Marlins Release Casey Kotchman

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

By Steve Adams [August 26, 2013 at 2:15pm CST]

The Marlins announced that they have activated Casey Kotchman from the disabled list and released him.

The 30-year-old Kotchman signed a minor league deal with the Marlins this offseason but appeared in only six games for the Fish before hitting the disabled list with a hamstring injury. Upon being activated from the 60-day DL in June, he suffered an oblique strain that has kept him on the shelf since.

Kotchman went hitless (0-for-20) in his six games with the Marlins but is a career .260/.326/.385 hitter in parts of 10 seasons with the Angels, Braves, Red Sox, Rays, Indians, Mariners and Marlins.

Hopefully, he'll be able to find a job in baseball next year and stay healthy.

[Taylor]

Wish him the best. Just another example of the vastly overrated hitting prospects we had during the Stoneman years. 

[mtangelsfan]

Feel badly for him.  Never the same after getting beaned.

[Docwaukee]

poor guy was shleprock.  the mono didn't help either. 

[Schildog]

i can't believe he's only 30.

[Jay]

he was actually pretty good when he played for us

[nate]

Kotch ws good for us, the power just never developed.  He put on a clinic at 1b.

[mrwicked]

he was great that one season until he got plunked in the head stealing 2nd base.

[FireThemAll]

He was awesome defensively for us, and was decent offensively. I liked him when he was an Angel. Wish him the best.

[Adam]

I hope his hair is important to him and he goes bald

[WallyWorld]

It's all Russel Martin's fault.

[Docwaukee]

I hope his hair is important to him and he goes bald

kotchman to Adam is what Vlad was to RMunkee

[gotbeer]

I remember when people were saying he was the 1B of the future with 30 HR potential.

[m0nkey]

I was one of those idiots who didn't like the teixeira trade

[full circle]

Kotch was my favorite angel for a stretch there. Hope he can come back and have another year like he had with the rays a couple years back.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Kotch ws good for us, the power just never developed.  He put on a clinic at 1b.

 

I really thought he might break out when he landed in Atlanta, but it never happened.

[Spencer]

Aside from him only being 30, I'm shocked he's been in the league for 10 years.

[Tank]

I'm shocked he's been on seven teams.

Lots of people figured him to be a 50+ doubles guy YIYO.

[disarcina]

When Kotchman was coming up with the Halos (with his good pal and minor league teammate, Chone Figgins) I never really considered him a power hitter type.

 

In fact, in posts going back to the ESPN board days here, I would describe him as another "JT Snow" -- decent average, perhaps some clutch hits (JT seemed to be able to come through in the playoffs for SF) and some very good D/ glove work down at 1B.

 

JT was traded over to the NL relatively early in his career (I remember we got a pitcher named Watson , I think that was his name, and I saw the results of 'the trade' at an ST game in Tempe -- Watson started for the Halos and got ripped, the score was something like 17 to 2 in the second inning -- I don't think JT make the trip over from Scottsdale, it was early March and likely a split squad game......Watson didn't much for us........

 

But JT has a decent career with SF, became a gold glover and had decent career stats.

 

When Kotchman got traded to Atlanta -- I thought that was a pretty good break for him -- over to the NL where his style of play would fit in better -- but Kotchman, perhaps dogged by his "Mr. GIDP" tendency never got much playing time in Atlanta, and then kinda got hurt and the next thing you know he's traded at deadline again (the following season) to Boston where he never had a chance and certainly didn't fit in.........if he got limited playing time in Atlanta, he got even less in Boston. At times it was easy to forget he was on the roster.......he was like a 4-A guy who they called up to sit on the MLB bench but wasn't on the roster........it was terrible..........he wound up with our Halos bench coach and friend in Tampa Bay and seemed on track there, but it didn't last.....then he started bouncing around, even getting reunited with Figgy in Seattle where Figgy struggled and Kotchman playing himself out of a starting position.........more bouncing, more DL time and now this.

 

Perhaps he will emulate his father and become a high school/ college baseball coach and do some MLB scouting on the side.........

 

A 30 year old no power 1B who can probably play the field pretty well, isn't going to get much of look from MLB teams today.......perhaps he should do a Rick Ankiel in reverse.......

[Mark68]

Can he pitch?

[ten ocho recon scout]

Dang. Disar just reminded us that as bad as blanton is, we used to tradee qualiy guys for guys like alan watson. Remember when him, brian cooper, jason dickson and steve sparks were the guys who weren't good enough...to push ken hill from our staff ace spot?

[Vernster52]

Can he pitch?

 

He still throws like a girl.

[Angelsjunky]

Kotchman is definitely one of the most disappointing Angels prospects. I thought he'd be a Sean Casey-type: .300+ BA, 20ish HR.

 

I don't know exactly why he didn't pan out but it always seemed like he lacked fire and, perhaps, drive.

 

I also remember getting mocked because I said I thought he should strike out more, that he was too tentative at the plate, too defensive, like his primary focus was on preventing a strikeout rather than getting a hit.

[tomsred]

He was the 13th pick in the 2001 Draft.  A very serviceable player for awhile, but hopefully we do better in next year's draft.

[fan_since79]

Probably his best game as an Angel was the night in 2008 when he had five hits against Cleveland. Kendrick had four hits in that game, as well as Jeff Mathis, who also had a grand slam and 6 RBI. It was the first time in Angels history that three players had at least four hits in a game.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20080723_CLE@ANA