Tag: Colorado Rockies

Charlie Blackmon Injury: Updates on Rockies OF’s Toe and Return

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon left Wednesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants early after suffering a toe injury, and the timetable for his return is uncertain. 

Continue for updates.


Blackmon Placed on 15-Day DL

Thursday, April 14

According to the Rockies, Blackmon was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday due to turf toe on his left foot.

In his third season as a regular starter, Blackmon is hitting .185/.241/.575 with no home runs and three runs batted in so far in 2016 to go along with one stolen base.

The 29-year-old was extremely productive in 2015 with a .287 batting average, 17 homers, 58 RBI and 43 steals.

The Rockies outfield entered the season in a state of flux. Gerardo Parra signed a three-year deal in the offseason, creating a logjam, which Blackmon was initially not a fan of.

“I was [a] little perplexed at first,” Blackmon said, according to Nick Groke of the Denver Post. “Because I didn’t really see it coming. Going into the offseason, I didn’t know that was in play, really. But after looking at it, he’s a great player. I’ve played against him, seen him play. He’s got one of the best arms in the league. He can only make our team better.”

Luckily, Colorado’s depth should allow it to withstand Blackmon’s absence to some degree.

Parra and Carlos Gonzalez make up the rest of the outfield, while utility man Ryan Raburn can fill in for a period of time, particularly against left-handed starters.

In addition to that, shortstop Trevor Story, third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman D.J. LeMahieu are off to red-hot starts.

Assuming they can keep up their level of play and LeMahieu replaces Blackmon effectively as the leadoff man, Colorado is capable of playing winning baseball even without Blackmon’s services. 

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Nolan Arenado’s 2-HR, 7-RBI Burst Teases Huge Encore Season After 2015 Breakout

Rookie Trevor Story has been, well, the story so far for the Colorado Rockies. Why not? The kid hit seven home runs in his first six games, after all. They sent his helmet and batting gloves to Cooperstown and everything.

But there’s another yarn unspooling in the Mile High City that’s just as intriguing and might well have more staying power: the continued emergence of Nolan Arenado, superstar third baseman.

After going 4-for-5 with two home runs and an eye-popping seven RBI Wednesday in a 10-6 win over the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field, Arenado owns a 1.121 OPS on the young season.

Marry that stick to a glove that has made Arenado the best defensive third baseman in the National League over the past three seasons, per FanGraphs, and you’ve got an elite talent who could easily siphon first-place MVP votes.

We’re a long way from awards talk, obviously. The usual April caveats apply to any hot start. But Arenado proved last year this early output is no fluke.

In 2015, Arenado tied Bryce Harper for the NL lead with 42 home runs, tallied an MLB-leading 130 RBI and posted a career-high 5.8 wins above replacement while winning a third straight Gold Glove.

It was, by any definition, a breakout campaign, tempered only by the Rockies’ last-place finish.

Now, Arenado—who turns 25 on April 16—is teasing next-level production. Or at least indicating that a worthy encore is in the works.

Before Wednesday’s huge game, Arenado was hitting just .222 on the heels of a scalding spring. But skipper Walt Weiss presciently predicted a breakthrough, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post:

He’s real close. Before the off day, on Sunday, he took a lot of good passes at the ball and got a couple hits, could have had more. But he had some nice near-misses. I’ve seen that all along. He’s just a click off. He’s real close to getting on a roll.

This is the part where we note that Arenado‘s outburst came in Colorado, where all offensive stats are served with an asterisk or at least a raised eyebrow. And Arenado‘s career slugging percentage is more than 100 points higher at Coors than it is on the road.

Last year, however, Arenado hit more home runs (22) away from home than he did in Colorado’s rarefied air (20). So the notion that his production is an altitude-aided mirage mostly falls apart.

Arenado, who hits from the right side, is also an extreme pull hitter, with 40 of his 42 home runs going to the left of center field last season, as FanGraphsAugust Fagerstrom pointed out.

It’s possible, then, that opposing pitchers could adjust their approach, pitching Arenado away and trying to force him to go to the opposite field. If so, he’ll be forced to make his own adjustments. That’s the story of baseball.

But, as Fagerstrom argued, it “seems like what Arenado‘s done is the hitter equivalent of a pitcher wanting to trust his stuff and hit his spots and not change what he does based on the batter’s strengths.”

If it ain’t broke, in other words, don’t fix it.

Over Arenado‘s last 500-plus plate appearances, it hasn’t needed fixing, as Ace of MLB Stats pointed out:

Even with Story’s Babe Ruth act and Arenado doing his thing, this Rockies team appears destined for another losing season. Surprises happen, sure, but there simply aren’t enough pieces on the pitching side for Colorado to hang with the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers, even-year Giants and retooled Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.

That might ultimately damage Arenado‘s MVP case, assuming he stays in the conversation, since voters often unfairly take a club’s record into account when handing out individual hardware.

Mostly, though, we’re looking at a budding stud who can pick it, hit it and won’t become a free agent until 2020. He’s already excellent, and he might be getting better.

If you’re a Rockies fan struggling through this at-times painful rebuild, that’s a pretty sweet consolation prize.

 

All statistics current as of April 13 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Jose Reyes’ Domestic Abuse Charge Dropped: Latest Details and Reaction

Domestic abuse charges against Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes were reportedly dropped Monday, according to the Associated Press.

The AP noted the judge in Hawaii gave prosecutors two years to potentially refile the charges if Reyes’ wife cooperates. Deputy Maui Prosecuting Attorney Kerry Glen “says it’s impossible to move forward with prosecution without cooperation from Reyes’ wife, who refuses to speak with prosecutors,” per the AP.

Reyes was arrested at the Wailea Four Seasons in Maui, Hawaii, on Oct. 31 and was released on $1,000 bail. However, the AP noted the bail will be refunded because the charge was dropped.

In November, Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now reported Reyes’ wife told the police the shortstop grabbed her throat and shoved her into a glass balcony door during the incident.

According to Nick Martin of the Washington Post, the indefinite suspension (with pay) that Major League Baseball levied against Reyes just before spring training “is still in place for the time being” even though the charges were dropped.

This comes after Rockies owner Dick Monfort met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday and did not get a timetable for a decision regarding Reyes’ status, per the AP (h/t ESPN.com).

Monfort did say if Reyes “did something wrong, he should pay for it,” per the AP (h/t ESPN.com), and wasn’t sure if the response and potential backlash from fans would influence any decisions regarding Reyes’ future.

MLB suspended Reyes under its new domestic abuse policy. New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also received a 30-game suspension without pay, starting on Opening Day, under the same policy.

Reyes, a four-time All-Star, came to the Rockies from the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a trade that sent Troy Tulowitzki north of the border during the 2015 season. During Reyes’ absence, rookie Trevor Story has filled in at shortstop for the Rockies and proceeded to become the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in the first three games of his career.

Reyes hit .274 with seven home runs, 53 RBI and 24 stolen bases last season for the Rockies and Blue Jays.

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Trevor Story Sets MLB Record for Home Runs in 1st 6 Games

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story set an MLB record on Sunday with his seventh home run through his team’s first six games of the season, per Owen Perkins of MLB.com.

He passed some impressive company with the record-breaking home run, per Baseball Tonight:

Story burst onto the scene this year in his first career game when he went 2-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI in a 10-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day.

He hit four home runs over the next three games, including two more on Friday in a 13-6 loss to the San Diego Padres. His home run streak was broken on Saturday in another loss to the Padres, 16-3, but he bounced back with an eighth-inning blast on Sunday for the record as the Rockies salvaged the series with a 6-3 win.

The 23-year-old is hitting .333 with 12 RBI on the season.

“I’m just trying to have a clear mind up there and compete with my eyes,” Story said on Friday, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “I know there will be ups and downs. When I’m going good, this is what it is.”

Scott Miller of Bleacher Report recognized Story’s impressive performance:

Although playing at Coors Field can certainly improve a player’s power, that excuse can’t be used here, as Story hit his first four home runs on the road. He hit 20 home runs last season in 130 minor league games, but no one could have predicted this power.

A week into the season, he has more home runs than 16 teams, per ESPN Stats & Info.

He obviously won’t keep up this pace, and he’d have to reach 50 to break Mark McGwire’s rookie home record, but if he can reach 40, he’ll finish in second place.

Story, a 2011 compensation pick by the Rockies, was the benefactor of a 2015 trade that sent starting shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays

It’s a small sample size, but considering Story has knocked in more than one-third of Colorado’s runs this season, it’s safe to say they’ll be OK moving forward without Tulowitzki.

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Story Sets Record for Most Home Runs Through 4 Games of a Season

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story added two more home runs to his impressive ledger during Friday’s 13-6 loss to the San Diego Padres, thus becoming the first player in MLB history to hit six home runs through his team’s first four games of a season, per Sportsnet Stats.

Four other players hit five homers in their team’s first four games, with Adrian Gonzalez (2015), Chris Shelton (2006), Barry Bonds (2002) and Lou Brock (1967) doing the honors.

Story is also one of just five players to homer in each of his team’s first four games of a season, joining Chris Davis (2013), Nelson Cruz (2011), Mark McGwire (1988) and Willie Mays (1971), per Nick Groke of the Denver Post.

