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Blog*Spot ArchivesContactRichard Ceccarelli Josh Mandir |
Wednesday, March 23, 2005Scouting Report: Casey KotchmanBio:
Stats:Name: Casey John Kotchman Birthday: Febuary 22, 1983 (22 on Opening Day) Height: 6'-3" Weight: 210 Bats: Left Throws: Left Position: 1B Acquired: Draft Drafted: 2001, 1st round (13), ANA Roster: 40-man Contract: min. Hitting:YEAR(L) G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS ----------|---|----|--|--|--|--|--|---|--|---|--|--|----|----|----|-- 2002(A) 81 288 42 81 30 1 5 50 48 37 2 1 .281 .390 .444 834 2003(R) 7 27 5 9 1 0 2 6 2 3 0 0 .333 .379 .593 972 2003(A) 57 206 42 72 12 0 8 28 30 16 2 0 .350 .441 .524 965 2004(AA) 28 114 19 42 11 0 3 18 10 7 0 0 .368 .438 .544 982 2004(AAA) 49 199 32 74 22 0 5 38 14 25 0 0 .372 .423 .558 981 2004(MLB) 38 116 7 26 6 0 0 15 7 11 3 0 .224 .289 .276 565 Quick, compact, natural swing. Hits for average and controls the strikezone exceptionally well (career BB/K of 1.2). Hasn’t shown much homerun power as of yet, but it’s hard to believe it’s not coming when you look at that stroke. His huge doubles totals at all levels are also a sure sign of developing power. Simply put, Kotchman is one of the top-five hitting prospects in the game today.Defense/Baserunning: Hands as soft as freshly churned butter. May not cover a lot of ground laterally, but is a big target at first and can pick low throws with the best of them. There's a gold glove in Kotchman's future. Doesn't look to steal, and is a strictly station-to-station baserunner.Health: Health is likely the only thing that could derail Kotchman at this point. He’s never had a fully healthy season. He suffered from a broken wrist and nose in 2001, an injured back in 2002, a torn hamstring in 2003, and another relatively minor hamstring injury in 2004. I for one am not overly worried that Kotchman is “fragile”- several injuries have been freak accidents and not a sign that he is prone to injury. What does worry me is the fact that Kotchman has had problems with his hammys in two consecutive seasons. This could be a recurring condition, and is something to watch.Outlook: Unlike many, I’m not quite ready to declare Kotchman ready for the big club. During his major league call-up in 2004, Kotchman adopted a free-swinging attitude that he took back to AAA. He struggled with his plate discipline throughout the rest of the season, posting more strikeouts than walks for the first time in a minor league campaign (something that’s gone largely unnoticed, as he also hit a blistering .372 over that time). He also showed little development in the power department. Now don’t take this to mean that I’m worried about Kotchman’s hitting ability – I still feel that, as long as he’s healthy, he is an absolute lock to hit .300/.380/.520 in the majors with 20+ HR. I would just like to see him put together a complete average/on-base/power season in the minors – something he has yet to do. ETA: He’ll see time this season, and should seize the everyday job sometime in 2006. See the complete list of scouting reports here. Comments:I like your post. To add to this summary, I would like to throw out an untangable. While speaking casually with Casey after he jumped from AA to the Majors, then back to AAA. His attitude at that time toward fans had a very negative aura. He didn't converse at all and didn't seem to care at all about the fan (adult/kid/male/female). Last year he seemed to loosen up a bit, but at the beginning of the 05 season it appeared to me that he was discusted with being "sent" to AAA. Look at his frist 30 AB's. ----horid. Then his attitude changed, I noticed him laugh with fans, playing more loosely. Maybe its that "baseball" aura. |
