Cozens announced Tuesday via his personal Twitter account that he has elected to retire from professional baseball in order to pursue opportunities in the NFL.
The 27-year-old outfielder's decision to step away from baseball comes after he got off to a slow start to the season at Triple-A Nashville in the Brewers organization, batting just .177 with a 43 percent strikeout rate in 100 plate appearances. Cozens has posted some gaudy home-run totals during his time in the minors since being selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2012 first-year player draft, but an inability to make consistent contact prevented him from having much staying power in the big leagues -- he appeared in only 27 games with Philadelphia between 2018 and 2019. An excellent athlete who checks in at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, Cozens boasts the sort of physical profile that could translate well to football.
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Brewers' Dylan Cozens: Demoted to minor-league camp
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The Brewers reassigned Cozens to their minor-league camp Tuesday.
Cozens has posted big power numbers across his various stops in the minors, but an inability to make consistent contact against higher-level pitching has prevented him from getting an extended look in the majors. The 26-year-old has batted .154 with 24 strikeouts in 45 career big-league plate appearances.
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Brewers' Dylan Cozens: Signs MiLB deal with Milwaukee
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Cozens reached an agreement on a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Thursday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.
Cozens was a member of the Rays' 60-man player pool in 2020, but ultimately never made it up to the big leagues. The outfielder, who played in a combined 27 games for the Phillies between 2018 and 2019, will now look to compete for a roster spot with the Brewers during spring training.
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Rays' Dylan Cozens: Joins 60-man player pool
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Cozens will be a part of the Rays' 60-man player pool this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
After joining the Rays on a two-year minor-league deal, Cozens hit .150 with 12 strikeouts in 24 plate appearances this spring. He is not on the 40-man roster and is unlikely to get enough MLB playing time to warrant fantasy consideration in 2020.
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Rays' Dylan Cozens: Starting in spring game
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Cozens (foot) will start in right field and will bat eighth in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.
Cozens already appeared off the bench in two of the Rays' first three games of the Grapefruit League, and the fact that he's starting in the outfield Tuesday offers further evidence that he's made a full recovery from the foot surgery that ended his 2019 campaign last May. The power-hitting Cozens is attending spring training as a non-roster invitee and doesn't have a real chance at breaking camp with the Rays, so he'll most likely be headed for Triple-A Durham to begin the campaign.
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Rays' Dylan Cozens: Inks minor-league pact with Rays
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Cozens (foot) signed a two-year minor-league deal with the Rays on Saturday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.
He is out for the year after undergoing foot surgery, but the Rays have committed to him being in the organization during the 2020 season. Cozens has big-time power with significant strikeout concerns. He will likely open the 2020 season at Triple-A.
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Dylan Cozens: Released by Phillies
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Cozens (foot) was released by the Phillies on Saturday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Cozens has big raw power but not much else, hitting .154 while striking out 53.3 percent of the time in 45 career big-league plate appearances. Calling him a Quad-A player may even be a bit of a stretch, as he's struck out 36.4 percent of the time in parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level while posting an unremarkable .219/.320/.461 slash line. The 25-year-old may not be able to find work until next spring, as he's currently recovering from season-ending foot surgery.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Designated for assignment
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Cozens (foot) was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Cozens has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing foot surgery in May, so the Phillies opted to remove him from their 40-man roster in order to free up a spot for Corey Dickerson, who was acquired from the Pirates in a corresponding move. In 23 games with Lehigh Valley prior to getting hurt, Cozens slashed .167/.333/.462 with six home runs and five steals.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Undergoes season-ending surgery
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Cozens underwent season-ending foot surgery, Tom Housenick of the Morning Call reports.
Cozens has so far failed to establish himself at the big-league level, hitting .154 with a 53.3 percent strikeout rate in 45 plate appearances. He hit .167/.333/.462 with six homers and five steals in 23 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before getting shut down. His time in the Phillies organization could be over.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Sent back to Triple-A
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Cozens was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.
Cozens spent just two days on the big-league roster, going 0-for-1 at the plate. He'll be the odd man out with Jean Segura returning from his hamstring injury.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Joins big club
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Cozens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
With Roman Quinn (groin) heading back to the injured list, Cozens was summoned to the majors to provide the Phillies with much-needed outfield depth. The 24-year-old's stay with the big club could be brief, however, as Odubel Herrera (hamstring) is hoping to return from the IL on Sunday. Prior to earning a promotion, Cozens was hitting .218/.380/.636 with six homers and three stolen bases in 16 games with the IronPigs.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Cozens was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
It was always going to take two injuries for Cozens to make the team. Roman Quinn is expected to open on the injured list with an oblique injury, but Odubel Herrera is ready to go following an absence with a hamstring issue, so Cozens won't be needed right away. He could be called on later in the season during an injury crisis but will need to cut down on his 54.5 percent strikeout rate through 44 plate appearances if he's to be a viable option.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Launches third spring homer
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Cozens went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a pair of strikeouts in Saturday's Grapefruit League loss to Toronto.
The performance summed up Cozens as succinctly as possible, as the young outfielder combines impressive power potential with major swing-and-miss issues. So far, the whiffs have overcome the power, as he struck out in 54.5 percent of his 44 plate appearances in his big-league debut last year. Still, Cozens is just 24, and he's doing everything he can this spring, hitting .348 with three homers and a 1.270 OPS. The Phillies' outfield is too crowded for him to make the Opening Day roster, but injuries could open up another shot for him at some point this season.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Showing power early on
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Cozens went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, two walks and three runs scored Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Cozens has been stellar at the plate to begin camp, collecting six hits, two home runs, five RBI and a stolen base in seven at-bats. The 24-year-old continues to man the outfield, although his impressive power numbers could warrant a move to first base sooner rather than later. Cozens made his major-league debut with the Phillies in 2018, but he's unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Working out at first base
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Cozens took fielding practice at first base Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.
The outfielder has the sort of body type that suggests a move to first base is an inevitability. The offensive bar there is of course even higher than in an outfield corner, and Cozens hasn't shown that he's capable of that kind of production so far, as he's gone 2-for-22 with 16 strikeouts in his first taste of big-league action. That sample is very small, however, and he's had success in the minors (albeit with high strikeout rates there as well), so if he can play a capable first base along with a capable right field he could have a future as a bench bat.
Cozens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.
Cozens slashed .246/.345/.529 with 21 home runs with the IronPigs this season but found little success -- 2-for-20 -- during his brief stint in the majors. The 24-year-old should serve as outfield depth as the Phillies remain in the playoff hunt.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Wins organizational award
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Cozens was named the Phillies' Minor League Hitter of the Month for July on Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The announcement is small consolation for Cozens after he was sent back to the minors Tuesday. To win the award, he hit .303/.410./788 with eight homers in 18 games in the month of July for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. That power is the reason why Cozens could have a major-league future, but his 36.4 percent strikeout rate at the Triple-A level suggests he'll be a Quad-A player at best. His 60.9 percent strikeout rate through his first 23 major-league plate appearances will surely come down, but there remains considerable doubt that it will come down far enough for him to have a successful big-league career despite his minor-league performances.
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Phillies' Dylan Cozens: Sent back to minors
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Cozens was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
Cozens will swap places with Enyel De Los Santos as the Phillies opt to go with an extra bullpen arm for Tuesday's contest after deploying six relievers in Monday's extra-innings loss. The 24-year-old is hitting just .100/.217/.250 across 14 games with the Phillies this season.