Of course, none of the aforementioned players accomplished these feats as rookies, making the 23-year-old Story all the more impressive.

Per Sportsnet Stats, he’s the first player to hit a home run in each of his first four MLB appearances.

Furthermore, Story joins McGwire as the only rookies in MLB history to hit six home runs over any four-game stretch of a season, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info). 

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Cold Hard Fact for Saturday, April 9, 2016

Fact: Colorado Rockies rookie Trevor Story became the first major league player to have a home run in each of his first four games.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

Source: ESPN

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Trevor Story Records 6 Home Runs in 1st 4 Games of Career

The blazing start to Trevor Story’s major league career continued Friday.

The Colorado Rockies rookie shortstop hit his fifth and sixth home runs during his team’s game against the San Diego Padres, becoming the first player in the last 100 years to hit six homers in his team’s first four games of a season, per StatsCentre.

Story’s first homer of the day came in the bottom of the fourth inning, shortly after the Padres had scored six runs in the top half. His blast cleared the left field wall and cut San Diego’s lead to 6-5.

Though the Rockies lost 13-6, Story hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

“I’ve said it before,” Story said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), “I’m not trying to hit home runs, sometimes it kind of happens.”

Rockies All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said it’s “legendary” what Story has done so far.

“He’s fearless,” Gonzalez said, per the AP. “He’s playing like a Hall of Famer right now.”

Story came into Friday’s game batting 4-for-14, with all four hits coming via the long ball. He went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs in the loss to San Diego.

The Irving, Texas, native is quickly becoming another offensive star for the Rockies, joining Nolan Arenado and Gonzalez to form an exciting young trio in Colorado. It’s unfair to expect these numbers to continue for Story, but he’s showing glimpses of what’s to come in the future.

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Rookie Trevor Story Bursts onto MLB Scene Looking Like Troy Tulowitzki’s Heir

It’s been a little while since Colorado Rockies fans could associate hope with the shortstop position.

If you want to circle a date, go with July 28, 2015, the day Colorado traded franchise shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package that included Tulo’s ostensible replacement—Jose Reyes.

Eight months and a glut of Reyes-related problems later, a potential Tulowitzki heir has emerged.

It’s too early to anoint Trevor Story anything. The 23-year-old rookie is a scant two games into his big league career, which is hardly enough to even be called a small sample.

But boy, howdy—so far, so great.

On Monday at Chase Field in Arizona, Story launched a pair of home runs off $206.5 million man Zack Greinke in a 10-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He followed that smashing debut with another dinger Tuesday—this one off the D-Backs’ Shelby Miller.

No, Story probably won’t hit 243 home runs this season, though he is on pace to do just that. But the Rockies must love what they’ve seen.

Story’s teammates have, too, as they showed by playfully hazing the rook following his Greinke-slaying performance.

“Right when I walked into the clubhouse, they threw me into a laundry cart and rolled me into the shower and sprayed me with who knows what,” Story said Monday, per the Denver Post‘s Patrick Saunders. “It was cold. It was great.”

Story won the shortstop job Reyes left vacant—more on that in a moment—by hitting .340 with six home runs and showing solid glove work in the Cactus League.

A supplemental first-round pick out of Texas‘ Irving High School in 2011, Story posted a .279/.350/.514 slash line between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015 and was ranked No. 8 among Colorado’s prospects by Baseball America in November.

His opportunity to start on Opening Day, however, arose from his teammate’s off-field issues. After posting an anemic .659 OPS in 47 games with the Rockies last year, Reyes was allegedly involved in an altercation with his wife at a Hawaii resort during the offseason.

Prosecutors may drop the domestic abuse charge against Reyes, per ESPN.com, but Major League Baseball could still suspend the four-time All-Star under its new domestic violence policy. Reyes, who is owed $22 million this season, is currently on paid leave and not with the team.

That could have cast a pall over Story winning the job, and it could have made his accomplishment feel like a Band-Aid over a festering wound.

Quite to the contrary, skipper Walt Weiss insisted.

“I wanted him to know he earned this,” Weiss said Saturday, per Mike Cranston of the Associated Press (via CBS Denver). “I always say it’s tough to predict even a week out in this game. So we tend not to go there. [But] I expect him to play really well.”

Thus far, he’s played historically well, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Yes, to repeat, we’re talking about two measly games. The list of players who’ve gone supernova for two games—or a week or even a month—and never sniffed greatness is too long to recount.

Still, what a cool story (pun sort of intended). A rebuilding team searching for sparks getting an eye-opening performance from a fresh-faced kid at a position that has lately been nothing but heartache and consternation. What’s not to like?

