Joe Koshansky Selected to Colorado Springs All-Decade Team
Koshansky honored, narrowly edging out Ryan Shealy; Vote for your SP #3 at [email protected], to be debuted Thursday
By the slimmest of margins - perhaps the closest competition of any on the roster - Joe Koshansky has edged out Ryan Shealy as the starting first baseman for "Colorado Springs' Team of the Decade."
If there was one word that defined Koshansky during his tenure with the Sky Sox, it was "power" - pure and unadulterated. Across two full seasons in the Springs, the hulking first baseman launched 52 home runs while driving in 220 runners - both decade-highs among Sox batters - while establishing himself among the most feared hitters in the PCL.
Drafted in the sixth round (170th overall) of the 2004 June draft, then 22 year-old Koshansky signed with Colorado scout Jay Matthews for a $40,000 bonus.
Though struggling in his first taste of pro ball in '04, posting a lowly .234 average at low-A Tri-City, Koshansky exploded onto the prospect landscape in '05 - crushing 38 homers for Single-A Asheville and Double-A Tulsa.
After an equally impressive 2006 that saw Koshansky club another 31 balls beyond Tulsa fences, it wouldn't be long before the big lefty would appear in Colorado Springs - debuting on April 5, Opening Day of 2007.
Though he was unable to match his gaudy numbers of the previous two seasons, Koshansky still managed to lead the club with 21 home runs, 99 RBI, and 67 walks, solidifying the middle of the Sky Sox order. With a .295 batting average to boot, the higher-ups in Denver took notice, calling the first baseman up to the bigs on the first of September.
Returning again to Colorado Springs for the start of 2008, Koshansky proved to be in rare form. With a year's experience now under his belt at the minors' top level, the slugger delivered the best season of his career. Amidst a lineup including such luminaries as Ian Stewart, Jayson Nix, Christian Colonel, and Seth Smith, Koshansky was the unrivaled king - leading the star-studded cast with 31 home runs and .980 OPS, he also set a franchise record with 121 RBI.
At times, Koshansky was possibly the best hitter of all levels in the Rockies' organization. Completing two cycles that year, the big lefty was honored as the PCL Player of the Week for an ungodly six-game stretch from August 11-18. Over 21 at-bats that week, Koshansky batted .619 (13-for-21) mashing four homers, scoring 14 runs, and driving in 16 runners.
Koshansky even matched Rockies' great Matt Holliday stride for stride while the two were Sky Sox teammates during a brief three-game stint in June. In 11 at-bats, Koshansky connected for four hits with one home run and four RBI, while Holliday batted 6-for-10 with a homer and three RBI.
With such undeniable talent, the Rockies again gave the prodigy a brief trial at the major league level. Though he batted just .211 in a short 18 game stint, Koshansky's best tool never left him, as he lofted three home runs in just 38 at-bats, driving in eight runners.
Still, despite limitless potential, Koshansky's future was traveling toward a dead-end in Denver - blocked by perhaps the greatest Rockie of all-time, first baseman Todd Helton. With Helton signed to a 9-year, $141.5 million contract through 2011, the club could not accomodate a young prospect at first, even one as talented as Koshansky. Claimed on waivers by the Texas Rangers just a week before Opening Day, 2009, the slugger was shipped off to the Milwaukee Brewers on April 3, where he again hit a roadblock - stymied on this occasion by All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder.
A talented hitter with an all-or-nothing approach, Koshansky's career path reflected this tendency, as he again impressed in 2009 for the Nashville Sounds, albeit earning no Major League appearances for his efforts. Nonetheless, Koshansky's career remains very much alive. The slugger turns 28 this season - a peak year in the career of many power hitters.
Perhaps the best Sky Sox' first baseman since Todd Helton stormed through the 1990s, Koshansky likewise raised and set the bar for all batsmen among his contemporaries.
For his contributions, SkySox.com is proud to select Joe Koshansky as the starting first baseman for the "Colorado Springs' Team of the Decade!"
--Stats--
Runner-Up
Ryan Shealy
Starting for the Sky Sox during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Shealy also preceded Koshansky at first base, setting a very high standard for all future successors.
Appearing in just over one year's worth of contests, Shealy's time in the Springs was akin to a supernova - bright and explosive, but just as fleeting as it was brilliant. Concluding his Sky Sox career after just 166 games, Shealy's performance record was unrivaled by most any Colorado Springs' batter in the last ten years - save for Andy Tracy and Phil Hiatt, two fellow, prodigious batsmen whose tenures with the Sox were far too short.
Regardless, Shealy's stay in the Springs was more than memorable.
Posting a banner season in 2005, Shealy anchored a strong Sky Sox lineup, leading the club in both home runs (26) and RBI (88) while finishing with a .328 batting average - rare territory for power hitting first basemen.
