Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s - #19 Robert Dodd

#57
Robert Wayne Dodd
Relief Pitcher

In need of another left-handed reliever after Yorkis Perez was placed on the disabled list, the Phillies recalled Robert Dodd from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons on May 27, 1998.  He'd make his major league debut a day later with a scoreless inning against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  Pitching only three more times before being demoted back to Scranton, Dodd got his first and only big league win on June 16th when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the Pirates in a game the Phillies were trailing, 7-1.  The Phillies would miraculously score seven times in the bottom of the inning, capped by a walk-off, three-run home run from Mike Lieberthal.  Dodd was sent back down the following day when Perez was activated off the DL.

Dodd pitched two more full seasons in Reading and Scranton in 1999 and 2000, never getting the return call to the majors.  He wrapped up his professional career pitching three seasons (2001-2003) with the independent Somerset Patriots.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Born:  March 14, 1973, Kansas City, KS
Drafted:  Drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round of the June 1994 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Phillies 1998
Professional Affiliations:  Phillies 1994-2000; Somerset Patriots (independent) 2001-2003

Phillies Career
4 games, 1-0, 7.20 ERA, 5 innings pitched, 4 strikeouts
Acquired:  Via draft
Debut:  May 28, 1998 - Relieved Curt Schilling in the sixth inning of a game against the Cubs, allowing no runs and striking out Brant Brown.
Final Game:  June 16, 1998
Departed:  Departed the organization following the 2000 season and signed with the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League.

1996 Best Reading Phillies #3

1997 Best Reading Phillies #13

1998 Q Cards Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #9

1999 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #5

4 Dodd Baseball Cards in My Collection
First Card:  1996 Best Reading Phillies #3
Last Card:  1999 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #5

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  N/A
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  N/A
Other Notable Cards:  1997 Best Reading Phillies #13, 1998 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #9, 2003 Multi-Ad Somerset Patriots #9

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s
1 Louie Meadows
2 Dave LaPoint
3 Darrin Chapin
4 Mickey Weston
5 Bob Wells
6 Tom Edens
7 Omar Olivares

8 Kevin Elster

9 Jim Deshaies

10 Chuck Ricci
11 Dennis Springer
12 Manny Martinez
13 Rafael Quirico
14 Bronson Heflin
15 Glenn Dishman
16 Rob Butler
17 Mike Robertson
18 Matt Whiteside
19 Robert Dodd
20 Joel Bennett
21 Joe Grahe
22 Domingo Cedeno
23 Torey Lovullo

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

1998 Phillies - The Missing Links

1998 Pacific Online #569, 1998 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 10th Anniversary (#15),
1995 Topps #254 and 1998 Q Cards Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #9

This post adds two more unfortunate souls to the list of players who appeared with the Phillies during the mostly lost decade of the '90s, yet never appeared on cardboard with the team.

40 players suited up with the Phillies during the 1998 season.  Without checking Baseball Reference, I would have pegged that number a little higher, but 40 it is.

3 Cards or More
35 Players

Relievers Jerry Spradlin, Yorkis Perez and Billy Brewer all made the cut with exactly three Phillies cards.  Each of those guys were featured in a few Phillies Team Issue sets and the 1998 Pacific Online set.  When I was trying to create my Phillies Wall back in the late-90s, the 1998 Pacific Online set was a necessity.  Weighing in with 780 different cards, the set featured middle inning relievers and back-up catchers during an era when the other card manufacturers were ignoring those guys.  It's not a pretty set, but it definitely served its purpose.

2 Cards
Darrin Winston (7 games in 1997 and 27 games in 1998) - 1998 Pacific Online #576 and 1998 Phillies Team Issue #58

Winston already made the list in 1997.

1999 Sports Illustrated #61

1 Card
Mike Welch (10 games in 1998) - 1999 Sports Illustrated #61
Jon Zuber (30 games in 1996 and 38 games in 1998) - 1998 Phillies Team Issue (Special Edition)*

Welch had to share his sole Phillies card with Marlon Anderson and Gary Bennett.  Welch, a right-handed reliever was acquired from the Mets in December 1997 for minor leaguer Hector Mercado.

*See the comment after this post from reader Steve F. for more information.

0 Cards
Matt Whiteside (10 games in 1998)
Robert Dodd (4 games in 1998)

Pitchers Whiteside and Dodd join the infamous list.  Whiteside had been a mainstay in the Rangers bullpen for the better part of the '90s before the team unceremoniously released him in Spring Training 1998.  The Phils signed him a few days later.  He spent the bulk of the '98 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, although he does not appear in the Red Barons team set; most likely because he actually opened the season on the Phillies active roster.  So Whiteside is the classic case of a player caught in the middle - he was acquired too late to be included within the team issued postcard set, and he was still with the Phillies when the Red Barons were compiling the checklist for their team set.

Dodd does appear in the Red Barons set, and he took Whiteside's spot in the bullpen when the team designated Whiteside for assignment in late May.  Dodd appeared in four games with the Phillies in late May/early June, winning a game, but allowing four earned runs in five innings (7.20 ERA).

Past Missing Link Posts

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico
1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson