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I'm in the process of orchestrating a very short-notice move, so I don't have a lot to say about this, but while we await the baron this chart might be all I have to say about Pete Kozma right now in re: the St. Louis Cardinals having a shortstop who hits 400-foot home runs to dead center field:
| Level | PA | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| A | 640 | .097 |
| AA | 1029 | .121 |
| AAA | 846 | .101 |
| MLB | 111 | .221 |
Even when Pete Kozma was "showing a little pop" in the minor leagues, he wasn't exactly hitting for power; his career high isolated power over a minor league season is .141, or the difference between a .384 slugging percentage and a .243 batting average in his second trip through AA Springfield. (As opposed to his .219 ISO in spring training—.578 SLG on .359 BA.)
I'm not really any closer to believing in Pete Kozma as a league-average shortstop, but I am slightly closer to just never talking about Pete Kozma again, at least until he stops hitting 400-foot home runs to dead center field. Having said all I can about why I don't think he's a major league shortstop, I feel ready to just sit down, watch him every night, and hope I'm wrong on every count.