Colorado Rockies: Why are they carrying three catchers? | Rox Pile
It goes without saying- the Rockies need all the help they can get in the bullpen. Prior to Thursday’s game, the team called up Yency Almonte from Triple-A Albuquerque to make for a nine-man bullpen. A roster casualty was Ryan McMahon, who was sent back down despite hitting a go-ahead three-run home run just the night before. While the need for bullpen help is understandable, it’s curious to see McMahon sent down instead of Tony Wolters, who has been dreadful at the plate. It’s even more curious to note that Wolters is a third catcher on a team that also includes Chris Iannetta and Tom Murphy. Wolters has only appeared in three games since June 10. In that same span, McMahon has only accrued 13 plate appearances, but has also come through with his first two Major League home runs.
McMahon deserves a chance to play, but to get at-bats every day, it looks like a necessity that the highly-touted prospect will have to do so in Albuquerque.
Roster gymnastics and ‘big boys’ have Rockies crawling back to normalcy | The Athletic ($)
Almonte didn’t expect that he would be the one getting the call, but that’s how it worked out, as the 24-year-old made his Major League debut in Thursday’s game against the New York Mets. The 6-4 win brought an end to a stretch of nine consecutive home games in which the Rockies have allowed eight or more runs, tying a 124-year-old record.
Rockies match a 124-year-old record of futility, but they are counterpunching. ‘It’s a 54-out fight,’ Bud Black says | The Athletic ($)
While the pitching has struggled, the Rockies’ offense has begun to “counterpunch.” An offense that ranked 27th in baseball in wOBA in March and April improved to 9th in May, and is now ranked 5th in the month of June. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu notices this, saying “Hopefully we can pick [the pitching] up, just like they did for us early in the year.”
Colorado Rockies: Ian Desmond turning the corner? | Rox Pile
We can thank Ian Desmond for being a big part of the offense’s resurgence. In April, Desmond ranked second to last in baseball in on-base percentage, first in ground-ball percentage, and dead last in line drive percentage. In the month of June, however, the Rockies’ first baseman has ranked 8th in all of baseball in walk percentage and is top 20 in many significant categories, including OBP and OPS.
Rockies farm update: Antonio Senzatela scheduled for Saturday start in Triple-A, Garrett Hampson keeps impressing and more | The Denver Post ($)
Rockies director of player development Zach Wilson offered his thoughts on a handful of Rockies prospects to Kyle Newman of The Denver Post. Wilson is not concerned about the recent groin tightness experienced by Antonio Senzatela, who has 33 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings in Triple-A, to go along with a 2.70 ERA. Wilson has been very impressed with Garrett Hampson (PuRP No. 9), who is slashing .278/.380/.417, with an impressive strikeout to walk ratio. Notes on Sam Howard (PuRP No. 10) and D.J. Johnson are also provided.
Gerardo Parra introduced everyone to the mini version of Nolan Arenado | Cut4
Cut4 highlights MLB players on social media over the past week, and the headline article is Gerardo Parra’s post about #Nolito on Instagram.
Around Baseball
Hunter Strickland says he doesn’t have an anger problem | NBC Sports
San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland is known for throwing 98 mph fastballs at baseball players who hit home runs off him (three years after the fact, no less) and now for breaking his hand whilst punching a door, but he insists he doesn’t have an anger problem.
Ichiro wore a fake mustache to sneak into the Mariners’ dugout | NBC Sports
Ichiro Suzuki pulled a Bobby Valentine in a recent Seattle Mariners-New York Yankees game.