Why Isn't Cowart Playing?

[ksangel]

In the first 14 games since he was called up on August 20th he hit .292 (14 / 48) with hits in 13 of the 14 games but then went 0-2 and 0-3 and was benched.  In the next seven games he started twice (taken out and Pennington put in in one of those games), subbed in late twice to play defense at 2B but no AB's and didn't play at all in three games. 

Can anyone who is close to the Angels thinking tell a fan from the east coast WHY this happened?  Why are Pennington and Petit, neither who would appear to be in the Angels future other than role players, getting the starts at 2B???  Quite baffling and sure that not playing or only sporadically playing is hurting Cowart's mental outlook since he was playing ok when first called up.  

 

Scioscia said recently that "he would like to see Kaleb Cowart spend at least part of his winter continuing to refine his play at second base and that he would be a great candidate to play winter ball, because it would allow him to play more second base".  “I think he’s probably best served to go down and play second,” Scioscia said. “It’s an easy switch to go back and play third. Second is the position he needs to keep growing with.”

Article went on to say that "Cowart is an outstanding defensive third baseman, but so far he hasn’t shown the bat in the majors to play third, which is typically an offensive position"

 

 

[Stradling]

It could be as simple as seeing how he would be as a utility player.  It's tough to find a player that can perform a few times a week, someone who can stay sharp even if they aren't playing everyday.  

[totdprods]

He could probably stand to be starting a little more, but he also hasn't really been that good. He had a solid batting average for a week, but he's barely seeing 3 pitches an at-bat, showing no patience, striking out. Flubbed a couple plays defensively too. Think Sosh just recognizes he is pressing a little bit, and giving Petit and Pennington a couple at-bats. I haven't watched much the past couple of days, but I think Cowart has still had some defensive replacement time.

[totdprods]

And what Strad said.

I think ultimately the Angels are viewing him, at a minimum, as a UT IF. If his bat comes around, he now has the versatility to drop in at either third or second, which may be necessary if Marte continues to force his way into the future plans.

[Stax]

I do not think the Angels have the confidence in him to be a regular. If they did, this would be the ideal time to play him and see if he can make the adjustments to hit major league pitching. At best, he will be a UT player. 

[tomsred]

Perhaps they are also trying to make some final decisions on what to do with Pennington and Petit, if anything during the off season.  I think they know quite a lot about Cowart, and the areas where he needs to improve, and become more versatile.

It's also obvious they like his bat from the left side, and not necessarily the right.  I'm quite sure they didn't want him hitting against a left (Happ) last night.  I also would like to see him walk once, just to prove he knows how to do it.

[Jeff Fletcher]

Also, a lot of the time Cowart was playing everyday was when Escobar was out. Then he came back. 

[ScottT]

Still cant believe the Angels signed Pennington fo two years.  

[arch stanton]

6 hours ago, ScottT said:

Still cant believe the Angels signed Pennington fo two years.  

After a season of watching Gia field and Featherston hit, I absolutely believe it

[DMVol]

Cowart hasn't show enough bat to be a serious candidate at 2b...we still have a hole at 2b....

[tomsred]

Cowart is a really good fielder with a great arm, and a bat that's not yet MLB ready (maybe never).  We've been down this road with Wood, it's painful to see it happening again.  They both have great personalities.

[ScottT]

He could be the next Cliff Pennington 

[eligrba4ever]

If Cowart shows some versatility away from 3B, he might be able to hang around awhile and find a niche like Romine has found in Detroit. The utility player doesn't have to be Ben Zobrist. He can be John McDonald.

[Billy_Ball]

8 hours ago, ScottT said:

He could be the next Cliff Pennington 

That's true, he can pitch!

[Troll Daddy]

If you can't hit you can't play 

[Oz27]

Saying things like Cowart "can't hit" after 68 plate appearances perfectly matches the definition of stupidity. It's perplexing that he isn't getting more of a chance. He is one of maybe three position players in the entire minor league system with a chance to be a respectable MLB starter and is coming off a solid AAA campaign.

[Stradling]

What is more valuable a run scored or a run saved @Troll Daddy?

[Blarg]

A sensible response is both. Runs saved is less frequently part of a win than runs scored. You can only suppress another teams offensive production so much and to win 2-1 you need to score 2. The idea that you can completely suppress run production is a fools argument in that there isn't enough talent in the entire league to achieve that goal that wouldn't be countered by the amount of hitting in the league. 

Balance is the most important goal of any team. So neither answer gets you to your goal. 

[Troll Daddy]

6 hours ago, Oz27 said:

Saying things like Cowart "can't hit" after 68 plate appearances perfectly matches the definition of stupidity. It's perplexing that he isn't getting more of a chance. He is one of maybe three position players in the entire minor league system with a chance to be a respectable MLB starter and is coming off a solid AAA campaign.

Why would you want a respectable MLB player? Oh that's right, you were upset we traded two respectable pitching prospects for a star SS. 

Actually, I didn't say Cowart couldn't hit. There must be a reason why you assumed such a notion.

For the record ... I'm rooting for his success on the Angels. 

[tomsred]

To kind of boil it down, I would say "he hasn't hit much up here so far."  That's not from lack of swinging the bat however.  On the plus side, he is still only 24.  I would be happy if he could find himself offensively like Simmons this year.  Quite a few players come up and find quick success for a short period, then the adjustment game starts, and a lot of them can't keep up with the speed of the adjustments made on them.  I think that's the challenge for Cowart.  

[Troll Daddy]

8 hours ago, tomsred said:

To kind of boil it down, I would say "he hasn't hit much up here so far."  That's not from lack of swinging the bat however.  On the plus side, he is still only 24.  I would be happy if he could find himself offensively like Simmons this year.  Quite a few players come up and find quick success for a short period, then the adjustment game starts, and a lot of them can't keep up with the speed of the adjustments made on them.  I think that's the challenge for Cowart.  

Simmons was a contact hitter before his arrival. His success this season could be that the ball is finding more holes on the field for hits. 

Cowart has a much different swing and approach from what I see . It would be great if he can develop into a above average bat.