This week Pete Kozma was outrighted from the 40-man roster.
So he’s gone?
Right?
He’s been cut?
Most of the stories I saw on The Koz were regurgitations of the same line about him being ‘outrighted’ off the 40-man, assuming you and I know all the implications of what that means. Maybe you do.
But I didn’t.
Thankfully Brian Walton of The Cardinal Nation explained:
Because the three [Ed Easley, Travis Tartamella & Pete Kozma] have been outrighted, rather than designated for assignment, it signifies that they have cleared irrevocable outright waivers – none of the other 29 clubs claimed them to add them to their 40-man roster.
However, the three may still not remain Cardinals for long. Each will become minor league free agents later this week. Easley is a repeater. The other two will qualify as “six-year” minor leaguers.
If any would sign a minor league contract before December’s Rule 5 Draft, they would be eligible for selection in that process. They would be protected if signed to a major-league deal in the interim.
Got to be honest here. Still not sure what the chances are Kozma stays in the Cardinals organization to start the 2016 season, but since Rick Hummel wrote his obit in the Post-Dispatch this week, I’m working off the assumption that both sides intend to move on.
+++++
Koz was (maybe still is) an interesting figure in recent Cardinals lore.
Dude was a 1st round pick who somehow cast a spell over The Nation where 99% of fans considered him to be the scrappiest of underdogs. Like it was super cute he was even playing professional baseball in the first place.
He was called up late in the 2012 season when Rafael Furcal got hurt. Take note, future Redbirds – this particular clip is a fantastic example of how to endear yourself to fans:
Kozma was pretty much the starting SS for the 2013 season. He played in 143 games (113 starts @ SS) and had 448 plate appearances.
He did some pretty good things:
But YouTube hype videos can be deceptive. His defense was good (1.3 dWAR), but his offense? Not good. -1.0 oWAR. A .217 average.
Considering he wasn’t a power guy (1 HR/.273 SLG) his .275 OBP was the biggest reason the Cardinals went out and signed Jhonny Peralta to a big deal at the end of the ’13 campaign.
Over the past two seasons, Kozma has only had 137 MLB plate appearances. You can look at the numbers here, if you care to. They’re not all that great.
And now?
Looks like Kozma and the Cardinals are parting ways.
+++++
Baseball is unique in a ton of ways.
The season is so long. And sometimes a player comes in like a bolt of lightning – causes a bunch of damage and is barely seen before they’re gone.
Pete Kozma will forever have that NLDS GM5 in 2012. And so will Cardinals fans. The excitement (and success) wasn’t sustained for long. But we’ll never forget that night.
Best of luck with your next stop, Koz.
Unless you’re coming back to Memphis or something. In which case – forget all of this. We look forward to you delivering great value to the organization.
Photo: iSportsWeb
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