Chris Coste

Chris Coste

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lbs.
• School Concordia College (MN)
• High School Fargo South High School
• Debut May 26, 2006
• Final Game October 2, 2009
• Born February 4, 1973 in Fargo, ND USA

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Biographical Information

Chris Coste hoed a long and winding road to reach the major leagues. He was a member of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.

A catcher by trade, Chris was undrafted out of college and signed with the Brandon Grey Owls of the independent Prairie League in 1995. He spent 1996-1999 with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the independent Northern League, making the All-Star team in each of his last three seasons. He was briefly part of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, signing in November 1998 and released during spring training, returning to Fargo-Moorhead. He signed with the Cleveland Indians in November 1999 and played in the organization three years, working his way all the way up to the Triple A Buffalo Bisons. He was in the Boston Red Sox chain in 2003 and the Milwaukee Brewers chain in 2004. Coste pitched two games in 2002 and two games in 2003 (plus a skinny appearance in 2005) with a cumulative ERA of 4.50 in 8 innings.

Chris signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and spent most of 2005 as a third baseman in AAA with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. He finally made his major league debut in 2006 at the age of 33. He began 0-for-13 before collecting his first hits in a 2-for-4 day against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on June 16th. From that point on, he showed remarkable bat control and line drive power, hitting .328/.376/.505 in 65 games with 7 homers. He played with the Phillies again in 2007 (.279/.311/.419, 48 games) and 2008 (.263/.325/.423 in a career best 98 games), backing up Carlos Ruiz and being part of the Phils' World Series-winning squad that last year (1-for-6 in three postseason rounds). On August 26th, he was the first man in 63 years to enter a game in the 8th inning or later and finish 4-for-4, striking a walk-off single with one out in the 13th inning of a Phillies triumph over the New York Mets. He started the 2009 campaign with the Phillies but was placed on waivers in early July. The Houston Astros claimed him and he spent the remainder of the 2009 season in Houston (combined line of .224/.301/.317 in 88 games). The magic had evaporated from his bat. He signed with the New York Mets after the season but was released at the end of spring training 2010. He played briefly in the Washington Nationals organization and then retired for good. His major league batting line was a solid .272/.329/.416 in 299 games with 23 homers and 108 RBI.

After his playing career, Coste became an assistant coach at his alma mater, Concordia College. Longtime coach Bucky Burgau stepped down after the 2014 season and became an assistant coach under Coste who was promoted to head coach in 2015. He later became a Phillies broadcaster and the hitting coach for his old indy ball club in Fargo-Moorhead. He wrote two autobiographies: 1997's Hey... I'm Just A Catcher and 2008's The 33 Year Old Rookie (with a foreword by John Kruk). Coste stepped down as head caoch at Concordia at the end of the 2023 season after 9 seasons.

Notable Achievements

• Won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008