On this day in 1996, the New York Mets traded first baseman Rico Brogna to the Philadelphia Phillies for relievers Toby Borland and Ricardo Jordan.
Brogna, diagnosed with a form of spinal arthritis in 1991, spends four seasons in red pinstripes, posting a slashline of .265/.316/.440 with the club, belting 65 home runs and driving in 300 in 496 games.
The former 26th overall pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 1988 MLB Draft played nine seasons in the majors. He played his last game in July 2001 with the Atlanta Braves at age 31.
Fast forward to 2010, the Phillies hired Juan Samuel, their former second baseman from 1983-89, as an infield coach. Samuel, a Phillies Wall of Famer (inducted 2008), would serve as a third and first base coach with the team as recently as the 2017 season.
As a player, Samuel was a three-time All Star and received the Silver Slugger Award in 1987. He was a member of the Phillies for seven seasons, batting .263/.310/.439, with 176 doubles, 71 triples, 100 homers, 413 RBI, and 249 stolen bases in that span.
Samuel retired after the 1998 season at age 37, having appeared in 1,720 games between eight different teams. He returned to baseball the following year as a coach for the Detroit Tigers, whom he worked for until 2005. In 2007, he began coaching with the Baltimore Orioles, even becoming their manager briefly in 2010. From there, he came home to Philadelphia until 2017.
Inside the Phillies would also like to honor the brave men and women, past and present, who have served our country on Veterans Day.
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