6/7/10

1st Round - 25th Pick Overall - St. Louis Cards - 3B - Zach Cox

1. Zack Cox – Arkansas – draft-eligible sophomore… 3B tools and excellent bat speed… has had back problems.




7-23: stats thru 7-15 in Cape Cod League: .388, 7-RBI… starting in Cape Cod All-Star game

7-25 fr. www.baseballamerica.com: - The fans and dozens of scouts were treated to strong pitching and a two-hit, two-RBI day by Cotuit third baseman Zack Cox (Arkansas), who was named the game's offensive MVP for the victorious West squad. "What you saw tonight is Zack Cox: Most of his hits are up the middle or the other way," said Roberts, who coaches Cox at Cotuit. "If he has one thing he'd like to do better down the road it's on certain pitches he'd like to turn on them better. But he's what I'd call a country Enos Slaughter. He's a country slasher, and he understands hitting."

8-2: from 6-16 article www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com: A freshman this season, Cox will be draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2010. He has battled a bad back this spring, but seemed to be loosening up and getting into a hitting rhythm as the Razorbacks tore through the postseason. Cox has third-base tools with plenty of bat speed to profile him to produce above-average power down the road. He's shown the ability to catch up to good fastballs and needs to learn to trust his hands to handle offspeed stuff.

9-16: From www.baseballamrica.com : - College Top 25 draft prospects: 8. Zack Cox, 3b Arkansas

9-28: From http://mlbresource.blogspot.com: - Mock Draft Version 2 - #29 pick overall - Zack Cox, 3B – Arkansas - Cox is a draft eligible sophomore and will have a ton of leverage when it comes to signing. This is why I have him down here to Boston where money is not a problem. I think Cox will eventually sign but the power hitting 3B could go right down to the wire.

10-5 from http://mlbbonusbaby.com: 8. Houston Astros – Zack Cox, 3B, Arkansas – (1st 3B picked in draft) - Cox is the best draft-eligible sophomore in the 2010 class, and he’s arguably the best overall hitter in the entire class. A lefty in the box, he’s got plus power and hit tools, but he’s lacking a bit in the pitch recognition and plate discipline departments. The big question he’ll look to answer in the spring is whether he can stick at third base, as some see him as a first baseman with hard hands and below-average third base range. His arm is a plus, so I’d give him every chance to play at third as long as he’s hitting.



10-5 from http://baseballdraftreport.com: - top 50 prospects in 2010 draft – 13. Zach Cox – 2nd 3Bman on list

10-13 from www.mymlbdraft.com: 2010 MLB Mock Draft - #11 – (1st 3B picked) - Zack Cox

11-2 from www.perfectgame.com: - Future Scout Sully said: Here is my list of the Top 50 in the class. I have seen almost every one of these players. Went out to AFLAC for the week, saw team usa play, and went to many cape games: - 18- 3B Zack Cox (2nd 3B on list)

11-3 from www.mlbresource.com: 3rd Mock draft – #7 - Zack Cox, 3B – Arkansas - The Mets have to take the best player available at this point. There farm system is weak and needs everything. Cox is a good start. (1st 3B on list)

11-17 from www.mlbdraft.blogspot.com: - 11.Toronto Blue Jays- Zach Cox, 3B, Arkansas - Cox, a draft eligible sophomore, might just be the best hitter in the draft after Harper. He is a power left handed bat that the Blue Jays need in the system. Some have questions about the defense, but Cox should be able to stay at third base. (1st 3B picked)

11-20 from www.draftamerica.com: - 9. San Diego -- Zack Cox, 3B, Univ. of Arkansas (Soph.). Cox could be expensive to pry away from his junior year, but as one of the top pure hitters in the draft (after a breakout summer on the Cape), a successful statistical spring could put him squarely in SDN's sights if he's still on the board.

