It's time to cut our losses with Zack Cozart

[Chuck]

With Keston Hiura reportedly on the way to the majors, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that Travis Shaw could be placed on the injured list with a hand/wrist injury or possibly demoted to Triple-A.

The Brewers have decided to make a change. Shaw, 29, owns a miserable .163/.266/.281 batting line with 4 HR over 40 games.

----

Man, Shaw has really tanked after having a solid 2017 and 2018 campaign. 

What will it take for the Angels to see that Cozart is a wasted roster spot and just cut their losses? Nobody is going to take on the contract he's owed for the remaining year & a half and he's basically just become a defensive replacement late in the game. 

Cozart is slashing a cool .136/.189/.160 with no home runs, so he's been even worse than Shaw.

[Homebrewer]

F'n Sosh..

[floplag]

I think what was holding that up was the fact that we might need Fletcher in the OF.  
However, with Walsh and even Parker doing what they are doing down on the farm, that time may have passed as both appear ready or darn close to it.
We will probably see both of them as i suspect Walsh comes up to take Bour spot and Parker for the OF but im not sure they do that and gut SLC, well see i guess.

[Second Base]

Until this team is positive that Luis Rengifo is ready, I'd hold onto Cozart.  He's still a really good defender at multiple positions.  My problem really isn't in having Cozart on the roster, as much as it's the fact that he's receiving consistent playing time.  He should be a late inning defensive replacement, and backup.  That's it. 

But once Luis Rengifo is ready to play, then it's time to release Cozart, because at that point Rengifo either becomes the utility player, or is the starting 2B at which point either La Stella or Fletcher become the utility players. 

[kevinb]

3 minutes ago, Second Base said:

Until this team is positive that Luis Rengifo is ready, I'd hold onto Cozart.  He's still a really good defender at multiple positions.  My problem really isn't in having Cozart on the roster, as much as it's the fact that he's receiving consistent playing time.  He should be a late inning defensive replacement, and backup.  That's it. 

But once Luis Rengifo is ready to play, then it's time to release Cozart, because at that point Rengifo either becomes the utility player, or is the starting 2B at which point either La Stella or Fletcher become the utility players. 

When will Rengifo be ready to play full time?

[Second Base]

1 minute ago, Kevinb said:

When will Rengifo be ready to play full time?

When the team deems he ready.  In my opinion, after watching him last year, in ST and this year both in the majors and in AAA, he's close.  Maybe July. 

[Chuck]

I'll tell you who's not ready, and perhaps may never be again...that's Zack Cozart. 

[PattyD22]

12 minutes ago, Second Base said:

Until this team is positive that Luis Rengifo is ready, I'd hold onto Cozart.  He's still a really good defender at multiple positions.  My problem really isn't in having Cozart on the roster, as much as it's the fact that he's receiving consistent playing time.  He should be a late inning defensive replacement, and backup.  That's it. 

 

I don't think that Cozart is that great of a defender, especially at third base.  I understand he's normally a SS, but his throws across the diamond leave me chewing my nails.  

I do understand the thought of keeping him as a potential pinch runner, but he's certainly not a viable candidate for pinch hitting duties.  Hell, I was nervous when he came in last night as a late inning defensive replacement.

He's basically a dead man walking and it's just a matter of time before he's DFA'd.  Cut bait and move on, like you said

[fan_since79]

Some random guy in the stands might do a better job at the plate than Cozart. 

He's done. Cut him loose.

 

[floplag]

When will Rengifo be ready is at this point up to him. 
At SLC in 92 ABs he hit 272 with a 327 OBP and a 783 OPS, not exactly stellar by any means.  Ty Kelly has actually been arguably better at 2B in nearly the same# of ABs with much less power of course.
He has to prove he can hit at this level to stick, we all know that.  Im not sure shoving him in to sink or swim is the best plan but it seems the one chosen.
I might have called up Tovar or Rojas to get a cup of coffee in his place to let the Rengifo stay down and have some success and gain some confidence. 

[Jeff Fletcher]

Cozart has gotten on base in each game he’s started since he came back. Also, he’s pretty much now just playing against lefties. 

Seems to me that they have found an appropriate balance that gives him some chance to find himself while not running him out there every day. 

