Back in March of 2021 Mark Kolozsvary took Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber deep on the backfields in Goodyear during spring training. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come in 2021 for the catcher.
When the minor league season began two months later the Reds sent Mark Kolozsvary to Double-A Chattanooga. The Lookouts first series of the year was against Rocket City and that’s basically what they referred to every ball that Kolozsvary hit in the series as he went 7-11 with four doubles and two home runs in four games against the Trash Pandas. He didn’t really slow down much over the next series, either, hitting .400 in the next five games.
In late May he would leave Chattanooga and head off to play participate in a training camp with Team USA as they began to finalize their team for qualifying for the summer Olympics. Shortly after that camp Team USA headed into qualifying and over their four games Kolozsvary was the team’s best hitter, posting a .417/.588/1.000 line with two home runs in their four qualifying games.
Kolozsvary returned to Chattanooga on June 9th. Over the next two weeks he played in 11 games and had hits in eight of those games. But he went into a slump after that, going just 4-37 (.108) over a 3-week stretch before he once again left to join Team USA – this time to participate in the Olympics where he helped Team USA to a silver medal.
When the catcher returned he only spent a little over a week back with Chattanooga, and picked up two more home runs against poor Rocket City before he was promoted to Triple-A. In his first two weeks with Louisville he went 7-27 with four extra-base hits. While he struggled down the stretch, going 4-31 with 15 strikeouts over the final three weeks for Louisville he got his first call up to the big leagues when Cincinnati needed a catcher for a few days. He never entered a game, but did spend two days on the roster with the team before returning to Triple-A.
For all 2021 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Mark Kolozsvary Scouting Report
Position: Catcher | B/T: R/R
Height: 5′ 8″ | Weight: 180 lbs | Acquired: 7th Round (2017)
Born: September 4, 1995
Hitting | He has a below-average hit tool.
Power | He has below-average power.
Speed | Like most catchers he has below-average speed.
Defense | He has plus defense.
Arm | He has an above-average arm.
Defense carries the scouting report for Mark Kolozsvary. And when it comes to a catcher that’s what teams value the most – their defense and how they can handle/work with a pitching staff. With his combination of defense, arm, and how he reportedly works with a pitching staff, Kolozsvary brings everything to the table that you want to see from a catcher.
At the plate is where Kolozsvary has had struggles in his career. He’s a career .223/.330/.353 hitter in the minors. While there’s a chance that he’s a better hitter than that, his bat doesn’t project to be that of a starting caliber player. There’s a little more power potential in his bat than he’s shown to this point in his career, but it’s still expected to be a bit below-average.
The ceiling isn’t too high because of the expectations for the bat. But the floor is high because Kolozsvary is very good defensively at the most important defensive position on the field. He’s going to get some big league time for his defense if nothing else. And there’s a chance he can be a pretty solid backup catcher.
Mark Kolozsvary Spray Chart
Interesting Stat on Mark Kolozsvary
In 56 plate appearances against Rocket City he hit .357/.518/.833. He hit .185/.271/.278 against everyone else in 181 plate appearances during the season.
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