The Rangers announced that they’ve activated Keone Kela from the disabled list and designated infielder Pete Kozma for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster.
The 29-year-old Kozma has appeared in 39 games between the Yankees and Rangers this year — his first big league action since the 2015 season in St. Louis. His offensive struggles have continued, though, as he’s batted a combined .111/.200/.178 through 51 plate appearances between those two clubs (41 with Texas). Kozma has always been a glove-first player, but teams have had a hard time justifying carrying his bat on the Major League roster (with the exception of the 2013 Cardinals).
In parts of six Major League seasons between the Cards, Yankees and Rangers, Kozma is a .212/.282/.285 hitter through 740 plate appearances.
A good glove can only go so far when you come up with bases loaded and 2 out or game tying run in scoring position with 2 out and you continually strike out and don’t deliver. I do wish him well though.
I still don’t understand how he was a first round pick
Teams draft the glove for short stops. Still do.
With the payoff coming if he can be one of the few who can hit good MLB pitching.
Luhnow wasn’t the genius people like to give him credit for being.
With the information available _then_, who should he have taken?
tom tebow
in hindsight…Rick Porcello
Only in hindsight. Porcello was thought to be unsignable by the Cardinals.
Spot on.
If you want to complain about a draft pick, have an idea _before it’s made_ who should be being selected. Or passively golf clap when the name is announced.
why is that?
He was a late first round draft pick. How many picks could you say that about that were 1 through 10 that never made it to the majors? At least he had somewhat of a career.
Lots of players who were picked ahead of him in that 2007 draft had much worse careers. Vitters, Moskos, LaPorta, Weathers, Aumont, Beau Mills, Ahrens, Beavan were all picked ahead of Kozma and all had substantially worse careers.