This draft has shaped up very nicely for the Cardinals (thanks, Cubs!) and now they get the best pure hitter in the draft at #25. Signability is an issue, as Cox is a sophomore. I don’t think he’ll be able to do better in the stacked 2011 draft, so he’d be wise to sign, and I have to think the Cardinals will do what it takes to get it done. I wonder about his overall power potential, but at #25, this is absolutely tremendous.
Law:
Cox is a draft-eligible sophomore and one of the most advanced college bats in this year’s draft. He’s very strong, including strong hands and wrists, and is very short to the ball, hitting line drives to all fields, but with the ability to drive a ball on the inner half.
He was criticized after his freshman year for his strikeout total and cut down his swing to make more contact, with more walks than strikeouts this year. At third base, he has an above-average arm but heavy legs, although he makes up for the latter with good instincts and an aggressive style of play.
The fact that Cox could make such a significant adjustment at the plate in one year is impressive, and we’ve now seen him hit for power and for average and show the ability to get on base; when he puts all of that together in one season, he’ll be an All-Star.
BA:
Cox is the best pure hitter and top sophomore-eligible player in the draft. He hit just .266 as a freshman on Arkansas’ College World Series team a year ago, but improved as the season went on and adjusted his pull-happy approach when he arrived in the Cape Cod League. He hit .344 with wood bats and ranked as the top position prospect in the summer circuit, setting the stage for a breakout spring in which he was hitting .446/.532/.631 through mid-May. Cox has very good hands, a short, lefty stroke and nice command of the strike zone. He has an uncanny ability to hit the ball with authority to the opposite field. There’s some debate as to how much power he’ll have in the major leagues, but he has the bat speed to do damage once he adds more loft to his swing. He has plenty of strength, as evidenced by a titanic shot he blasted off the top of a 90-foot-tall scoreboard at the 2009 Southeastern Conference tournament. Six feet and 215 pounds, Cox is a decent athlete with fringy speed and range at third base. Not all scouts are sold on his defensive ability. He does have a strong arm—he threw in the low 90s as a reliever a year ago—and will put in the work to improve his reactions at third base. He also has seen time at second base, and one scout said his actions looked better there, but his athleticism is more suited for the hot corner. Cox turned down an $800,000 offer as a Dodgers 20th-round pick out of high school, and he’s in line to make two or three times as much as a top 10 choice this June.
From College Splits, here’s his stats. Adjusted Stats: Play-by-Play Splits.
FWIW, Keith Law tweets that the Cardinals made the pick of the night so far.
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Outstanding. Hopefully he signs quick and can his feet wet late this summer.
Considering he’ll demand WELL above slot money to sign at 26…. Don’t hold your breath on the whole “sign early” suggestion… He’s a deadline guy.
Not the guy I really wanted but I think we need him at 2nd assuming we sign him. Will still be alot of talent around at 46 and 50.
Totally the right pick. Even if he’s expensive, you can never complain when they take the best player available–a guy who a lot of people thought would go top 10.
Projected in the Top 10 in just about every mock draft out there. A steal. If he feels comfortable at 2nd Base and shows an aptitude for it while keeping that live bat then we really, really did something special here. Might be our starting 2B in less than 3 years if Mr. Freese can stick at the hot corner.
@Blaise: Special IF they do manage to sign him. By all reports, his asking price is decidedly inflated.
That said, I like the pick whether they sign him or not. Sign him, and the pluses are obvious, even if he milks a little extra cash out of De Wallet; this team can afford it. Fail to sign him, and it’s a high choice in what’s generally considered a much stronger draft pool next year. It’s a can’t-lose situation.
Pulling my feet with this, but come on, but 25th pick I mean come on (I Was born on 5-25 85 lotsa fives)
Sounds like a great pick. Hope the signing goes well and if he can convert to 2nd, so much the better.
You have to think the proximity to St. Louis helps the Cardinals as well. . .he’s from Kentucky, which has its share of Cardinals support. Arkansas is huge Cardinal country as well.
Good pick. I’m not sure he’ll sign for what he was demanding, but he’ll definitely sign for well above slot. I’m going to venture a guess around 2.4 to 2.6 million dollars.
