Phillies sign Australian-native southpaw Josh Tols to minor league contract

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

CLEARWATER, Fla. — It appears Philadelphia 76ers star rookie Ben Simmons is no longer the city's only Australian-native professional athlete, as the Philadelphia Phillies signed southpaw Josh Tols to a minor league contract on Wednesday, Feb. 7, according to Team Australia Baseball.

Tols, 28, joins a Major League Baseball organization for the first time, having thrown thus far in his career only with the Australian Baseball (AUBL) and the American Association (AA) leagues.

In 11 games and 52 2/3 innings this past season with the AUBL's Melbourne Aces, Tols went 5-3 with a 4.78 ERA and 75-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Adelaide, Australia native is listed as 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds, according to Baseball Reference.