Now that the season is over, the crew at Blue Jays from Away will take a look at the Blue Jays one by one and review how each player’s season went, whether he met expectations (or not) and look at how he fits into (what we think of) the Blue Jays’ plans going forward.
Formerly a member of the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, Chris Coghlan was signed to a minor-league deal with the Jays at the beginning of April. He was called up to the majors on April 14th as a backup infielder. He appeared in just about every remaining game in April, often as a pinch-hitter, taking 28 at-bats and hitting .214/.303/.250 with one double.
His numbers rose slightly in May, as he slashed .225/.326/.325 in 40 at-bats. He hit his only home run of the season in May, and reduced his strikeouts to 10, after having 11 the month before. He also suffered a 10-game hitless streak (though some of those were games in which he pinch-hit and only had one plate appearance).
Coghlan appeared in four games in June, before being placed on the disabled list with a left wrist contusion on the 16th. He didn’t get a hit in any of his 7 at-bats, although he did walk once. After a brief rehab assignment with the Dunedin Blue Jays in August, he was designated for assignment and released on August 12th.
He finished the season with a slash line of .200/.299/.267, one home run, 2 doubles and 5 RBI. His 22 strikeouts and 9 walks left him with a K/BB rate of 2.44. As a left-handed hitter, Coghlan rarely faced left-handed pitching, and failed to get a hit in 6 PA against them. He walked twice. On the defensive side of things, Coghlan spent most of his time at third base (111 1/3 innings), as well as 54 2/3 innings in left field and 23 innings at second. He made 4 errors, all while playing third, which gave him a fielding percentage of .875 at the position.
His grade got a slight bump because he was responsible for what I believe to be the most memorable moment of the Blue Jays 2017 season. On April 25th in St. Louis, he ran home without ample time to beat a throw from the outfield. Instead, he leapt straight over the Cardinals’ catcher, Yadier Molina, and somersaulted over home plate to safely score. The leap later got its own Topps card, and the header photo on Coghlan’s MLB page depicts it.
Contract Status:
Coghlan has been released and is now a free agent.
2017 Regular Season Grades:
Jay Blue: Incomplete
Emily: B-
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