A 28-year-old prospect is the perfect fit to replace All-Star slugger Prince Fielder?
I must be joking, right?
Not at all.
I present Joe Koshansky.
Name not familiar? Well, I’ll tell you a little about Joe. He’s started in the bigs for the Colorado Rockies (although not much at all). He’s a power bat, and can hit between .260 and .290, to go with his 40 home run potential.
He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round, pick 170, in the 2004 draft.
Now, how did such a gem fall into the lap of the Brewers organization?
Koshansky’s had his fair share of trips through waivers, for varying reasons. Maybe it was his .216 batting average, which scared away the Texas Rangers. They dropped him to waivers after just one season with the organization.
His original organization, the Rockies, didn’t care much for his consistently-below .370 on-base percentage.
The real gem about Koshansky, though? He’s got fantastic power.
In his seasons at the AAA level, he’s hit 95 homers.
Add that to his impressive total of 362 RBI in those four AAA-level minor league seasons.
Point is, the Brewers need to think long-term about a solution to the impending Prince Fielder fiasco. Mat Gamel? Inconsistent, and has never really shown the polish to play great ball at the MLB level. Koshanky’s first MLB start? He hit a homer, in what would be a 12-6 victory over the Marlins.
Koshansky was every bit of clutch that day.
That’s something Prince Fielder seems to struggle with this year. His RISP avg is at just .210 this year. He’s hit only four homers with men on base for him.
Yes, a whopping 20 of Fielder’s 24 homers this year have been solo shots.
Koshansky’s managed a .246 BA this season, but his .816 OPS is just short of Fielder’s .848, and costs about $15 million a season less.
I think the case is pretty clear, that when the Nashville Sounds’ hitting coaches and the scouts of the Brewers developing talent are sure, Koshansky will be a plenty suitable takeover at first base for the Milwaukee Brewers.
He’s the perfect blend of Adam Dunn-like raw power, potential, and cheap cost, to keep the Brewers afloat, post Prince Fielder.
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