Zachary Warren Cozart (born August 12, 1985) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

and

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. The Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the

2007 MLB draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

. He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2011, and was named an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in 2017. Cozart signed with the Angels as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

before the 2018 season.

Early life and career

Cozart attended

Collierville High School Collierville High School is a public high school (grades 9–12) located in Collierville, Tennessee which operates under the administration of Collierville Schools. It was previously under the authority of Shelby County Schools until Colliervill ...

Collierville, Tennessee Collierville ( "call your ville" or "call yer ville"), officially the Town of Collierville, is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. With a population of 51,324 in the 2020 Unite ...

, graduating in 2004. He played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, he batted .443 with five home runs and 41 RBIs. Cozart attended the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...

. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' named him a third-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n in 2006. Cozart had a .310/.367/.473 career slash line in college.

Professional career

Minor leagues

The

selected Cozart in the second round of the

2007 Major League Baseball draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

. He signed for a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $407,250. The Reds assigned Cozart to the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. 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 Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

. 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 ''

'' 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 The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League B ...

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 The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

. In 13 games for the

Peoria Saguaros Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in Illinois. It is the princ ...

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 Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2010. He spent the season with the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, hitting .255/.310/.416 in 553 at bats (first in the

) 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 A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

Cincinnati Reds

2011

He was placed on the Reds

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 Paul Ryan Janish ( ; born October 12, 1982) is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball shortstop. He is currently the Director of Player Development for the Chicago White Sox of the American League. He played in Major League ...

and

Édgar Rentería Édgar Enrique Rentería Herazo (; born August 7, 1975), nicknamed "the Barranquilla Baby", is a Colombian former professional baseball shortstop. He threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston ...

, 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 Michael Lance Lynn (born May 12, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Between 2011 and 2024, he played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, ...

, 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. On July 23, in a game against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, Cozart hyperextended his left elbow on a play at second.

Joey Votto Joseph Daniel Votto (born September 10, 1983) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball first baseman who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 to 2023. He was the second Canad ...

fielded a bunt and threw to second. Cozart covered second and had to reach into the line of the runner,

Nate McLouth Nathan Richard McLouth (born October 28, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. He was pri ...

, to field the throw. McLouth slid into Cozart's arm, hyperextending the latter's elbow. Replays showed that McLouth would likely have been safe anyway. On August 12, Cozart had

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

to repair the torn

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL) may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

in his left elbow, ending his season. In 11 Major League games, Cozart batted .324/.324/.486 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs.

2012

Cozart was named the opening day starting shortstop for the Reds on April 5, 2012. The Reds won that game 4–0 with Cozart going 2–4. On April 7, Cozart went 3–4 with a single, triple, and a home run going a double shy of the cycle in the Reds 8–3 loss. In 138 games, he finished the year batting .246/.288/.399 with 33 doubles, 15 home runs, and 35 RBIs.

2013

In 2013, Cozart batted .254/.284/.381 with 30 doubles, 12 home runs, and 63 RBIs in 151 games. He also led the National League with 10 sacrifice flies.

2014

Cozart had a down year at the plate in 2014, batting only .221/.268/.300, with both his on base percentage and his slugging percentage the lowest of all qualified MLB batters, and posting lower offensive numbers in nearly every statistical category. On October 23, 2014, he was nominated for the

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances. It is awarded at each fieldin ...

for National League Shortstops. In 147 games, he had 4 home runs and 38 RBIs.

2015

In 2015, Cozart got off to a solid start. On June 10, during a game against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

, Cozart slipped on first base, tearing the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments and the biceps tendon in his right knee. He would need reconstructive surgery following the injury, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. He batted .258/.310/.459 with 9 home runs in 53 games.

2016

On April 4, 2016, Cozart batted leadoff on opening day for the Reds and went 3-for-3 with 2 doubles and an RBI in a 6–2 win over the

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He finished 2016 batting .252/.308/.425 while hitting a career-high 16 home runs and 50 RBIs in 121 games. Despite all that, Cozart was hampered by the complications from the surgery on his knee in 2015, which eventually caused

patellar tendinitis Patellar tendinitis, also known as jumper's knee, is an overuse injury of the tendon that straightens the knee. Symptoms include pain in the front of the knee. Typically the pain and tenderness is at the lower part of the kneecap, though the ...

in his right knee and caused him to miss the final three weeks of the season.

2017

Cozart had another career year with the Reds in 2017, batting .297/.385/.548 and setting career highs in home runs (24), triples (7; tied for 5th in the NL), and runs scored (80), while tying a career high with 63 RBIs in 122 games. He ranked among overall NL leaders in slugging percentage (10th), average vs LHP (.337, 6th), and hardest to GIDP (87.6 AB, 10th). He was voted to his first-ever All-Star game as a player and a starter for the NL. However, he played through most of the season with a

quad QUaD, an acronym for QUEST at DASI, was a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment at the South Pole. QUEST (Q and U Extragalactic Sub-mm Telescope) was the original name attributed to the bolometer detector instrume ...

injury, which caused him to serve two stints on the disabled list. He became a

after the season.

Los Angeles Angels

On December 15, 2017, Cozart signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the

2018

On June 13, 2018, Cozart left a game with a shoulder

subluxation A subluxation is an incomplete or partial dislocation of a joint or organ. According to the World Health Organization, a subluxation is a "significant structural displacement" and is therefore visible on static imaging studies, such as X-rays. ...

while diving for a ball. Two weeks after his injury, it was revealed that he had suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and he underwent season-ending surgery. Cozart finished his first season with the Angels batting .219/.296/.362 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs in 58 games. He played third base, second base, and shortstop.

2019

On April 25, 2019, Cozart was placed on the injured list due to a neck strain. He was hitting .109 through the first month of the season, playing primarily third base. On July 12, it was announced that he would require surgery on his injured left shoulder and would miss the remainder of the season. For the season, he batted .124/.178/.144 with no home runs and 7 RBIs in 28 games. On December 10, 2019, Cozart and Will Wilson were traded to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

in exchange for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

or cash considerations. He was released by the Giants on January 15, 2020.

Personal life

Cozart lives in

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census. He and his wife, Chelsea, have a son, Cooper. In July 2024, Cozart said he supported Donald Trump's 2024 bid for the White House and plans to vote for him in the

2024 presidential election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

Social media comments on LGBTQ+ awareness day

In October 2024, Cozart responded to the Red's tweet on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, where the team had tweeted in support of

Spirit Day Spirit Day is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on the third Thursday in October. Started in 2010 by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan, it was initially created in response to a rash of widely publicized bullying-related suicides of ga ...

, an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day. The tweet's caption read: "The Reds join MLB in going purple today in honor of #SpiritDay! We are proud to support LGBTQ youth and speak out against bullying." He replied: "This sh*t is getting ridiculous... so sick of it... how many months and days do we celebrate real heroes of the military?" After facing criticism, he tweeted: "I'm never on board with s*xu*lizing kids never."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cozart, Zack 1985 births Living people Carolina Mudcats players Cincinnati Reds players Dayton Dragons players Los Angeles Angels players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Ole Miss Rebels baseball players People from Collierville, Tennessee Sportspeople from Shelby County, Tennessee Peoria Saguaros players Baseball players from Memphis, Tennessee