Joe Koshansky Stats & Scouting Report

AB	50
AVG	.18
OBP	.236
SLG	.44
HR	3

Full name Joseph S. Koshansky
Born 05/26/1982 in Shreveport, LA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Virginia
Debut 09/01/2007
Drafted in the 6th round (170th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2004 (signed for $40,000).

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As a two-way player last spring, LHP/1B Joe Koshansky led Virginia in wins (seven) and tied for the club lead in home runs (nine) but wasn't drafted. He didn't pitch last summer but won the home run derby during the Valley League's all-star game festivities. He returned as a two-way player this spring and was outstanding, becoming the first UVa player to win Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year honors in baseball. He went 7-2, 2.78 on the mound and hit 15 home runs with a .613 slugging percentage. Most scouts say his professional future is as a hitter. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Koshansky is a physical specimen with above-average raw power. He is a lefthanded hitter who likes to pull the ball. He has a long swing but has shown the ability to make adjustments.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Koshansky is trapped, with Todd Helton and Garrett Atkins both standing between him and the big leagues. An all-star in each of his five minor league seasons, Koshansky has legitimate big league power. He has hit at least 31 home runs in three of the last four years, and has driven in at least 99 runs in each of those four seasons with a full-season minor league team. With the power, however, comes an aggressiveness at home plate that works against him. He has struck out 663 times (and walked just 280 times) in 2,242 professional at-bats, including 22 strikeouts in 50 big league at-bats the last two years. Koshansky has a long, sweeping swing that produces raw power but is grooved, with plenty of holes for advanced pitchers to exploit. Defensively he is adequate at first and has a strong arm for a first baseman, owing to his background in college, when he pitched as well as hit. However, Koshansky's baseclogging below-average speed and limited athleticism precludes a move to the outfield that would possibly give him a shot at playing time. Unless Helton and Atkins are unable to play, Koshansky--who is on the 40-man roster--will return to Colorado Springs for a third season.
Primarily a pitcher his first two years at Virginia, Koshansky took to playing first base so well that he became the first Cavalier to be named Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year. That came in 2004, when he hit 16 homers while going 8-3 on the mound as a senior after going undrafted the previous year. Koshansky's main tool is his raw power. He'll hit home runs at the big league level, but he's going to have to make better adjustments if he's going to be a true threat. He went just 1-for-12 with five strikeouts as pitchers weren't afraid to bust him inside. He sometimes falls into the trap of guessing too much at the plate. He will strike out, a tradeoff for his power, but he also draws a healthy share of walks. His biggest problem is the one that Ryan Shealy once dealt with: Todd Helton owns Colorado's first-base job and Koshansky can't play another position. He's a good athlete for his size and has some arm strength, but his below-average speed would make playing the outfield a stretch. He also needs to be pushed to become a better first baseman. His footwork and throwing mechanics get loose, and it's a challenge for him to make the toss to second base.
Hitting cleanup and starting as a pitcher on Sundays for Virginia, Koshansky went undrafted after his junior season, but scouts began to take him more seriously after his strong summer in the Valley League. The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year as a senior in 2004--when he hit 16 homers while going 8-3 on the mound--he still lasted until the sixth round. He's led the organization in home runs in each of the last two years. At the plate, Koshansky gets in trouble when he tries to guess instead of just focusing on getting a good swing on the ball. Offspeed pitches can be a struggle because like many power hitters who have strength but not overwhelming bat speed, he often gears up for the fastball. He doesn't have to gear up to pull the ball, though, because he has natural power from gap to gap, with a fluid stroke. He plays a quality first base and moves very well for his size. He says he can play the outfield, but he's a well-below-average runner and that would be a challenge. Helton's presence and massive contract remain a daunting obstacle, but with Ryan Shealy traded to the Royals, at least a path to Triple-A has opened up.
Koshansky went undrafted after leading Virginia in homers and pitching wins as a junior in 2003, and responded by tearing up the Valley League that summer and winning Atlantic Coast Conference player-of-the-year honors in 2004. Since signing for $40,000 as a sixth-round pick, he has hit 50 homers in 198 pro games, including 38 to rank second in the minors last year. He did much of his damage at Asheville's McCormick Field, where the cozy right-field porch plays to the strengths of a 6-foot-4, 225-pound lefthanded slugger like Koshansky. He hit .355 with 25 homers in 61 games in Asheville, as compared to .227 with 11 homers in 59 road games in the South Atlantic League. There was some thought he was just an older hitter taking advantage of younger pitchers and his ballpark, and even the Rockies were somewhat skeptical. They resisted promoting him until late August, but when they did Koshansky held his own in a short stint in Double-A. He has huge lefthanded power, and though his swing can get long, he can catch up to good fastballs. He does strike out a lot but is willing to take a walk. Koshansky is a good defender at first base, with surprising agility for his size and a plus arm for his position. He is a well-below-average runner, however. He may be a lefty version of Ryan Shealy, and Koshansky could get a chance to further prove himself in Double-A this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

Koshansky always has had to fight for attention, going undrafted after he led Virginia in home runs and pitching wins as a junior in 2003, then lasting until the sixth round after his senior year--when he was the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year. He got the Rockies' attention by hitting 36 home runs with 103 RBIs in 2005 at low Class A Asheville, and he put together a similar season after jumping to Tulsa this year, leading the TL with 109 RBIs even after slumping in the last month. "He's a guy who's making people take notice of what he can do by performing and getting better," Cole said. As his power and strikeout numbers show, Koshansky is an aggressive hitter who looks for a pitch he can drive. And when he gets it, he rarely misses. Though he does strike out a lot, it's not excessive for someone with his pop and he's not just swinging from his heels. He doesn't chase balls out of the zone and is willing to take a walk. Koshansky is a solid defender at first base and has done a lot of work on playing balls to his right and fielding balls in the dirt. He's athletic enough to make the outfield a possibility, which would help his career with Todd Helton blocking his way at first base in Colorado.