Los Angeles Angels catching prospect Jake Cozart had a great series as Rocket City were Southern League champions.
The Los Angeles Angels did a nice job of upgrading their farm system at the trade deadline, but they’re a long way from playing postseason baseball. Some of their prospects got a little postseason action in before the end of the season, though, and catcher Jacob Cozart popped up on a list of the top 15 performers in the MiLB players that was written by Ian Cundall of Baseball America.
Cozart checked in at No. 11, and he made some nice additions to his numbers, as Cundall pointed out that these postseason numbers typically don’t appear as part of a prospect’s stat line.
The 23-year old catcher played for Double-A Rocket City in the Southern League, and Cozart’s postseason stats included a slash line of .381/.381/.762 as he went 8-for-21 with two doubles, two homers, five runs scored and six RBIs.
He also improved significantly when he joined the Angels’ affiliate in Rocket City, as his OPS improved to .831 from .714 with Akron when he was in the Cleveland Guardians system.
His added power was the most notable development, per Cundall. Cozart hit a pair of homers in the championship series as Rocket City won the Southern League Championship. He homered in the clinching game in the division series and then again in the first game of the championship series.
That also tracked with what happened during his transition from Akron to Rocket City. Cozart hit seven home runs after the trade in only 28 games, compared to 10 in 79 games prior before that.
Cozart recorded at least one hit in all five games he played and he had two multi-hit games, including a three-hit game with seven total bases. He was Rocket City’s most impactful hitter during their run, and the catcher also impressed the coaching staff with the way he handled the team’s pitching staff.
Cozart came over the Jo Adell trade after the Angels moved their starting right fielder. He wasn’t considered a top prospect, but he’s No. 19 in the Angels system, which is a reflection of why the Halos needed to clean house.
There’s an opportunity for him in Anaheim, and it may be coming soon. Catching was one of the Angels worse positions, and fellow acquisition Moises Ballesteros didn’t exaclty light the world on fire after coming over from the Chicago Cubs. Per Cundall, Cozart’s defense gives him a high celing, and he could make his debut at some point next season.
