In the News
10/27/06.. addition.. projectprospect.com.. ranking 1st basemen
4. Joe Koshansky, COL: One of the most powerful hitters in the minors, Koshansky, 24, has begun to make a name for himself, after being taken by the Rockies in the 6th round of the 2004 draft. Yet another lefty, Koshansky, who was a two-way player at the University of Virginia, put up a .284/.371/.526 vital line in 500 at-bats at Double-A Tulsa.
In just his second season as a full-time hitter he pitched 102.2 innings in his final year at Virginia Koshansky hit 31 home runs, but struck out in 26.8% of his at-bats. If we were sold on the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder's home run potential translating to the majors, he'd be above Barton (3) on this list.
8/31/06.. addition.. baseballamerica.com
The Rockies have one of the game’s most loaded farm systems, so Koshansky probably won’t crack the upper half of our Colorado Top 10 when we unveil it this winter. I don’t see him making our 2007 Top 100 Prospects list either, though he shouldn’t be too far removed from making the cut. But he’s definitely a legitimate prospect.
Koshansky has taken a while to attract believers in his talent. He led Virginia in victories and homers as a two-way star in 2003, yet went undrafted. The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year as a senior in 2004, he signed that June for $40,000 as a sixth-round pick. While he hit 50 homers in his first 198 pro games, there still were doubts. He batted just .234 in the short-season Northwest League, and last season he did almost all of his damage in the South Atlantic League at age 23, ancient for someone in low Class A. Furthermore, 25 of his 36 SAL homers came at Asheville’s cozy McCormick Field, and he hit just .227 with 11 homers on the road.
But Koshansky has proven he’s for real in 2006. Making the jump to Double-A, he has hit .289/.377/.539 with 31 homers and 108 RBIs in 128 games. In addition to his obvious lefthanded power, he draws his share of walks and is a good defender. He has struggled against southpaws this season, but didn’t a year ago, so it’s too early to call him a platoon player. The worst thing he has going for him is that he plays first base, and Todd Helton’s contract (which has five years and $90.1 million remaining) means that position won’t open up in Colorado in the foreseeable future.
8/11/06.. addition.. Rocky
First baseman Joe Koshansky on Wednesday became the first minor leaguer to reach 100 RBI when he homered twice and drove in three runs. It was the fourth two-homer game this season for Koshansky, who needs four homers and six RBI to become the Drillers all-time leader in those categories.
8/1/06.. addition.. Tulsaworld.com
"I don't try to hit home runs; I figure it will come naturally if I square the ball up right," Koshansky said. "My goal every time is to hit the ball up the middle. Most of the time I'm getting pitches on the outer half of the plate so I try to work the ball in the gaps or up the middle."
Koshansky admits he has always had success at the plate, dating back to his Little League days.
"It was weird," Koshansky said. "Growing up I was always a pretty good hitter all the way through high school."
He admits he has areas in which he can improve.
"I'd love to hit for a higher average than I am," said Koshansky, who through 102 games hit .297. "I need to hit more consistently the mistake pitches I've gotten, and I'd like to strike out less. But I'm still happy. My goals were to hit over .300, hit 30 home runs and 100 RBI and I'm getting close."
7/10/06.. addition.. Rocky
Joe Koshansky hit a two-run homer for the U.S. team, which won the All-Star Futures Game against its World counterparts 8-5 at PNC Park. The left-handed-hitter, who is tied for the Texas League lead in homers, drove a 1-1 fastball from left-hander Davis Romero, a Toronto Blue Jays prospect, 394 feet into the right field stands for a two-run home run.
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"He leads the ballclub with two-strike hits and two-out hits and quality at-bats," Rockies player development director Marc Gustafson said. "What he's done is establish himself as a professional hitter."
6/28/06.. addition.. MLB.com
Last year, critics said it was the wall. They said the short right-field porch in Asheville's McCormick Field inflated left-handed first baseman Joe Koshansky's power numbers while he was with the Tourists in 2005. How else does a sixth-round draft pick hit 38 homers and knock in 115 runs.
Last year's performance may not have been a fluke, but Koshansky feels he has become an even better hitter since being promoted to Tulsa last August. Working with Drillers hitting coach Orlando Merced, who spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues before retiring in 2003, has helped Koshansky grow as a hitter.
"I've been learning as I've been going," Koshansky said. "I'm learning to be more patient, trying to work the ball up the middle more. And I'm becoming a more mature hitter."
Perhaps Merced's most important work with Koshansky has been his focus on developing Joe's ability to hit the ball to the opposite field.
"Joe has so much power in that swing of his, but because he's young, he tends to try to pull the ball," Merced said. "We're working on using the whole field, and when we get to that point, he'll be hard to stop."
"We have an established system, and Joe's just taking care of everything between the lines. He's obviously having a great year, and he has a lot of talent, and he has the potential to be a superstar at the Major League level. I think he could be the future of the Colorado Rockies."
6/25/06.. scouting report from OhNoKoolAid
1B Joe Koshansky- Doesn't look like he fits in Double A. Very tall, muscular physique that has a very confident approach to hitting. Very calm and patient and reminds me of Jason Giambi with his patience on inside pitches. Look very good in the field and should be a plus fielder. He actually showed surprising range and very soft hands.
6/19/06.. addition.. hardballtimes.com
Joe Koshansky went undrafted as a junior in college two years ago, and last year shocked the Rockies by hitting 36 home runs in the South Atlantic League. Many onlookers dismissed Koshansky and attributed the performance to his advanced age and hitter-friendly home park at Asheville. He's warranting a second look in the Texas League, where he has a .410 OBP and has hit more home runs (19) than popular sluggers like Brandon Wood, Hunter Pence, and Alex Gordon. Tulsa's Driller Stadium is a fine place to hit home runs, but Koshansky has actually hit more on the road this season.
6/18/06.. addition.. MLB.com
I like what Joe Koshansky has done above all the others," Gustafson said. "He has made the jump from Asheville to Double-A in Tulsa without missing a beat."
6/12/06.. addition.. Rocky
"He (Koshansky) has an idea already of how to figure out pitchers, their best pitch, their tendencies," said Jim Johnson, the Colorado Rockies' roving hitting coordinator. "I got guys at Triple-A that don't even look for that stuff. This guy is very cerebral, maybe too much so."
Koshansky is 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds and, like Shealy, a move to the outfield isn't feasible because Koshansky wouldn't have enough speed, agility or arm strength. Tulsa manager Stu Cole said Koshansky is better than he expected defensively at first base and his footwork around the base, in particular, has improved.
After this season, the Rockies will have to add Koshansky, 24, to their 40-man roster or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. At this point, with Shealy still in the organization and Koshansky focusing on the daily grind, he's not concerned with his destiny in the organization.
5/08/06.. Purps 30 .. Purple Row.com
19. Joe Koshansky - 1B
Joe started off a little slowly, but has shown some definite signs of getting his powerful swing in line in the last week or two. Koshansky's homerun potential ranks near the top in the Rockies system, with only Ian Stewart possibly having more. I still don't know if he'll make it, because despite having all that drive there are questions of his bat catching up to major league pitching. I think by handling AA this year he'll be able to lay a lot of those doubts to rest. Next season, look for Joe K to move up to second on the depth chart behind Todd Helton at first, and by 2008 we can wonder if he'll need to be moved ala Ryan Shealy. Like Shealy, Koshansky's only natural position is first, which definitely limits our options.
