The Main Event

  • May 31, 1994 – Former Phillies prospect Dylan Cozens was born in Scottsdale, AZ.

From an early age Dylan Cozens made clear he was an elite multi-sport athlete. His father, Randy Cozens, was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1976, giving Dylan elite athleticism in the DNA. His high school career, however, was not without turbulence. Cozens initially attended Desert Mountain High School in Arizona but was suspended midway through his junior year for an altercation with his baseball coach. Baseball writer Keith Law was direct in describing the incident, reporting that Cozens shoved his coach and told him to “f off” in the dugout during a game, describing it as the culmination of a series of incidents that turned many scouts off him, with one scout even calling him a “bully.” The cloud of negativity didn’t just affect his reputation as an individual, but also his draft position. Cozens himself acknowledged that he would have been scouted far more widely had the incident not occurred. His personality and temperament affected him throughout his career in the minors as well. Cozens had repeated flare-ups with teammates and coaches in dugouts and the clubhouse.

Cozens transferred to Chaparral High School, where his senior year was nothing short of remarkable. He posted a .520 batting average and hit 19 home runs in 33 games, breaking the school’s single-season record formerly held by longtime White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko. His 19 home runs led the state and were second nationally only to the 21 hit by future major leaguer Joey Gallo. Beyond baseball, Cozens played just one season of football and became part of one of the most dominant defensive fronts in the state, helping Chaparral win a state championship. He was rated a three-star defensive end prospect by 247Sports, drawing scholarship offers from Washington, Boise State, Missouri, and Utah before committing to the University of Arizona.

The 2012 Draft and Signing with the Phillies

As a Phillies scout, Marti Wolever, among other organizational representatives, evaluated Cozens before the 2012 MLB Draft and watched him during a workout at Citizens Bank Park. Though there were concerns about his temperament, the Phillies selected him in the second round with the 77th overall pick, signing him for a $659,800 bonus. Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr. was effusive: “That was probably the guy I was most excited about. Extraordinary power for a kid — great body, runs well, seems to move pretty well.”

Cozens hit reasonably well in his first few years in the minors, but his significant raw power hadn’t yet shown up in games — he was hitting only one home run every 27 at-bats at most during his first four minor-league seasons. His first season at Lakewood (Single-A) saw him become the first player in BlueClaws history to hit 15 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season.

The breakthrough came when he reached Double-A. Cozens took his first big step upon reaching Double-A Reading at the end of 2015, hitting three home runs, driving in nine runs, and posting a 1.011 OPS in 11 games — a preview of what was to come.

The 2016 Season: Cozens vs. Hoskins and the “Bash Brothers” Comparison

The 2016 season at Double-A Reading was the high-water mark of Cozens’ professional career and gave rise to constant comparisons with fellow Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins. Cozens teamed up with Hoskins, who blasted 38 long balls of his own, forming a modern “Bash Brothers” combo with the Fightin’ Phils. For much of that season, it was either Cozens or Hoskins pacing the minor leagues in home runs. Cozens ultimately topped his teammate, leading all of the minor leagues with 40 home runs and a minor league-best 125 RBI while batting .276/.350/.591/.941. He was named Eastern League MVP, earned both midseason and postseason All-Star honors, won the MiLB Joe Bauman Home Run Award, and shared the Paul Owens Award — given to the best players in the Phillies minor league system — with Hoskins.

Despite the shared glory, the comparison between the two ultimately favored Hoskins. While Cozens led the minor leagues in home runs and RBI and posted a strong OPS, strikeouts remained a critical flaw — he struck out in 31.7% of his plate appearances, whiffing 186 times. This was not an issue Hoskins contended with to the same degree, making Hoskins the better long-term prospect. Cozens’ long, uphill swing path left him with holes that pitchers could exploit, particularly when Hoskins faced left-handers.

Decline and a Brief MLB Career

In his first Triple-A season in 2017, Cozens’ offensive numbers tailed off. While he clubbed 27 homers, he batted just .210/.301/.418/.719 in 125 games. He made his MLB debut on June 1, 2018, against the San Francisco Giants, singling on the very first pitch he saw from Chris Stratton — becoming the first Phillie to get his first major league hit on the first pitch seen since Steve Montgomery in 1999. Over the course of 26 games with the Phillies, he hit .158 (6-28) before being released in August of 2019.

Chasing an NFL Dream

In June 2021, Cozens announced on Twitter that he was leaving baseball to pursue a spot in the NFL. At the time of his announcement, he had been hitting .177 with two home runs and seven RBI for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A team in Nashville. Had he succeeded, he would have become the first person to appear in both MLB and the NFL since Drew Henson, who played for the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys in the early 2000s. Cozens never did secure a roster spot with an NFL team.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for May 31

  • May 31, 1959 – Gene Freese hits his fifth pinch-hit home run of the year, one short of the major league record. The Phils lose to Milwaukee 2-1.
  • May 31, 1998 – The Phillies Triple-A team from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre beats Toledo 26-4. Scranton had seven home runs and 27 hits, and were led by designated hitter Bobby Estalella, who went 5-for-6 with two doubles and a home run.
  • May 31, 2009 – Jamie Moyer earned his 250th career win in a 4-2 victory over Washington.
  • May 31, 1994 – Traded Wes Chamberlain and Mike Sullivan to Boston for Paul Quantrill and Billy Hatcher. Chamberlain played four-plus seasons with the Phillies (1990-1994), hitting 38-146-.260/.302/.436/.738.
  • May 31, 2013 – Released pitcher Chad Durbin, who played three of his 14 MLB seasons with the Phillies. Posted a 3.98 ERA in 210 relief appearances with the Phils from 2008-2010.
  • May 31, 2014 – With a three-run home run against the Mets, Ryan Howard reached 1,000 career RBI. It took him only 1,230 games, making him the fastest to reach that milestone. The game lasted 14 innings, the same as the day before. It was the first time in team history that they played consecutive games of 14 innings or more.

ICYMI

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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for May 31

  • Bill Foxen (born 1884) – A left-handed pitcher who played for the Phillies from 1908-1910. In 20 starts and 12 relief outings, Foxen went 15-19 with a 3.48 ERA.
  • George Smith (born 1892) – A right-hander who led the NL with 20 losses in 1921, Smith finished his Phillies career with a 27-63 mark and posted a 4.04 ERA. In his MLB career, Smith was 39-81 with a 3.89 ERA over eight years with four different teams.
  • Kenny Lofton (born 1967) – Played center field for the Phillies in 2005. Overall, Lofton played in over 2,100 games over 17 seasons in the majors. He played 10 seasons for Cleveland and one season each for the Dodgers, White Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Braves, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Giants, and Astros.

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