This Week in Purple: Setting our sights on Seattle

The weekend is a great time to kick back and reflect. This Week in Purple is the place to catch up on the news from our team at Purple Row. You’ll find links to Rockpiles and other content below as well as a platform for community discussion in the comments.

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The Rockies had a rough week. They had good bookend wins — an 11-10 victory over the Mets on Sunday and a 7-2 victory over the Royals yesterday — but handed the Diamondbacks their first sweep of the season (for or against them). They made numerous roster moves:

• Monday: Charlie Blackmon placed on bereavement list, Elehuris Montero recalled, and other roster moves
• Tuesday: Rockies promote Blair Calvo, option Karl Kauffmann

Dinelson Lamet has been inserted into the rotation, and Blair Calvo made his MLB debut on Tuesday, May 30.

In the midst of all this, All-Star voting has begun! Elias Díaz seems to be the frontrunner for the Rockies (more on that in a moment), and Harold Castro is listed for second base. A few relievers could make a push, but that’s out of voters’ control.

In the meantime, here’s what are writers were up to this week!

To Read

• In his Monday Rockpile, Kenneth Weber wrote about Elias Díaz as the potential representative for the Rockies at the 2023 All-Star Game in Seattle. So far in 51 games, Díaz is slashing .318/.371/.489 (1st/1st/1st) with 12 doubles (5th), 6 homers (T-2nd) and 29 RBI (2nd). Since the rest of the team has been mediocre at best (minus the bullpen) and every team gets at least one representative, could the Rox catcher be the one for 2023?

• For her Tuesday Rockpile, Renee Dechert spoke with Nolan Jones about his time with the Rockies. Jones was traded to the Rockies from the Cleveland Guardians in the offseason for shortstop prospect Juan Brito. He was recalled on April 12, but didn’t play a single game before being sent back to Albuquerque four days later. On May 26, he was recalled again and so far has played in eight games. Renee broke down his first three games against the Mets and talked with him about he’s adjusting to playing with his new team.

• For his Wednesday Rockpile, Skyler Timmins asked “What’s ailing Kris Bryant’s swing?” So far in 50 games in 2023, Bryant is hitting just .263/.346/.374 with six doubles, five homers and 17 RBI. He has drawn 21 walks (11%) and struck out 37 times (19%). Bryant did land on the 10-day IL with a left heel bruise on Thursday after battling plantar fasciitis in the same foot in 2022. Perhaps that could be the cause of Bryant’s slip in 2023, but only time will tell.

• For his Thursday Rockpile, Evan Lang shed light on infield prospect Coco Montes. In 54 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, Montes has been hitting .323/.402/.561 with 14 doubles, 3 triples and 11 home runs. He has also stolen three bases in seven attempts. Good enough for a call-up, right? The downside, though, would be the corresponding move. Evan looks at the two players likely to be on the receiving end should Montes get the call-up: Alan Trejo and Harold Castro. Who do you think Montes should replace, should he get the call?

• And finally, for her Friday Rockpile, Joelle Milholm continued her historical explorations. This week, she acknowledged the people who lived around LoDo and Coors Field based on Diane Bakke and Jackie Davis’ 1995 book “Places Around the Bases: A Historic Tour of the Coors Field Neighborhood.” Joelle talks about the Southern Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes who lived in LoDo near Coors Field. She also describes the history behind some of the street names such as Blake Street and Market Street. Finally, she sheds light on the Ice House just around the corner from Coors Field. Who knew there was such an interesting and rich history surrounding our favorite places in Denver!

To Listen

• Affected by Altitude: Talking to Myself — This week, due to schedule conflicts and Evan’s voice recovering from an illness he probably got from Texas, Skyler takes on the tall task of running the show all by himself. Despite hating the sound of his own voice, he talks about injury updates and the return of Nolan Jones as well as the prospect of Dinelson Lamet joining the starting rotation. Finally, he talks about Ryan McMahon’s offensive woes and what he might need to do to change course this season.

Weekend Discussion Topic

Should the Rockies call up Coco Montes, would he replace Harold Castro or Alan Trejo? Or would he play a different position? Sound off below!