Tony Cogan

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #20 prospect in 2002
  Pardon Cogan if he has gotten a little confused by how Kansas City has handled him. He began his pro career in relief, the same role he had at Stanford. After he was mediocre in high Class A in 2000, he was demoted and converted to a starter. He posted a 1.83 ERA in 13 starts, then rocketed onto the Royals' Opening Day roster in 2001--as a lefthanded specialist. He gave up a homer to the first big league hitter he faced, Jorge Posada, and rode the Kansas City-Omaha shuttle three times during the year as his considerable mental toughness was put to the test. If Cogan doesn't make the Royals out of spring training, the latest plan calls for him to resume starting. He's probably better off doing that because he doesn't have an out pitch. He's more effective mixing his three average pitches (fastball, curveball, changeup) to keep hitters off balance. Cogan generally throws strikes and keeps the ball in the park, though those traits weren't evident during his major league trials last year.
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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #24 prospect in 2001
  Stanford has lost heartbreakers to end each of the last two College World Series, and Cogan took the defeat in a wild 14-11, 13-inning semifinal against Florida State in 1999. Cogan made the Northwest League all-star team as a reliever in his pro debut, but when he struggled at Wilmington at the outset of 2000, he was demoted to low Class A Charleston and put in the rotation. Counting two outings at Wilmington, Cogan didn't allow a run until his fourth pro start. His fastball, curveball and changeup are all average, and he seems to do better when he has more time to mix his pitches and set hitters up. Cogan helps himself by throwing strikes and keeping the ball in the park, having permitted just four homers in 160 pro innings. His ceiling isn't as high as the average Stanford pro product, but the Royals just may have something in Cogan.