11-23 from www.deepleagues.com: - #14 - Milwaukee Brewers Zack Cox (IF, Arkansas) (2nd 3B on list)

12-15 from www.5tooltalk.com: Mock Draft – 1st round: - 10 Athletics Zack Cox 3B NCAA

1-7-9: Morisato's 2010 MLB Mock Draft - Version 1.0 - 11th Overall – The Toronto Blue Jays - Zack Cox (3B), Arkansas - A draft eligible sophomore, Cox also happens to be one of the top hitters in the college class. Cox has a quick swing that allows him to make contact, but he also has plus power that will allow him to drive the ball out of the park. However, he is a free swinger and will have to improve his plate discipline if he’s to hit for an acceptable average and draw walks. He’s an athletic defender with good hands, range and an arm to play third. Overall, Cox shows quite a bit of potential, and he’ll likely be a solid fit for Toronto (Brett Wallace isn’t a third baseman guys.)

2010 MLB DRAFT MOCK DRAFT- 12/31/09 – www.jjscouting.com - 11. Toronto Blue Jays- Zach Cox, 3B, Arkansas - Cox, a draft eligible sophomore, might just be the best hitter in the draft after Harper. He is a power left handed bat that the Blue Jays need in the system. Some have questions about the defense, but Cox should be able to stay at third base.



1-1-9 from www.draftsite.com: - #9 Toronto Zack Cox 3B Arkansas 6'0" 215 L,R



1-15-0 from http://mlbbonusbaby.com: - #19 Detroit Tigers (just kidding, it’s now the Houston Astros): 3B Zack Cox – Arkansas - It feels almost dirty not giving Detroit a hard throwing high school righthander, especially in a year with plenty of worthy candidates at this spot. Allie and Whitson both could be possibilities, as could college righthanders Hahn, Workman, and Matt Harvey. Luckily, I can now guarantee Detroit won’t be picking a hard throwing righty in this spot. No way, no how. Now I’m looking for players that would make sense for Houston that won’t screw up any picks later in the first round. Zack Cox makes some sense, but the added leverage the draft-eligible sophomore has makes me a little leery of keeping in this spot. LeVon Washington maybe? Could Ed Wade overrule Bobby Heck’s team of scouts and demand a guy like Kevin Jacob here? They’ve had some success with two-way players before, so maybe Bryce Brentz could fit?

1-15-9 from http://baseballdraftreport.com: - 5. Cleveland Indians – Zack Cox, 3B, Arkansas – This is a tough pick to handicap. The Indians went with a clear best player available pick in 2009 with Alex White, and they paid over slot for the first time in a few years. Some might argue that Cox is just more of the Beau Mills/Lonnie Chisenhall picking from the past, but Cox has the highest upside of any college bat in this draft. His price tag may be a bit high as a draft-eligible sophomore, but I don’t expect him to get much more than slot at such a high pick. This pick could be similar in fashion to picks by Pittsburgh and Baltimore from a year ago, saving some budget money for later rounds. Previously: #8.

1-15-9 from http://baseballdraftreport.com: - #19 Houston Astros: 3B Zack Cox – Arkansas - It feels almost dirty not giving Detroit a hard throwing high school righthander, especially in a year with plenty of worthy candidates at this spot. Allie and Whitson both could be possibilities, as could college righthanders Hahn, Workman, and Matt Harvey. Luckily, I can now guarantee Detroit won’t be picking a hard throwing righty in this spot. No way, no how. Now I’m looking for players that would make sense for Houston that won’t screw up any picks later in the first round. Zack Cox makes some sense, but the added leverage the draft-eligible sophomore has makes me a little leery of keeping in this spot. LeVon Washington maybe? Could Ed Wade overrule Bobby Heck’s team of scouts and demand a guy like Kevin Jacob here? They’ve had some success with two-way players before, so maybe Bryce Brentz could fit?

