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Kotchman Thrilled By Trade

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 2, 2008

Casey Kotchman, the first baseman from Seminole High School, expected his cell phone to be especially active Wednesday.

After all, he had been traded from the Angels to the Atlanta Braves for Mark Teixeira. So family and friends were bound to be checking in.

One caller was surprising - Fred McGriff.

Then again, maybe not.

In 1993, McGriff was dealt from San Diego to the Braves in a non-waiver trade deadline deal, a move that coincided with some of his best seasons (and a World Series ring in 1995).

"That was pretty cool to hear from Freddy," Kotchman told reporters in Atlanta. "He was excited for me to be coming here because he experienced the same thing, getting to play here."

And Kotchman's move to Atlanta - despite outward appearances - was something he welcomed with enthusiasm.

Kotchman's father, Tom, has been a scout and minor-league manager in the Angels' organization for 26 years (this summer, the elder Kotchman manages in Orem, Utah).

The Angels have baseball's best record - and the Braves are on their way to missing the postseason for the second straight year.

Braves manager Bobby Cox felt compelled to prop up Kotchman during their first face-to-face meeting.

It wasn't necessary.

"I said, 'Look, I know how tough it is coming from a team almost 12 games ahead, to come to a team riddled with injuries and struggling a bit,'" Cox told reporters. "He told me he was excited to be here, couldn't be happier."

Kotchman likes his return to the East Coast, to a team with higher visibility that he once followed faithfully on television.

He likes playing for Cox, a manager he has long admired.

And even though he's just 25, he relishes a new start. With the Angels, Kotchman was batting .287 with a career-high 12 home runs (including three in his last four games with Anaheim).

Kotchman was drafted by the Angels in 2001 (13th player selected overall) and became a regular last season (.296, 11 homers, 68 RBIs).

What else to like? His career fielding percentage is .997. He strikes out just once every 17.3 plate appearances, which led the American League.

Now he's starting over in Atlanta, stepping into the shoes of Teixeira.

"I haven't analyzed anything, and I won't," Kotchman said. "I'll just try to get the most out of the present time, and that's how I've been brought up. Pour everything into the present and have no regrets in the future."

SPAN SHINING: Twins rookie outfielder Denard Span's (Tampa Catholic) first stint in the major leagues ended April 24, when he was sent down to Triple-A Rochester after batting .258 in 12 games with Minnesota.

Span, Minnesota's first-round pick in 2002, returned to the big-league roster June 30. Ever since, he has showed he belongs.

In his second tour, Span is batting .342 with a .435 on-base percentage. Span's speed and defense had him pegged as the "next Torii Hunter," so Tuesday's game against the White Sox was particularly meaningful. He hit his first career home run and made his initial start in the Metrodome's center field.

"It's something I've dreamed about since I was 18, when this team drafted me," Span told the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer-Press. "It just felt good to run out there to center field today, it really did, just knowing that Torii Hunter and Kirby Puckett stood out there."

Span went 4-for-4 against the Tigers on July 10, while also registering a pair of three-hit games in the month. Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer will soon return from the disabled list, prompting a roster move, but Span is hopeful he has displayed enough talent to remain with the Twins this time.

Reporter Joey Johnston can be

reached at (813) 259-7353 or

jjohnston@tampatrib.com.

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