Following up with another superlative performance in 2006, Shealy was called up to the Rockies after only 58 games, having hit 15 home runs in just 222 at-bats. His Colorado career was cut short soon thereafter, traded to the Kansas City Royals after just five games in Denver.
Alas, had his career with the Sky Sox lasted longer, it is quite likely that he could have topped Koshansky's line and found himself selected as the club's starting first baseman. Nonetheless, Shealy's accomplishments in a Sox uniform were matched by a very select group and, for that, his exploits are fondly remembered by the Sky Sox faithful.
--Stats--
Joe Koshansky Quick Facts:
Debut at Security Service Field
This Day in History, April 5
Baseball Births, May 25
Sky Sox Career Highlights
2006 Future's Game Selection
2007 PCL All-Star
2008 PCL All-Star Player of the Week, Aug 11-17, 2008: 13-for-21, .619 BA, 14 R, 4 HR, 16 RBI
Only player in Sox history to complete cycle twice in same season
Sky Sox Single Season Records, All-Time
Sky Sox All-Time Career Leaderboard
Single Season Team Leaderboard
Major League Career Statistics
Once again, congratulations to Joe Koshansky, starting first baseman for the "Colorado Springs Team of the Decade!"
Thanks to all our fans for their input and assistance!
And be sure to check in this Thursday, as we announce our third starter!
Countdown to the 2010 Home Opener: 51 Days!
If there was one word that defined Koshansky during his tenure with the Sky Sox, it was "power" - pure and unadulterated. Across two full seasons in the Springs, the hulking first baseman launched 52 home runs while driving in 220 runners - both decade-highs among Sox batters - while establishing himself among the most feared hitters in the PCL.
Drafted in the sixth round (170th overall) of the 2004 June draft, then 22 year-old Koshansky signed with Colorado scout Jay Matthews for a $40,000 bonus.
Though struggling in his first taste of pro ball in '04, posting a lowly .234 average at low-A Tri-City, Koshansky exploded onto the prospect landscape in '05 - crushing 38 homers for Single-A Asheville and Double-A Tulsa.
After an equally impressive 2006 that saw Koshansky club another 31 balls beyond Tulsa fences, it wouldn't be long before the big lefty would appear in Colorado Springs - debuting on April 5, Opening Day of 2007.
Though he was unable to match his gaudy numbers of the previous two seasons, Koshansky still managed to lead the club with 21 home runs, 99 RBI, and 67 walks, solidifying the middle of the Sky Sox order. With a .295 batting average to boot, the higher-ups in Denver took notice, calling the first baseman up to the bigs on the first of September.
Returning again to Colorado Springs for the start of 2008, Koshansky proved to be in rare form. With a year's experience now under his belt at the minors' top level, the slugger delivered the best season of his career. Amidst a lineup including such luminaries as Ian Stewart, Jayson Nix, Christian Colonel, and Seth Smith, Koshansky was the unrivaled king - leading the star-studded cast with 31 home runs and .980 OPS, he also set a franchise record with 121 RBI.
At times, Koshansky was possibly the best hitter of all levels in the Rockies' organization. Completing two cycles that year, the big lefty was honored as the PCL Player of the Week for an ungodly six-game stretch from August 11-18. Over 21 at-bats that week, Koshansky batted .619 (13-for-21) mashing four homers, scoring 14 runs, and driving in 16 runners.
Koshansky even matched Rockies' great Matt Holliday stride for stride while the two were Sky Sox teammates during a brief three-game stint in June. In 11 at-bats, Koshansky connected for four hits with one home run and four RBI, while Holliday batted 6-for-10 with a homer and three RBI.
With such undeniable talent, the Rockies again gave the prodigy a brief trial at the major league level. Though he batted just .211 in a short 18 game stint, Koshansky's best tool never left him, as he lofted three home runs in just 38 at-bats, driving in eight runners.
Still, despite limitless potential, Koshansky's future was traveling toward a dead-end in Denver - blocked by perhaps the greatest Rockie of all-time, first baseman Todd Helton. With Helton signed to a 9-year, $141.5 million contract through 2011, the club could not accomodate a young prospect at first, even one as talented as Koshansky. Claimed on waivers by the Texas Rangers just a week before Opening Day, 2009, the slugger was shipped off to the Milwaukee Brewers on April 3, where he again hit a roadblock - stymied on this occasion by All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder.
A talented hitter with an all-or-nothing approach, Koshansky's career path reflected this tendency, as he again impressed in 2009 for the Nashville Sounds, albeit earning no Major League appearances for his efforts. Nonetheless, Koshansky's career remains very much alive. The slugger turns 28 this season - a peak year in the career of many power hitters.
