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Top Phil Coke News

  • Phil Coke: Attempting comeback as knuckleballer

    Coke, who spent the 2017 season in Japan with the Orix Buffaloes, is hopeful to sign with a major-league team as a knuckleballer, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

    Coke's lack of premium velocity -- his fastball has typically sat in the low-to-mid-90s throughout his career -- coupled with increasingly ineffective secondary offerings yielded little success during his most recent years in the big leagues, so the 35-year-old elected to reinvent himself as a knuckleballer in an attempt to keep his career alive. According to Cotillo, Coke has intrigued teams with the spin rates he's shown in bullpen sessions, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he landed a minor-league deal from a club at some point this spring.

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  • Phil Coke: Signs to play in Japan

    Coke signed a contract with the Orix Buffaloes to pitch in Japan in 2017, the Japan Times reports.

    Coke had a 3.60 ERA in the majors last season with the Yankees and Pirates. He'll turn 35 next season, so he may not return to MLB.

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  • Pirates' Phil Coke: Designated for assignment

    Coke was designated for assignment Wednesday.

    The Pirates traded for Coke just two weeks ago, but he has already fallen out of favor, as they acquired Brady Dragmire from the Blue Jays to take his spot on the 40-man roster. Coke had success working as a reliever and a starter at Triple-A this year, but his 10 innings in the big leagues were unimpressive.

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  • Pirates' Phil Coke: Called up to majors Friday

    Coke's contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.

    Only a day after acquiring him from the Yankees, Coke will head to the majors to join the Pirates bullpen. Cole wasn't impressive in three appearances with New York this season, but his 2.96 ERA and 0.4 HR/9 he posted with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre show that there a little something left in the tank. That being said, the lefty will likely serve a low-leverage middle relief role going forward.

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  • Pirates' Phil Coke: Dealt to Pirates

    Coke was traded to the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations.

    Coke has appeared in three games for the Yankees on the year but has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A, where he holds a 3.04 ERA and 1.29 ERA across 74 innings. The plan is for Coke to join the Pirates in Milwaukee on Friday, at which point the team will make a corresponding move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

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  • Pirates' Phil Coke: Traded to Pirates

    Coke was traded to the Pirates on Thursday for cash.

    The journeyman southpaw logged six innings out of the Yankees' bullpen this year but spent the majority of the season pitching as both a starter and reliever for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He posted a 2.96 ERA and 61:21 K:BB in 70 innings at Triple-A. The 11 starts he made in the minors this year marked the first time he was used as a starter since 2011, so perhaps the Pirates' scouts saw something they thought they could work with in that role. However, in the short term, Coke is expected to join the big league club Friday and work out of the bullpen.

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Player Bio

HT/WT: 6-1, 210 lbs
Birthplace: Sonora, CA
Age: 41
Experience: 9
Bats/Throws: L, L