcik 12 - Tom Prince 14 - Gary Bennett 15 - Dave Doster 16 - Marlon Anderson 17 - Scott Rolen 18 - John Vukovich CO 23 - Kevin Jordan 24 - Mike Lieberthal 25 - Rob Ducey 26 - Alex Arias

33 - Chad Ogea 34 - Paul Byrd 38 - Curt Schilling 41 - Jim Poole 43 - Galen Cisco CO 44 - Mike Grace 45 - Jeff Brantley 46 - Carlton Loewer 48 - Yorkis Perez 49 - Billy Brewer 50 - Paul Spoljaric 51 - Ken Ryan 53 - Bobby Abreu 56 - Hal McRae CO 58 - Steve Montgomery 59 - Ramon Henderson CO 61 - Wayne Gomes Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (2):  Poole, Spoljaric
First Appearances (13):  Anderson, Bennett, Brantley, Byrd, Doster, Ducey, Gant, Loewer, Montgomery, Ogea, Perez, Prince, Ryan
Returning Players (13):  Abreu, Arias, Brewer, Brogna, Glanville, Gomes, Grace, Jordan, Lieberthal, Relaford, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik

Relievers Poole and Spoljaric commemorate their time with the Phillies with their sole Phillies baseball cards in this set.  I think when I've wrapped up this project, I'd like to go back and look at those players who had their one and only Phillies baseball cards within the team issued sets.  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.  (I'm not counting Perez's fairly rare card issued at the 1998 ALS Phillies Phestival as his first appearance.)

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic gets a close up on his 1999 card.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  As far as I know, there are no variations or rarities to be found connected to this set.  Rick points out in his comment below that there are few cards available with a facsimile autograph.

Also See:  The Phillies issued a nine-card "Stadium League" set given away on Fan Appreciation Day.  I'd like to feature this set in a future post.  Also see the 14,000 Phillies database entry for the 1999 Stadium League Phillies Finest nine-card set, which was given away as a prize to kids playing a card flipping game in the Fun Zone at the Vet.

Trivia:  I believe this is the first team issued set I've covered that has been completely ignored by Beckett and any other online source.  The set is omitted from the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.  Galen Cisco's card uses the same photo as his 1998 card.
Resources:  Me . . . until Rick or Steve comment with the variations available for this set from the 1999 ALS fund raising event!

1997 Phillies Team Issue

I updated this post here in December 2023 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in grey letters against a red stripe background.  The Interleague Play Inaugural Year logo is also featured on the fronts of the cards.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards notes that the set was sold for $10.  For the third year in a row, there was no update set issued.

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

2 - Rico Brogna 3 - Chuck Cottier CO 7 - Terry Francona MG 8 - Mark Parent 9 - Brad Mills CO 10 - Darren Daulton 12 - Mickey Morandini 14 - Rex Hudler 17 - Scott Rolen 18 - John Vukovich CO 19 - Kevin Stocker 21 - Mark Portugal 22 - Ron Blazier 23 - Kevin Jordan 24 - Mike Lieberthal 25 - Gregg Jefferies 29 - Wendell Magee, Jr. 31 - Mark Leiter

31 - Kevin Sefcik 33 - Scott Ruffcorn 34 - Derrick May 35 - Bobby Munoz 37 - Ruben Amaro 38 - Curt Schilling 40 - Reggie Harris 41 - Erik Plantenberg 42 - Galen Cisco CO 45 - Danny Tartabull 47 - Michael Mimbs 48 - Jerry Spradlin 50 - Calvin Maduro 51 - Ken Ryan 52 - Ricky Bottalico 56 - Hal McRae CO 59 - Joe Rigoli CO Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (2):  Harris, Plantenberg
First Appearances (14):  Blazier, Brogna, Hudler, Leiter, Maduro, Magee Jr., May, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Ruffcorn, Sefcik, Spradlin, Tartabull
Returning Players (12):  Amaro, Bottalico, Daulton, Jefferies, Jordan, Lieberthal, Mimbs, Morandini, Munoz, Ryan, Schilling, Stocker

Change was in the air in 1997, as less than half of the players or coaches featured in this set had appeared in previous team issued sets.  Relievers Harris and Plantenberg make their first and last appearances on Phillies baseball cards.