3-10 from: - http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/03/10/ranking-the-razorbacks-10-draft-prospects - Zack Cox, 3B/2B (5/9/89) - Cox, has a relatively short track record in college ball. He opened a lot of eyes last summer in the Cape Cod League but he's still a guy who put up a well-below-average strikeout rate during his first season with the Razorbacks (28.9% over 225 PA). Steve Carter analyzed Cox's swing for me before I got my first glimpse of him. Carter pointed out how Cox's swing was largely driven by his shoulders and front side. He noted that such a swing would leave a hitter in a poor position to adjust to breaking balls. Cox took more than a few ugly swings -- like the one to the right -- against breaking balls last weekend. A solid defender at third base -- he's below-average at second -- Cox has made a lot of progress over the last year. He appears to be making a conscious effort to adjust his swing and approach in hopes of making more contact than last season. To date this has resulted in fewer strikeouts and more contact but a decline in power. Cox is much more balanced than he was in high school and as a freshman. He didn't take any swings where his back leg flew out behind him as shifted his weight, something he's done in the past. I was impressed with the opposite-field power I saw from him during batting practice. And he has a pretty good eye to go with some patience. He just has more adjustments to make than I'd want from a guy who I was thinking of spending a million dollars on. Right now, I wouldn't touch Cox in the first round. But his elite bat speed and potential to play solid defense at third base still make him one of the 100 draft-eligible talents in the nation.

4-2 from: - http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=2050 - Zack Cox, 3b, Arkansas - "Cox is another one who's going to have to hit. He's certainly not your prototype at second base or third base—I've seen him at both spots this year. Some of his stuff has gone a little bit backwards for him since high school. His arm strength has gone a little backwards, but he's always going to be a fringy fielder. His hands are fine, balls hit to him are OK, he's got slow feet, his range should be good enough for third base. The thing that I can't figure out with him is he goes out and hits .260 with 15 home runs or whatever for Arkansas last spring and then he goes out to the Cape and hits .340 with no power and now he comes back this year and what's he hitting? [.414/.516/.606 with nine extra-base hits.]"He's strong, he's a real strong kid. You watch him in BP and he can launch balls. But it seems like he has to make a tradeoff. Either he's going to hit for power or he's going to hit for average and I'm not certain that he can do both. The thing that concerns me about his swing is that he has a lot of head movement in his swing. He starts off with his head upright—a fairly standard look—but when he's actually making contact, his left ear's touching his shoulder. He's figured it out against college pitching, but I'm concerned about as he gets more advanced. I think he is going to hit and he's a good prospect, but we'll see how everything goes signability-wise and how all that plays into it. But he's a hard-working kid, good kid, that can swing the bat a bit and I think he'll play third base enough to stick there."

4-15 from http://pnrscouting.com/rankings_2010_midseason_thirdbase.html - Zack Cox, Sophomore, Univ. of Arkansas entered the season as the top rated bat on the PnR Top 300 and has put together a nice first half of the season, doing nothing to lose that ranking. Perhaps most impressive thus far has been how well Cox is hitting good pitching. Courtesy of www.collegesplits.com, through April 9th Cox is doing the bulk of his damage on Fridays and Saturdays, slashing .517/.571/.690 and .483/.571/.724, respectively. He experienced no fall-off as he entered SEC play (through 37 AB, .459/.565/.757) and has shown an ability to control the strikezone and avoid the strikeouts that concerned many entering and through the summer (1.83 BB/SO and a walk every 6.5 PA). The new question for evaluators will be, "Can Cox hit for the power you would expect coming out of the hot corner?" The Razorback third baseman could make their jobs easier by showing some more pop over the next six weeks. You may also start to read rumors of teams thinking about shifting him to second base where power wouldn't be a huge issue.Either way he has solidified himself as a 1st Round talent.

4-20 from: - http://web.goldenspikesaward.com/index.html?page=news_archive&article_id=66 - Zack Cox, a sophomore third baseman for Arkansas, has been red hot during the Razorbacks' 11-game winning streak. Cox has a 12-game hitting streak, and he has registered multiple hits in nine straight games to raise his overall line to .444/.538/.616 with six home runs and 42 RBIs.

