Enigma Prospect: Pete Kozma, INF, St. Louis Cardinals

An enigma prospect for your consideration: Pete Kozma of the St. Louis Cardinals

Pete Kozma, 2B-SS, St. Louis Cardinals
Bats: R Throws: R HT: 6-0 WT: 170 DOB: April 11, 1988
2008: Grade B-; 2009: Grade C+; 2010: Grade C; 2011: Grade C; 2012: Grade C


This is what I wrote about Pete Kozma in 2012:

I think it is safe to say that former first-round pick Pete Kozma is not going to live up to expectations. He did make some progress with the glove last year, cutting his error rate in half and playing well at both shortstop and second base. With more reliable defense, there is still a chance he could be a useful utility player, but barring an unanticipated ion storm that switches him with a counterpart from an evil alternate universe, I can't see how he will hit well enough to keep a job as a regular. Grade C.


Did anyone notice any ion storms in St. Louis last summer? Did Kozma grow a goatee? Because I can't think of any other explanation for what Pete Kozma did in his 26 games for the Cardinals last year (.333/.383/.569). In the 42 games before his promotion to the majors, Kozma hit .234/.293/.364 for Memphis, so it wasn't like he was riding a hot streak when he moved up to St. Louis. I saw him play for Memphis in mid-August and, well, he was Pete Kozma: decent enough athlete, a bit of pop in his bat, reasonable with the glove, but not a guy who really stood out from the crowd in any way other than the fact that I knew he was a former first round pick. You'll just have to make your own guesses with this one, because I haven't a clue how he did it. Grade C.