Jan 31 2014 07:27 AM
Colin Cowgill is that sort of guy. He's not consistent enough to keep on the bigs, but his talent is enticing enough that he's hard to sneak through waivers. So when Oakland needed his spot on the roster, they traded him to the Mets for Jefry Marte, rather than risk waivers.
Collin was briefly good for the Mets, then he really wasn't. So when the Mets needed his spot on the roster, they traded him to the Angels for Kyle Johnson.
Kyle's a college-educated (Washington State, alma mater of Gary Larson, Dolph Lundgren, and Ed Bouchee) speedy outfielder that gets on base. He's got a .382 career OBP on top of his .289 batting average, and if the extra base hits aren't there, well, he's got more than you do. He was ripping up his season to the tune of .308 / .416 / .421 // .837 in the Low-A Midwest League, and the Mets promoted him to High-A St. Lucie shortly after getting him, depressing his performance, but he still came away with a .278 / .344 / .380 // .724 slash in 48 games. This spring, all eyes will be watching to see if he stays in Florida when camp breaks, or heads north to Elysian Fields of Binghamton.
I've read about him, and he just really seemed to need someone to love him.
| He talked about the day he was traded: “I was just like, ‘OK.’ I was caught really off-guard. I didn’t really know anything about it. He (Bobby Scales) asked if I had any questions, and I was just kind of speechless.” The poor guy and his fiancee had to make the drive from Iowa to Savannah, Georgia — and then drive again to Port St. Lucie to join his new team after less than ten games with the Sand Gnats. Johnson was a nice addition to the St. Lucie team and immediately gave them a boost at the top of the line-up with his speed. In his two-year pro career between the Angels and Mets, Johnson has hit .290 with a .395 on-base percentage. He has stolen 46 bases in 53 attempts in 128 career games. 39 of those stolen bases have come this year as he approaches the 50 mark quickly…no joke intended there. |
When he makes the trip up north, AND HE WILL, here's hoping he leaves this misbegotten uniform behind.
