A Closer Look: Collin Cowgill
By Joseph Lopez
Over the next couple of days Swingin’ A’s will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Athletics scored in the Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and Andrew Bailey trades. Next we look at Collin Cowgill, the small-framed, but potentially power-slugging outfielder the A’s acquired in the Cahill deal.
The A’s enter 2012 with a completely overhauled outfield, well, almost completely overhauled. The A’s retained their center fielder Coco Crisp for a cool $14 million and the deal finally reveals that Billy Beane has gone cuckoo for Coco Puffs. Other than Crisp, however, Oakland’s outfield makeup figures to be much, much different this year.
Josh Willingham and David DeJesus are both long gone, having escaped the confines of O.co Coliseum via free agency this winter. Beane and the rest of Oakland’s front office know that there are many holes to fill and while keeping Crisp helps fill some of those holes, the team is banking on a few other players to step up and deliver.
Collin Cowgill, an outfielder acquired in the trade that sent Trevor Cahill to Arizona, is a player who could find some playing time given Oakland’s thin outfield depth. While he may not be the tallest guy out there at just 5’9″, Cowgill does bring a little power to the table.
Not much power, though, as many see Cowgill boasting below-average power for a corner outfielder.
The solidly-built outfielder hit .354/.430/.554 with 13 HR and 70 RBIs with Arizona’s Triple-A team last year. The year before that, with Double-A Mobile, Cowgill hit .285/.360/.464 with 16 HR and 83 RBIs.
He appeared in 36 games for the Diamondbacks last year, but failed to impress anyone with his offense. He put together a .239/.300/.304 slash line with a home run and 9 RBIs over 100 plate appearances.
Given Oakland’s rail-thin outfield depth, Cowgill could find himself playing in Oakland. The A’s do have other options like Michael Taylor and Michael Choice coming up, though. The team is also reportedly interested in free agent options like Ryan Ludwick as well.
He did enjoy some success at the minor league level, so Cowgill isn’t a complete write-off. There’s a reason, after all, Oakland acquired him in the Cahill deal. Isn’t there?
For more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.