Lost In The Shuffle of Hiro-mania ….Less Cowgill

Late in the morning yesterday as the Oakland Athletics prepared to introduce their new shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima to the media and the world, a small move was made to make space for him on the 40 man roster.  The A’s shipped Collin Cowgill off to the New York Mets for a young minor league third baseman by the name of Jefry Marte.  While the impact of this deal for the Athletics probably is minimal due to the cornucopia of outfielders the team has, Cowgill is one of those players who brings a lot to the table with his tremendous hustle and work ethic, a valuable part to any successful team.  That presence will be missed.

That had to hurt. (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)

Of course when news broke that Cowgill was on his way out, Twitter was flooded with references and images of Cowgill taking out Tim Lincecum much like the one you see to the left of this page.  That was the moment Cowgill truly endeared himself to all A’s fans.  Giants fans cried foul, certainly still sensitive about plays at the plate after what happened to Buster Posey in 2011, but Cowgill was quietly becoming a cult hero in Athletics circles.

The return for Cowgill is fairly impressive actually, Marte checked in at number 16 on the Mets top prospect list and did once make an appearance in the Futures Game at the All Star weekend in 2011.  He struggled a bit over the last season at Double A Binghamton, hitting just .251/.322/.366 but crushed lefties at a .336/.390/.560 clip.  The biggest positive though is the fact that he is only 21 years old and has already played a full season at the Double A level.  I expect he’ll probably begin 2013 in Midland, but could find his way to Sacramento if all goes well there.

So as we all basked in the glow of Hiro Nakajima’s awesome press conference, lets make sure we take a moment to recognize the contribution Collin Cowgill made in his short time with the Athletics.  New York Mets fans will now get the chance to enjoy a little more Cowgill.