The St. Louis Cardinals have seen their share of injuries this off-season. The one that appears to have the most impact currently will be at shortstop.
Rafael Furcal, the Cardinals starting shortstop, is out for the season after requiring Tommy John surgery to repair an elbow injury that dates back to late last season. An offseason and Spring of market investigation for a replacement has yielded no results to date, leaving general manager John Mozeliak and manager Mike Matheny to react the same way they did last season, with Pete Kozma.
Kozma, an enigma of a ballplayer, had all but been given up on due to his (lack of) performance at the minor league level. A first round draft pick that seemed to be a bust, Kozma was the reason that Furcal arrived in St. Louis in the first place. But when Furcal went down last season, the Cardinals were left with very little choice and handed the position to the struggling prospect.
What happened was something no one expected: he succeeded. Kozma found a glimpse of his potential on the biggest stage possible and performed well during the final month of the season and in the post-season for the Cardinals. As the Cardinals prepare to break camp, Kozma is prepared to be the starting shortstop once again.
Friend of the site Sam Feldman helped i70baseball immortalize Kozma and the feelings surrounding him with a t-shirt that is now available on TeeSpring.com. The shirt, which embodies both the spirit of the fans that have an extreme feeling of support for the young shortstop as well as a sarcastic feel for those that feel the hype is a bit too high, is available for a limited time at the price of $15 per shirt.
Kozmamania has hit St. Louis. Get your shirt today.