George Kottaras

From SoSH

George Kottaras (born May 16, 1983 in Scarborough, ON), was acquired from San Diego on September 5, 2006 for David Wells. Kottaras was added that day to Boston's 40-man roster and assigned to Double-A Portland, where he helped lead the Sea Dogs to the Eastern League championship.

Contents 1 Scouting Report 2 Minor League Career 2.1 2006 Minor League Stats 3 Awards 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Scouting Report

• A native Canadian grabbed out of junior college as a 20th-round pick as a draft-and-follow, Kottaras showed a precocious batting eye, intriguing doubles power and great defensive instincts behind the plate. The Padres compare him to Brad Ausmus with the glove, Jorge Posada with the bat. ~ Baseball Prospectus

• I think he projects as a .260-.285 hitter in the majors, with 10-15 homers a season and a nice on base percentage. Kottaras has a strong arm and good mobility behind the plate, although his footwork can be a problem sometimes, inhibiting his throwing. Still, his glove is good enough for him to start if he hits as expected. Grade B+ ~ John Sickels

• Kottaras’ bat separates him from the rest of San Diego’s catching prospects. He’ll begin 2006 back in Double-A and is on schedule to be the starter at the big league level by the end of 2007. ~ Baseball America

• Offensive-minded catcher with 15 home run power potential and very good plate discipline. His patience at the plate has led to leaving his bat on his shoulder a bit too much. Strong arm with average accuracy, but Kottaras lacks quickness in his release when throwing runners out. Average glove. Scouts claim that his catching flaws are correctable. Could stand to add a little bit of bulk. Has experience catching knuckleballer Steve Sparks. ~ SoxProspects.com

Minor League Career

• 2003: Debuted with Rookie-level Idaho Falls, batting .259 (37-for-143) with eight doubles, one triple, seven homers and 24 RBI in 42 games. Ranked second on the Padres in home runs and runs scored (27), and third in slugging percentage (.476). Caught 12 of 33 would-be basestealers (.364). Hit .357 (15-for-42) with five doubles, three homers, six RBI and 14 runs scored over his final 12 games August 24-September 5.

• 2004: Batted .310 (84-for-271) with 18 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 46 RBI in 78 games at Single-A Fort Wayne. Led the Padres' organization in batting average. Ranked second on the Wizards with 51 walks. Posted a .360 average (31-for-86) with runners in scoring position and a .429 mark (3-for-7) with the bases loaded. Reached base safely via a hit or walk in his final 24 games with Fort Wayne July 10-September 6.

• 2005: In just his third minor league season, hit a combined .299 (131-for-438) for Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A Mobile. Started the year with the Storm and hit .323 (21-for-65) in April, including a seven-game hitting streak from April 15-23 when he hit .429 (12-for-28). Hit .306 (57-for-186) in 50 games from June 1-July 30 before earning a promotion to Mobile on August 2. Appeared in 29 games for the BayBears, hitting .287 with two home runs, seven doubles and 15 RBI. In August, his first full month at Double-A, hit .310 (27-for-87) with a pair of home runs.

• 2006: Acquired from San Diego on Sept. 5, Kottaras was added that day to Boston's 40-man roster and assigned to Double-A Portland, where he helped lead the Sea Dogs to the Eastern League championship. Prior to the trade, combined for a .255 batting average with 10 homers and 50 RBIs in 111 games at Double-A Mobile (Southern League) and Triple-A Portland (Pacific Coast League). Had 29 doubles with a .361 on-base percentage and 62 walks with the two Padres farm clubs. Was named to the Southern League mid-season All-Star Team and played for the World Team in the 2006 MLB All-Star Futures Fame on July 9.

2006 Minor League Stats

The Red Sox traded for Kottaras during the 2006 minor league season, here are his stats before the trade.

Team	League	Level	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	GIDP	HBP
Portland Beavers	PCL	AAA	0.224	29	107	13	24	9	1	2	15	10	27	0	0	0.294	0.383	0.677	0	1	0	5	1
Mobile BayBears	SOU	AA	0.276	78	257	40	71	19	1	8	33	50	68	0	1	0.394	0.451	0.845	0	2	4	9	1

Awards

• 2005 Carolina League All-Star
• 2006 Futures Game All-Star

Trivia

• Entered the 2006 season as the Padres' No. 2 prospect, accoring to Baseball America.
• Kottaras played for Greece at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He appeared in four games, going 3-for-12 (.250) with one double, two RBI and one run scored.
• He was selected to the 2006 All-Star Futures Game.

Transactions

• June 4, 2002: Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 20th round of the 2002 amateur draft.
• August 31, 2006: Traded by the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox for David Wells.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• TheBaseballCube.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• George Kottaras - Minor League Information Courtesy of Sox Prospects

• George Kottaras - Player Page Courtesy of Baseball Prospectus
• George Kottaras - Q&A Session Courtesy of Baseball America
• MLB.com article & interview