January 04, 2016
The Philadelphia Phillies added another name to their spring training roster on Monday when they signed outfielder Cedric Hunter to a minor league contract.
Hunter, who turns 28 in March, has spent the last two seasons in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. He hit .283 with a .751 OPS, 12 home runs, 21 doubles and stole 11 bases in 138 games at Triple-A Gwinnett in 2015.
The lefthanded-hitting Hunter, a third-round pick by San Diego in 2006, appeared in six major league games with the Padres in 2011. He will compete for a job on the Phillies bench this spring, but is more likely to be among those headed to Allentown to begin the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies will have no shortage of players like Hunter - signed to minor league contracts with invitations to major league camp - in Clearwater next month. A week before Christmas, the team signed two former major league closers to such deals, including South Jersey product, former All-Star and American League Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey.
