Phil Plantier

Phil Plantier is a former major league outfielder who played with the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics in an eight year career. He has also served as a manager in the minor leagues and as a hitting coach in both the minors and National League. Born on January 27, 1969 in Manchester, New Hampshire, Phil was drafted by the "Home Town Team" Red Sox in the 11th round of the 1987 draft. After progressing through the minor leagues, he had a cup of coffee with the BoSox in 1990 then showed some awesome power when he was called up midway in the 1991 season. Plantier hit 11 home runs in only 14 at-bats in 538 games, averaging a dinger every 13.38 at-bats. That performance, combined with a .331 batting average, brought him enough support in the Baseball Writers of America's Rookie of the Year voting to rank #8 on the year. After floundering the following season, the BoSox dealt him to the San Diego Padres. In 1993, he had his best season, hitting 34 home runs and racking up 100 RBIs. His '94 campaign was curtailed by the baseball strike and injuries and he was shipped off to the Astros. He also had a stint with the Athletics before coming back to the Padres, but he served out the rest of his stint in The Show as a bench jockey as a reserve outfielder, having never lived up to his early promise. At the end of the 2011 season, Plantier was named hitting coach for the Padres.