Collin Cowgill

Cowgill broke camp with the Angels in 2014 as a reserve outfielder, but ended up playing a career-high 106 games, seeing time in the outfield as an injury replacement for Josh Hamilton and Kole Calhoun in April, and then as part of a right-handed platoon with Calhoun for a time upon his return. While he failed to capitalize on his role as a full-time player, he was effective against southpaws, notching a .790 OPS against them in 137 plate appearances. The 28-year-old showed a marked improvement in his walk rate in 2014 (8.9% BB%) but struck out at an unsightly 25.3% clip. While he could potentially cut into Calhoun's playing time again due to his solid performance in the platoon, it doesn't seem likely that he will have a chance as a starter in 2015, as the other two outfield spots will be occupied by Mike Trout and a presumably healthy Hamilton.

Cowgill was acquired by the Angels at the end of June after hitting just .180 in 23 games with the Mets in 2013. Initially optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake, Cowgill was able to see some time with the big club due to the rash of injuries that overtook the Angels last season. Used almost exclusively against left-handed pitchers, his numbers improved slightly, as he finished with a .644 OPS in 99 plate appearances with the Halos. Cowgill's remarkably-low walk rate (4.3%), combined with his remarkably-high strikeout rate (25.9%), make his primary role in 2014 likely to be little more than organizational depth.

Acquired in the Trevor Cahill trade during the 2011 offseason, Cowgill started 2012 with the A's, but was sent down to Sacramento in April because the team had a glut of outfielders. Cowgill had a less than exciting year for Sacramento, so he was deemed expendable in Oakland. Traded to the Mets in December, Cowgill has a clearer path to big league at-bats than he had in either of the last two seasons. It is expected that Cowgill will provide speed on the basepaths in a platoon role starting mostly against left-handed pitching if he makes it onto the 25-man roster.

Although the D-Backs didn't have an everyday role for him, Cowgill made his big league debut in 2011 and could be in position to secure the fourth outfielder role this spring. The .354/.430/.554 line should be taken with an appropriate grain of salt given that it came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and on the strength of an inflated .397 BABIP. Still, there are interesting tools here, and Cowgill could be a nice cheap source of stolen bases given his ability to draw walks and thieve extra bags (30-for-33) when given the green light on the basepaths. His path to playing time became clearer following his inclusion in the trade to Oakland that saw the Diamondbacks land Trevor Cahill.

In a full season at Double-A, Cowgill held his own and actually turned in his best professional season at age 24. Not only did he show ample skills across the board with the bat, Cowgill also converted 25-of-34 stolen-base attempts. The concerns here can be tied to his lefty-righty splits as he hit .269/.338/.460 against right-handers and .322/.411/.474 against the southpaws. The future path in the big leagues may be that of a fourth outfielder, but Cowgill has drawn comparisons to Cody Ross and his combination of power, speed and ability to play all three outfield spots. Look for Cowgill to start 2011 at Triple-A Reno with an eye toward getting his first taste of Arizona at some point during the second half of the season.