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.  (And I'm not including the rare 1996 Rolen team issued card documented within the 1996 Phillies Team Issue post.)

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, McRae, Mills, Rigoli, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured riding his ATV.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  I wasn't aware of any variations or rarities to be found in connection with this set . . . until (once again) Rick weighed in with his comment below.  The following cards were available at the 1997 ALS Phillies Phestival:

• 55 - Matt Beech
• 58 - Wayne Gomes

Trivia:  Sefcik's card shows his uniform number as #31, even though Sefcik had switched to #11 at the start of spring training to accommodate veteran Leiter who took over the #31.  The Beckett database lists the entire 36-card set.
Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

2000 Topps Phillies

2000 Topps #328, #38, #10 and #327

As of this writing, I have just 13 more of these posts to go to cover the Phillies baseball cards featured in each of the Topps flagship baseball card sets since 1951.  I'm a little relieved to be leaving the '90s and heading into happier times for the Phillies (and me).  But before we get to those happier times, there's the little matter of the year 2000.

2000 Topps #327 (Back)

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  There are 478 cards in the base set with no #7 in the set as Topps continued to honor Mickey Mantle.  If you count all the variations available for the Magic Moments subset, there are actually 520 cards in the set.  Topps released five different versions of each of the Magic Momemts cards featuring highlights from the careers of Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Cal Ripken, Jr., Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Ken Griffey, Jr., Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.  Topps also released a Traded Set with 135 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  Remember how weird it was to first write out the year "2000"?  The Topps design team must of have wanted to make sure we knew we were collecting futuristic cards since they added the little "TOPPS 2000" bit above the player's name on the base cards.  This was the first time Topps ever featured the year of the card within the design of its base cards, and it's also the first time the word "Topps" is redundantly featured twice on the fronts of its base cards.  Other than the difficult to read gold foil, I really liked these cards when they came out.  The cards have a clean design and the appearance of the team logo is a plus.  Topps brought back vertical backs for the first time since 1993.

Notable competition:  There were a ton of baseball cards released in 2000.  With some disposable income available and eBay just a dial-up on the modem away, I added as many Phillies cards as I could.  This was also the year I began to catalog my growing Phillies collection in Excel spreadsheets.  By my unofficial tally, the card manufacturers released a large number of different baseball card sets, as follows:  Fleer (15 sets), Pacific (13 sets), Topps (18 sets), Upper Deck (16 sets).  The days of conceivably being able to add just about every baseball card released in a given year (circa 1980 to 1986) were now long gone.

2000 Topps Traded #T104, 2000 Topps #258, #102 and 2000 Topps Traded #T105

2000 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Y2K Phillies were terrible.  Just awful.  They finished in last place with a record of 65-97, equalling their loss total from the dreadful 1972 season.  The horrible season cost manager Terry Francona and his coaching staff their jobs at the conclusion of the season.  It was the team's 13th losing season in a 14-year span, with the only bright spot being the surprising 1993 season.  Fortunately, the Phils were about to turn the corner in 2001.

Key players:  Scott Rolen was limited to 128 games due to injuries (sprained ankle, sprained wrist and back issues throughout the season), but he still hit .298 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs.  Bobby Abreu had his second straight strong season, hitting .316 with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs.  Pat Burrell (.260, 18 home runs, 79 RBIs) took over regular first base duties while Mike Lieberthal (.278, 15 home runs, 71 RBIs) enjoyed another decent season despite only playing in 108 games.  Randy Wolf led the pitching staff with 11 wins, followed by Robert Person's 9.  Jeff Brantley was the team's top closer, saving 23 games.

