Kaleb Cowart at SLC so far....

[Chuck]

1-2 with an RBI double (off the 420 wall in CF per Saltzer) and two walks tonight. 

 

Cowart is hitting .405 with 11 RBI in his last 10 games.

 

RED HOT! 

[TheHeathen]

Gotta love his RISP numbers, too.

[Inside Pitch]

1-2 with an RBI double (off the 420 wall in CF per Saltzer) and two walks tonight. 

 

Cowart is hitting .405 with 11 RBI in his last 10 games.

 

RED HOT! 

 

Stop being excited for him.   A guy suddenly putting it all together only happens in other organizations.   All BS aside, this might be one of the more intriguing developments of 2015.   The kid never gave up, I want very badly for all that hard work to pay off for him..  

[Dave Saltzer]

Cowart's defense looked good. That was never the problem, and it could play in the Majors. This is the best I've seen him hit, ever. The double would have been an HR in Anaheim, as it was over 406 feet (it's 420 in Salt Lake to dead center), but what was more impressive was his approach. The pitch before the double was a tough, low, outside breaking pitch that he used to chase all the time. This time he laid off of it on a 1-2 count, and then crushed the next pitch. That was the best approach I've seen from him.

[bloodbrother]

So what's the story here. Did Cowart make changes to his swing or something?

[John Smith]

John Sickles: "My best guess is that Cowart's production burst is based on a combination of a better approach, some mechanical changes, and good luck in the hitter-friendly PCL."

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/7/29/9027225/angels-prospect-kaleb-cowart-revives-career-in-triple-a

[ettin]

John Sickles: "My best guess is that Cowart's production burst is based on a combination of a better approach, some mechanical changes, and good luck in the hitter-friendly PCL."

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/7/29/9027225/angels-prospect-kaleb-cowart-revives-career-in-triple-a

His Line Drive rate is up too so that explains some, but not all, of the higher BABIP.

[Docwaukee]

I am happy with what he is doing, but his L/R splits are pretty awful.  

[TheHeathen]

.311/.795 vs. LHP, .345/.989 vs. RHP. Not great against lefties, but awful it is not.

[TheHeathen]

3/4 tonight, hitting .348 now.

[Tyler]

Give him a shot. And Sherman Johnson.

[TheHeathen]

The thing I love most about him and what he is doing at this point is the adversity that he had had to overcome, to do what he is doing right now is truly remarkable. To do as poorly as he did for two years in AA,to then just flip a switch turn it on like he had for the last two months, really speaks to his mentality.

[Second Base]

Well, that and the PCL hitting environment.  But I think most of this is mentality with him.  I think the Angels promoting him to AAA lit a fire in him, gave him some confidence that after all his hard work, he's only one level away from being a major leaguer.  Whereas before, he'd spent two years in AA, worked so hard and only gotten worse.  Then he'd been moved back down to A Ball and there were discussions of him moving to the mound.

[Pujols4MVP]

Well, that and the PCL hitting environment.  But I think most of this is mentality with him.  I think the Angels promoting him to AAA lit a fire in him, gave him some confidence that after all his hard work, he's only one level away from being a major leaguer.  Whereas before, he'd spent two years in AA, worked so hard and only gotten worse.  Then he'd been moved back down to A Ball and there were discussions of him moving to the mound.

 

I'll be super happy if he becomes a .750 OPS with great defense in the majors. Such a high premium these days for a 3B to have an OPS higher than .800

Edited August 4, 2015 by MikeScioscia4MVP

[SoWhat]

@80GradeHalos: Also of note re: Cowart: He was hitting .323//.891 in his last 25 games for the 66ers. So he's been killing it since early May.

I guess the playing in the PCL isn't the sole reason for his turn around.

[wopphil]

@80GradeHalos: Also of note re: Cowart: He was hitting .323//.891 in his last 25 games for the 66ers. So he's been killing it since early May.

I guess the playing in the PCL isn't the sole reason for his turn around.

Interesting, I didn't realize that. Maybe he truly has taken a step forward.

[Docwaukee]

I was looking at his splits for the whole season. Much better if those numbers are just for slc. Either way, even if he can a decent platoon lefty with great defense, it's better that what we expected a few months ago

[TheHeathen]

I know he abandoned switch hitting and was going purely from the left side, I think it happened last year, but at some point he obviously went back to switching, not sure when that was. Maybe it was part of the turnaround.

[Second Base]

He resumed switch hitting this season after going back to his original stance last offseason.

[SoWhat]

2-4 with a HR tonight

[Second Base]

Looking very comfortable at the plate. Comparing him with Kubutza is becoming increasingly interesting. Kyle's swing better translates to the majors, has much more line drive gap power to it and and he can reach base at a solid clip. Cowart may be better with contact and a bit stronger. They're both surprisingly fast for their sizes. Cowart is the better athlete but again, Kubitza is no slouch himself. Cowart is the better defender in every aspect but once again, Kubitza has the chance to be a good one too.

With Kubitza's high floor and Cowart's high ceiling, it all but guarantees Freese is gone after this year. Gillaspie hasn't hurt his stock since arriving either. Good times ahead.

Edited August 7, 2015 by ScottyA_MWAH

[wopphil]

Cowart's path has been so incredibly odd. I have never seen a guy get progressively worse as he ages and rises the ranks, get demoted, then get a super promotion and run with it.

At the end of the day, Cowart is a (recently turned) 23 year old lighting up AAA at a premium position. But for two terrible years in AA, he'd probably be a top 75 prospect.

[Pujols4MVP]

Though there has been guys with holes in their swing that have been very effective if they have Grit & power......Napoli for example.
As long as he doesn't look like he's scared in the batters box like Wood he should at least make it as a utility 3B/LF/RF

[tdawg87]

His defense will, at worst, make him a decent bench player. If he can hit at the major league level, he could end up being a good starting 3rd baseman.

 

Still has a little ways to go I think, but I'm very happy at what he is doing right now.

[Second Base]

His defense actually complicates this in my mind. Teams rarely ever carry a defensive specialist 3B off the bench. Utility infielders fill that role and Cowart is a 3B only. He doesn't play SS or 2B, won't hit enough to justify 1B, you don't DH him and he's to good of a 3B to consider moving him to LF.

So for him, I sort of feel like it's starting 3B or bust.