February 03, 2017
The Phillies have added a former National League Rookie of the Year to their spring training roster – and he might have an inside track on a bench job.
Chris Coghlan has signed a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp, the Phillies announced on Friday. Coghlan, 31, hit .252 with a .391 OBP in 48 games with the World Champion Chicago Cubs in 2016 (he also played in 51 games with Oakland).
Coghlan won the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year (edging out Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ) with the Marlins. A former first-round pick, Coghlan has slashed .260/.335/.402 in 8 seasons with Miami, Chicago, and Oakland.
With a productive spring, the left-handed hitting Coghlan could win a job as the Phillies fifth outfielder behind starters Odubel Herrera, Howie Kendrick, and Michael Saunders, and the right-handed hitting Aaron Altherr. Prospects Nick Williams, Dylan Cozens, and Roman Quinn are all on the 40-man roster but are expected to begin the 2017 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
