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These guys have teed off against the Rockies this year

Rockies news and links for Thursday, August 19, 2021

Yesterday’s two home-run performance by Wil Myers was a not so gentle reminder of just how dominant he’s been against the Rockies during his career. Myers has made a habit of going off against the club, whether or not he’s having a good season overall. When there’s purple on the mound, Wil Myers starts mashing.

However, I was astonished that those were actually his first two home runs against the club during the 2021 season. It’s very un-Wil Myers like to wait so long to start beating up on the Rockies. However, it did get me thinking–if Wil Myers isn’t doing a ton of damage against the team, who is? Below are the five players who have been a thorn in the Rockies’ side all 2021 long.

Note: All stats below will not include those from yesterday’s matchup.

Corey Seager - Los Angeles Dodgers

It’s not surprising that the guy who has had the most success against the Rockies this year is not only on a division rival but the evil empire Los Angeles Dodgers, no less. Seager has caused a lot of pain for the Rockies and their fans this year with his .900 slugging percentage and .640 on-base percentage. I’ll save you the trouble of doing the math–that’s an OPS of 1.540...insane. Those aren’t the only statistics where Seager is pacing the field. His .550 batting average is 50 points higher than the next best, Buster Posey (more on him later). Seager’s only got one home run so far, but add that to his four doubles, and he’s got extra bases in a quarter of his 25 at-bats.

Jake Cronenworth - San Diego Padres

Just because Wil Myers didn’t make the cut doesn’t mean the rest of the Padres have followed in his footsteps. In 70 at-bats against Colorado (the second most of any player after Manny Machado’s 74), Jake Cronenworth is hitting .369 with a .738 slugging percentage and .414 on-base percentage. His five home runs and seven doubles were the most of anyone that stepped into the batter’s box against the Rockies. He even added a triple for good measure. The 24 hits he’s mustered up against the club are more than anyone else in baseball.

Nick Castellanos - Cincinnati Reds

Our first non-division representative here on this list! Castellanos has only come to the plate 29 times this season, but the Rockies can be thankful for that. He’s slugging .875 in those at-bats, has a .458 batting average, and has cranked six extra-base hits (two homers and four doubles). Castellanos has done this to just about everyone in baseball this year if it’s any consolation for the Rockies. He’s hitting .317 in 2021 with 21 home runs, 64 RBI, and an OPS of .943. Good luck with that NL Central!

Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants

Just when you thought Buster Posey’s career (and time tormenting the Rockies) was winding down, he came back from his year off playing like it’s 2012 again. His home run in his first plate appearance since 2019 was no fluke: he went yard and has kept doing it all season long. Against the Rockies, he’s hitting .500 even and has gotten on base at a .559 clip. He’s got 15 hits, two of which made it over the fence and another two that landed him at second base. Unfortunately, the Rockies still have to face him–and the division-leading Giants–for another six games in September.

Kolten Wong - Milwaukee Brewers

The biggest surprise on the list, if you ask me, is this guy. The former St. Louis Cardinal isn’t having a particularly stellar 2021–he’s hitting .285 with nine homers and 29 RBI–but the same can’t be said for when he faces the Rockies. In 20 plate appearances, he’s hitting .450 with a pair of home runs. His .850 slugging percentage is the third-best of anybody the Rockies have faced. His .467 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) won’t be missed by a Rockies team that has finished off their schedule against the Brewers for 2021.

Not satisfied with my list? Let me know who I missed in the comments!

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The hottest rookies of the past two weeks | MLB.com

While we Rockies fans may be basking in the fantastic stretch that Connor Joe has been on since he was called up again on July 20, it’s nice to see him pop up on a league-wide ranking. Joe snuck into Jim Callis’s top ten rookies of the last two weeks thanks to .318/.380/.659 slash line and standout performances against the Marlins. Four RBIs one day and a pair of homers the next? Yes, please.

Trevor Story hits career HR number 150

Not much to say about this next one, but everyone needs to see it. And if you’ve already seen it about 1000 times (like me) then watch again because why not? A bat flip worthy of career home run number 150 that’s for sure.

On that note: how about this stat from Nick Groke?

I guess this means Trevor Story is just about as good as Mike Trout, right? I’d say the math checks out. Boy it would be nice if he ended up staying in Colorado after this season.

On the farm

Double-A: New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3, Hartford Yard Goats 2

After hanging around for the first eight innings, the Yard Goats tried to piece together a rally in the ninth to overcome a two-run deficit, but couldn’t get it done falling to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats by a score of a 3-2. Starting pitcher Karl Kauffmannn tossed five solid innings giving up just two runs on six hits while striking out five, but the offense struggled to find their rhythm. With the loss, the Yard Goats are now 29-62 on the season.

High-A: Hilsboro Hops 1, Spokane Indians 6

Eight of the nine starters for the Indians got a hit last night in a big win to push the club’s record to two games above .500, 46-44. The offense was paced by left fielder Daniel Montano who had three of the team’s twelve hits and his fellow outfielder, Brenton Doyle who connected for two hits including a solo HR in the 6th inning. Familiar face Peter Lambert went two innings giving up just one hit and no runs before Chris McMahon took over in relief for the remaining seven innings allowing just one run on four hits to go along with eight strikeouts.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 3, Visalia Rawhide 8

The offense was up and running last night for the Fresno Grizzlies who plated three runs in the first three innings before going quiet for the final six in an 8-3 loss to the Visalia Rawhide. Second baseman Mateo Gil had a two-run shot in the top of the second to give the Grizzlies a lead, one which they would relinquish in the bottom of the inning and never regain.

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