Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Phils officially announce Gload signing

Outfielder Ross Gload has signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Phillies, Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today.

Gload, 33, spent the 2009 season with the Florida Marlins where he hit .261 with six home runs and 30 RBI in 125 games. A left-handed batter, Gload appeared in 41 games (32 starts) at first base for the Marlins, 10 games in right field (seven starts), one game in left field and made one appearance as a pitcher in relief.

As a pinch-hitter last season, Gload batted .318 with a major league-leading 21 hits in 66 at-bats and drove in 15 runs which were tied for the major league lead. Since making his major league debut in 2000, Gload has the highest career batting average (.300, 48-160) as a pinch-hitter among active players with at least 140 plate appearances. In addition, his 48 career pinch hits rank 10th among all active players.

For his career with runners in scoring position, Gload has batted .293 with seven home runs and 156 RBI. Against left-handed pitching, he has a career .298 batting average with three home runs and 38 RBI.

Originally selected by the Marlins in the 13th round of the 1997 draft, Gload, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, has batted .283 with 28 home runs and 192 RBI over 608 career major league games between the Chicago Cubs (2000), Colorado Rockies (2002), Chicago White Sox (2004-06), Kansas City Royals (2007-08) and Marlins (2009).

No comments: