Daily Dish: June 14
Koshansky cements his prospect status with his recent home run surge
See also: Tuesday's Daily Dish
See also: Baseball America Prospect Report
Rockies first baseman Joe Koshansky went 1-for-4 with a single in Double-A Tulsa's 5-4 loss to Wichita on Tuesday, but the 24-year-old slugger is 6-for-11 with three homers over his last three games.
Koshansky, a sixth-round pick out of Virginia in 2004, is currently
leading the Texas League in homers with 17, one ahead of Corpus Christi
outfielder Hunter Pence and three ahead of Arkansas shortstop Brandon
Wood. He trails another Texas Leaguer, Springfield outfielder Terry
Evans, by two for the minor league lead--though 15 of Evans' 19 bombs
came in the high Class A Florida State League at Palm Beach.
"I don't get particularly caught up in that," Koshansky said.
He might not, but others do. Last week Wood talked some good-natured smack about the home run race to Koshansky during BP before a game between the two clubs.
"He told me he was behind me--at the time it was by one, but not to worry--that he'd have the lead back within the hour," Koshansky said.
But where Wood and Pence are more pure power hitters, Koshansky is hitting for both average and power, batting .323/.412/.606 in 226 at-bats for the Drillers.
Not bad for a guy who was known as a straight pull hitter who skipped high Class A, jumping to Tulsa directly from low Class A Asheville--where he crushed 36 homers--last season. (Koshansky also had a late-season 12-game cameo at Tulsa at the end of 2005.)
Asheville is known as a great hitters park because of high altitude and short dimensions down the right-field line, and Koshanky needed to prove himself at a higher level before establishing himself as an elite power-hitting prospect. So far this season he has.
"They sent me up at the end of last season, so I kind of figured I'd start the year here," Koshansky said. "And I worked extremely hard in the offseason to become a more complete hitter. I'm a little shorter to the ball now, just sitting back and working the ball to the opposite field. I'm starting to understand more of what pitchers are trying to do to me.
"I just try to stay short to the ball, and get my top hand on it quickly. I came to the realization that I needed to stay in the middle more, rather than pulling off so much. The power is going to be there regardless."
The power certainly was there on Monday, when Koshansky went 4-for-4 with two homers--both against a rehabbing Zack Greinke--in Tulsa's 9-6 loss to Wichita. And it's been there in a big way this month, as Koshansky has put up .426-5-13 numbers in June.
Part of becoming a more complete hitter has been Koshansky's improved plate discipline and pitch recognition, particularly on breaking balls.
"It all really comes down to patience," Koshansky said. "I'm seeing the ball better because I'm more patient and I'm waiting longer. Now, I'm laying off breaking pitches out of the zone I normally would have swung at before. I'm not too amped up to do something or prove something--I'm relaxed, and that's the biggest change.
"I think my experience playing in the (Atlantic Coast Conference) has really come back to help me adjust here. I had to kind of tuck that away in the back of my mind last year because you don't see a lot of breaking balls in low A. You don't see 2-0 changeups. This is a much more advanced and intelligent level, and it reminds me a lot of playing in the ACC."
Of course, it also helps to have some of the other bats around him. Koshansky rotates between cleanup, fifth or sixth in the order--behind a prospect-laden top half of the order that includes Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, Chris Ianetta, Seth Smith and Joe Gaetti.
"Without a doubt that's a big part of it," Koshansky said. "There is no question this is the best team I've ever been a part of. After going through all those guys, if the pitcher relaxes just a hair, I have to capitalize on a mistake. And when you get one here, you just have to pounce on it."
--CHRIS KLINE
Volstad getting back on track
Considered by most to be the most polished high school pitcher in the 2005 draft, it came as a surprise to see the Marlins' Chris Volstad struggling in the low Class A South Atlantic League.
The month of May was not kind to the 6-foot-7 righthander as he went 1-4, 5.94 in 36 innings, and opponents hit a whopping .351 off of him. The 19-year-old has turned it around in June, and he continued it last night by allowing three unearned runs over seven innings while striking out six and walking one. He took the loss as Greensboro fell to Asheville and is now 0-2 in June, but he has a 1.53 ERA with 18 walks and five strikeouts in 18 innings.