To dredge up Tulo’s name again—which is something Story might as well get used to—here’s another striking fact, courtesy of C.J. Nitkowski of Fox Sports 1:

No, that doesn’t mean Story will do what Tulowitzki did in a Rockies uniform. Tulo made four All-Star teams, won two Gold Gloves and enjoyed three top-10 MVP finishes with Colorado. That’s quite a legacy.

The only thing Story’s great start means is he’s off to a great start.

Actually, here’s something else it means: If and when Reyes returns from his exile and any suspension MLB hands down, the Rockies should keep starting Story indefinitely.

Will sending Reyes to the bench cause friction behind the scenes? Maybe. Would releasing him outright mean eating an absurd amount of cash and wiping some egg off some faces? Most definitely.

But Colorado needs to focus on what’s best for its future. Now is the time to find out what pieces can boost the franchise in 2017, 2018 and beyond. Story could well be one of those pieces, and he’s shown enough early to earn a lot of rope.

Mostly, Rockies fans should rejoice. From the ashes of a painful trade and Reyes’ alleged misconduct, something special has materialized.

Hope.

 

All statistics accurate through Tuesday and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Jose Reyes’ Domestic Violence Case to Be Dropped: Details, Comments, Reaction

Authorities in Maui, Hawaii, will drop domestic abuse charges against Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin April 4.

Per Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of the Associated Press, Maui deputy prosecuting attorney Kerry Glen decided to drop the case against Reyes due to a lack of cooperation from Reyes’ wife.

Reyes was arrested and charged with allegedly assaulting his wife on October 31, per Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now.

According to Davis’ report, the alleged altercation took place around 2:30 p.m. while Reyes and his wife, Katherine, were staying at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Reyes’ wife told police he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” and also reportedly told police he “grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

The Rockies, who acquired Reyes from Toronto last July, issued a statement regarding the allegations against the 32-year-old:

While awaiting a final outcome to Reyes’ domestic violence case, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced in February the four-time All-Star had been placed on paid leave, via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding

Upon resolution of Reyes’ criminal proceedings and the completion of the Commissioner’s Office’s investigation into the incident, Commissioner Manfred will make a decision whether to impose discipline on Reyes. The Commissioner’s Office will have no further comment on this matter until a final disposition is announced.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Reyes will remain on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.

Even though the case against Reyes was dropped, he could still face a suspension from MLB. The league’s domestic violence policy, established last August, gives Manfred the authority to determine a punishment following an investigation by the commissioner’s office.

New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman became the first player punished under the new policy after details emerged in December of an incident with his girlfriend in October. Chapman received a 30-game suspension to start the season even though prosecutors decided not to pursue a case against him due to conflicting accounts and lack of evidence, per MLB.com’s Paul Hagen and Bryan Hoch.

Reyes has not played a spring training game with the Rockies while on paid leave, so even if he avoids a suspension, he likely wouldn’t be ready to take the field when they open the season on April 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Jon Gray Injury: Updates on Rockies SP’s Abdomen and Return

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Gray is uncertain for the start of the regular season, as he is currently suffering from an abdominal strain.

Continue for updates.


Latest Timetable for Gray’s Return

Thursday, March 24

According to Nick Groke of the Denver Post, Gray is encouraged that the ailment isn’t particularly serious:

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post added that Gray was able to avoid an abdominal tear, which should lessen the timetable for his return to a “few weeks.”

Despite the fact that Gray avoided an injury that could have put him out of action for a significant amount of time, he was still disappointed that it could set him back in terms of his preparation for the regular season:

The 24-year-old righty was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 MLB draft, and he is undoubtedly the most exciting and talented young arm in Colorado’s system.

He got his feet wet at the major league level last season in nine starts, going 0-2 with a 5.53 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.

While those numbers don’t look impressive on the surface, he struck out 40 batters in 40.2 innings and boasted a FIP of 3.63, per Baseball-Reference.com, which suggests he was extremely unlucky.

Gray was penciled in as part of a Rockies starting rotation that has a ton of question marks, and while it seems unlikely that he will be ready in time for Colorado’s Opening Day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks April 4, he should still have a spot on the staff when he does return.

The Oklahoma native has ace-type stuff, which is something the Rockies have largely lacked from their starters in recent years.

Pitching at Coors Field isn’t an easy task for any hurler, but Gray can be unhittable when he is on and his control is intact.

Missing a few weeks could mean that Gray now has a longer road toward realizing his potential, but based on how important he is to the team’s future, there is little incentive for the Rockies to rush him back.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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