This Week in Purple: Walkin’ in a Summer (?!) Wonderland

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.

★ ★ ★

Forget the Rockies, it’s been a weird week in weather this week! Not only was June 2023 the sixth-wettest month in Denver history, but there was a tornado that ripped through suburban Highlands Ranch last Thursday, flash flooding all throughout Denver (so bad in one spot that the Denver Fire Dept. dive crew had to be called to make sure nobody got caught in a submerged vehicle on 38th Avenue), and a wild hailstorm over Coors Field that included hail in the press box, hail completely filling the Rockies dugout, and a hail-ball fight between Germán Márquez and Elias Díaz. And after a two-hour delay for the weather shenanigans, the Rockies got shelled 14-3.

But here’s what our writers wrote about this week:

To Read

• It’s the mid-way point for the minor leagues, so Kenneth Weber wrote an exclusive Pebble Report for his Monday Rockpile. He took inventory of what’s happened at each level, as well as highlighted some prospects who have performing well (or not).

• Mike Moustakas was traded to the LA Angels on Saturday night after that... game. The Rockies had signed Moustakas in the offseason after he was DFA’d by the Reds and he had become a nice veteran presence in the lineup. Renee Dechert looked back on Moustakas’ time with the Rockies for her Tuesday Rockpile, and how signing him might’ve been more of a positive move than we originally thought.

• In a follow-up to his June 7 Rockpile, Skyler Timmins looked at position players that might be worth shopping for his Wednesday Rockpile. The deadline is only a month away and Mike Moustakas is already gone — will they trade Jurickson Profar, Randal Grichuk, or C.J. Cron as well?

• Before the Trade Deadline, though, is the All-Star Game in Seattle. The starters have already been named (AL here, NL here), but the pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday. The Rox don’t have any starters (not surprising), but they by rule need to have at least one representative. For the Thursday Rockpile, I made the case for Elias Díaz and Ryan McMahon — will either (or both?) of them go, or will it be someone else?

• Finally, to cap off the week, Joelle Milholm looked at the Rockies roster construction for her Friday Rockpile. The title, “Unless MLB changes rules to allow 11 starters, Rockies must make some moves” says it all — the Rockies once again have a positional logjam with three veterans coming back and need to alleviate that somehow. Will they let the kids (who have been playing well!) play? Or will they replace them, once again, with veterans?

To Listen

• Affected by Altitude: Hitting Rockies Bottom — This week, Skyler and Evan discuss the movement within the organization, including the Mike Moustakas trade, what to do with CJ Cron, and other veterans. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies hit rock bottom for the 2023 season with not only their worst loss of the season, but their worst loss in franchise history. What a great way to celebrate the team’s 30th Anniversary. We close out the show talking All-Star voting and discuss goings on around the league.

Weekend Discussion Topic

Who should the Rockies trade next? One of the three position players Skyler mentioned this week (Profar, Grichuk, Cron) or a bullpen arm that he mentioned two weeks ago (Hand, Suter, Johnson)? Sound off in the comments?

★ ★ ★

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!