To Phillies Brass: Bring 'Chris Clutch' Coste to the show
By: Shawn Gauby
Issue date: 6/29/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 6/29/07 at 2:41 AM EST
Last update: 6/29/07 at 2:40 AM EST
Originally published: 6/29/07 at 2:41 AM EST
Last update: 6/29/07 at 2:40 AM EST
The Phillies' catching corps has not performed as well as Gillick had hoped. Ruiz has emerged as the starter and has a respectable .277 average with three home runs. Barajas has fared much worse, hitting .219. Phillies fans remember Barajas as the guy who nearly blew a game against Florida by missing the tag on Hanley Ramirez when he was out by 30 feet. Barajas has gotten booed every plate appearance at Citizens Bank Park since that occurred.
Perhaps because of this, people bring banners saying "Free Chris Coste" at home games and the occasional person will wear a Coste shirt or jersey. Even if he were brought up to backup Ruiz, he would still be a fan favorite. Unfortunately for him, he is mired in Reading with the Phillies AA team.
In reality though, how many games does your backup catcher win you? Even the best backups help a team win maybe one or two more games per year than any random second string catcher. That brings up a few interesting thoughts. First off, why did the Phillies spend 2.5 million on Barajas, and secondly, why not bring Coste up to give the fans a likeable player with whom they can associate? If anything, he would generate positive buzz for the team, and upbeat press for the Phillies.
It is not like last season was a fluke for Coste. The man has been an excellent hitter at every level of the minor leagues. In 2005, he played for Scranton and led the team in home runs (20) and in RBI (89). He has played at seemingly every level of professional baseball from the independent leagues to the majors and he is a career .302 hitter in 3,678 at-bats through the 2006 season.
"Chris Clutch" would be an improvement over the Barajas/Ruiz combination both on and off the field. Locking him away in Reading is an insult and a travesty. Coste has proven himself to be worthy of a spot on the Phillies roster.
The organization has just tossed him aside, even though Coste has done nothing to lose his job. If anything, the Phils should have given him the 2.5 million.
Note: All statistics as of 6/27/07
Shawn Gauby is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and can be reached through sports@thetriangle.org.
Perhaps because of this, people bring banners saying "Free Chris Coste" at home games and the occasional person will wear a Coste shirt or jersey. Even if he were brought up to backup Ruiz, he would still be a fan favorite. Unfortunately for him, he is mired in Reading with the Phillies AA team.
In reality though, how many games does your backup catcher win you? Even the best backups help a team win maybe one or two more games per year than any random second string catcher. That brings up a few interesting thoughts. First off, why did the Phillies spend 2.5 million on Barajas, and secondly, why not bring Coste up to give the fans a likeable player with whom they can associate? If anything, he would generate positive buzz for the team, and upbeat press for the Phillies.
It is not like last season was a fluke for Coste. The man has been an excellent hitter at every level of the minor leagues. In 2005, he played for Scranton and led the team in home runs (20) and in RBI (89). He has played at seemingly every level of professional baseball from the independent leagues to the majors and he is a career .302 hitter in 3,678 at-bats through the 2006 season.
"Chris Clutch" would be an improvement over the Barajas/Ruiz combination both on and off the field. Locking him away in Reading is an insult and a travesty. Coste has proven himself to be worthy of a spot on the Phillies roster.
The organization has just tossed him aside, even though Coste has done nothing to lose his job. If anything, the Phils should have given him the 2.5 million.
Note: All statistics as of 6/27/07
Shawn Gauby is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and can be reached through sports@thetriangle.org.
