DENVER -- The Rockies may have found the kind of leadoff hitter they’ve been missing, and Jake McCarthy is starting to look a lot like the answer.
He doesn’t have Charlie Blackmon’s beard, but he does have the long dark hair, the table-setting skills and the kind of production that makes the comparison feel natural in Colorado. McCarthy turned in a 3-for-5 night with two runs scored Tuesday as the Rockies fell to the Rays, 9-7, in 11 innings at Coors Field.
What makes McCarthy’s rise matter is that it fits into a bigger picture. The Rockies’ lineup has gone from uncertain at the start of the season to one of the more productive groups in the Majors, and the front office’s moves have reflected that belief.
The only trade that shook up the roster was center fielder Brenton Doyle going to the White Sox for two prospects. Rather than move outfielder Mickey Moniak, the Rockies signed him to a two-year, $2.5 million extension.
The results have followed. Colorado is second in the Majors in extra-base hits with 363, third in slugging at .423, fourth in batting average at .256, fifth in OPS at .747 and sixth in runs scored with 554. That’s a huge jump for a team that did not finish higher than 23rd in any of those categories last season and ended up last in on-base percentage.
If the Rockies’ rebuild looks closer to reality than it did less than a year after last season’s 43-119 collapse, McCarthy is a big reason why.
At 29, he brings speed that plays at the top of the order and enough gap power to punish mistakes when the hitters behind him are doing their job. That’s the kind of profile built for leadoff duty, even if the opportunity didn’t come around much with the Diamondbacks. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer started him in different spots in the lineup, but McCarthy’s bat kept pushing him toward the top.
He has hit .280 against right-handed pitching and .333 against lefties, and he’s batting .293 with an .825 OPS overall.
“I love hitting leadoff,” McCarthy said. “And I feel the bottom of the order does a good job getting on base for me, too, so it’s the best of both worlds. I get to get the game started, try to get on base and wreak some havoc, but I also get a lot of opportunities with runners in scoring position.”
With the leadoff job settled, Schaeffer has been able to move rookie Cole Carrigg and second-year player Kyle Karros into the No. 2 spot or, in Carrigg’s case, No. 3. Behind them, two-time All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield and Moniak have produced in RBI spots, while utility man Willi Castro has brought a steady at-bat and lately some power.
There are still two obvious swing pieces. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has been stuck in a season-long rut, and outfielder Jordan Beck returned from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday looking for a reset. Both have shown they can put together strong stretches before.
That upside is part of why president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta didn’t flinch in trade talks. The Rockies set high prices on anyone they were willing to discuss because they believe the group already in place has real potential.
“We had a set price in mind on what it would take to acquire any of our players,” DePodesta said. “We have a lot of good players here. We think we have the foundation of something that has a chance to be pretty good.
“On any given night, I don’t think a lot of pitchers want to face our lineup from top to bottom.”
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Jake McCarthy Is Becoming The Rockies Spark Fans Can Rally Around
The Rockies have been looking for any sort of steady lift as the season wears on, and Jake McCarthy has given them a player fans can easily latch onto. The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association recently named him a Heart and Hustle Award recipient, a nod to the kind of effort, energy and commitment that plays well in a market that appreciates anyone willing to keep grinding through a long year.
McCarthys value has gone beyond the usual hustle cliches, too. He has put together a strong season for Colorado and has already delivered moments that stand out, including a leadoff inside-the-park home run. For a club still searching for consistent reasons to feel good, he has become the sort of spark that can change the mood around the ballpark, even if the bigger picture remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Are About To Learn What Mason Adams Really Is
Mason Adams arrives in Denver carrying the kind of profile the Rockies have to study a little differently than most clubs do. The right-hander, acquired from the White Sox, leans heavily on breaking pitches and does not bring elite fastball velocity, but he has shown an ability to keep the ball on the ground, which at least gives Colorado a possible path to making his stuff play at altitude.
Coors Field has a way of exposing pitchers who depend on movement, so Adams is about to learn whether his approach can survive the thin air or whether it needs to evolve. The comparison to Ubaldo Jimnez is a reminder of how rare it is for a Rockies arm to fit the venue and still thrive, and Adams could end up telling the club something important about the kind of pitchers it should target going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Got Burned By An Unexpected Rays Spark At Coors Field
Tampa Bay found a jolt at the top of its lineup at Coors Field when Victor Mesa Jr. was given his first start in the leadoff spot this season. With Yandy Daz getting the day off, the Rays shuffled things around and Mesa responded with the kind of instant production that can turn a game before the Rockies have settled in.
Mesas day included a pair of triples and helped Tampa Bay jump out early, but the real significance went beyond one hot inning. The Rays got a rare spark from a player in an unfamiliar role, and Colorado was left chasing a game shaped by an unexpected burst from a lineup spot that had not looked like a source of damage going in. [Read more 🡒]