Zack Cozart

Zachary Warren Cozart (born August 12, 1985) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels.

The Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2011, and was named an All-Star in 2017. Cozart signed with the Angels as a free agent before the 2018 season.

Early life and career Cozart attended Collierville High School in Collierville, Tennessee, graduating in 2004. He played football, basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, he batted .443 with five home runs and 41 RBIs.

Cozart attended the University of Mississippi, where he played college baseball for the Ole Miss Rebels. Baseball America named him a third-team All-American in 2006. Cozart had a .310/.367/.473 career slash line in college.

Professional career Minor leagues The Cincinnati Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for a signing bonus of $407,250. The Reds assigned Cozart to the Dayton Dragons of the Class A Midwest League. 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. Cozart drove in 49 runs and hit six triples in 418 at bats. Midwest League managers voted him the best defensive shortstop of the year.

The Reds invited Cozart to spring training in 2010. He spent the season with the Louisville Bats of the Class AAA International League, hitting .255/.310/.416 in 553 at bats (first in the International League) 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. 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, 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, Cozart hyperextended his left elbow on a play at second. Joey Votto fielded a bunt and threw to second. Cozart covered second and had to reach into the line of the runner, Nate McLouth, 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 to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, ending his season. In 11 Major League games, Cozart batted .324/.324/.486 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs.

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 for National League Shortstops. In 147 games, he had 4 home runs and 38 RBIs. He batted .258/.310/.459 with 9 home runs in 53 games.

2018 On June 13, 2018, Cozart left a game with a shoulder subluxation while diving for a ball. Cozart finished his first season with the Angels batting .219/.296/.362 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs in 58 games.

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. For the season, he batted .124/.178/.144 with no home runs and 7 RBIs in 28 games. He was released by the Giants on January 15, 2020.

Personal life Cozart lives in Brentwood, Tennessee.

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.

Social media comments on LGBTQ+ awareness day In October 2024, Cozart responded to the Red's tweet on Twitter, where the team had tweeted in support of Spirit Day, 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."