Comments on: Pete Kozma and the AFL

By: cariocacardinal

cariocacardinal — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:43:12 +0000

More upside? Greene undoubtedly. more power, more speed, has hit for average at times. Probably better range and stronger arm as well. If you want to talk about who will do better over their career you could get a valid discussion but greene’s upside far exceeds Kozma’s. The chance of him reaching his upside is another question.

By: philskill

philskill — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 02:21:47 +0000

Kozma certainly hasn’t blown anybody away, but he has progressed at an average pace in my opinion for a guy drafted out of high school. Kozma has been bitten by the error bug, but he is considered to have above average range at the position. The error problem should fix itself. Kozma added a bit of pop this year, although the Texas league is a bit of a hitters league. I just don’t understand why people can’t be a little more patient. Pete Kozma at 22 – 23 years old or Tyler greene at 26 – 27 years old…..who has more upside? Kozma clearly. 2010 is a make or break year. I suspect that Kozma might start off slowly in AAA, but as he has consistently done, he will adjust. Its time to get off Kozma’s back a bit. Lets see what he does in 2011 before we write him off.

By: jjray

jjray — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:34:55 +0000

Aaron Miles NEVER EVER should start at SS. If Ryan went down, Miles couldn’t fill in for a month at SS. Koz is billed as a defensive SS yet he commits an above average number of errors. We’ll get better metrics on him when he plays a year in AAA. Koz isn’t a young Miles but I can’t honestly disagree with those arguing he’s nothing better than future utility MI. I’d like to think there is hope but, right now, he sure does profile as a utility MI.

By: Stan

Stan — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:19:58 +0000

Agree with the Kozma-doubters. I don’t see any reason you’d include him in the discussion for the 40 man except that he’s a former first rounder and this organization likes to be able to say that they haven’t whiffed on first rounders. I wouldn’t care about that except that you’d have to cut a valuable player to keep Kozma.

I also don’t understand the rationale of keeping him in case you need a AAA shortstop. #1, it would be shocking for another team to take him in the Rule V draft. #2, there will be minor league free agents out there who can play SS at AA and AAA who are probably even more likely to become a major-league quality utility man- low standard that that is.

By: Gruntosaurus

Gruntosaurus — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:52:26 +0000

The question, though, is whether to use a 40-man slot on a guy who MIGHT be a useful “utility guy” in four or five years. Utility guys aren’t exactly rare birds. In fact, I’d claim the Birds have had too durn many of them in the last few years. If he can be accommodated on the 40-man with ABSOLUTELY no exposure of scarcer commodities, fine. But there should be no contortions or rationalizations to do so.

Put differently: how excited are you about reserving a space on the 40-man for someone whose upside, 4 or 5 years from now, may be a young Aaron Miles?

By: jjray

jjray — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:53:49 +0000

Agree with Wade. I don’t see how we toss Kozma onto the scrap heap so early. A league average MLB SS with three pre-arb years left has value. To me it is worth-while holding on that assets. But I haven’t seen a matrix of all the players who need to be added to the 40 man for protection from Rule 5. It may be that exposing Kozma is the lesser of two evils and his sucky #s in the AFL actually help the Cardinals (by making Kozma an unlikely Rule 5 pick).

By: Wade

Wade — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:11:06 +0000

really? how many starting SS are under 25? he has time to develop still and if he can become a utility guy can still be valuable to the team. I’m not saying he was the best pick in that draft slot, but we could have done worse than someone who ends up being a utility guy. He should definitely be protected even though he hasn’t developed to be a starting SS to this point.

By: Seals

Seals — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:14:12 +0000

I’m with GDM. I don’t know if I’d normally be that harsh on a starting AA shortstop his age but I’m tired of waiting on Kozma to develop. That’s impatient — and overly judgmental because he was an easy sign-ability selection — but that’s the way it is. He will have to become an average MLB starter for many of us in the HPGF to be satisfied. Sad but true.

By: GDM

GDM — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:01:35 +0000

i for one am ready to never see or hear about kozma ever again. it was a stupid move to draft him & it’d be stupid for the org to hold onto him & hope he turns into something he is so clearly unable of becoming

By: cariocacardinal

cariocacardinal — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:45:19 +0000

Wade’s got it right. Kozma must be protected because of his age when drafted. It is age, not HS or college status that determines how many years until you have to be protected.