Just yesterday, during the telecast of the Reds-Cardinals baseball game on Fox Sports Ohio, there was an interesting trivia question asked. How many shortstops played alongside Joe Morgan during his time as a Cincinnati Red? The correct answer was six.
Brandon Phillips, the Reds' All-Star second-baseman since 2006, has played alongside a whopping 20 shortstops. Let me put this into perspective— Morgan played eight seasons for the Reds from 1972-1979 and saw only six shortstops play beside him.
Phillips has been in red for six seasons, two less than Morgan, and has played by 20 different shortstops. The names range from Felipe Lopez to Rich Aurilia, from Royce Clayton up to Orlando Cabrera last season.
Finally, the Reds have reason to be excited for the position— Zack Cozart.
Since being called up on July 7, Cozart has had a scorching hot bat to start his career, going 10 for his first 25. He even clubbed his first major league homer against Lance Lynn this past Sunday, his former college teammate at Ole Miss. His .920 OPS is highly impressive for a kid six games into his career.
Cozart's strong start comes as a bit of a shock. Over five seasons in the Reds' farm system Cozart compiled a mediocre .269 batting average, highly influenced by his .310 average in Triple-A Louisville this season.
Over the last several years, the Reds have had a virtual carousel of shortstops, none of them ever measuring up to what expectations were. Only one of the 20 shortstops mentioned before ever made an All-Star game, and none of them ever batted above .300.
There's no doubt that Cozart is just the first step in a long line of impressive prospects the Reds are building up. However, it seems that Cozart is going to be a key player down the stretch as Cincinnati is attempting to get back atop the NL Central.
Yes, on a team with Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Joey Votto, Cozart is going to be one of the most needed talents in the rest of 2011. He has shown excellent poise at the plate and a swift bat.
Not only has his batting started off impressively, but Cozart's fielding has been flawless, which some would say is his biggest asset anyway. What I've admired most about the 25-year old is the range he's shown. He can go to his right or his left, take a grounder on his backhand or forehand, and display an incredible arm once the play is made.
Up to now, Cozart has been the first look at a quality shortstop in Cincinnati for several years. Based on his first few at-bats, the Queen City has an All-Star in the making.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/771552-cincinnati-reds-is-zack-cozart-the-teams-savior
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