Jason Cooper

JASON COOPER
CORNER OUTFIELDER
Born: December 6, 1980
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 215
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Drafted: 3rd Round, 82nd Overall, 2002
How Acquired: Minor League FA
College: Stanford
Agent: N/A
SCOUTING REPORT
Cooper was considered a good power-hitting prospect after the Indians drafted him out of Stanford.  Baseball America ranked him as high as 7th on Cleveland’s top prospect list.  That was prior to the 2004 season and he never put it together after that.  He wasn’t considered a strong defender and was mostly limited to left field.  Starting in 2009 he mainly played first base.  The Pirates signed him to a minor league deal prior to the 2010 season, but released him before the start of the season.  He played in independent ball that year and didn’t play in 2011.

2002
A:  255/339/564, 55 AB, 5 2B, 4 HR, 6 BB, 17 K

Debuted briefly in full season ball, showing good power but fanning a lot.

2003
A:  297/385/551, 263 AB, 17 2B, 7 3B, 12 HR, 32 BB, 52 K, 3-5 SB
A+:  307/380/528, 218 AB, 17 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 25 BB, 46 K, 3-3 SB

Split the season between the two class A levels and hammered the ball at both stops.

2004
AA:  239/321/424, 422 AB, 24 2B, 6 3B, 14 HR, 47 BB, 106 K, 2-4 SB
AAA:  176/300/373, 51 AB, 1 2B, 3 HR, 9 BB, 15 K, 1-2 SB

Cooper struggled in AA, striking out in a quarter of his ABs and not showing as much power as at lower levels.

2005
AA:  254/359/478, 205 AB, 9 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 30 BB, 67 K, 3-5 SB
AAA:  257/317/494, 253 AB, 12 2B, 3 3B, 14 HR, 23 BB, 76 K, 1-5 SB

Cooper returned to AA for half a season and hit for good power, although his plate discipline wasn’t strong.  After moving up to AAA, he hit pretty much the same, except his walk rate dropped off a lot.

2006
AAA:  228/303/398, 412 AB, 23 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 41 BB, 126 K, 5-7 SB

Cooper struggled in AAA, probably eliminating what was left of his prospect standing.

2007
AAA:  260/357/472, 339 AB, 26 2B, 8 3B, 10 HR, 51 BB, 81 K, 9-11 SB

Rebounded in AAA, evidently by taking more pitches and cutting down on his swing, costing him some HRs.

2008
AAA:  247/356/424, 304 AB, 19 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 46 BB, 63 K, 2-7 SB

Continued showing good plate discipline, but his power dropped off more.

2009
AAA (NYM):  169/239/262, 65 AB, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 BB, 18 K, 1-1 SB
IND (St. Paul):  288/377/543, 208 AB, 14 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 28 BB, 39 K, 2-3 SB
IND (Lancaster):  145/206/323, 62 AB, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 10 K

Cooper signed as a free agent with the Mets, but didn’t last long with their AAA affiliate.  After his release, he caught on with two different independent teams.

2010
IND:  322/406/536, 366 AB, 38 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 39 BB, 74 K, 0-2 SB

The Pirates signed Cooper to a minor league deal before the season, but released him during spring training.  He returned to St. Paul in the American Association and had a good year.

2011
Did not play

The Pirates signed Cooper for 2012 as a player/coach.  He’ll probably see action only in an emergency.
STATS
Baseball Reference–Minors
Fangraphs
MiLB.com
CONTRACT INFORMATION
2012: Minor League Contract
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: $472,500
MiLB Debut: 2002
MLB Debut: N/A
MiLB FA Eligible: Eligible
MLB FA Eligible: N/A
Rule 5 Eligible: Eligible
Added to 40-Man: N/A
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 4, 1999: Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round, 63rd overall pick.
June 4, 2002: Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 3rd round, 82nd overall pick; signed on July 23.
January 16, 2009: Signed by the New York Mets as a minor league free agent.
June 14, 2009: Released by the New York Mets.
March 18, 2010: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a minor league free agent.
April 19, 2010: Released by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
November 9, 2011: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a minor league free agent.