Zachary Warren Cozart (born August 12, 1985) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels.
The Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2011, and was named an All-Star in 2017. Cozart signed with the Angels as a free agent before the 2018 season.
Personal life
Cozart attended Collierville High School in Collierville, Tennessee, graduating in 2004. He played football, basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, he batted .443 with five home runs and 41 RBIs.
He attended the University of Mississippi, where he played college baseball for the Ole Miss Rebels. Baseball America named him a third-team All-American in 2006. Cozart had a .310/.367/.473 career slash line in college.
Cozart now lives in Brentwood, Tennessee. He and his wife, Chelsea, have a son, Cooper.
Professional career
Minor leagues
The Cincinnati Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for a signing bonus of $407,250. The Reds assigned Cozart to the Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League. He batted .239/.288/.332 in 184 at bats for Dayton with two home runs and 18 RBIs, along with two triples.
He returned to Dayton in 2008, this time hitting .280/.330/.457 for a full season. He hit 14 home runs, including two multi-homer games and one grand slam. Cozart drove in 49 runs and hit six triples in 418 at bats. His performance earned him a trip to the Midwest League All-Star game, and he was named a Baseball America Class-A All-Star. Midwest League managers voted him the best defensive shortstop of the year. Cozart led the Dragons in batting average for the season.
The Reds promoted Cozart to the Carolina Mudcats of the Class AA Southern League for the 2009 season. He hit six of his ten home runs in June and drove in 12 runs, earning him the Reds' Minor League Player of the Month honors. He had a 13-game hitting streak from May 28 to June 9, during which he hit four home runs. Cozart finished the season hitting .262/.360/.398, with ten homers and 59 RBIs. He also had two triples and ten stolen bases. He was named a Southern League All Star. His performance earned him an invitation to the Arizona Fall League. In 13 games for the Peoria Saguaros of the AFL, he hit .340/.393/.560 with two home runs, ten RBIs, and three stolen bases.
The Reds invited Cozart to spring training in 2010. He spent the season with the Louisville Bats of the Class AAA International League, hitting .255/.310/.416 in 553 at bats (first in the International League) with 91 runs (leading the league), four triples and 30 stolen bases (tied for 5th in the league; the fourth-most by any Reds minor league player). Cozart put up career highs in power with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs. He was named a Baseball America Triple-A All-Star for 2010, and received the Mary E. Barney Award as Louisville's Most Valuable Player. As one of six players to spend all of the season with Louisville, he was fourth in the International League in games (136) and fifth in hits (141). He also led all IL shortstops with a .977 fielding percentage. Cozart was rated the 10th-best prospect in the Reds organization. On November 19 he was added to the Reds' 40-man roster.
Cincinnati Reds
2011
He was placed on the Reds 40-man roster after the 2010 season, but was optioned to Louisville on March 21, 2011. Cozart enjoyed a hot start to 2011, hitting .310/.357/.467 through his first 77 games. He went 100-for-323 with 26 doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 32 RBIs, along with nine steals. The Reds shortstops, Paul Janish and Édgar Rentería, were hitting a combined .226 with one homer and 29 RBI through July 6, and Reds fans everywhere were calling for a change at shortstop. On July 7, 2011, less than 24 hours after an article on Reds.com said there would be no transaction, the Reds optioned Janish and recalled Cozart. Switching uniform numbers from #60 to #2, Cozart started that night at Milwaukee, playing shortstop and batting seventh. In his debut game, he went 1–3 with a run scored. Cozart hit his first home run in the eighth inning off of his college teammate Lance Lynn, on July 17, against the rival Cardinals. He had 10 hits in his first 25 Major League at bats, and at least one hit in each of his first 6 games.