9 Philadelphia Phillies players acquired pre-lockout you probably already forgot about
By Matt Rappa
6. Donny Sands, catcher
Along with right-handed pitcher Nick Nelson, the Phillies also acquired catcher Donny Sands from the New York Yankees in their mid-November swap.
A former eighth-round draft pick, the 25-year-old slashed .272/.339/.476 in 42 games and 165 plate appearances last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Sands slugged a combined 16 doubles, 18 home runs and 56 RBI in 94 overall games last year in the Yankees system, between the Double- and Triple-A levels.
While Rafael Marchan is the likely backup for J.T. Realmuto in the big-leagues, Sands could quickly rise to the No. 3 option on the Phillies depth chart for the catcher position.
Kent Emanuel, who just completed an 80-game suspension for testing positive for DHCMT, on why he’s wearing No. 0 with the Astros: pic.twitter.com/qEJ5G9rlLP
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) April 23, 2021
7. Kent Emanuel, left-handed pitcher
The second of three left-handed relievers the Phillies claimed from American League teams this offseason is Kent Emanuel.
A former Houston Astros pitcher, Emanuel went 1-0 with a 0.906 WHIP and 13-4 strikeouts-to-walks ratio across 10 appearances and 17 2/3 innings last season in the majors. At the Triple-A level in 2019, the now-29-year-old went 8-2 with a 3.90 ERA and 81-23 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in 101 2/3 innings.
In June 2020, Emanuel failed a PEDs test that resulted in an 80-game suspension. Returning the following April, Emanuel wore No. 0 to represent the number of games he thought he should have been suspended.
The Phillies were slated to play the Astros on Opening Day on March 31, however that date is in jeopardy given the ongoing lockout. Emanuel made it no secret regarding his eagerness to prove the Astros made a mistake by letting him go. He may have to wait a little bit longer to do so first-hand.