Key events:  Disgruntled star Curt Schilling asked for a trade and General Manager Ed Wade delivered, shipping the pitcher to the Arizona Diamondbacks in July for four question marks - Pitchers Omar Daal, Vicente Padilla and Nelson Figueroa and first baseman Travis Lee.  Wade wheeled and dealed all season, with not much to show in return.  By the end of the season, five of the Phillies' Opening Day starters were with other teams - First baseman Rico Brogna (Red Sox), second baseman Mickey Morandini (Blue Jays), shortstop Desi Relaford (Padres), left fielder Ron Gant (Angels) and pitcher Andy Ashby (Braves).  Wearing #29, Jimmy Rollins made his Major League debut on September 17, 2000, starting at short and collecting his first hit (a triple) off Marlins' pitcher Chuck Smith.

2000 Phillies in 2000Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 14 Phillies cards in the regular set and another 7 Phillies cards in the traded series.  The total of 21 cards is a step up from the 16 Phillies cards available in 1999.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 7 cards

#10 Mike Lieberthal (c), #T104 Mickey Morandini (2b), #258 Desi Relaford (ss), #328 Scott Rolen (3b), #102 Ron Gant (lf), #327 Doug Glanville (cf), #38 Bobby Abreu (rf)

Now we're talking.  After years of having just a few starters receive cards, Topps redeemed itself with a nice player selection in its regular and traded sets.  First baseman Burrell is featured on a multi-player Prospects card.

2000 Topps #120, #393, 2000 Topps Traded #T134 and 2000 Topps #166

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 3 cards

#120 Curt Schilling, #393 Andy Ashby, #T134 Bruce Chen

Top starters Wolf and Person were completely shut out from the set for some reason.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2000 - 5 cards

#166 Paul Byrd, #273 Rico Brogna, #341 Marlon Anderson, #T105 Travis Lee. #T120 Omar Daal

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 2000 - 4 cards

#63 Chad Ogea (Indians), #T11 Russ Jacobson, #T25 Brett Myers, #T87 Keith Bucktrot

The traded series was heavy with prospects and suspects and we got two Phillies cards for a couple of players who never sniffed the Majors.  Jacobson bounced around the team's minor league system until 2004 and Bucktrot lasted until 2005.  Myers was fist called up by the Phillies in July 2002.

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Prospects cards - 1 card, #204 Pat Burrell
• Phillies appearing on multi-player Draft Picks cards - 1 card, #213 Brett Myers

2000 Topps #341, #273, #48 and 2000 Topps Traded #T120

Who’s out:  Wolf and Person, as previously mentioned, should have had cards.  The bullpen got completely shut out, with nary a reliever in the set.  If I had to pick three relievers deserving of cards, I'd go with Brantley (55 games, 23 saves), Chris Brock (63 games, 7-8 record) and Wayne Gomes (65 games, 7 saves).  Bench mainstays Kevin Jordan (109 games) and Rob Ducey (112 games) were also left out.

Phillies on other teams:  Daal (#32 with the Diamondbacks), Morandini (#106 with the Cubs) and Lee (#377 with the Diamondbacks) made it into the traded series as Phillies while Kent Bottenfield (#48 with the Cardinals) did not.  Also, reliever Michael Jackson (#194 with the Indians) is in the set.  Jackson returned to the Phillies as a free agent in December 1999, hurt himself warming up on Opening Day, and never pitched during the season.

2000 Topps #204

What’s he doing here:  Jacobson and Bucktrot share the honors.

Cards that never were candidates:  It was always strange to me that Myers received a stand-alone card in the traded series, but Burrell didn't.  Here's a list of ten players deserving of cards that never were:  Burrell, Wolf, Person, Brantley, Brock, Gomes, Jordan, Ducey, Padilla and Rollins.

Favorite Phillies card:  Nothing really jumps out at me.  By default, I'll pick Byrd's card over Morandini's return to Phillies cardboard.  Chalk it up to the high socks.

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps re-used this design on a number of parallel sets in 2000 - Topps Chrome, Topps Limited Edition and Topps Opening Day.  I believe the Limited Edition cards were available only in factory set form, and they're supposed to somehow be glossier than the "regular" edition of Topps.  Opening Day featured silver foil in place of the gold foil found in the regular set.

Blogs/Websites:  I got nothing.  Maybe there's a kid somewhere out there who loves the 2000 Topps set and he or she is about to take the plunge and blog about this set.  Until then, here's a post I ran a few years ago pondering the decade of the '00s. 

Did You Know?:  Wade traded Rob Ducey to the Blue Jays and received . . . Rob Ducey in return?  And now you know.

1990-1999 Phillies

1993 Donruss Diamond Kings #DK-17, 1993 Upper Deck #485,
1994 Fleer Pro-Visions #1 and 1992 Donruss Diamond Kings #DK-12

I'll be honest here - going through these last few series of posts for Topps Phillies cards from the late '90s was not an enjoyable exercise.  I'm also very anxious to get through the first few years of the '00s and move into the post-2006 era of Topps Phillies baseball cards.  Before moving into Y2K, here's a look back at the Phillies of the '90s.

Decade MVP
Mike Schmidt was the easy choice for the decade MVP of the '70s and '80s, but I don't think it's as clear cut for the '90s.  From the offensive side, I narrowed it down to Darren Daulton, John Kruk or Lenny Dykstra before deciding that Dutch was the appropriate choice.  He's at the top of all the major statistical categories and he was the clear leader of the team throughout his time with the club, including the magical 1993 season.

Curt Schilling was far and away the best pitcher for the Phils during the decade.  But it's telling that both Daulton (in 2010) and Kruk (in 2011) were elected to the Phillies Wall of Fame before Schilling.  Schilling is on the ballot for induction this year, but as I told Phungo a few weeks ago, I'd like to see either Jim Konstanty or Rick Wise get in before the Big Schill.

1994 Donruss #373, 1992 Score #892, 1993 Score #526 and 1994 Ultra Phillies Finest #9

Leaders
Games - Mickey Morandini (874), Daulton (780), Kruk (663), Dykstra (644), Kevin Stocker (545)
Average* - Kruk (.306), Dykstra (.298), Gregg Jefferies (.287), Scott Rolen (.280), Morandini (.268)
Home Runs - Daulton (110), Rolen (82), Dave Hollins (67), Mike Lieberthal (67), Rico Brogna (64)
RBIs - Daulton (466), Kruk (352), Rolen (297), Brogna (287), Hollins (273)
Stolen Bases - Dykstra (152), Morandini (98), Doug Glanville (57), Jefferies (52), Bobby Abreu (46)

Games - Ricky Bottalico (234), Schilling (226), Mitch Williams (200), Wayne Gomes (181), Terry Mulholland (149), Toby Borland (149)
Wins - Schilling (95), Mulholland (58), Tommy Greene (36), Danny Jackson (26), Ben Rivera (23)
ERA** - Schilling (3.31), Jackson (3.53), Jose DeJesus (3.55), Mulholland (3.68), Greene (4.02)
Strikeouts - Schilling (1,458), Mulholland (510), Greene (429), Bottalico (280), Matt Beech (266)
Saves - Mitch Williams (102), Bottalico (75), Heathcliff Slocumb (32), Doug Jones (27), Roger McDowell (25)

*At least 1,700 ABs with the Phillies, completely subjective
** At least 300 IP, completely subjective

1990-1999 Topps
Total Phillies Players (1990-1999):  219.  There were 179 different Phillies in the '80s and 142 different Phillies in the '70s.
Total Phillies Players with Topps Phillies Cards:  105.  Only 36% of the players who suited up with the Phillies during the decade ended up on Phillies baseball cards between 1990 and 1999.  The success percentage was 63% in the '80s and 59% in the '70s.
Managers with Cards:  Nick Leyva (2 cards) and Jim Fregosi (3 cards).
Topps Phillies Cards of Non-Phillies:  5 cards - Jeff Jackson (1990), Chad McConnell (1993), Shane Pullen, Larry Wimberly and Rob Grable (all 1995).

1997 Topps Gallery #54, 1994 Pinnacle #159, 1991 Donruss Bonus Cards #BC-14, 1994 Triple Play #175

Card Statistics
Most Featured:  Schilling (10 cards), Daulton (9 cards), Dykstra (9 cards), Morandini (8 cards), Hollins (6 cards), Ricky Jordan (6 cards), Kruk (6 cards), Green (6 cards).

