Phillies announce additional Spring Training non-roster invitees

November 25, 2014

The Phillies have signed the following five players to minor league contracts with invitations to attend major league spring training as non-roster invitees:

Paul Clemens, RHP - A versatile right-hander, Clemens split last season between triple-A Oklahoma City and the Houston Astros. He appeared in 13 games for the Astros, pitching 2.0 innings or more in seven of those 13 appearances. The 26-year-old went 6-3 with a 4.08 ERA in 19 games (5 starts) for Oklahoma City while holding opposing hitters to a .216 average. Clemens was originally selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the June 2008 draft before being traded to Houston as part of the deal for outfielder Michael Bourn on July 31, 2011.
Rene Garcia, C - Garcia, 24, hit .244 with 14 doubles, five home runs and 23 RBI in 75 games last season for double-A Corpus Christi. In 447 career games in the Astros organization, Garcia has thrown out 191 of 524 attempted base stealers (36.4%), including a 36.5 percent clip last season (23-63) with Corpus Christi. Over his last three full seasons, the Puerto Rico native has combined to hit .276 (243-880) in 235 games split between single-A Lancaster, Corpus Christi and triple-A Oklahoma City.
Koyie Hill, C - A veteran of 15 professional seasons, Hill appeared in 53 games last season for triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a 13.6 percent walk rate (28 BB/206 PA) as he batted .227 with 11 doubles and 17 RBI. Defensively, the 35-year-old backstop threw out 13 of 34 potential base stealers (38.2%). Originally selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the June 2000 draft, Hill batted .238 in 10 games for the Phillies last season.
Chris Nelson, INF - Originally selected ninth overall in the 2004 draft by the Colorado Rockies, Nelson hit .279 last season while posting a .355 on-base percentage in 87 minor league games split between the Cincinnati and San Diego organizations. Nelson appeared in 27 games for the Padres, batting .233 in 27 games while playing second base, third base and first base. In his first full major league season with Colorado in 2012 Nelson batted .301 while posting an .810 on-base plus slugging percentage over 111 games.
Cord Phelps, INF - Phelps, 27, hit .259 with 13 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 52 walks in 99 games with triple-A Norfolk last season. He reached base safely in 33 of his final 36 games with Norfolk as he batted .336 (40-115) over that span. Originally selected by the Cleveland Indians in the third round of the June 2008 draft out of Stanford University, Phelps also appeared in three games last season for the Baltimore Orioles, going hitless in three at-bats. He has posted a .368 on-base percentage in 681 minor league games spanning seven seasons.

To date, the Phillies have invited a total of 13 players to major league spring training in 2015 as non-roster invitees:

Pitcher (1): Paul Clemens
Catchers (3): Rene Garcia, John Hester, Koyie Hill
Infielders (5): Andres Blanco, Russ Canzler, Chase d'Arnaud, Chris Nelson, Cord Phelps
Outfielders (4): Brian Bogusevic, Jeff Francoeur, Darin Mastroianni, Xavier Paul