Re: In the Works: Wells for Kottaras


Dave Bismo wrote:
On 30 Aug 2006 19:50:46 -0700, "BadgerBC"
<neilrichardson3819@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Griffin wrote:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2566883


If Theo can pull this off, it'd be a nice trade. Kottaras is a nice
prospect.

Agreed. Catching prospects are so hard to find these days, and like
many organizations, the Red Sox have a huge need there. Boston has
some interesting catchers in the low minors, like Mark Wagner and Jon
Egan, but they're very far from the majors, and so much can go wrong
on the way up the ladder (remember Steve Lomasney?). Getting someone
like Kottaras, IMHO, would be quite a coup, especially for an ancient
pitcher on his last leg. That's why I find it hard to believe, but
I'd be ecstatic if this actually happened.

FWIW, Kottaras is 23 years old, bats lefty, and was born in Canada.
He was a 20th-round pick by San Diego in 2002, and made his pro debut
the following year (I assume he was a draft-and-follow and signed in
2003). In his first three minor league seasons, Kottaras hit
.296/.392/.461, and Baseball America had him ranked as the Padres' #2
prospect (though their system was regarded as thin at the time). This
year, he hit .276/.394/.451 in AA, with 8 HR, 19 doubles, and 50 BB in
only 297 AB. In AAA, he's hitting .250/.319/.469 in 16 games.
According to BA, Kottaras has a strong arm but needs to work on
speeding up his release, though he's otherwise a solid defender.
Catching prospects not named Joe Mauer are rarely a sure thing, but
Kottaras looks like he could be a viable "catcher of the future" for
Boston, and he'd be a very nice understudy to Varitek in 2007-08.

-Bismo.

I hate weighting too much on a couple of AB's but he also impressed me
in this year's All Star Futures Game. He turned on Homer Bailey's
98mph heater and Phil Hughes' 97mph 4seamer. He seems to have a very
nice compact swing. He pulled a double off Bailey and launched a 400ft
bomb off Hughes.

.