Nick Groke writes about Nolan Arenado’s recent troubles at the plate, his slump-busting game against the Giants, and how he has hopefully returned to his MVP caliber self. Groke also points out how important Nolan’s success is to the Rockies, as the All-Star third baseman’s struggles this July (his wRC+ was the worst it’s been since July of 2015) coincided with a 8-21 record for a team who quickly fell out of playoff contention.
Like I said, hopefully Nolan has turned the corner on this little slump of his. Over the past week Nolan slashed .333/.355/.567 for a 122 wRC+. It’s a good step, but despite his two home run game against the Giants, his ISO the past week was still only .233—not bad, just not Nolan. He seems confident, though, according to Groke’s article, so I would bet it’s only a matter of time before this slump is nothing but a blip on the radar.
Players’ Weekend, nicknames return Aug. 23-25 | MLB.com
Anthony Castrovince has the details on this year’s Players’ Weekend (August 23rd-25th), including some of the most interesting nicknames you’ll find on the back of some jerseys. There will be an interesting change from colorful uniforms to either all black or all white uniforms (each home team gets to pick which one they’ll wear), which sounds like an attempt to help players’ other creative touches stand out even more.
A cool addition to this year’s festivities will be an expanded allowance for players to use their mobile devices on the field and in the dugouts to help promote themselves and the event on social media. Should be cool getting a closer look at the fun players are having and maybe it will inspire Major League Baseball to, well, allow more fun in baseball.
As for the Rockies individual nicknames this year:
#PlayersWeekend is all about the guys!
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 6, 2019
Here’s what they will be rockin’ pic.twitter.com/TXymhMuPNZ
Some standard stuff (Nado, Ry Mac, Chuck Nazty), some emojis (I see you Gray Wolf and Papers), and some just plain... interesting (El Fifty? Sponge? Voom Baats?). Trevor “True” Story might be my favorite, because you can never beat a good pun, but Carlos Estévez’s “Wild Thing” is a close second. What—or who—stands out to you?
Steve Fryer of the Orange County Register decided he wanted to make a lineup out of the very best professional baseball players who played high school ball in orange county, and the Rockies are well represented.
Ryan McMahon gets the nod at second base (he played at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California), and though Fryer struggled with who to start at third base between the two All-Stars from El Toro High School (Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman), he ultimately made the right choice and chose Nolan—Chapman was slid into the DH spot.
Seunghwan Oh Signs With KBO’s Samsung Lions | MLB Trade Rumors
Fresh off his release from the Rockies last month, Seunghwan Oh is signing a deal with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization. Oh started his career with the Lions back in 2005, and he’ll have to serve a 72-game suspension for illegal gambling before he steps foot on a mound.
Oh will also have to recover from the elbow surgery he needs, which brought an end to his career with the Rockies, so it still might be awhile before he pitches again, if he has anything left in the tank by then.
On the farm
An abbreviated day for Rockies affiliates was highlighted by a Tourists victory over the BlueClaws. Niko Decolati went 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the year, Coco Montes had two hits, including a triple, and three RBI, and Jake Bird (5th round, 2018) continued his string of high quality appearances by pitching six innings of two-run ball, giving up four hits and striking out six. Jake now has a 2.73 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 79 IP for the Tourists.
Double-A: Reading Fightin Phils 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4
High-A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5, Lancaster JetHawks 1
Low-A: Asheville Tourists 5, Lakewood BlueClaws 2
DSL 1: DSL Tigers2 4, DSL Colorado 2
DSL 2: DSL Yankees 8, DSL Rockies 3