5-3 from: - http://www.mlbbonusbaby.com - A fourth choice is someone you've been looking at for awhile in Zack Cox. You like the difference in floor and ceiling he provides compared to your other two offensive options in Machado and Colon. You believe he has a higher ceiling Colon and a higher floor than Machado, and there's a good chance he'll turn out to be the best offensive option of the bunch. You fully believe he'll stick at third base in the long run, and you don't feel that way about your best current prospect Pedro Alvarez. In addition, if you want to keep current third baseman Andy LaRoche, Cox is versatile enough to move to second base and play league-average defense there. You like the tools, and while you don't believe his power will be elite, you think he'll easily show 25 home run power in his prime, and he'll provide a .300 batting average with above-average patience. He would sign for right around slot immediately and head to Low-A, and you look at this choice in a similar manner to your pick of Tony Sanchez last year.

5-13 from: - http://pnrscouting.com/scoutingreports_2010_coxza.html - Cox is the best college bat in the 2010 class by a fair amount, showing clean mechanics, an advanced approach and pole-to-pole versatility. Through just over 230 PA in 2010, Cox is slashing .456/.534/.641 and putting around 11 ABs between each strikeout. He has shown good pitch recognition (particularly when facing a limited repertoire) and an ability to let the ball travel and produce hard contact where the ball is pitched. Critics will point to power totals on the light side for a corner bat, but there is potential for him to continue to grow into homerun pop (perhaps above-average), given his plus hands, good bat speed and the raw skill set to build-up above-average selective aggression. In a class light on college bats, Cox stands out and could be the first 4-year bat off the board -- perhaps as high as the first 5 picks and almost certainly in the first 15.

5-18 from: - http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/05/18/sec-scouting-updates - Arkansas - “Quiet hands. Solid bat but no power, can hit for average. Average third base defender. Limited range at third. Average arm. Lacks premier athleticism. Better hit to make it.”

5-21 from: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=10931 - Hit Tool: Zach Cox, 3B/2B, Arkansas - Nobody in the draft puts the screws on the ball as consistently as Cox, who enters this weekend batting .431 for the Razorbacks. Beyond that, he adds a fantastic approach, as evidenced by his 33 walks. He's elevated his stock with a slump-free season, and could even be the first four-year college position player to go off the board, but that's not to say he's a perfect player. Thickly built at 6-foot, 215 pounds, he profiles best as a third baseman, where he has a plus arm but merely average defensive skills otherwise. The real concern is his power ceiling. With just 11 doubles and eight home runs in 211 at-bats this year, Cox is rarely driving balls with aluminum, as his line-drive swing offers little in the ways of loft and back spin, while he's also far more likely to take a pitch the other way than pull anything. Teams that believe power is the last tools to develop may end up disappointed in Cox, who for many is more of a left-handed Bill Mueller than a future middle-of-the-order force.

5-28 from: - http://baseballdraftreport.com - Top 30 College Third Base Prospects - 2. Arkansas SO 3B Zack Cox - Easily confused fellow that I am, I don’t quite understand the negativity surrounding Cox’s power potential that has come to the surface this season. It seems to me that he can’t really win with some people. Last year people oohed and aahed as he flashed prodigious raw power, but disappointed in the plate discipline department. This year he’s taken a much more patient, contact-oriented approach, but is getting heat for not hitting for the same power as he did his freshman year. I realize slugging .600+ and socking 20 extra base hits in college (like Cox has done so far in 2010) isn’t quite the feat it appears to be at first blush, but it’s still a decent indicator that the guy hasn’t been reduced to a singles only hitter this year. Now imagine the possibility that good professional coaching can help Cox unlock the secret of maintaining his gains in plate discipline and a high contact rate while simultaneously helping him rediscover the big power stroke of his first collegiate season. Sounds pretty good, right? As arguably the draft’s top position player prospect, much has already been written about Cox’s toolset. The cliff notes version is this: potential plus bat, above-average present power but plus projection, 45/50 runner, plus arm, good defender. His worst tool is probably his speed, and, as you can see, even that project to be around average. I think Cox’s ceiling is below that of your typical top half of the first round college bat, but he’s still a relatively safe pick to be an above-average regular third baseman for a first division club.

No comments: