Having missed the better part of two seasons due to injuries, it’s surprising Corey Zangari doesn’t lament the time lost.“These injuries have helped me out as a player mentally and physically. They helped me mature. I look at the game differently. You never want to have an injury. You never want to miss games or playing time, but I’m thankful that they helped me out the way they have, ” Zangari told FutureSox in a phone interview.
After missing all of 2017, due to the ubiquitous Tommy John surgery, Zangari was assigned to Great Falls in 2018, where he quickly proved too much for the pitching at that level. The 2015 6th rounder out of Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma, smashed nine home runs in 17 games and vastly improved his contact rate with only 16 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances. The success was short-lived as in his second trip to the plate after being promoted to Kannapolis, he suffered a wrist injury on a hit by pitch that caused him to miss the remainder of 2018.
“Having TJ was a freak accident. I was just tossing the ball back and forth to loosen up, and it blew on me. It was nothing too overpowering, it was just a fluke,” Zangari explained.
“I lost quite a bit of weight when I had Tommy John. I focused on eating right getting myself into shape. I wasn’t able to do what I was normally able to do on a regular basis. I wasn’t able to go out on the field, where it’s hot, and I’m sweating a lot. I’m sitting here gaining weight, so I figured I needed to do a little more in the weight room and eat better to help my body more when I’m rehabbing.”
“I was 260-270 before the injuries. Now I’m down to 240. I definitely feel lighter on my feet. It helps my knees. We’re on our feet all day. The lighter weight helps out over the long season. I’m gonna stay this weight. I like it,” said Zangari.
Back on Track
Zangari hasn’t needed much time for the mental and physical changes to translate to success at the dish. In 229 plate appearances, he has impressive power numbers, clubbing 11 home runs, 14 doubles, and one triple. The result is an ISO of .251(.200 is the benchmark for a power hitter) and a wRC+ of 122. His walks are at an above- average 12.7%, but his swing and miss has returned with a K rate of 33.2%. League average is about 25%.
“I started off this season a little rocky, but right now, I’m in a really good spot hitting wise. I’m seeing the ball well. I’m walking more – that’s huge for me,” said Zangari.
The powerful first baseman/DH has the numbers to support that claim having mashed three home runs, a triple and a double and racked up a whopping six walks in his last ten games.
In line with his persona as a slugger, Zangari isn’t content with getting a free pass to first base.”If a walk is presented to me, I’m gonna take it, but I like hitting the ball. I’ve never really thought about walking more because if I think about walking more, I’m not ready to hit. If I get walked, it’s a plus. When I get to a hitters count, I’m going to get my pitch and go with it or take the walk.”
The Mental Aspect
Zangari is using every tool at his disposal to improve his offense. “We have an analytics guy here – Ryan Johansen, who has a ton of stuff for us before the game – hot zones, where he (the pitcher) throws his pitches. How fast he throws, what he throws on different counts. Pitch spray charts on where he gets hit. It’s a lot of stuff that I didn’t have last year or the year before and it’s helpful,” said Zangari.
“It’s a huge plus knowing what the guy has and what he throws in certain counts. Knowing what the starter has and all that is something, I like to have in my back pocket,” he added.
More supporting evidence that the time off helped Zangari’s maturity is the attitude that he has displayed since 2019 first-round draft pick and fellow first baseman Andrew Vaughn joined the club causing him to shift from first base to being the team’s primary DH.
“You can’t let someone like Vaughn coming in affect you. I’ve got to come to the field expecting like I’m gonna play otherwise, I won’t be ready. It’s something that I can’t control. I gotta do my job every day. I might not play every day in the big leagues. I might play every third day, so I’ve got to get my mind right to play, and if I’m not ready to play, it’s gonna be a hard day. I just go out every day thinking I’m playing and if I get in the game I’m ready to go,” said Zangari.
With the first base situation becoming more crowded, the Oklahoma product is open to a position switch. “I’ll add any other position that they would give me the opportunity to play. The more positions that I can play the better the chance to make it to the big leagues. If they offered me anything I would take it and go with it and try anything they would let me try,” said Zangari.
A pitcher in high school, he hasn’t ruled out a return to the mound, even after having Tommy John surgery. “I never considered going back to pitching, hopefully, I continue hitting, and it goes well. If not, I will throw that out there and see what they say. I’ve never really tried to throw the ball hard since TJ since there’s no reason to for me as a first baseman. I have that in my back pocket if I don’t proceed as a hitter,” said Zangari.
Outlook
Zangari isn’t as talented as some of the other players the White Sox have in the system at the position group. But the team paid a premium to sign him when he was initially drafted in 2015. With the type of power he’s displayed and the ability to launch balls into the stratosphere in bunches, Zangari is someone prospect watchers should keep on their radar. Having been out of the game for almost two years, it’s likely he’s just getting warmed up.
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