Pete Kozma

It appeared as though Kozma's time with the Cardinals was nearing an end, but after slashing .248/.330/.372 with Triple-A Memphis last season, he was called up in September and hit .304 over 23 at-bats. The former starting shortstop and career .236/.297/.320 hitter can be safely ignored in all fantasy leagues, as Kozma merely provides infield depth for the Cardinals within the organization as well as a decent amount of postseason experience.

The Cardinals were hoping Kozma could continue the success he had from the 2012 postseason into 2013, but they were sorely disappointed in the results. Kozma flashed a solid glove at short, but was dreadful at the plate last season posting a wRC+ of 50, the second worst wRC+ in all of baseball from hitters with at least 400 plate appearances. The Cardinals stuck with him as long as they could before slowly handing over an increasing number of at-bats to Daniel Descalso. If Kozma sticks with the Cardinals, it will likely be as a defensive replacement for newly acquired starter Jhonny Peralta.

With Rafael Furcal out with an elbow injury, the Cardinals turned to Kozma in September and October. While Kozma drew eight walks in 13 postseason games, it was his September performance that really opened eyes. Kozma hit .349/.386/.619 with 10 extra-base hits in 63 September at-bats. Furcal's status for the beginning of 2013 is in doubt, so unless the Cardinals find a free agent shortstop, Kozma may only have to beat out Daniel Descalso for the starting job on Opening Day. Just note that Kozma's minor league numbers don't even come close to projecting him as a .300 hitter in the majors - he's a .223 hitter in 846 Triple-A at-bats.

The best thing about Kozma is his glove, but that's not saying much. His second year with Double-A Springfield was certainly better than his first, but don't get too excited by the 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases as they came with a .243 batting average and .702 OPS. If you struggle to top .700 OPS in your second year in Double-A, you're probably a long way from the majors. Still, at age 22 he has time to turn it around.

Kozma has a nice glove, but after a terrible season with the bat in Double-A Springfield last year, it looks like it could be awhile before he can be counted upon to win a starting job with the big club. Kozma turns 22 this spring, so he's still young enough to turn it around, but Brendan Ryan or Tyler Greene could be good enough to hold the shortstop job in St. Louis if Kozma never develops.

Kozma, the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2007, hit a combined .233/.313/.342 in 42 games between the Arizona Fall League, the Appalachian League, and the New York-Penn League. The constant moving around prevented him from getting his footing at any one level, making it hard to get a good read on his numbers. He will probably begin 2008 in full-season ball in the Midwest League. He's still a few years away, but he's known more for his defense and as result, doesn't make for a good keeper candidate yet.