"With him, the fastball has been outstanding all year," Greensboro pitching coach Steve Foster said. "He has a lot of downhill plane on it and has been 92-94, 95 (mph) every time out. It has been the breaking ball that has gotten better and better.
"The breaking ball and changeup, those are feel pitches and they get better the more you throw them. In pro ball, he is getting out there more often, pitching every fifth day as opposed to once a week in high school. He also gets a bullpen (session) in between starts, so he is just getting out there a lot more often."
The 16th overall pick last June out of Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) High, Volstad is now 5-6, 3.87 and leads the SAL with 86 innings pitched. He is also tied for second in the league for home runs allowed with nine, after he allowed only one home run in 65 innings last year in his pro debut.
--MATT MEYERS
QUICK HITS
• Cardinals lefthander-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel will miss the remainder of the season after having left knee surgery. Ankiel, 26, injured the patellar tendon in his knee during a spring training scrimmage at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 27. Ankiel never played in a spring training or regular season game this season . . . Cubs righthander Mark Prior saved his best rehab start for last, making his last minor league appearance before pitching Sunday for the Cubs. Throwing this time for Triple-A Iowa, Prior allowed just one unearned run over 6 and 2/3 innings, while striking out 10 . . . Triple-A Sacramento righthander Jason Windsor received a lot of run support early, allowing him to become the minors' first pitcher to double-digit wins. Windsor allowed one run over six innings, and coasted to a victory after the Rivercats had scored eight runs off Tacoma's Clint Nageotte in two innings . . . Randy Wolf's second rehab start did not go so well. While pitching for high Class A Clearwater, the Phillies lefthander was hit on his pitching hand by a line drive off the bat of Fort Myers left fielder Garrett Guzman. X-rays were negative; however, and he is expected to make his next rehab start . . . High Class A Palm Beach second baseman Juan Lucena extended his hitting streak to 17 games by going 2-for-4 against St. Lucie last night.
Contributing: Kristin Pratt, Bryan Smith
Koshansky cements his prospect status with his recent home run surge
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PrintSee also: Tuesday's Daily Dish
See also: Baseball America Prospect Report
Rockies first baseman Joe Koshansky went 1-for-4 with a single in Double-A Tulsa's 5-4 loss to Wichita on Tuesday, but the 24-year-old slugger is 6-for-11 with three homers over his last three games.
Koshansky, a sixth-round pick out of Virginia in 2004, is currently
leading the Texas League in homers with 17, one ahead of Corpus Christi
outfielder Hunter Pence and three ahead of Arkansas shortstop Brandon
Wood. He trails another Texas Leaguer, Springfield outfielder Terry
Evans, by two for the minor league lead--though 15 of Evans' 19 bombs
came in the high Class A Florida State League at Palm Beach."I don't get particularly caught up in that," Koshansky said.
He might not, but others do. Last week Wood talked some good-natured smack about the home run race to Koshansky during BP before a game between the two clubs.
"He told me he was behind me--at the time it was by one, but not to worry--that he'd have the lead back within the hour," Koshansky said.
But where Wood and Pence are more pure power hitters, Koshansky is hitting for both average and power, batting .323/.412/.606 in 226 at-bats for the Drillers.
Not bad for a guy who was known as a straight pull hitter who skipped high Class A, jumping to Tulsa directly from low Class A Asheville--where he crushed 36 homers--last season. (Koshansky also had a late-season 12-game cameo at Tulsa at the end of 2005.)
Asheville is known as a great hitters park because of high altitude and short dimensions down the right-field line, and Koshanky needed to prove himself at a higher level before establishing himself as an elite power-hitting prospect. So far this season he has.
"They sent me up at the end of last season, so I kind of figured I'd start the year here," Koshansky said. "And I worked extremely hard in the offseason to become a more complete hitter. I'm a little shorter to the ball now, just sitting back and working the ball to the opposite field. I'm starting to understand more of what pitchers are trying to do to me.
"I just try to stay short to the ball, and get my top hand on it quickly. I came to the realization that I needed to stay in the middle more, rather than pulling off so much. The power is going to be there regardless."
