LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former Kentucky All-American outfielder Collin Cowgill has been named the ninth-best prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, Baseball America announced Wednesday.
A native of Lexington, Ky., and a former Kentucky High School Mr. Baseball, Cowgill makes his first career top-10 prospect listing by Baseball America, a prestigious organization-by-organization breakdown of the top prospects in the game of baseball. A 2008 All-American centerfielder for UK, Cowgill was a fifth-round selection in the 2008 MLB Draft by Arizona.
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound outfielder checks in as the ninth-best overall prospect, the third-best outfielder and the seventh-best position player prospect in the Arizona system.
“For an undersized player, Cowgill has surprising power,” Baseball America’s Matt Forman said in the prospect breakdown. “He has great bat speed and takes advantage when pitchers make mistakes. One team official called Cowgill a gamer and compared him to Aaron Rowand with a better swing. Others compare him to Cody Ross. Cowgill has average speed and uses his instincts to steal bases and chase down balls in center field. His arm is solid.”
The Henry Clay High School product played in just 61 games in 2009 due to injury, suiting up for the Visalia Rawhide in the high class A California League. Cowgill batted .277 (61-for-220) with 39 runs scored, nine doubles, five triples, six homers and 36 RBI. He drew 29 walks and struck out 49 times, stealing 11-of-15 bases. In his first professional season in 2008, Cowgill got off to a blistering start, leading the rookie-level Northwest League with 11 home runs and 28 RBI in just 20 games, batting .304 (24-for-79) with three doubles, one triple and five steals. That performance with the Yakima Bears earned Cowgill a quick promotion to the low class A Midwest League, where he hit .249 (50-for-201) in 50 games, with 13 doubles, three triples and one home run. The best game of his young professional career came on July 2, 2008, where he batted 4-for-6 with four runs, three homers and five RBI.
“Cowgill earned the right to open 2010 in double-A after hitting well in his two months at Visalia,” Forman detailed. “On a contender, he profiles as a fourth outfielder who can provide right-handed pop and constant energy.”
During his storied four-year career at Kentucky, Cowgill helped the Wildcats win their first ever Southeastern Conference Championship as a sophomore in 2006, batting .298 (67-for-225) with 16 homers and 61 RBI. After missing 2007 due to a hand injury, Cowgill returned for an All-American campaign in 2008, joining fellow All-America selection Sawyer Carroll in the outfield. The first-team Academic All-American batted .361 in 2008 with 15 doubles, two triples and 19 home runs, adding 60 RBI, stealing 23-of-27 bases in 2008. Following the 2008 season, Cowgill earned first-team All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and second-team honors from Rivals.com and Baseball America. In his UK career, Cowgill batted .306 (171-for-558) in 165 games, totaling 166 runs, 35 doubles, 37 homers, 140 RBI and 32 stolen bags.
