How Much More Rope Do You Give Cozart?

[MikeS21]

All right ... I'll just throw this out. At what point do the Reds begin to look for an upgrade at SS?

We all know that Cozart is a better than average defender. But slick-fielding, no-hit shortstops are a dime a dozen. He has a little pop and might give you 12-15 HR's a season, but hitting a HR once every two or three weeks is the extent of his offense.

Wouldn't it be better to look for a better-than-average fielding SS, who can give you an OBP of .325-.335, even if you lose a little power from the position?

I know SS is supposed to be a defensive position first, and any offense is gravy, but I can't help but think the Reds could easily upgrade the position and get as good or better defense, and better offense, as well.

Perhaps Cozart might be better suited as a utility infielder.

[Norm Chortleton]

I'm fine with Cozart as long as they ask him to:

1. Hit 8th
2. Cut down on his Ks

The only problem is as long as Dusty is here I'm pretty sure they will do neither.

[RedsManRick]

I'm fine with Cozart as long as they ask him to:

1. Hit 8th
2. Cut down on his Ks

The only problem is as long as Dusty is here I'm pretty sure they will do neither.

He's got the 17th lowest K% of the 94 qualified NL hitters and the lowest among Reds regulars. Strikeouts are not his problem.

[Norm Chortleton]

He's got the 17th lowest K% of the 94 qualified NL hitters and the lowest among Reds regulars. Strikeouts are not his problem.

I beg to differ. He K'd 113 times last year and drew only 31 walks.

[redsfandan]

I beg to differ. He K'd 113 times last year and drew only 31 walks.

That doesn't mean he k'd too much last year. It means he could've walked more. You're focusing on the wrong stat.

[Norm Chortleton]

That doesn't mean he k'd too much last year. It means he could've walked more. You're focusing on the wrong stat.

113 Ks is waaaaay too many for his production. On the Reds, only Stubbs and Bruce K'd more.

--Only 1 SS had more Ks last year than Cozart.
--7 had more HRs
--14 had better avg
--11 had better ops

[RedsManRick]

I beg to differ. He K'd 113 times last year and drew only 31 walks.

Well, his strikeout rate last year isn't making outs tomorrow. So if your advice is strikeout less, he's already following it. Your advice doesn't seem to be working.

As for the walks, I'd love for him to walk more often. No disagreement there.

[Norm Chortleton]

Well, his strikeout rate last year isn't making outs tomorrow. So if your advice is strikeout less, he's already following it. Your advice doesn't seem to be working.

As for the walks, I'd love for him to walk more often. No disagreement there.

Yes, because 1 month is clearly a better indicator than a full season.

[RedsManRick]

He has a .191 BABIP. Guys who only strike out 12% of the time don't hit .200. His LD% is really low too, so it's not like he's been "unlucky", hitting liners right at guys. But it does likely mean that he's been experiencing a bad stretch of performance that is unlikely to continue. He's still hitting for power and he's never walked much, so it's basically singles that are missing. And he's not measurably changed his approach in a way that should materially affect his results.

So to answer your question directly, particularly considering our lack of other attractive options, I'm not even worrying about it until the ASB. I am, however, batting him 8th where he belongs. Even when he's going "right" he doesn't belong higher than 7th.

[malcontent]

He has a .191 BABIP. Guys who only strike out 12% of the time don't hit .200.

Do we have data regarding pop-out rate?

[westofyou]

SS is by far the hardest position to fill from outside the organization, he is in for the long haul this year

[mattfeet]

Considering we traded his best, and realistically only, backup...he gets as much as he needs.

[Vottomatic]

Hopefully as much as Stubbs got.

[Kc61]

I'm a big Cozart fan. I love the way he plays SS. I like low error shortstops like him, and his range isn't bad either.

But if he doesn't hit better, I agree, he become a pretty ordinary player and the Reds will have to consider alternatives.

Too early to go there right now.

[CySeymour]

Wouldn't it be better to look for a better-than-average fielding SS, who can give you an OBP of .325-.335, even if you lose a little power from the position?

Good luck finding a team willing to trade a shortstop like that.