| Kaleb Cowart | |
|---|---|
.png) Cowart with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017 | |
| Third baseman /Pitcher | |
| Born: (1992-06-02)June 2, 1992 (age 33) Adel, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 2015, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2019, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .176 |
| Home runs | 6 |
| Runs batted in | 34 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Kaleb Bryant Cowart (born June 2, 1992) is an American former professionalbaseballthird baseman andpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 2015 to 2019 for theLos Angeles Angels.
Cowart won theGatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year Award in 2010.[1] The Angels selected him in the first round of the2010 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut as a third baseman in 2015. After playing for the Angels until 2019, he returned to the minor leagues to convert into a pitcher.
Cowart attendedCook High School inAdel, Georgia. In his senior year, Cowart played third base and also pitched. As a pitcher he went 10–1 with a 1.05earned run average in 73 innings, recording 116strikeouts and onesave. As a batter, he hit .654 with 11home runs, 59runs batted in (RBIs) and scored 55runs. He also recorded a 1.206slugging percentage, a .721on-base percentage and was 36/36 instolen bases. Hisbatting average was the second-highest in state history for a single season.[2]
He was named the 2010Gatorade National High School Baseball Player of the Year.[3]
TheLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Cowart in the first round, with the 18th overall selection, in the2010 Major League Baseball draft. He was selected as a compensation pick from theSeattle Mariners for the signing ofChone Figgins. Though he committed to play baseball atFlorida State University, Cowart signed with the Angels.[4]
Cowart played for theCedar Rapids Kernels of theSingle-AMidwest League andInland Empire 66ers of theHigh-ACalifornia League in 2012. Between the two levels, he had a .276batting average and 16home runs in 135 games. Promoted to theArkansas Travelers of theDouble-ATexas League in 2013, Cowart struggled, batting .221 with six home runs and 124strikeouts in 132 games. Returning to Arkansas in 2014, Cowart batted .223 with six home runs and 99 strikeouts in 126 games.[5]
After two poor seasons, the Angels assigned Cowart to Inland Empire to start the 2015 season, where he demonstrated an improvement inplate discipline. In June, due to promotions ofC. J. Cron,Efren Navarro, andKyle Kubitza to the major leagues, the Angels promoted Cowart to theSalt Lake Bees of theTriple-APacific Coast League, where he batted .323/.395/.491.[5]
The Angels promoted Cowart to the major leagues on August 18, 2015.[6] He made his major league debut that night. After the 2015 season, Cowart changed hisuniform number from 41 to 22. In 2016, he appeared in 31 games for the Angels, hitting .176. The following season, he played in 50 games, hitting .225 with 3 home runs. He began the 2018 season in Triple–A, being recalled during the season. In 47 games, he hit .134 with 1 home run and 10 RBI.[7]
On December 10, 2018, theSeattle Mariners claimed Cowart off ofwaivers and announced he would come to spring training as a third baseman and as a pitcher.[8] The Mariners designated him for assignment on January 21, 2019, and he was claimed off waivers by theDetroit Tigers on January 24.[9] Cowart returned to the Angels on February 23, 2019, when they claimed him off waivers from the Tigers.[10]
Cowart split the 2019 minor league season between Mobile and Salt Lake. He hit a combined .276/.331/.433/.764 with 9 home runs and 62 RBI, while going 1-2 with a 10.19 ERA over17+2⁄3 innings pitched. On September 18, 2019, the Angels selected Cowart's contract.[11] Cowart elected free agency following the 2019 season.[12]
On December 20, 2019, Cowart signed a minor league contract with theNew York Yankees.[13] Cowart did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[14] He also did not play in a game in 2021 due to an undisclosed injury. He elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2021.
On April 19, 2022, Cowart re-signed with the Yankees organization on a new minor league contract.[15] He made one appearance for the rookie-levelFlorida Complex League Yankees before spending the remainder of the year with the Double-ASomerset Patriots. In 15 appearances for Somerset, Cowart posted a 2-0 record and 4.20 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 15.0 innings pitched. He was released by the Yankees on April 3, 2023.[16]
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