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Wake-Up Call: East Lake's Coghlan quite a catch for Marlins

Coghlan is the Tribune's choice for the best Tampa Bay area major league player this season.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 6, 2009

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

There shouldn't be any doubt now. Florida Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan (East Lake) is a solid favorite to capture the National League's Rookie of the Year award.

Can you finish a season with more of a flourish?

• Coghlan had 113 hits after the All-Star break, tying him with Juan Pierre (2004) and Bill Buckner (1980) for the most in the National League in the past 45 years. It's almost the most second-half hits by any rookie since Dave Stapleton got 120 in 1980.

• Coghlan had 47 hits in August, breaking a club record for one month and getting the most hits by an NL rookie in any month since Wally Moon of the St. Louis Cardinals collected 52 in July 1954.

• Coghlan had 47 hits in September, immediately tying his own club record. The last rookie to collect that many September hits was Chuck Klein, who had 50 in September 1928.

• Coghlan finished with a .320 batting average, sixth in the NL. He had 31 doubles, six triples, nine home runs and 47 RBIs. He concluded the season by hitting safely in 16 of his last 17 games.

And now, maybe the most amazing part of the story. Coghlan only played 25 games at Triple-A New Orleans before getting the May 8 call-up. He was a third baseman in college, then made himself into an effective second baseman.

So what happened in the big leagues?

He was shifted to left field. Although he won't be confused for a Gold Glover out there, he played well enough to stay in the lineup. And he quickly proved himself deserving of every-day playing status.

Even as his play warranted more attention, Coghlan tried to maintain a low profile.

"Sometimes I'm cautious about being a rookie and doing too much stuff (in the media) because I care about what my teammates think of me,'' Coghlan told the Miami Herald in mid-September. "And I want everybody to know why I play this game, and it's not for the publicity.''

Well, here's some more publicity, Chris.

Coghlan is our choice for the best Tampa Bay area major league player this season. Now let's round out the top 10:

2. Los Angeles Angels third baseman Chone Figgins (Brandon). Figgins, a late addition to the All-Star Game who will be one of the top free-agents this offseason, led the American League in walks (101) and was second in runs scored (114). He had 42 stolen bases, tying Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton for third in the AL. He batted .298 and had seven triples, tied for 10th in the AL.

3. Minnesota Twins center fielder Denard Span (Tampa Catholic). Actually, the story isn't complete. Span and the Twins face a one-game playoff today against the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central Division title and a playoff spot against the New York Yankees.

Span, who finished sixth for the AL Rookie of the Year award last season, was eighth in the AL batting race (.312) and ninth in on-base percentage (.393). He hit 10 triples, tying Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury for most in the AL. Meanwhile, Span continues to improve upon his excellent defensive play.

4. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo (Hernando). Arroyo (15-13, 3.84) had a remarkable season for the sub-.500 Reds. In each of his last 12 starts, he pitched at least seven innings and allowed no more than three runs, becoming one of only four pitchers to accomplish that in a 12-start string during the last 20 years. Arroyo had two shutouts, three complete games and 220.1 innings pitched.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (Fort Meade). McCutchen, a first-round draft choice in 2004, was called up to the big leagues on June 4. He quickly established himself as one of the brightest young talents in the NL. He batted .286 with 26 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

6. Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Diaz (Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic). Diaz, once in the Rays' organization, took advantage of an injury to Nate McLouth. Playing full time, he was one of the driving forces behind the Braves' surprising emergence in the NL wild-card race. Diaz batted .313 with 13 homers and 58 RBIs in 125 games.

7. Detroit Tigers outfielder Ryan Raburn (Durant). Another story that hasn't been completed. Raburn and the Tigers face Minnesota today in a one-game playoff for the AL Central Division title. Raburn had something to do with that. He smashed two homers in Sunday's 5-3 win against the Chicago White Sox, allowing Detroit to force a playoff showdown against the Twins. Overall, Raburn batted .288 with a career-high 16 homers and 45 RBIs.

8. Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard (Mitchell). Clippard, former starter for the Yankees, has found a home in the Washington bullpen. He was 4-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 41 games. He had 67 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched.

9. Reds relief pitcher Nick Masset (Pinellas Park). Masset become one of the NL's most reliable relievers. He was 5-1 with a 2.37 ERA. He had 70 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched (and just 24 walks).

10. New York Mets outfielder Gary Sheffield (Hillsborough). It wasn't a vintage season for Sheffield, 40, who batted .276 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs. But Sheffield collected his 500th homer and will enter next season with 509, when he could be playing for the ninth organization of his career.

Gload, Helms tie pinch-hit mark

Here's one for the books:

Former University of South Florida first baseman Ross Gload, now with the Marlins, collected his 21st pinch hit this season, a franchise record, on Sunday with a single at Philadelphia. Gload's teammate, Wes Helms, had 17 pinch hits.

Gload and Helms are the first teammates with a combined 38 pinch hits since 1938, when Ed Coleman (20) and Roy Pepper (18) reached that mark with the St. Louis Browns.

"Someone will break it in a couple of years and go, 'Who are those guys?' '' Gload said. "That's the way bench guys are. You work hard and don't get recognized that often. We'll know we did it.''

Javier Arenas watch

University of Alabama defensive back Javier Arenas (Robinson) did not have any punt returns in Saturday's 38-20 win at Kentucky. He still needs 165 yards to become the SEC's all-time leading punt returner (and 231 for the all-time career mark in Division I-A).

Arenas did return the opening kickoff for 60 yards, setting up the first Crimson Tide touchdown.

Harvey runs wild for UCF

University of Central Florida sophomore running back Brynn Harvey (Largo) rushed 42 times for a career-high 219 yards in Saturday's 32-14 victory against Memphis. The 42 carries were third-most in UCF history. Harvey's 219 yards represented the sixth-highest single-game total in UCF history.

Fayson on the board

University of Illinois wide receiver Jarred Fayson (Hillsborough), playing his first season after a transfer from Florida, scored his first touchdown with the Illini on Saturday. He caught a 17-yard scoring pass from quarterback Juice Williams in a 35-17 home loss to Penn State.

Allen: 27 TDs in 30 games

Georgia Tech running back Anthony Allen (Jesuit) scored on a 5-yard run in Saturday's 42-31 win against Mississippi State. Including his first two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Georgia Tech, Allen has scored 27 touchdowns in 30 college games.

Fussell scores for Lobos

University of New Mexico junior fullback Josh Fussell (Durant) scored his second career touchdown on Saturday night in a 48-28 loss to Texas Tech. Fussell caught a 7-yard pass from Donovan Porterie, tying the game at 7-7.

Khabibulin's blunder

Word association:

Nikolai Khabibulin.

Calgary Flames.

Well, my first thought would be Khabibulin in goal, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Calgary Flames for the 2004 Stanley Cup championship.

Saturday night, a different scene played out.

Khabibulin, a free-agent acquisition by the Edmonton Oilers, let in the winning goal during a 4-3 home loss to the Flames. In the final minute, Khabibulin went out to corral a puck, but missed it completely. Calgary's David Moss got his stick on it and fired in the winner with 48.7 seconds remaining.

"It doesn't feel very good right now,'' Khabibulin told reporters afterward. "I still can't believe what just happened. There's no excuse.''

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Bucs and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, now an analyst with the NFL studio show on NBC Sports each Sunday night. Today, Dungy turns 54.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Friday's trivia question:

Former Bucs running back James Wilder still holds the franchise's single-game rushing record (219 yards on Nov. 6, 1983). It was achieved against the Minnesota Vikings.

Tuesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Where did Florida Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan, a graduate of East Lake High School, play his college baseball?

Check for the answer in Wednesday's Wake-Up Call.

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