Chris Coste Spring Training Web Page

Chris Coste Professional Career Bio Page

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/22/06)--Former Concordia baseball All-American and three-time MIAC MVP Chris Coste has been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies to a major league contract it was announced on Sunday. The Phillies purchased the contract of Coste after veteran infielder Alex Gonzalez decided to retire.

Coste becomes only the second player in the history of the Concordia baseball program to make it all the way to the major leagues. He is also only the 12th player in the history of the MIAC to make it all the way to the major leagues.

Cobber Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Arlo Brunsberg played for the Detroit Tigers for two games in 1966. He was the last player from any MIAC school to also play for a major league team.

Coste was the last player cut from the major league team after spring training. During the spring, he hit a team-leading .463 and had three home runs. Coste then went down to the Phillies AAA affiliate Scranton-Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) where he hit .177 in 39 games, but was 5-for-16 (.313) with two home runs over the last three games.

He started his professional career with the Brandon Grey Owls in the now defunct Prairie League in 1995. He later signed with the F-M Redhawks of the Northern League and was finally signed by a major league affiliate on Nov. 13, 1998 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was released by the Pirates organization after spring training in 1999 and then signed with the Cleveland Indians in 2000. Coste then bounced from the Indians to the Boston Red Sox in 2003, then to the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2003 and finally signed with the Phillies in 2005. He played at the AAA level with all four teams that he signed with and last year hit .292 in 134 games for Scranton-Wilkes-Barre (Pa.).

Coste played for the Cobbers from 1993-95. He still owns a pair of Cobber career hitting records and four single-season marks. He also owns the record for lowest career ERA (2.11) for any starting pitcher to ever play at Concordia.

Coste hit .442 over his three seasons in maroon and gold with a season-high of .491 (57-for-116) in 1994.

Articles About Chris Coste Being Called Up:
Philadelphia Phillies Website: Patience pays off for Phillies' Coste by Ken Mandel

Fargo Forum: Dream Comes True by Jeff Kolpack

Topix.net: Coste, 33, finally makes it to the major leagues by Jeff Schuler

ESPN.com: Phillies' Gonzalez decides to retire; Coste called up


Philadelphia Phillies Website: Coste gets the call to Majors

CBS Sporstline: Veteran infielder Gonzalez hangs it up; Phils call up Coste