Cozart
 

I know RedsZone wrote Cozart off the minute he was drafted, but he looks like a potential top ten list prospect to me. Said to have a great glove, now with an .800 OPS at Dayton. The report on him was that he was a pull hitter without the power and would be better hitting to all fields.

People seem to lump him with Janish, but he seems to have more offensive potential.

Anyone who has seen him play with views on his potential?

Re: Cozart
 

I've seen him play in college. I've always been a fan of his swing and thought he had more than enough tools to make it to the Big Leagues. Like you said, he pulled the ball too much, but I think it was just a bad habit he got into because he over-matched his competition.

Re: Cozart
 

I didn't like him when he was drafted. All glove, no stick. This year, I saw him at the beginning of the year in late April.... still seemed like all glove, no stick. Watching him recently, he is a different guy at the plate. Like him considerably more now than I did at the start of the year.

Re: Cozart
 

Watching him play about a week ago, the only time I've seen Cozart swing a bat, I came away impressed. I missed his first at bat, but in the next 3 he stung the ball nicely on 2 occasions, 1 for a hit, another for a long out. He also performed a perfect hit & run, knocking the ball b/w the SS & the 3rd basemen. Had I not know his reputation as all glove, no stick, I would have immediatly said "prospect" based upon this one game. I know one game doesn't make a prospect, but he seemed to have a good knowledge of what to do w/ the bat, hit to both fields. Though I'm no scout, far from it, I like his potential.

He was never tested defensively, so I can't say much about that.

Re: Cozart
 

He has admitted that the adjustment from metal to wood has taken him some time...mentioning how he had to learn to swing more with his legs than ever before. Could be that he's just putting it all together this season.

Re: Cozart
 

Cozart was featured in Kevin Goldstein's Future Shock: Monday Morning Ten Pack at BP today.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...articleid=7834

Re: Cozart
 

Thanks, RedsManRick. That's going to cue the "He's old for his level" posts a la Drew Stubbs.

Re: Cozart
 

Sounds like Alex Gonzalez. As a $5 Million per year Free Agent its a pretty crummy value. As a 2nd round pick, its great.

Re: Cozart
 

Many people may forget, but he was a hot commodity and Preseason All American coming into 2007. . . And his stock plummeted prior to the draft due to a poor season at the dish.

This pick struck me as a interesting roll of the dice at the time, FWIW. No one else seemed to agree.

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showt...26#post1377926

Re: Cozart
 

Cozart is a big league defensive shortstop right now. He does not have quite the pure athletic ability to be in that elite major league category, but he is good enough that any team would love to have him based strictly on his glove. As a hitter, he still has to learn to use the whole field. I would like to see him become more of a Keppinger type hitter.

Re: Cozart
 

his iso discipline is .060, so while he's not adam dunn, he's definitely not juan francisco either

Re: Cozart
 

Move him up?

Re: Cozart
 

Amen. I think it could happen soon, since Kahaulelio just came down.

Re: Cozart
 

it'll be interesting to see whether his "major league shortstop right now" label is downgraded as he hits more.

Re: Cozart
 

Funny how those two seem to work in inverse proportion.