Introduction
Dylan Wallace Cozens (born May 31, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. The 77th pick in the 2012 MLB draft, Cozens' tremendous potential as a power hitter has made him one of the cornerstones of the Phillies farm system.
Early life
Cozens was born in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1994. He attended Desert Mountain High School; a suspension midway through his junior year, however, for an altercation with his baseball coach prompted Cozens' transfer to Chaparral High School. While attending Chaparral, Cozens played baseball, despite some concerns about his eligibility, and football. In Cozens' first and only season with the Chaparral ball club he posted a .520 batting average and compiled 19 home runs in 33 games, breaking the single-season record held by Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko. He completed his senior year with the team by hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Division I state championship, winning the title.
Cozens' baseball and football talents drew the attention of the University of Arkansas which offered him a scholarship to attend and play college football for the Arizona Wildcats. He verbally committed and signed a letter of intent to play for the university as a defensive end, his original position in high school.
Professional career
Minor leagues
As a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, Marti Wolever, among other representatives of the organization, evaluated Cozens before the 2012 MLB draft and watched him during a workout at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies had two compensatory picks when the team lost relief pitcher Ryan Madson in free agency. Though there were some concerns about Cozens temperament, the Phillies selected Cozens, who elected to turn pro, in the second round, 77th overall, for a baseball contract worth $659,800. "That was probably the guy I was most excited about", said Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr., "Extraordinary power for a kid -- great body, runs well, seems to move pretty well".
Cozens began the 2012 season with the Gulf Coast Phillies of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, based in Tampa, Florida. In 50 games, he batted .255 with five home runs and 25 runs batted in (RBI). The Phillies promoted Cozens to the Williamsport Crosscutters of the Class-A Shortened Season League (SSL) the following year to give him more at-bats. He finished the season second in the SSL in doubles (19), extra base hits (30), and runs (50) while also ranking third in slugging percentage (.469). Cozens, in his first three minor league campaigns, struggled making contact at the plate consistently, striking out 147 times in his first full season of professional baseball, playing for the Lakewood Blueclaws in 2014.
In 2015, Cozens cut back his strikeout total to 90 and debuted for the Double A team Reading Fightin' Phils of the Eastern League. Once the Phils' 2016 regular season began, Cozens became a tremendous threat at the plate. Cozens hit 40 home runs, the most by any Eastern leaguer since Ron Kittle in 1981, topping the team's single-season record set by Darin Ruf four years prior. In 134 games, he also led the league in runs scored (106), extra-base hits (81), total bases (308), doubles (38), RBIs (125) and slugging percentage (.591). His production helped the team pull off one of its most successful seasons, finishing with a league-best 89-52 record. While impressive, his numbers may have been aided by Reading's hitter-friendly ballpark, FirstEnergy Stadium, where Cozens hit 29 of his 40 home runs. The 2016 season also exposed his weaknesses: Cozens batted just .197 off left-handed pitching and struggled to make contact, striking out an egregious 186 times.
Coming off his breakout year, MLB.com ranked Cozens as the seventh-best prospect in the Phillies farm system. He was optioned in 2017 to the Triple-A club the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs and was named to the Phillies 40 man roster.