By comparison, Steve Carlton and Schmidt had the most Topps Phillies cards in the '80s with 26 each.

Most Games (Batter), No Phillies Topps Card:  Kevin Sefcik (325 games from 1995 through 1999), Alex Arias (174 games from 1998 and 1999), Mark Lewis (142 games in 1998), David Doster (138 games in 1996 and 1999), Todd Zeile (134 games in 1996), Mark Whiten (120 games in 1995 and 1996), Rob Ducey (104 games in 1999).

Sefcik and Ducey would have to wait until the 2001 Topps set for their first and only cards in a Topps base set.  While Arias, Lewis, Doster, Zeile and Whiten were never featured as Phillies within a Topps flagship set.

Most Games (Pitcher), No Phillies Topps Card:  Jerry Spradlin (145 games in 1997 and 1998), Larry Andersen (93 games in 1993 and 1994), Yorkis Perez (92 games in 1998 and 1999), Wally Ritchie (79 games in 1991 and 1992), Russ Springer (65 games in 1995 and 1996).

Andersen and Ritchie make the list because their tenure with the team in the '90s produced no Topps Phillies cards, but they appear within Topps sets in the '80s.  Andersen is in the 1985 and 1986 Topps sets, while Ritchie is in the 1987 Topps Traded and 1988 Topps sets.

1998 SP Authentic #153, 1998 Sports Illustrated Then and Now #128,
1998 Ultra #391 and 1997 Collector's Choice #192

The Phillies Topps 60
Here are the next ten cards in my checklist of the best 60 Topps Phillies cards since 1951.  By the time I'm done with this series of posts, I'm going to need to revamp this to the Topps 61.

41 - 1990 Topps #469 John Kruk
42 - 1991 Topps #345 Lenny Dykstra
43 - 1992 Topps #83 Tommy Greene
44 - 1993 Topps #235 Mitch Williams
45 - 1994 Topps #504 Jim Eisenreich
46 - 1995 Topps #2 Mickey Morandini
47 - 1996 Topps #85 Darren Daulton
48 - 1997 Topps #268 Scott Rolen
49 - 1998 Topps #94 Mike Lieberthal
50 - 1999 Topps #385 Curt Schilling

Cards That Never Were Series
This set is getting much bigger than I had originally anticipated, and I had to purposely cut back on the cards I'd include from the late '90s, in order to keep the latest batch of additions at 51.

141 - 1990 Topps Dale Murphy
142 - 1990 Topps Jose DeJesus
143 - 1990 Topps Sil Campusano
144 - 1991 Topps John Morris
145 - 1991 Topps Jim Lindeman
146 - 1991 Topps Wally Ritchie
147 - 1992 Topps Ben Rivera
148 - 1992 Topps Kyle Abbott
149 - 1992 Topps Jeff Grotewold
150 - 1992 Topps Juan Bell
151 - 1992 Topps Stan Javier
152 - 1992 Topps Don Robinson
153 - 1993 Topps Danny Jackson
154 - 1993 Topps Milt Thompson
155 - 1993 Topps Kevin Stocker
156 - 1993 Topps Jim Eisenreich
157 - 1993 Topps Larry Andersen
158 - 1994 Topps Coming Attractions Andy Carter
159 - 1994 Topps Billy Hatcher
160 - 1994 Topps Paul Quantrill
161 - 1994 Topps Fernando Valenzuela
162 - 1995 Topps Andy Van Slyke
163 - 1995 Topps Mark Whiten
164 - 1995 Topps Lenny Webster
165 - 1995 Topps Sid Fernandez
166 - 1995 Topps Gary Varsho
167 - 1996 Topps Benito Santiago
168 - 1996 Topps Todd Zeile
169 - 1996 Topps Ken Ryan
170 - 1996 Topps Toby Borland
171 - 1996 Topps Russ Springer
172 - 1997 Topps Terry Francona MG
173 - 1997 Topps Rico Brogna
174 - 1997 Topps Midre Cummings
175 - 1997 Topps Mark Leiter
176 - 1997 Topps Ruben Amaro, Jr.
177 - 1997 Topps Darren Daulton
178 - 1998 Topps Doug Glanville
179 - 1998 Topps Mark Lewis
180 - 1998 Topps Desi Relaford
181 - 1998 Topps Tyler Green
182 - 1998 Topps Mark Portugal
183 - 1998 Topps Yorkis Perez
184 - 1999 Topps Alex Arias
185 - 1999 Topps Marlon Anderson
186 - 1999 Topps Paul Byrd
187 - 1999 Topps Ron Gant
188 - 1999 Topps Kevin Jordan
189 - 1999 Topps Robert Person
190 - 1999 Topps David Doster
191 - 1999 Topps Kevin Sefcik

