Cogswell in the `moment as draft nears
Former Shen shortstop and UVa. star prepares for MLB Draftft
After being a staple in coach Jim Carrese’s lineup for four years at Shenendehowa, Branden Cogswell had a decision to make. Where would he continue his baseball career after high school?
Cogswell narrowed it down to three schools; Virginia, Richmond and Purdue.
“Purdue was (a fifinalist) be- cause they had aviation and I always wanted to do aviation,” said the former Shen shortstop. “Richmond was just a smaller school, still south, but ultimately with Virginia I couldn’t pass up the best opportunity I had to grow as a player and reach the College World Series, so I went with that path with the degree and the coaches.”
Three years, 148 games, and a career .306 batting average later, the Shen grad’s decision has proven to be a smart one.
As Cogswell and his Cavalier teammates are in the middle of a run for the program’s first College World Series appearance since 2011, the middle infielder has positioned himself as one of the country’s top prospects. According to Prospect Digest, the Virginia second baseman ranks as the 65th best college prospect entering Thursday’s MLB First-Year Player Draft, which was news to Cogswell.
“You try not to read outside of what’s going on now,” Cogswell said. “If you get caught up in that, you’re not going to be playing your best game or your best baseball. Those people talk and those people will say what they need to say and say what they want to say and as long as you go out and play your best there’s not much else you can do.”
And going out and playing his best is exactly what Cogswell has done in his junior season at Virginia. In 60 games, the second baseman holds a .294 batting average in 221 at-bats with 17 RBIs, 41 runs scored and seven stolen bases. The Ballston Lake resident’s .295 batting average is good for fourth on the team this season.
While Cogswell has continued to have his presence felt in the top of the Cavalier lineup since freshman year, the junior has shifted positions in the middle of the infield over the past two seasons. As a second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference shortstop last year, Cogswell moved to second base to make room for one of the nation’s top recruits, freshman Daniel Pinero. Pinero was selected in the 20th round by the Houston Atros in last June’s draft, but decided to attend Virginia.
While the move took some getting use to for the “shortstop at heart,” Cogswell has transitioned nicely and was named to the All-ACC first team. The three-time Suburban Council First-Team All Star, who played second base for the first time since early in his career at Shen has recorded only three errors this the season.
“It was an adjustment,” said the 2011 ACA/Rawlings High School All-American. “I played (second base) freshman year in high school, so it’s not like I’d never seen it before, but again I hadn’t played there in five or six years. The fall season of reps (helped). I’m comfortable over there now.”
While it may not have seemed like the position was beneficial at first, the move has been a blessing in disguise. After succeeding at both shortstop and second base, Cogswell has demonstrated to scouts that he can play either position in the middle of the infield. Cogswell’s flexibility is an attribute that has intrigued scouts.
“Whether it’s college or professionally, teams like to draft shortstops because they’re usually the most athletic and they know what’s going on in the infield and (teams) can move them when they need to move them. I think it has helped knowing that I’ve succeeded at second base and done a good job over there. It’ll only help that these teams know I can play another position if need be.”
Unlike other professional sports leagues, like the NFL and NBA, the MLB Draft takes place during the college baseball season, providing a different pre-draft experience for prospects. This past fall, Cogswell took part in a three-to-four day period of interviews with all 30 teams. Talking with representatives from each of the league’s 30 teams left the lefthanded batter in “awe.”
“It all hits you at once,” said the 6-foot-2 Cogswell. “At the moment you’re overwhelmed, but you look back and reflect on it and you just kind of sit there in awe. You’re like ‘Wow all 30 teams are interested in me.’ That says something about how far you’ve come from Shenendehowa High School to hopefully being called in the draft.”
While pre-draft experiences for the NFL and NBA are well documented by the media.The MLB pre-draft experience is primarily absent from each prospect’s routine according to Cogswell.
“To be honest, (the predraft process) has really been as nonexistent as possible,” Cogswell said. “There are periods of times that we get to talk to teams and those are limited a few days. Other than that you focus on playing baseball for the Cavaliers, going out and winning games.
“Everything takes care of itself. You have to fill out what you have to fill out and you have to do what you’re asked to do for the pro teams to ultimately live the dream. Even though (the draft) happens during the season, most teams aren’t playing right now and we’re fortunate to be playing in a good position. (My teammates and I) try and not think about it and try and take care of business now and worry about what hap- pens a week from now when we’re done here.”
With the draft a day away and the Cavaliers still in the midst a run to the NCAA Division I baseball Super Regionals, Cogswell’s not even sure he’ll have the opportunity to watch the television event in its entirety. One thing is certain, the junior is excited to see how the threeyear-long process ends.
“You look forward to waking up every day knowing that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that you could be in that small percentage of players who get to continue their game at the next level,” Cogswell said. “You say it as a five-or-six year-old ‘Hey I wanna be Derek Jeter. I wanna be Robinson Cano.’ And getting drafted and being a professional baseball player, whether it’s Single-A, Dou- ble-A, Triple-A, is that first step. That’s where you get the opportunity to do something you’ve dreamed about for the past 10-15 years.”
Even with the draft on the horizon, Cogswell still knows that there’s one goal he and his fellow UVA prospects still have to accomplish before their collegiate baseball careers are finished; win the College World Series.
“You try not to focus on it and you don’t want to say ‘This is the year.’ Because the guys have been here for three years, but it is. This is most of our last times.You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Cogswell said. “I try and tell the guys to go out and have fun and play for each other because you might not see the guy to your left 10-12 months from now. You have to make the most of the moment you’re in right now.”