That Balls Outta Here
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Philadelphia Phillies 2017 mid-season top ten prospect list

By John Town

SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 13: Nick Williams #65 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the eight inning of the Spring Training Game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 13, 2017 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. Baltimore defeated Philadelphia 6-4. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 13: Nick Williams #65 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the eight inning of the Spring Training Game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 13, 2017 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. Baltimore defeated Philadelphia 6-4. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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No. 8: RF Dylan Cozens

Dylan Cozens made waves last season when he finally put all the pieces together and his raw power really started to show up in games, hitting a minor-league-leading 40 home runs with Double-A Reading.

This year Cozens is on pace to hit a tremendous amount of home runs yet again, but his other numbers have fallen off. Cozens has 22 home runs in 93 games but also has a .238/.315/.479 slash line with a 32.8 percent strikeout rate. His numbers are slightly worse among lefties, but his platoon splits aren’t as severe as they were last year.

Cozens’ home run ability and walk rate keep his numbers solid, but his strikeout rate and low batting average are concerning. Last year in Reading Cozens could push a lot of balls out of the park, but now those fly balls are landing in outfielder’s gloves with a significantly lower home run per fly ball rate.

Cozens has raw power that few can match and seems like he can apply it in game well. However, he strikes out a lot which hurts his batting average and on-base percentage. That may not matter for Cozens as this league is gravitating towards the all-or-nothing approach that Cozens has.

Cozens could thrive off the home run ball even if he strikes out a lot and fans will learn to live with it. How well he hits overall depends on if he can collect hits on more than just home runs or if he is only a fly ball hitter.

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