Catching up with Chris Coste
Chris Coste’s career in baseball has now come full circle.
After graduating from Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.) where he was a three-time All-American, Coste had hoped to hear his name called in the MLB Draft. However, that call never came. While disappointed, it did not deter him from his dream of playing professional baseball. He signed with Brainerd (Minn.) in independent baseball. A short time later the league folded, and he caught on with the Brainerd club in a different independent league. The following year he joined the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, where he spent the next four seasons.
In 1999, he finally got a shot in affiliated baseball with the Pirates, but he was released in Spring Training and went back to Fargo for yet another run in independent baseball. He got another shot in 2000, this time with Cleveland, where he lasted for three seasons and advanced to the Triple-A level. He also spent a season each in the Boston and Milwaukee organizations.
In 2005, Coste signed with the Phillies, was invited to big league camp and then was sent to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he spent the entire season. In '06, something clicked. He tore up Grapefruit League pitching, hitting a torrid .463, and went north with the big league club to start the season. Unfortunately for him, the Phillies acquired outfielder David Dellucci the day before Opening Day and Coste was the last player cut and was sent again back to the Minors.
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Often when a young player has a great spring and doesn’t make the team, they go back to the Minors and sometimes they get off to a bad start and are never heard from again.
Naturally Coste was disappointed after coming so close to making the team. “Yes, it was tough to swallow, but I was at least comforted by the fact that I was now on the Phillies' radar. I just wanted to go down and get off to a good start and get a shot to be called up.”
However, his start was anything but good. He was hitting .177 when he got a call one morning from then Triple-A skipper John Russell. “I let the call go into voicemail for about 10 minutes before I worked up the nerve to call him back. Typically, when you are hitting as badly as I was, those types of calls usually mean bad news.”
Fearing the worst, Coste called Russell back but was stunned to hear that he was told to get packed and head to Philly immediately. He drove to Philadelphia, and he was still in disbelief and trying to process it all. Upon arrival he was brought into an office off the clubhouse and signed to a Major League contract. Finally, a dream come true.
The start of the 2007 season meant a start back in the Minors, but he was recalled for a short stint in mid-May. Two weeks later he was optioned but asked to go to Double-A Reading instead of Triple-A so he could play regularly. A few weeks later he was recalled to Philadelphia, where he remained for the duration of the season.
In 2008, Coste had his first full season with the big league club, appearing in 98 games. One exceptionally notable game occurred on Aug. 26 against the Mets. That day Coste became the first MLB player in 63 years to enter a game in the eighth inning (as a pinch-hitter) and still record four hits. And he capped it off with a game-winning walk-off single in the 13th inning!
He also authored his autobiography, "The 33-Year-Old Rookie." The book was his second as he had previously written a book about life in independent baseball. From time to time, movie studio representatives have mentioned a possible film about his remarkable story of perseverance.
When asked for his favorite memory of 2008, Coste didn’t hesitate. “The World Series victory parade by far! What an overwhelming experience. Riding in that parade with my wife and daughter was the thrill of a lifetime!”
In 2009, Coste began the season with the Phillies but was claimed off waivers by Houston in July. He later signed with the New York Mets and went to camp with them the following spring. Near the end of Spring Training, Coste was claimed by the Washington Nationals but injured his elbow before the season began, forcing him to have Tommy John surgery. The injury basically ended his career, and he was subsequently released and retired from the game as an active player.
After his playing career ended, Coste worked a couple of seasons for Comcast in Philadelphia doing pre and postgame television broadcasts.
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Following his TV stint, Coste's career started to come full circle. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant baseball coach for three seasons before being promoted to head coach in 2014. Additionally, he rejoined the independent club in Fargo. He first served as a hitting coach and was then appointed manager during the '20 season. The circle was indeed complete.
Incredibly, he can juggle both jobs simultaneously. Clearly, he still loves the game and being at the ballpark nearly every day.
It’s been great catching up with No. 27, Chris Coste.
(Frank Coppenbarger spent 50 years in baseball, including the last 30-plus with the Phillies, first as equipment manager then director of travel and clubhouse services. He retired three years ago and currently is coaching high school baseball in Ocean City, N.J.).