Former Phillies Player Leaving Baseball to Pursue NFL Career

A former outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies is giving up baseball in order to pursue a career in the NFL. On Tuesday, Dylan Cozens announced he’s making the transition to the NFL after spending the last nine years playing baseball professionally. He was playing with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A team in Nashville before leaving the game.

“I’ve decided it’s time to chase my dream of playing in the [NFL].” Cozens wrote on Twitter. “I want to thank the [Phillies] [Tampa Bay Rays] and Milwaukee Brewers organizations for giving me the opportunity to play professional baseball but more importantly the people, experiences, and memories I’ll keep forever.”

Cozens was one of the Phillies’ top prospects, hitting 40 home runs and driving in 125 runs during the 2016 season as a member of the Reading Phillies, the organization’s Double-A affiliate, as mentioned by CBS Sports. Before leaving baseball, Cozens was hitting just .177 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

Cozens was called up to the Phillies in 2018. During that time, the 27-year-old hit .154 with one home run and two RBIs in 38 at-bats. In 2019, Cozens played one game and went 0 for 1. Before joining the Brewers, Cozens was a member of the Rays organization. During his time with the Phillies in 2016, Cozens and current Phillies star Rhys Hoskins were referred to as the Bash Brothers as they were the top power bats in the Eastern League. Hoskins made his debut with the Phillies in 2017 and has hit 103 home runs in his career.

Before playing baseball, Dylan Cozens was committed to playing football at the University of Arizona as he was a standout defensive end at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the time, 247Sports had Cozens listed as a three-star recruit and the 17th best player in the state. Along with Arizona, Cozens received offers from Boise State, Missouri, Utah and Washington.