The power certainly was there on Monday, when Koshansky went 4-for-4 with two homers--both against a rehabbing Zack Greinke--in Tulsa's 9-6 loss to Wichita. And it's been there in a big way this month, as Koshansky has put up .426-5-13 numbers in June.
Part of becoming a more complete hitter has been Koshansky's improved plate discipline and pitch recognition, particularly on breaking balls.
"It all really comes down to patience," Koshansky said. "I'm seeing the ball better because I'm more patient and I'm waiting longer. Now, I'm laying off breaking pitches out of the zone I normally would have swung at before. I'm not too amped up to do something or prove something--I'm relaxed, and that's the biggest change.
"I think my experience playing in the (Atlantic Coast Conference) has really come back to help me adjust here. I had to kind of tuck that away in the back of my mind last year because you don't see a lot of breaking balls in low A. You don't see 2-0 changeups. This is a much more advanced and intelligent level, and it reminds me a lot of playing in the ACC."
Of course, it also helps to have some of the other bats around him. Koshansky rotates between cleanup, fifth or sixth in the order--behind a prospect-laden top half of the order that includes Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, Chris Ianetta, Seth Smith and Joe Gaetti.
"Without a doubt that's a big part of it," Koshansky said. "There is no question this is the best team I've ever been a part of. After going through all those guys, if the pitcher relaxes just a hair, I have to capitalize on a mistake. And when you get one here, you just have to pounce on it."
--CHRIS KLINE
Volstad getting back on track
Considered by most to be the most polished high school pitcher in the 2005 draft, it came as a surprise to see the Marlins' Chris Volstad struggling in the low Class A South Atlantic League.
The month of May was not kind to the 6-foot-7 righthander as he went 1-4, 5.94 in 36 innings, and opponents hit a whopping .351 off of him. The 19-year-old has turned it around in June, and he continued it last night by allowing three unearned runs over seven innings while striking out six and walking one. He took the loss as Greensboro fell to Asheville and is now 0-2 in June, but he has a 1.53 ERA with 18 walks and five strikeouts in 18 innings.
"With him, the fastball has been outstanding all year," Greensboro pitching coach Steve Foster said. "He has a lot of downhill plane on it and has been 92-94, 95 (mph) every time out. It has been the breaking ball that has gotten better and better.
"The breaking ball and changeup, those are feel pitches and they get better the more you throw them. In pro ball, he is getting out there more often, pitching every fifth day as opposed to once a week in high school. He also gets a bullpen (session) in between starts, so he is just getting out there a lot more often."
The 16th overall pick last June out of Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) High, Volstad is now 5-6, 3.87 and leads the SAL with 86 innings pitched. He is also tied for second in the league for home runs allowed with nine, after he allowed only one home run in 65 innings last year in his pro debut.
--MATT MEYERS
QUICK HITS
• Cardinals lefthander-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel will miss the remainder of the season after having left knee surgery. Ankiel, 26, injured the patellar tendon in his knee during a spring training scrimmage at the Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 27. Ankiel never played in a spring training or regular season game this season . . . Cubs righthander Mark Prior saved his best rehab start for last, making his last minor league appearance before pitching Sunday for the Cubs. Throwing this time for Triple-A Iowa, Prior allowed just one unearned run over 6 and 2/3 innings, while striking out 10 . . . Triple-A Sacramento righthander Jason Windsor received a lot of run support early, allowing him to become the minors' first pitcher to double-digit wins. Windsor allowed one run over six innings, and coasted to a victory after the Rivercats had scored eight runs off Tacoma's Clint Nageotte in two innings . . . Randy Wolf's second rehab start did not go so well. While pitching for high Class A Clearwater, the Phillies lefthander was hit on his pitching hand by a line drive off the bat of Fort Myers left fielder Garrett Guzman. X-rays were negative; however, and he is expected to make his next rehab start . . . High Class A Palm Beach second baseman Juan Lucena extended his hitting streak to 17 games by going 2-for-4 against St. Lucie last night.
Contributing: Kristin Pratt, Bryan Smith
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