Hard to complain about this pick even though Castellanos was higher on my board. Another guys that fell in the 1st like Miller and Wallace in years past. I liked our overall Day 1.
Heavy legs and strong arm….
Sounds like a catcher to me.
Great day 1 I say thought would have liked the potential of Cole and Wilson at 46 or 50. Not sure why Cole still hasn’t been drafted? Maybe he’s decided to go to college.
Luhnow said that the delay at 50 was because of multiple options……wondering who else we were considering.
I don’t comment much but my first reaction was a heavy legged third baseman who was the best pure hitter yet has questionable power sounded like a scouting report for Brett Wallace.
Someone please tell me we didn’t get another Wallace.
If he converts to 2nd base then its an awesome pick.
This is a pick like Wallace. High floor. A left swinger, who hit well with wood in Cape Cod.
Cox is unlikely to have the speed to play 2B and would be underpowered at 1B. Cox should be better defending 3B than Wallace.
Is he better than the kid we took in the 13th round last year. Matt Carpenter, he is tearing up the Texas league. We signed him for a cup of coffee and a pack of Marlboro. Cuban cigars. What is he asking for 120 million.
Cox has actually already transitioned to 2b for the Razorbacks. So I don’t think the transition will be as difficult as some say. I like Freese better than Cox at 3b in our future. He said he wants Pedro Alvarez money 6million but won’t come close to that. He’s really risking it if he goes back to college as next years draft is really good and the only reason he was this high was because he was one of the few advanced college bats coming out this year.
@Andrew:
Cox has played nothing but 3B and DH for the Hogs this year. I’ve seen him at 3B, 1B, SS and DH in his career. He is okay at 3B, but he’s not the fleetest of foot out there. He has a solid arm and great instincts so I think it should be a fairly easy transition to 2B, if he does that. He could possibly stick at 3B, but I don’t think that will be where he is best in the future.
He has a smooth swing with a great approach at the plate, which should lend itself to him being able to hit for a high average and move quickly through the system. His swing lends itself more to a high average than high power, but he could probably add a little loft to his swing in order to try to increase power. He set the Arkansas HR record for a freshman last year with 12-13 and he has 9 this year, will still hitting .420. All in all, his bat will play at any level and should translate very well to the majors, he just has to find a position that he can stick at whether that be 3B or 2B..
The Cardinals will need to work with Cox at 3rd/2nd to get him into better shape. I think, unlike Wallace, he’s got a chance to be an average defender at either position.
He was moved to 2b a few weeks ago draft people are saying. Maybe it is just that I’ve only seen a few swings of his on youtube and draft previews but he really seems to have an off balance hitting off your front leg swing. Very Charlie Lau’ish. Reports have said he hit for alot of power but low average and was too pull happy his freshman year and the pendulum swung too far to the other way in terms of not hitting with enough power A very upper body ish swing doesn’t seem to use his legs well enough.
The fact is, the Cardinals need pick like this. Cox is a guy who move quickly through the system and a lot of value wherever he plays. It kind of sounds like Zach is a perfect number 2 hitter for TLR. With Cox falling in Luhnow’s lap, it allows the Cardinals taking a few “high risk-high rewards” tomorrow. I don’t who is going to be available at 75, but i hope they go after someone that is extremely “toolsy”.
Alex not sure if I agree, with the high price tag that Cox will demand not sure we draft alot of high risk high reward guys. At least not any that want alot of money. I do agree when will draft a few but not the “name” ones.
It’s the same story as Wallace, in a good way: He has a plus-plus hit tool, and the Cards will figure out his position later. If he can hit, he’ll have value, either with the Cards or somewhere else. But, Freese barely has 200 AB’s at the major-league level, and Schumaker is already 30 and will hit free agency soon, so Luhnow did a nice job of adding an advanced bat who can play one of those positions.
Andrew, I believe the Cardinals wouldnt draft Zach in the first round if they werent planning on signing him. Plus, this is probably the best oportunity for Zach to maxamize his money. Next years draft is apparently “stocked” and then he loses another year of leverage. I think the real question is, What level does he start at next year?
