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Thread: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

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    Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Well this is a collision slated to happen around spring 2014.

    From my reading Didi is already better defensively than Zack. Here's a scouting report..

    Scouting Report
    Didi Gregorius is arguable the best athlete in the entire Reds farm system. He has plus speed and athleticism that is only rivaled by Billy Hamilton. Defensively, he has above-average range at shortstop to go along with good hands and an outstanding throwing arm.

    Experts in two years the Reds have a decision to make it looks like


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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Right now, Cozart has a ton more game power than Didi does. Didi has potential for power, but from what I have seen, he simply doesn't try to use it often, instead going for a more contact oriented approach.

    I will take Didi on defense for sure. He may not be as polished as Cozart right now, but he had a better arm and more range.

    The key with Didi is going to be how his game power develops over the next two years. Like I said, he has the power potential to hit you 10-15 home runs, but he doesn't seem to be out there trying to hit for power and is going for a more average based approach. While that is fine, it probably won't get him a job over Cozart if it comes with 5 home runs a year.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Can Cozart's bat play at third? He seems like he could be a .750ops guy so I think it could. I'm sure his glove can play there.

    Maybe you see a Cozart/DiDi left side of the infield in a year or two.

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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Quote Originally Posted by schmidty622 View Post
    Can Cozart's bat play at third? He seems like he could be a .750ops guy so I think it could. I'm sure his glove can play there.

    Maybe you see a Cozart/DiDi left side of the infield in a year or two.
    It isn't 'ideal', but I guess you could see it. The problem there is that it means the Reds haven't addressed third base for going on three years (including this one, because no one should have expected Rolen to actually hit much this year).

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Yes, the future of the Reds' SS position does seem to be an interesting one to watch develop. What a great dilemma to potentially have. I feel good with Cozart - he seems to be solid all the way around. SS is no longer a position I fret about or sit around trying to dream up trade possibilities to upgrade. On the other hand, the reports indicate that Gregorious is also solid, and maybe even slightly more skilled defensively (although, again, I don't have any complaints about Cozart's defense). In regard to the power issue with Gregorious, if I had to chose I'd much rather my SS develop good plate discipline and the ability to hit at a high contact rate and then add some power (of course, having both simultaneously would be much better). So, the question is: What's going to happen if/when Gregorious is ready for the big leagues? My opinion is that it will be in the Reds best interests to eventually trade one of them - and I would think that either would have a lot of value (for example, I would think there are a lot of teams that would love to have Cozart starting at SS for them right now). I suppose either could play 2nd base (although we have Phillips signed long-term), but to me that would be a waste because both guys' best value is in the fact that they can play SS well and at the same time be an offensive asset.
    Last edited by rgslone; 05-10-2012 at 01:47 PM.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    If the Reds are going to go DiDi over Cozart (and I could see the argument for it, though I'd prefer the offense given a choice), the best choice is to deal Cozart.

    Tons of young 3B in baseball right now and a bunch more in the pipelines of other teams. The Reds have two-- Henry Rodriguez and David Vidal.

    Rodriguez is out-hitting Gregorius by 50 points, out-slugging him by well over 100 points, and out-OPSing him, 824-668. Rodriguez is a former middle infielder as well and drew raves for his glove in Spring Training.

    Vidal has a 900+ OPS in High A, with plus power, glove, and hit tool projections.

    I don't know if Cozart's a better choice, but his value as a trading chip would be much higher, IMO, than the difference between each of them.

    A high upside OF with cleanup potential would be fun to see.

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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    If there is one thing Henry Rodriguez isn't exactly known for, it is his glove work. I don't know who was raving about it, but my guess is that they didn't watch him play much.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Others, I'm sure, have seen Didi more than I have (two games, in which he looked very good), but it seems to me that we might be jumping the gun a bit to say that he is better defensively than Cozart. As I recall, Cozart was still in A-ball when the word was that he was major-league-ready defensively. Defense was his ticket, and he was rated right along with Janish and Rojas as the best in the system. Gregorius is probably flashier and very possibly quicker, but Cozart makes all the plays and has an accurate arm. I think he's very good defensively, and would have to see some Larkin-like stuff out of Gregorius--on a consistent basis--before I'd call him an upgrade.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    I saw Didi last year and I was impressed. Doug, as usual, hit the comparison on the head in his first post. Didi is better defensively, and has better speed. Weirdly though, he doesn't have a stolen base yet this season. And he only has a career high 16 stolen bags. He is athletic enough to have good speed, I really am perplexed as to why he doesn't use it. I am in the camp that Billy will be the shortstop for the Reds in 2014 meaning Cozart and Didi will be gone, but that's just me.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Cozart is getting short shrift here, IMO. Very solid all-around game. Baseball instincts are sharp. Sometimes people get fooled by the lack of flash.

    I'll guess he's the starter at SS for the next several years. Hamilton will move to a different position, and maybe Didi too. If one of them is traded, it'll be Gregorius. That's my speculative 2 cents.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Didi Gregorius: the next Danny Richar?

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    For a guy with plus speed and exceptional athleticism, Didi has been surprisingly unsuccessful at stealing bases. If speed, OBP, and defense are going to be his game, it seems to me that he needs improvement in that area as well as developing a little more pop.

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    I would consider Didi a candidate for backup 2b-SS-3b guy like Valdez, but Cozart has a nice amount of pop for a SS with a good glove. He'll be 28 in 2014 and could potentially hit 25 hr. Unless the Reds have a better offense in 2014, I don't see trading Cozart. Hamilton could change all that. Stubbs could get a bit expensive around then, if Hamilton ends up in CF that would cement Cozart at SS. I do like him at 3b if Hamilton sticks at SS, though.
    2015 Rotation: Under Construction

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    I would consider Didi a candidate for backup 2b-SS-3b guy like Valdez, but Cozart has a nice amount of pop for a SS with a good glove. He'll be 28 in 2014 and could potentially hit 25 hr. Unless the Reds have a better offense in 2014, I don't see trading Cozart. Hamilton could change all that. Stubbs could get a bit expensive around then, if Hamilton ends up in CF that would cement Cozart at SS. I do like him at 3b if Hamilton sticks at SS, though.
    2015 Rotation: Under Construction

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    Re: Didi Gregorius vs. Zack Cozart...

    Didi better have a great glove because I don't see much in his stat lines to get excited about.


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