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Kotchman biding his time for a starting
job Casey Kotchman is possibly
the best hitter in baseball not currently holding down a starting position in
the big leagues. Despite hitting a robust .358/.394/.433 in spring training with
16 RBIs, a total surpassed only by Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels first base
prospect was returned to AAA Salt Lake for the start of the 2005 season.
One might argue that the left-handed hitter has nothing more to prove at the minor league level since he batted .372/.423/.558 for Salt Lake last season. Those numbers came in 49 games after he batted .368/.438/.544 in 28 games with AA Arkansas. He also played 38 games with the Angels last season. But if returning to the minor leagues is bothering the 22-year-old Kotchman, it doesn't show in his demeanor. “I'm just happy to go out and play every day,” said Kotchman. "I'm just having fun doing that."It's not surprising that Kotchman is just glad to be out on the field. He's suffered a variety of freak injuries, mostly wrist, back and hamstring problems, throughout his four-year career. Kotchman takes a philosophical attitude about this run of bad luck. “You can't control everything that happens to you,” said Kotchman. "The only thing you can control is how you respond and react to it." While he's off to a slow start this season, hitting only .148 with no extra base hits after his first 15 games, Kotchman is maintaining his basic batting skills. He's drawn 15 walks and is getting on-base at a .352 clip. His bat and defense are both major league ready, but Kotchman still feels he needs to continue to improve his overall game. "Whether it's in life or this sport," Kotchman remarked, "you can always improve on something." --- Bill Mitchell |
