Phillies Sign Utility Players Ngoepe, Romine to Minor League Deals

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Phillies are still making moves, despite less than 24 hours away from meeting with Scott Boras and free agent superstar outfielder Bryce Harper in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On Friday, the club inked utility players Gift Ngoepe and Andrew Romine to minor league contracts, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.




Ngoepe, 28, is the first African-born player to reach the Major Leagues. Through 41 combined games with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2017) and Toronto Blue Jays (2018, Ngoepe slashed just .181/.272/.236 with two doubles, one triple, six RBI and nine walks, while striking out 38 times. Ngoepe has fielded second base, third base and shortstop thus far.

Romine, 33, is a nine-year veteran that played equal time with the Los Angeles Angels to start his career (2010-13), followed by the Detroit Tigers (2014-17), before logging 72 games with the Seattle Mariners this past season. Spanning 581 career games, the Winter Haven, Florida, native has slashed .235/.291/.301 with 38 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 81 RBI, 40 stolen bases, 82 walks and 287 strikeouts. Romine has primarily fielded first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field in his career.

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