On the other end was third baseman Kaleb Cowart, the former top prospect whose stock had fallen so far he was now thinking about becoming a pitcher. The two shared the same apartment complex in Redlands, Calif., roughly 10 miles from the team's home ballpark in San Bernardino. And after games throughout April and May, Del Chiaro's living room became the place where Cowart spilled his guts.
He talked about the pressure of living up to the hype, relived his two crippling years in Double-A, expressed anger over his demotion and lamented the Angels' decision to basically move on, trading for fellow third-base prospect Kyle Kubitza because they could no longer count on Cowart's progression.