Someone has to say it...

[Sports Guy]

The only thing I have noticed that Cowser needs to do a better job of is using all fields. I have seen a lot of pitches that are away and he is trying to pull everything.

Just relax and go with the pitch.

 

[George Zuverink]

8 hours ago, Three Run Homer said:

...Cowser looks terrible.  At the plate, in the field, even on the basepaths.   I see okay plate discipline and nothing else.  

 

Yes’ he does. So what?

[Billy F-Face3]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

The only thing I have noticed that Cowser needs to do a better job of is using all fields. I have seen a lot of pitches that are away and he is trying to pull everything.

Just relax and go with the pitch.

 

I see him trying to go with it but he's always late and fouling it off. Alot like Gunnar started the year doing. Too timid at the plate.

[RZNJ]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

The only thing I have noticed that Cowser needs to do a better job of is using all fields. I have seen a lot of pitches that are away and he is trying to pull everything.

Just relax and go with the pitch.

 

This is just way wrong.  He has gone the other way plenty.    He just doesn’t have the timing, isn’t barreling the ball right now.   He really hasn’t pulled the ball in the air yet.   

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

I see him trying to go with it but he's always late and fouling it off. Alot like Gunnar started the year doing. Too timid at the plate.

Maybe I just haven’t seen it.

I saw a lot of weak ground balls pulled to the right side on outside pitches early on. I have seen some of his at bats lately but not a lot of them.

 

[ScGO's]

If Mullins was healthy, I would think Cowser is probably sent down for more seasoning already

[Matt Bennett]

40 minutes ago, wildcard said:

To me the most important thing is be put a winning team on the field.    It is a pennant race. 

So one rookie in the lineup trying to prove himself and struggling might work but not two.

Some people are quite obsessed with this. What is the difference between rookie struggles and veteran struggles? We already have 2 rookies in the lineup. Cowser is the 3rd. Why is Cowser failing to adjust so far worse than watching McKenna swing through 95mph and be replacement level for 500 plate appearances? Why is Westburg finding his feet worse than watching Mateo blindly flail at every down and away slider? 

Outs are outs. And Cowser has been up for a week. And our rookies have star ceilings where Mateo and Mountcastle (4th years)  have repeatedly shown they can’t get on base enough to supplement their strengths. 

[johnrambo]

37 minutes ago, emmett16 said:

Here’s the thing: baseball is hard.  Professional evaluators look at skillsets, approach, and how a player deals with adversity, not results.  

Cowser was never projected to be a plus defender. Scouts never considered him a CF type of a guy at any point. And they were never high on his power either. So you're basically banking on entirely on his hit tool. Cowser's value will be his bat to contact skills. If this kid doesn't start hitting then he's an even bigger liability than Mateo. At least Mateo can play a MLB SS. Cowser has to hit or he's bust.

[deward]

16 minutes ago, ScGO's said:

If Mullins was healthy, I would think Cowser is probably sent down for more seasoning already

Cowser has absolutely nothing to prove in the minors. He doesn't need more seasoning, he needs to work out his timing against MLB pitching. It'll come.

[CaptainRedbeard]

As others have said, it’s 36 PA so not at all close enough to draw conclusions on, but still:

.136 BABIP

19.4 BB%

13.9 K%

.260 xBA

.332 xSLG

.371 xwOBA

40.9% Hard Hit %

84.1% Zone Contact %

18.1% Chase %

That’s a very good to elite plate discipline profile and he’s making a lot of contact. We wouldn’t even have this thread right now if more of the grounders found holes and his BA matched his .260 xBA. 

He is only hitting the ball hard on the ground right now. He needs to start hitting more balls hard in the air. But that’s a natural part of the progression to the major league level, and he’s not a small slap hitter where we need to worry about him ultimately having enough power. There is some legitimate concern that a true power stroke won’t ever come for him at the MLB level given his very high MiL line drive % and low FB%, but even with the zero power right now, he’s walking so much, making enough contact and hitting the ball hard enough on the ground to run a great xwOBA. He’s just been very unlucky. 

I do think his defense has been poor, but it’s been 9 games. The scouting reports are all that he is at a minimum a plus corner OF even if he can’t handle CF. We don’t need him to stick in CF on this team long term, or even right now with Hicks around.

[deward]

6 minutes ago, johnrambo said:

Cowser was never projected to be a plus defender. Scouts never considered him a CF type of a guy at any point. And they were never high on his power either. So you're basically banking on entirely on his hit tool. Cowser's value will be his bat to contact skills. If this kid doesn't start hitting then he's an even bigger liability than Mateo. At least Mateo can play a MLB SS. Cowser has to hit or he's bust.

While some do disagree, there have been plenty of evaluators who think Cowser can be adequate in CF for the first part of his career, and general expectation that he'd be plus in a corner. He's also going to hit for at least average power. He hit 10 HR in 56 games in AAA this year. The guy can hit, he isn't ranked one of the consensus top prospects in baseball by accident. As others have repeatedly pointed out, his pattern at every level has been to need a little time to get his timing sorted, then he takes off and never looks back. 

[Hank Scorpio]

51 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Maybe I just haven’t seen it.

I saw a lot of weak ground balls pulled to the right side on outside pitches early on. I have seen some of his at bats lately but not a lot of them.

 

He's been lunging at some offspeed pitches down in the count and making weak contact. 

He, Gunnar and Rustchman all have one thing in common.... they don't chase a whole lot of BS. And that alone is an excellent sign for a young player. 

[Jagwar]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

The only thing I have noticed that Cowser needs to do a better job of is using all fields. I have seen a lot of pitches that are away and he is trying to pull everything.

Just relax and go with the pitch.

 

I think I remember some video highlights of him hitting those pitches for opposite field HRs in the minors. 

He's going to be fine. 

[geschinger]

11 minutes ago, deward said:

While some do disagree, there have been plenty of evaluators who think Cowser can be adequate in CF for the first part of his career

Maybe wishful thinking but it could also just be an issue of needing some time to acclimate defensively as well.  Not uncommon for a young OF coming up to sometimes struggle a bit getting used to tracking the ball in venues with a third deck.  

[Aristotelian]

The most disappointing AB last night was when he struck out looking with a man on third. Gotta be in protect mode to at least get a productive out. That gets us within three and at least gives us a fighting chance. The strikeout there was a killer.