St. Louis Cardinals’ Community Top 30: Vote for No. 13
SOUTH GRAND — When looking at propects through the prism of the “Three-P Approach” mentioned yesterday, perhaps there needs to be a fourth “P” added: Pop.
Not pop as in power, but pop as in dazzle, Q-rating — the charismatic qualities of a prospect.
Consider Pete Kozma.
As the comments at the bottom of yesterday’s poll helped illuminate, Kozma, the St. Louis Cardinals first-round pick in 2007, is sliding in these rankings without much reason. He is arguably the finest middle-infield glove in the system, a smooth fielder who many scouts believe is good enough to play
Cardinals SS prospect Pete Kozma, in his high school duds. (Source: Obrienbaseball.com)
shortstop in the majors. Baseball America pegged him as the No. 15 prospect in the Midwest League, the third-highest ranked middle infielder on that list behind Mike Moustakas (who will play third) and Justin Jackson. The question will be if Kozma will hit, yet there’s been no indication that he doesn’t have an approach that will translate. The power may not develop, but he’s got a refined enough eye and an improving swing that he’ll hit well enough to complement his glove.
So why the lack of love?
He’s all steak. No sizzle.
(Pardon the horrible cliche.)
Kozma has been lapped, especially in this community poll, by prospects with prettier, flashier, more eye-catching and bedazzling resumes. There could be a recoil from the fact that he’s a first-round pick without the high-watt first-round tool or rep. There is little that Kozma does poorly. Yet, he isn’t at the top of the tool chest in any one category — unless you’re like me and you argue consistency (i.e., durability, reliability, a lot of the -ibilities) is a tool. He doesn’t project as a surefire leadoff hitter. He doesn’t project as a guy who is going to pound out the doubles. He projects as a dependable shortstop. And there is value in that.
Of all the people who see this, Kozma may have the best read of all on his situation:
“I am really nothing too flashy,” Kozma told me this past season. “I don’t see myself as an All-Star the first time you see me. I can understand that. Over the course of the season, though, it’s the things I do to help a team, the steady things, how reliable I play.”
In a sweeping victory, Clayton Mortensen was elected the 12th-best prospect in the system according to this year’s Comm Top 30. Mortensen received 44 percent of the vote, and the race for second place was far more compelling. For today’s poll, I took some of the high finishers from yesterday but also injected a few new names.
Vote away.
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This will be the final Comm Top 30 poll until after Thanksgiving. I am working on a PostCards mailbag (write your questions now to PostCards@post-dispatch.com) and we hope to have something special planned in the blog for Thanksgiving Day. But other than that, I’m going to try to take a few days off, if you don’t mind. There is, after all, some pumpkin pie to devour and a few brothers-in-law to dismantle in backyard football.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
I’m puzzled DG. In a season and a half Kozma has recorded 46 errors. This is a great fielder???
I vote for Kyle Mura (son of Steve Mura from the 1982 Cards’ championship team). He was successful in 2007 at Quad Cities as a middle-relief guy, 7-0 record, very few walks, almost a strikeout per inning, low ERA (1.66) and a low WHIP (0.96). At the start of the 2008 the organization converted him to a starter. He split time between Class A Palm Beach and AA Springfield, going 8-9 combined with a 3.53 ERA and 1.27 WHIP (Better that Adam Ottavino or Tyler Herron). Mura throws strikes, as he walked only 19 batters in 135 innings (1.26 / 9 IP). Mura pitched better in Springfield (2.74 ERA, all but a couple of his starts were quality), and was able to pace himself to the Dave Duncan “Pitch to contact” philosophy, as he was effective in getting batters to get themselves out. Mura has been under the radar in the organization, but give him another couple of seasons to grow in the starter role, and see what happens.
Kozma: 44 errors in 155 games at shortstop since turning pro….with a 4.17 range factor and a .937 fielding percentage. Combine that with his offensive numbers (.252 BA/.333 OBP/.357 SLG) and it sounds to me like we have the second coming of Ray Busse.
Please don’t confuse my explanation as an advocacy. I suggested that people consider the “Pick” as element used to organize some Top 30 rankings, especially when it comes to ranking newly added prospects. That doesn’t mean I think they should.
There are many times when my reporting is different than my opinion.
DG: I know you contribute to Baseball America– a favorite publication of mine way before they developed the website. My question has to do with your role in the BA top prospects. How much input do you have in their annual team rankings?
Tyler Norrick LP pitcher from SIU C - great pitcher, has been hurt at West Palm Beach
Funny, I thought it was Comp 101.
I covered Pete for three years while he was in high school. He got exponentially better each year. He is a guy who will not miss a bunt or sacrifice opportunity, will rope a double down the line or go long when needed. He is so effortless in his fielding it looks like he is disinterested, but it’s just how calm his is. His face doesn’t reflect what is going on inside him. He is a thinker on the field and a student of the game. At Owasso, and in Oklahoma, he was considered one of the best to ever play high school ball. I would surmise that he will be in the bigs in about three years given the chance.