Perhaps the best Sky Sox' first baseman since Todd Helton stormed through the 1990s, Koshansky likewise raised and set the bar for all batsmen among his contemporaries.
For his contributions, SkySox.com is proud to select Joe Koshansky as the starting first baseman for the "Colorado Springs' Team of the Decade!"
--Stats--
Runner-Up
Ryan Shealy
Starting for the Sky Sox during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Shealy also preceded Koshansky at first base, setting a very high standard for all future successors.
Appearing in just over one year's worth of contests, Shealy's time in the Springs was akin to a supernova - bright and explosive, but just as fleeting as it was brilliant. Concluding his Sky Sox career after just 166 games, Shealy's performance record was unrivaled by most any Colorado Springs' batter in the last ten years - save for Andy Tracy and Phil Hiatt, two fellow, prodigious batsmen whose tenures with the Sox were far too short.
Regardless, Shealy's stay in the Springs was more than memorable.
Posting a banner season in 2005, Shealy anchored a strong Sky Sox lineup, leading the club in both home runs (26) and RBI (88) while finishing with a .328 batting average - rare territory for power hitting first basemen.
Following up with another superlative performance in 2006, Shealy was called up to the Rockies after only 58 games, having hit 15 home runs in just 222 at-bats. His Colorado career was cut short soon thereafter, traded to the Kansas City Royals after just five games in Denver.
Alas, had his career with the Sky Sox lasted longer, it is quite likely that he could have topped Koshansky's line and found himself selected as the club's starting first baseman. Nonetheless, Shealy's accomplishments in a Sox uniform were matched by a very select group and, for that, his exploits are fondly remembered by the Sky Sox faithful.
--Stats--
Joe Koshansky Quick Facts:
Debut at Security Service Field
- April 5, 2007 v. Tucson; 1-for-5, RBI
This Day in History, April 5
- April 5, 1614: Pocahontas and John Rolfe are wed in Virginia.
- April 5, 1930: In direct defiance of British law, Mahatma Ghandi makes salt during the Salt Satyagraha. Britain responds by imprisoning over 60,000.
- April 5, 1955: Winston Churchill resigns his post as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- April 5, 1992: The Siege of Sarajevo begins, among the longest sieges in the history of modern warfare. Concluding on February 29, 1996, an estimated 10,000 are killed with an additional 56,000 wounded.
- April 5, 2007: Joe Koshansky premieres at Security Service Field.
Baseball Births, May 25
- May 25, 1845: Lip Pike, One of three baseball players to be credited as first professional ballplayers in American history; Received $20 per game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1866
- May 25, 1974: Miguel Tejada, Shortstop, 6-time MLB All-Star
- May 25, 1982: Jason Kubel, Outfielder, Minnesota Twins
- May 25, 1982: Joe Koshansky, First Baseman
Sky Sox Career Highlights
2006 Future's Game Selection
2007 PCL All-Star
2008 PCL All-Star Player of the Week, Aug 11-17, 2008: 13-for-21, .619 BA, 14 R, 4 HR, 16 RBI
Only player in Sox history to complete cycle twice in same season
- May 24, 2008 v. Tacoma; 4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI
- August 12, 2008 v. Tucson; 4-for-5, 5 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI
Sky Sox Single Season Records, All-Time
- 1st - RBI in a single season (121), 2008
- 1st, 4th - Strikeouts, 2008 (158), 2007 (128)
- T-4th - HR (31), 2008
- T-7th - Walks (67), 2007
- T-7th - Slugging Percentage (.600)
- 8th - At Bats (498), 2007
- T-8th - Runs (90), 2008
Sky Sox All-Time Career Leaderboard
- 5th - RBI (220)
- 5th - Strikeouts (286)
- 6th - HR (52)
- 8th - Walks (127)
Single Season Team Leaderboard
- 1st - At Bats, 2008 (457); 2007 (498)
- 1st - Runs, 2008 (90)
- 1st - Hits, 2007 (147); 2008 (137)
- 1st - HR, 2007 (21); 2008 (31)
- 1st - RBI, 2007 (99); 2008 (121) - 1st in PCL
- 1st - Walks, 2007 (67)
- 1st - Strikeouts, 2007 (128); 2008 (158)
- 1st - SLG Percentage, 2008 (.600)
- 1st - OPS, 2008 (.980)
Major League Career Statistics
- Games - 35
- At-Bats - 50
- Batting Average - .180 (9-for-50)
- Runs - 5
- Home Runs - 3
- Runs Batted In - 10
- Walks - 3
- Strikeouts - 22
Once again, congratulations to Joe Koshansky, starting first baseman for the "Colorado Springs Team of the Decade!"
Thanks to all our fans for their input and assistance!
And be sure to check in this Thursday, as we announce our third starter!
Countdown to the 2010 Home Opener: 51 Days!