Texas notes: Cowart counts on adjustments

Los Angeles Angels top prospect Kaleb Cowart may be back in the Texas League, but he has no intention of sticking around long.

The switch-hitting Cowart returns to third base with the Arkansas Travelers sporting a refined swing, especially from the left side, and the early returns have been impressive after a disappointing 2013.

"Coming into this year, I eliminated a lot of movement in my left-handed swing," said Cowart, hitting .367 with a team-high nine RBIs over the first nine games of the year. "That's helped a lot early on. It's allowed me to see the ball better and not chase bad pitches, which was a big thing I did last year."

Cowart was the 2009-10 Gatorade High School Player of the Year as a pitcher/infielder at Cook County High School in Adel, Ga. He wanted to play every day and abandoned pitching for third base when he signed with the Angels for $2.3 million after they drafted him in the first round in 2010. He started last year with Arkansas, his first Double-A experience, and never really got on track, posting a career-low .221 average.

"It was a frustrating time. It was one of the first times I'd ever struggled in my career," Cowart said. "I used it as a learning experience; it was able to help me down the road. Everybody struggles at some point in their career. I got mine out of the way earlier."

A switch-hitter since age 12, Cowart said he had too much movement in his swing last year, especially when hitting from the left side. He said his head was moving too much, he was chasing bad pitches and getting his foot down too early, leaving him no power when he tried to pull the trigger.

But from the get-go this year, Cowart has served notice that things might be different. In the opener at Midland, he went 5-for-6 with a two-run homer, five RBIs and three runs scoreed as the Travelers routed the Rockhounds, 20-7.

Cowart may have been viewed as a better pitching prospect coming out of high school -- with a fastball topping out at 95 mph, he went 10-1 with a 1.05 ERA as a senior -- but he also flirted with a single-season state record when he hit .654. 

"I love the game too much, and I wanted a chance to play [every day], and the Angels were able to give me that, and I've loved it ever since," Cowart said.

Cowart added that he's also been benefiting from a lineup that features prospects such as Alex Yarbrough at second and Zach Borenstein in the outfield.

"We have a great lineup, guys who can protect you," Cowart said. "It allows you to see better pitches because they don't want to face that guy. [There's] good team chemistry, good camaraderie. It's going to be a fun year."

In brief

Harrison's back: Texas Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison had his second rehab start for the Frisco RoughRiders moved back a day when Sunday's game at Arkansas was rained out. Harrison, returning from a back injury, allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings, a rough second outing. In his first outing on April 8, the 28-year-old lefty yielded one run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings while striking out three.

Russell down: Midland shortstop Addison Russell didn't get through the second game of the season, exiting last Friday's game with a hamstring injury after he had homered and singled against Arkansas. Russell, the Oakland Athletics' top prospect who also suffered a hamstring injury in Spring Training, is expected to miss at least a month.

Rodgers rolls: Corpus Christi's Brady Rodgers no-hit Tulsa for five innings Saturday, retiring the first 10 batters he faced, walking one and striking out five before reaching his pitch limit. Rogers, Houston's third-round pick out of Arizona State in 2012, threw 59 pitches, 41 for strikes.