Notes: Arenado HRs twice; Rolison, Trejo shine | Rockies.com
One of the most interesting questions about the timing of summer camp how the accelerated schedule will work for hitters. Conventional wisdom says that the hitters need more time in Spring Training to re-establish their timing and bat speeds to keep up with major league pitching. Will this lead to a changed approach at the plate?
Not for Nolan Arenado. "I'm going to let it fly," he said. During the intrasquad game on Saturday night, he certainly did.
2nd home run of the game for #NolanBeingNolan, taking Jesus Tinoco deep to CF. It puts Purple up 4-3 over Pinstripes in the T6. #RockiesSummerCamp pic.twitter.com/K3gecdqVYf
— Mike Rice (@MRiceKOA) July 12, 2020
That was the second of two home runs as Purple topped Pinstripes, 4-3. Getting video from the press box is a little different from what we're used to at this point, whether in Spring Training or in mid July. But it's indicative that we're inching closer to real, honest to goodness baseball. And I think we can all revel in that.
There are a lot of questions surrounding this Rockies season, but Patrick Saunders boils it down to five big ones. Who needs to rebound? Pitching depth is key in a short season so you can guess who he answers. Which team is most impacted by the virus at this stage? Only one NL team is currently missing two bats from the middle of the lineup. How weird can a 60-game season get? Well, last year the Rockies had a 60-game stretch where they played like a 100-win team, even though they played their other 102 games like a 100-loss team. So yeeeaaaahhhhhh, it can get pretty weird. Check out Jayson Stark and Eno Sarris from The Athletic ($) break down the numbers on some of the stranger potential instances, like a .400 hitter or a juggernaut like the Yankees missing the playoffs (please oh please oh please oh please oh please...).
Of course, the most important question is whether or not a season actually happens as virus case loads continue to rise across the American Sun Belt from California to the Carolinas. Saunders is more optimistic than Buster Olney (who places the odds of crowning a champion at zero percent), based on reports about how seriously the players are taking the protocols, but isn't going anywhere near 100% odds.
Some interesting anecdotes in the 2021 schedule | Roxpile
Noah Yingling has a quick roundup of the Rockies 2021 schedule, including a few quirks it presents in relation to the shortened 2020 season. For example: unless they meet in the playoffs this year, the Rockies won't face the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals until September 17, 2021.
★ ★ ★
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!