Today we are going to look at the shortstop position over the next few years and how it could play out for the Reds. Their current shortstop Zack Cozart is locked up for several seasons. While it may seem a bit similar to the State of the Farm series, the purpose here is to look at the current Reds and the contract status of the players at each position and get into potential internal replacements for when those current Reds contracts expire.
Expires after the 2014 season: No one
As noted above, Zack Cozart has the position locked down for right now, though he has struggled at the plate over the last two seasons. Defensively he is very strong. His offensive issues haven’t been enough to cost him his job because his defense is quite good, but a decline in either could be problematic for keeping his job. Injuries also represent an opening for another player.
Potential shortstops to come up during or after the 2014 season: Kristopher Negron and Devin Lohman.
Devin Lohman and Kristopher Negron both profile more as backup options than starting options. Kristopher Negron has spent the last several seasons in Triple-A Louisville and has even had a cup of coffee with the big league club in 2012. Devin Lohman has slowly worked his way up the ladder, spending all of 2013 with Double-A Pensacola. Both guys have the ability to play multiple positions, though Negron can play both the infield and outfield while Lohman just has experience at shortstop and second base.
Most likely to take over: Kristopher Negron
Negron gets the edge here because he provides slightly more flexibility in positions he can play and his slightly closer proximity to the Majors because of his Triple-A experience.
Wild card pick: Devin Lohman
With a good start he could jump ahead of Negron in the pecking order.
Expires after the 2015 season: No one
Zack Cozart is still going to be under contract through 2017.
Potential shortstops to come up during or after the 2015 season: Juan Perez and Zach Vincej.
Zach Vincej is the more pure shortstop of the two players as the stronger defender at the position. After a strong debut in 2012 he held his own offensively in 2013 but didn’t stand out in any offensive category. Juan Perez had been solid offensively before the 2013 season and while there were some concerns that he wouldn’t stick at shortstop he has improved his chances of sticking at the position. While Vincej spent his entire 2013 season in Low-A Dayton and Juan Perez was a level higher in Advanced-A Bakersfiled, Vincej is actually a year older than Perez. The two players were similar offensively through their year in Dayton, but as noted above, Perez struggled in 2013 with Bakersfield offensively. I think it is probably a toss up as to who the favorite between these two guys are.
Most likely to take over after the 2015 season: Juan Perez
I give the very slight edge to Perez here simply because he is a tad closer up the chain than Vincej is, though the difference here is small. He will need to rebound some offensively moving forward.
Wild card pick: Zach Vincej
Vincej isn’t exactly a wild card here as he is the better of the two defensively and had the better 2013 season, though it came at a lower level.
For more from this series, click here.