Links to the Past

1950-1959 Phillies

1960-1969 Phillies

1970-1979 Phillies

1980-1989 Phillies

1999 Topps Phillies

1999 Topps #159, #181, #125 and #321

Living in Raleigh in 1999, far away from my family and the Phillies, there were two events that helped jumpstart my entrance back into the world of baseball card collecting.  I had never really left the world, mind you, but my collecting habits definitely waned between 1994 and 1998.

The first event was that I joined eBay.  I won my first on-line auction in January 1999, and eBay quickly became a mini-addiction of mine.  I was able to find old Phillies team sets and cards that hadn't been readily available through normal means (local hobby shops and baseball card shows) for years.  The second event was the realization that baseball card dealers in North Carolina were more than happy to practically give away their Phillies baseball cards.  If your last name wasn't McGwire or Sosa, and if you weren't playing for the Braves, these dealers almost snickered when asked if they had any Phillies cards for sale.  So living in Raleigh during these years wasn't a complete bust.  If nothing else, I was able to build upon my growing collection of Phillies baseball cards at very reasonable prices.

1999 Topps #125 (Back)

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  Number-wise, there are 462 cards in the 1999 Topps set.  Gimmick-wise, there are 598 cards in the 1999 Topps set.  To the best of my knowledge, this was the first year Topps blatantly introduced gimmick cards within its flagship set, featuring 70 different Mark McGwire cards for card #220 and 66 different Sammy Sosa cards for card #461.  There is a different card for each of the duo's record breaking 1998 home runs.  Personally, I added only one McGwire and Sosa card to my set and called it a day.  After a three year absence, Topps brought back its traded set, now known as the Traded and Rookies set.  There are 121 cards in this set.  Thanks to McGwire and Sosa, baseball fans started coming back to the sport and baseball card collectors were rewarded with more Topps baseball cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I liked this set when it came out.  The fronts of the cards feature a very minimalistic design and the focus is clearly on the player's photo.  If it were up to me, I would have thrown in a team logo in the corner, right above where the gold line makes its turn.

Notable competition:  Along with Topps, there were three other companies manufacturing baseball cards at this point - Fleer, Pacific and Upper Deck.  Each of the companies seemed to benefit from the renewed popularity of baseball and there were actually quite a few nice sets released during the year.  My personal favorites are the Fleer Tradition, Pacific and Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game sets.

1999 Topps #33, 1999 Topps Traded #T93, 1999 Topps #427 and 1999 Topps Traded #T44

1999 Phillies

Record and finish:  Terry Francona's Phillies won two more games than in the prior year, finishing with a record of 77-85.  Once again, the team finished in third place, this time 26 games behind the Braves.

Key players:  Catcher Mike Lieberthal enjoyed a terrific season, hitting .300 with 31 home runs and 96 RBIs and capturing his first (and only) Gold Glove.  Bobby Abreu (.335, 20 home runs, 93 RBIs) and Rico Brogna (.278, 24 home runs, 102 RBIs) also had great seasons.  Doug Glanville hit .325 and Scott Rolen had another nice year with 26 home runs and 77 RBIs.  The Phillies featured four players in the starting line-up with at least 20 home runs and 75 RBIs - Lieberthal, Brogna, Rolen and Abreu.  On the pitching side, Curt Schilling (15-6, 3.54 ERA) started the All-Star Game and waiver wire pick-up Paul Byrd (15-11, 4.60 ERA) joined Schilling at the festivities in Boston.  Robert Person, acquired from the Blue Jays in May, won 10 games.