@Andrew:
Trust me man, I go to school with Cox and have seen nearly every one of his collegiate games at Arkansas. He has played 3B all year and DH’ed on occassion, I’m absolutely positive of this because the Hogs current 2B is named Bo Bingham and he is very solid defensively which is why he has stuck there. That being said, Cox has a strong arm at 3rd and good instincts. He’s not the quickest guy or a guy with great range, but his instincts and quick hands should make up for any shortcomings he has and should easily allow him to move to 2B if the Cardinals decide to do that. I think it would be the best decision and it would ensure that he is expedited through the system, but an interview with Lunhow yesterday revealed that the Cardinals will start him off at 3B.
His swing was criticized last year because it generated power, but it made it easier for Cox to strike out and harder for him to hit for a high average. He completely retooled his swing in less than a year, and the results have been phenomenal. He’s still hit 9 HR’s, which is fairly solid for a college sophomore, and he has raised his batting average to well over .400 while increasing his walk totals and decreasing his strikeout totals. He’s a very good hitter and a little bit of tweaking to his swing could add back a little more power, while still keeping his average high and strikeout totals low. Basically, if he can stick at 3B or make the move to 2B, he will be an absolute masher who can produce runs and hit to all fields with solid power.
I think he’s a better hitter and better overall player than Brett Wallace. Obviously there will be comparisons between the two, but I never thought Wallace had a chance to stick at 3rd, however I’m fairly confident that Cox will be able to remain at 3B or move to 2B. He’s just a baseball player and he will work hard to make the transition to whatever position he is placed at. All in all, I think the Cardinals got a polished player with a very high ceiling. He could be an All-Star caliber player, but I also don’t think he will be anything less than a solid major-leaguer. Really a great pick for the Cardinals.
Cox did play second on a few occasions this year, although the vast majority of his time was spent at third. (I think he played second some earlier in the year when Bo Bigham was hurt…and maybe during some of Van Horn’s reshuffling when Bigham was playing right) He did a pretty good job filling in , but the other posters are correct in that he was never “transitioned” to 2B. I would’ve liked to have seen him on the mound again, but the need wasn’t there. For the Hogs, the defense is so much more solid with him at third, and Bigham is a more athletic 2B. His hitting definitely improved from last year, I didn’t mind power #’s being down as he’s hitting in front of Eibner and Wilkins who can dent scoreboards with the best of them. If he makes it to the big club, you need guys getting on in front of the big boys and he fills that role. Hopefully, they can make a second baseman of him…they did it for Skip. Not sure ZC has Skip’s athleticism, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t…just that he hasn’t had the opportunity to show it. Now the Cards need to get Eibner. The boy is one helluva CF.
@deez:
Thanks for the correction deez, I wasn’t aware that Cox had played a few games a 2B this year, but I was pretty positive that he was a still a 3B for the Razorbacks and as you said, had definitely not been transitioned to 2B.
I’m with you on the Eibner pick too. I wish he would have been around for the Cardinals to get in the 2nd round, you don’t stumble accross too many guys with great speed, great arms and amazing power very often. I think he will be an outstanding player if he can manage to keep his average high and his K totals low..
Yeah I’ve seen him play second a few times at Arkansas and he is solid by college standards. He is not the most athletic, but he has good reaction speed and a good feel. I personally think if the hogs had a better option at third he would likely have played a great deal more at second. Although I don’t think he will ever be much above average defensively, but his bat more than makes up for this.
[...] Round 1, Pick 25: Zach Cox [...]
Saturday night at 9pm on ESPNU Arkansas plays Arizona State University in the first of there 3 game series. Good chance to see Cox and Blair and Swagerty.
[...] We feel fairly confident in our ability to talk Cardinal baseball here at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. We even know a bit about the minor leagues. However, we are not about to pretend to know anything about the MLB draft that concluded yesterday. That would be ridiculous. If you are looking for real draft coverage, we recommend http://www.futureredbirds.net. Those boys know the draft. We’ll even make it easy and link to their 2010 draft information. Just click on each player’s name to learn all the goodies we would not even pretend to know. What we do know is pictures! So for our own special touch in covering the draft, we have collected that vital piece of information missing from most draft reviews: pictures of the Cardinals’ draft picks – limiting it to the first 12 rounds due to space and attention span. Round 1 (#25 overall) – Zach Cox [...]