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An out-of-park experience
Whether it lasts for nine more innings or nine more years, no one can deny that Chantilly graduate Joe Koshansky took a few giant-sized gulps out of the cup of coffee he was recently offered by the Colorado Rockies.Called up on July 4 after starting first baseman Todd Helton was placed on the 15-day disabled list, Koshansky found himself making the 75-minute trip north from the club's AAA affiliate in Colorado Springs, Colo., to Coors Field in Denver to face the Florida Marlins.
Koshansky, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound left-handed power hitter, started at first base and batted seventh on that fateful Saturday night, the first start of his major league career. And though it wasn't his big league debut -- he appeared in 17 games at the end of the 2007 season -- Koshansky blasted a 465-foot memory that will last a lifetime.
“It was real exciting,” said the 26-year-old Koshansky, describing the first homer of his major league career, which came on a 2-1 fastball off of Florida's Ryan Tucker. “It was a great feeling. The crowd was cheering real loud, and it was just a great experience.”
The Rockies drafted (6th round, 170th overall) and signed Koshansky out of the University of Virginia in 2004, primarily for his greatest attribute: power. He had hit .281 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs in 82 games for Colorado Springs, and in nearly four minor league seasons, Koshansky went deep 120 times in 548 games.
Though Koshansky's stats since the promotion -- 3-for-18 (.167) with nine strikeouts -- haven't been as gaudy as those produced in the minors, the two-time Northern Region Player of the Year isn't getting too far ahead of himself.
“I'm just taking it one day at a time here,” said Koshansky, who added another homer July 9 against Milwaukee. “It's tough to come up here when someone gets injured, but whatever happens, happens.”
While on vacation and watching "SportsCenter" on Sunday morning, former Chantilly baseball coach Tim Gordon, who's now the Director of Student Activities at Fairfax High School, wasn't looking for anything specific when he caught his former player's face on television.
“It was the day after an 18-17 comeback win for the Rockies, and the first hitter they showed was Joe,” Gordon said. “They showed his face, and I immediately told everyone to shut up so I could hear.”
Koshansky, who Gordon said didn't knock anyone over with his talent or athletic ability, more than made up for any perceived shortcomings with his work ethic. Whether it required taking extra swings, asking that 14th question or making a minor mechanical adjustment, Koshansky always found a way to get it done.
“Our philosophy was to try and teach good hitting mechanics -- using all fields,” Gordon said. “But when you get higher up, you do whatever they want you to do. If you're going to be a productive, long-ball hitter, which is what they want from him, the strikeouts are going to come too.
“Most of your long-ball hitters are going to be strikeout guys, too. That kind of comes with the territory. I think he'll get used to the pitching the more he sees it.”
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