[Stradling]

Once again, unless you are willing to sit La Stella or Fletcher why cut Cozart lose?  You don’t bring up Rengifo to sit on the bench you bring him up to play.  If he plays then one of those other guys takes the Cozart role.  Just utilize him against left handed pitching only, so he would get two starts a week.  

[T.G.]

AW's solution for every struggling player is to trade or release them.  If the AW faithful were the Angels GM - they'd make Jerry Dipoto look like a slacker with the number of roster moves they'd make.  The 25 man roster would change on a daily basis.  Tommy La Stella would be wearing pinstripes. 

[Angel Oracle]

Since returning from the DL:  .235/.316/.294/.610, and after 13 Ks in first 66 PAs before the DL...just 1 K in the past 19 PAs 

That is Mike Trout, compared to where Cozart was before going on the DL. 

Maybe he is okay as a utility guy, although his 3B defense is still questionable.

[beatlesrule]

[totdprods]

I'm fine with Cozart's current role. La Stella and Fletcher are getting the playing time over him, for the most part. 
He's an expensive Cliff Pennington right now, and that's fine.

[UndertheHalo]

It’s too early.  It’s natural law that the Angels have the worst player in the league on the 25 man roster through at least July 31st. 

 

[Chuck]

It would be one thing if Cozart was awful just this season, but the guy was terrible last year as well and outside of his 2017 season, he's been below average. 

Bour and Cozart need to go. They're basically useless. 

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Cozart has gotten on base in each game he’s started since he came back. Also, he’s pretty much now just playing against lefties. 

Seems to me that they have found an appropriate balance that gives him some chance to find himself while not running him out there every day. 

I guess if he's just playing against lefties for now it's fine, but if he cannot perform well over the next month or so I think he should go. 

Even in his limited role, he hasn't been that great over his last 10 games and with no power or speed, he's basically just a defensive replacement at best. 

[totdprods]

37 minutes ago, BackUpTheTruck said:

Cozart had one good year. Otherwise, he has been mediocre at best his whole career.

Offensively, yes - though his 2015-2016 numbers weren’t awful offensively. But he still averaged 2 WAR five years prior to his crazy 2017. Obviously most of that was derived defensively but also posted positive offensive WAR. 

He’s fine as a UT IF guy...for now.

[Stradling]

We are going to enter a time in Angels baseball where we will have a lot of useful young players really damn soon.  We will lose guys as well because having guys come up and get spot starts won’t really show what they can do.  It would not shock me if we lose a guy that goes on to have a better career than the guy starting in front of him here because he didn’t really have a chance on this club on the major league roster.  

[totdprods]

5 minutes ago, Stradling said:

We are going to enter a time in Angels baseball where we will have a lot of useful young players really damn soon.  We will lose guys as well because having guys come up and get spot starts won’t really show what they can do.  It would not shock me if we lose a guy that goes on to have a better career than the guy starting in front of him here because he didn’t really have a chance on this club on the major league roster.  

Hermosillo, possibly Ward or Thaiss, strike me as guys who could come around well after the Angels have moved on from them, either by trade or otherwise.

[Stradling]

3 minutes ago, totdprods said:

Hermosillo, possibly Ward or Thaiss, strike me as guys who could come around well after the Angels have moved on from them, either by trade or otherwise.

Jones, Rojas, Walsh (probably not Walsh).  

[Tank]

here's the rub: we're a competitive team this year. if we release bad players like bour and cozart, we'd better have someone better with which to replace them. do we have that now in thaiss, ward, walsh, etc.? can those kids come in and keep this team competitive for a playoff spot? what if those kids are promoted and do worse than those they replace? what if bour and coazrt figure it out in the next three or four weeks?

this is not as simple to do as some here want to portray.

 

[T.G.]

Just now, Tank said:

here's the rub: we're a competitive team this year. if we release bad players like bour and cozart, we'd better have someone better with which to replace them. do we have that now in thaiss, ward, walsh, etc.? what if those kids are promoted and do worse than those they replace? what if bour and coazrt figure it out in the next three or four weeks?

this is not as simple to do as some here want to portray.

People do this all the time in fantasy baseball.  I'm sure there isn't any difference.