|
|
2002 season Natural hitter Cota
working on a switch to the outfield The Arizona Diamondbacks organization has a well-documented glut of first basemen, both at the major league level and through their farm system. For a National League team not having the luxury of using one of those players in a designated hitter role, it creates a logjam at the position.
There are really only two ways to resolve the problem of having too many good players at one position. A trade can be made, as was the case with the recent deal involving Erubiel Durazo going to the Oakland Athletics organization. Or, a player can learn a new position, the approach being taken with minor league prospect Jesus Cota. The 21-year-old Diamondbacks farmhand switched to the outfield during the 2002 regular season, and is gaining additional experience during the winter with the Hermosillo Naranjeros of the Mexican Pacific League. "I feel real comfortable," answered Cota when asked about the progress of his conversion to the outfield. "I'm reading the balls off the bat real well and I'm a lot more comfortable then when I was in Lancaster (Arizona's high Class A affiliate in the California League)." Hermosillo manager Dereck Bryant sees absolutely no problem with Cota making the switch to the outfield. "In fact, I see him playing more outfield than first base," remarked Bryant. "He seems to have a little bit better instincts. He gets great jumps on the ball." Bryant described Cota's throwing arm as "better than average." "With work and a little more improvement," continued Bryant, "you're going to see an above average outfielder, which may surprise some people." What hasn't surprised anyone around organized baseball is Cota's ability at the plate. He's a solid hitter who should continue to get better as he rises through the Arizona system. Cota's career started with a bang in 2001 after he was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 14th round a year earlier. The Pima Community College (Tucson, Arizona) product was named the MVP in the short season Pioneer League, batting .368 with 16 homeruns and 71 RBIs in 272 at bats for the Missoula Osprey. Arizona challenged Cota by jumping him a level in 2002, placing the 6'3", 215 pound left-handed hitter in the high Class A California League. While his overall numbers dropped, Cota still put together a fine season, batting .280 with 16 homeruns and 101 RBIs in 540 at bats. Cota is not worried about the drop in his homerun totals in 2002, when he hit the same number as the previous season but in twice the at bats. "I consider myself a line drive hitter with a little pop," stated Cota. "That's how Willie Wilson (Lancaster batting coach) described me. At the beginning of the season I wasn't hitting for much power. Because I hit 16 at Missoula, everyone was expecting me to hit homeruns." Cota continued, "It's a pretty good jump, going from the Pioneer League to the California League. But I adjusted well. I hung in there and did my job."
Bryant agreed when discussing Cota's hitting style. "Jesus has that smooth, natural gifted swing," said the Hermosillo skipper. "He's more of a natural athlete. I see him as a John Olerud-type player. Olerud's a good athlete who probably could have played outfield." "He's a big kid," continued Bryant, about Cota, "and he's going to get a lot stronger." As one of the younger players on the Hermosillo team, Cota has struggled in his limited playing time in the Mexican Pacific League, hitting under .200. But his time in Mexico has been a great learning experience for Cota, who was born in Hermosillo and lived there until his family moved to the United States when he was a young child. "This is a great experience," remarked Cota, enthusiastically. "It's almost big league level. You've got a lot of big league guys here, so it's going to help me out a lot." Bryant believes that Cota only needs more experience before he could be considered a major league caliber hitter. The time in Mexico has been very beneficial for the young hitter. "This league has taught him a little bit more about patience," said Bryant, "and about making adjustments. In Class A you don't have the pitchers that have the control you see down here. These guys are very good pitchers ... major league pitchers or AAA pitchers that can put the ball in the spots where they can hurt different hitters. You don't see the fastball right down the middle, which he's accustomed to seeing. It's made him be a more patient hitter ... he's got to really stay back and look for the ball." "He's learning more about pitches that he needs to work on going to the opposite field," continued Bryant, "and not so much thinking like a pull hitter." Cota expects to move up to Class AA El Paso next season. With Luis Gonzalez entrenched in left field for at least a few more seasons, the Diamondbacks have no reason to rush Cota. But everyone in baseball knows that he can be a special player someday. Bryant is especially high on Cota's future, proclaiming, "He's going to be a hell of a hitter." --- Bill Mitchell | ||