Key events:  The Phillies were competitive throughout most of the season, which was a foreign concept to us fans given what we had endured over the past five seasons.  The team's high water mark came on August 6th when their record was 61-48 and they were only 5 1/2 games out of first.  Unfortunately, they'd go 16-37 the rest of the way in what was a deflating collapse.

1999 Phillies in 1999 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  Matching the output from 1998, there are only 12 Phillies cards in the base set.  However, we get 4 Phillies bonus cards in the Traded and Rookies set.  Sadly, one of those four extra cards belongs to Jeff Brantley.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 6 cards

#159 Mike Lieberthal (c), #321 Rico Brogna (1b), #125 Scott Rolen (3b), #T93 Ron Gant (lf), #33 Doug Glanville (cf), #181 Bobby Abreu (rf)

This is quite an improvement over last year, as only starting shortstop Alex Arias got left out of the set.  The team's starting second baseman, Marlon Anderson, is featured on a multi-player Prospects card.

1999 Topps #385, #428, 1999 Topps Traded #T91 and 1999 Topps #447

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 1 card

#385 Curt Schilling

There were no cards for starters Byrd, Chad Ogea or Person and Randy Wolf is featured on a multi-player Prospects card.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 1999 - 2 cards

#336 Desi Relaford, #T91 Jeff Brantley

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1999 - 2 cards

#T44 Pat Burrell, #T45 Eric Valent

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Prospects cards - 2 cards

#427 Marlon Anderson, #428 Randy Wolf

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Draft Picks cards - 1 card, #444 Pat Burrell and Eric Valent
• Phillies appearing on Strikeout Kings cards - 1 card, #447 Curt Schilling
• Phillies appearing on 1998 All-Topps cards - 1 card, #453 Scott Rolen

1999 Topps #336, #444 and #453

Who’s out:  As mentioned above, Arias and three of the five primary starting pitchers were omitted.  Kevin Jordan, Francona's favorite utility player, appeared in 120 games with the Phils.  However, Topps rarely included bench guys in their sets during this era.

Phillies on other teams:  #131 Ron Gant (Cardinals), #162 Jeff Brantley (Cardinals)

What’s he doing here:  While I was happy to see the return of the traded set, I was unhappy that Topps delivered on the new set's name with a ton of unneeded rookies.  Draft picks Burrell and Valent were already featured on a combo card within the base set, but Topps added two stand-alone cards for these players in the traded series.  I suppose I can understand Burrell's inclusion, as he was the hot Phillies card in 1999.  Valent, however, was still a few years away from the Majors and I felt his inclusion within the Bowman, Bowman's Best, Finest and Stadium Club sets was sufficient.

1999 Topps Traded #T45

Cards that never were candidates:  I'll limit the list to ten players - Arias, Jordan, Byrd, Ogea, Person, Carlton Loewer (2-6 in 13 starts), Wayne Gomes (19 saves), Steve Montgomery (3.34 ERA in 53 games), Kevin Sefcik (.278 in 111 games) and Rob Ducey (.261 in 104 games).

Favorite Phillies card:  He won't win any popularity contests in The Phillies Room, but Schilling has a cool card in this set.  It features the power pitcher at The Vet getting ready to deliver during an afternoon game.

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps used the same design for its Opening Day and Chrome sets.

Blogs/Websites:  Anyone?  Hello?  Bueller?

Did You Know?:  Living in Raleigh during the late '90s/early '00s had one other benefit - I saw a ton of minor league games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham.  In fact, it's safe to say I saw every single game played by the Phillies Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, whenever they came to town during my sojourn in the south.  Here's a past post featuring a card I had autographed by former Phillies reliever, and current pitching coach of the Gulf Coast League Phillies, Steve Schrenk, during one of his visits to Durham.