The Rockies left Sunday with a 7-4 loss to the Cardinals, but Hunter Goodman still gave them something to hang onto.
The catcher launched his 34th home run of the season in the series finale, keeping his big year rolling and padding an already loud stat line. Goodman is now hitting .254/.321/.546 with an .867 OPS, production that jumps out even on a team that has spent much of the year rebuilding.
That kind of power from a Rockies hitter is impossible to ignore. With 34 homers already and a chance to push past 40 before the season ends, Goodman has turned himself into one of the most valuable pieces on the roster and a major reason manager Warren Schaeffer has so much to work with.
He also drew plenty of attention at the recent MLB trade deadline, but the asking price was reportedly extremely high. That makes sense given what he’s doing at the plate. An OPS closing in on .900 from a player on a club that’s not contending says plenty about just how dangerous he’s been.
The Rockies have been building around him, too. Jake McCarthy, Cole Carigg, and TJ Rumfield are among the names the team has added as part of a rebuild that appears to be moving in the right direction.
For some fans, keeping Goodman through the deadline may have been frustrating. But the Rockies clearly value him, and Sunday was another reminder why. He’s going to keep piling up offense as the season winds down, and he looks like a player the organization plans to lean on heavily when the wins start to follow.
Teams called about him. The Rockies held firm. And for now, that decision looks like a smart one, because replacing what Goodman brings at the plate would not have been easy.
In Other News...
Rockies Finally Saw Something Encouraging In Another Road Series Loss
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On the mound, the bullpen was the clearest area of progress, with relievers such as Jimmy Herget and Parker Mushinski helping the group look more settled than it has for much of the season. The result still stings in the standings, but for a club that has spent most of the year searching for any kind of momentum on the road, the bigger question now is whether these small gains can turn into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rockies Flamethrower Is Suddenly In A Spot Fans Should Watch
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Now rehabbing in Triple-A, Halvorsen has reached the point where Los Angeles needs another arm and is turning to a pitcher it believes can help stabilize a relief corps dealing with injuries and uneven results. For Rockies followers, it is another reminder that one of their more electric arms is back on the verge of a major league opportunity, only wearing a different uniform while he gets the call. [Read more 🡒]