Great Under The Radar Move

[love_that_reefer]

Rangers claimed first baseman Joe Koshansky on waivers from the Rockies and optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma.
The Rockies didn't necessarily need the 40-man roster spot, but they did the right thing and gave Koshansky a chance to go to a team that might be able to use him. The 26-year-old has 25-homer power and has posted quality OBPs in Triple-A, though it was at a great environment for hitters. He'll probably have only a small window of opportunity in Texas, which also has Max Ramirez as insurance at first base and DH and Justin Smoak on the way. Maybe he'll get a chance this year if Hank Blalock gets traded or goes on the DL.

Koshansky was being blocked behind Helton just like Ryan Shealy was. Koshansky is a .286/.369/.541 hitter in the minors and averaged 26 HRs a season. He hit .300 last year in AAA with 31 HRs and 121 RBI. He also strikes out a lot. Joe struck out 158 times last year. If anything, the Rangers could trade him to a team with a need for a power hitting first baseman. I just hope he gets a chance to play if not for the Rangers, someone else. I think this kid can play!

[missionhockey21]

I do think there is a possibility he is a AAAA type of player. He will be 27 in May and while he did show power in his callup last season, he struck out 17 times in only 38 AB's. A strong kid who could take advantage of bad minor league pitches. I could be wrong as I'll be the first to admit that I am only a bit familiar with him, but I would think if his minor league numbers were a true indicator of his talent that the Rockies could have gotten a question mark in exchange for their question mark.

But if he can hit, his power would look nice in Arlignton.

[Saber]

He smacks of a AAA lifer. Big power, but he's a hacker who probably can't hit breaking balls. Still, can't hurt the Rangers to give him a cup of coffee when someone gets hurt.

[missionhockey21]

Yep, that's my thoughts exactly. Maybe he might be useful on the bench of a lesser team for some power, but it seems like last season in his brief callup that he essentially had a blindfold on when he was up to bat.

[love_that_reefer]

Ryan Shealy was in the same position and he will be sharing first base duties for the Royals. Koshansky has never been given a chance at AAA since he has been blocked by Helton, just like Shealy. Some hitters need continuous reps and guys like Shealy and Koshansky has not been given that at the MLB level. Sad thing he won't be given this either in Texas. One thing is for sure, he can hit them far.

[catman]

Maybe working with Rudy will help this kid.
He has been an all-star each of the past 4 seasons, so people are impressed with his abilities.
Here is his page from minorleaguebaseball.com: Minor League Baseball: Stats: Player
Here is his baseballreference minor league stats page: Joe Koshansky Statistics (Minor Leagues) - Baseball-Reference.com
It appears he needs to work on his fielding a bit also.

[love_that_reefer]

Brewers claimed first baseman Joe Koshansky on waivers from the Rangers and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville.
The Brewers could have nabbed him before the Rangers did last week, but they weren't willing to use the 40-man roster spot on him then. Now that Tony Gwynn Jr. no longer needs to be carried, they were. He'll replace Brad Nelson in the middle of Nashville's lineup, but he has no easier part to the majors with Milwaukee than he did with Colorado.

That didn't last long. He was going to be blocked by Blalock and Davis and now is blocked by Fielder. Will this guy ever land in a spot where he can have a chance to play?