Larry Cobb

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Athletics #30 prospect in 2007
  David Eckstein has won two World Series championships as a starting shortstop, and teams still are trying to find their own models of the scrappy sparkplug. The A's candidate is Cobb, who won MVP honors both at Vancouver and in instructional league in his debut season. He's a bit bigger than Eckstein but earns the comparison because of his ability to grind quality efforts day after day, his one above-average tool (speed, though Cobb is faster than Eckstein) and his defensive versatility. Cobb was at Manatee (Fla.) Junior College before going to College of Charleston for a season, and the A's scouted him along with Jermaine Mitchell in the Southern Conference tournament. They correctly surmised he would sign even if he wasn't picked on the draft's first day and could be a true steal, especially if his experiment at second base takes. Cobb made adjustments with the glove, and the A's will give him reps there during spring training and in the regular season in low Class A. He's a quality defender in center field. Adding infield play to his repertoire would be key for Cobb, who also has the A's dreaming of Chone Figgins due to his versatility, size and speed.