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Estevez enjoys hitting triple digits

Rookie still trying to harness command of his fastball

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | August 18th, 2016

DENVER -- Carlos Estevez's best way to describe what it's like to throw 100 mph -- something he has done 33 times

season -- involves fully extending his right arm, with a wide grin and wide-open eyes looking at the tips of his long fingers.

"It's just when you see it, when you throw out in front and the ball takes off," Estevez said. "Sometimes you know when

you throw it. But sometimes you don't even notice ... then you see the ball come out."

In a snarky social media world -- heck, even in the days when folks wrote letters and stamped them -- some folks are

breaking speed records with zingers. Estevez has struggled recently, with 10 runs and 11 hits in five innings over his last

seven appearances. The evening that Estevez made his attempt to explain the unexplainable, he gave up three ninth-

inning runs to the Rangers at Coors Field in a blown save that led the Rockies to move Adam Ottavino into the closer

role. Estevez gets it.

And Estevez, 23, a rookie who has 11 saves and has the makings of a successful back-end reliever once he finds the

answers to his struggles, also brings a refreshing trait for someone with such rare talent -- humility.

In the visiting clubhouse in Arlington a couple days after the spectacularly blown save, Estevez took one hour and 27

minutes to fire up his iPad and watch "Fastball," a documentary by Jonathan Hock that was narrated by Kevin Costner,

which premiered at the start of the season. The film brought to life the story of the intriguing pitch, and chronicled the

stories of the speediest practitioners. Pitchers who live only on black-and-white film, like Walter Johnson and Bob Feller;

MEDIA CLIPS – August 18, 2016

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modern Hall of Famers such as Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson; and even little-chronicled hard-throwing Minors legends

such as Steve Dalkowski caught Estevez's imagination.

"I'd heard of all of them, but I didn't know they threw that hard," Estevez said, beaming. "Usually you just go, 'Oh, back in

the day they didn't throw that hard.' But when you call a guy 'The Big Train,' he's going to be throwing gas.

"Walter Johnson, [Estevez pantomimed the sweeping sidearm motion] ... How do you get to throw hard from around

there? Then Bob Gibson, he was a mean man. He dominated the World Series with 17 K's. I knew the record was 17, but

I didn't know who it was. That's impressive -- real impressive."

Estevez called Ryan "honestly, the best," and marveled at the scientists -- who early in the film seemed out of place but

became stars as the documentary continued -- who calculated his best fastball at 108.5 mph. Estevez understood the

story of Dalkowski, who seemed headed to the Majors with the Orioles in the mid 1960s, only to see the dream ended by

a Spring Training injury while fielding a ground ball.

"It was a shame, just sad," Estevez said.

When the Rockies meet the Cubs on Friday to start a three-game series, Estevez will see up-close Cubs lefty Aroldis

Chapman, who has been clocked at 105 mph.

It's great to be in the 100-mph club, Estevez said, but responsibility comes with it.

"I know how I can describe it," Estevez said. "When I go walking around and they go, 'Hey, see this guy? He throws 100.'

It's just crazy. It's awesome. I have seen guys work really hard, too, and they never get to that. I've been working hard my

entire life and I get to throw 100, but not everyone is able to. And I think it's just a gift from God.

"In the movie, all of them said it was a real gift, a gift from God. All of them said that on camera. They said the same thing.

Even Chapman in Spanish, he said the same thing. It's awesome. That was a really good movie. I'm going to watch it

again."

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Estevez said the first time he truly knew he could hit triple digits was on the last pitch of a game last year for Double-A

New Britain, at Bowie.

"The radar board was right in front of me, like on top of the plate," Estevez said. "Against a lefty, two-strike, no-ball pitch.

He swung and broke his bat, fly ball to third."

Estevez tries to reach triple digits, like on two pitches to the D-backs' Paul Goldschmidt (both swinging strikes at 100.14

mph and 100.69 mph), on days he has confidence in his control. Estevez knows that when he can control his fastball,

which will allow his slider and changeup to come into play, he borders on unhittable.

On the 33 100-mph-plus pitches, Estevez has accumulated eight outs, 12 foul balls, four swings-and-misses and eight

balls. The only hit was a ground-ball single by the Dodgers' Trayce Thompson on June 8. Only once, that fateful game

against the Rangers on Aug. 8, did Estevez hit 100 mph and blow a save.

"Every once in a while we struggle, but after we get it back, it's done. Lights out," Estevez said. "Just go pound the zone

with the fastball. They know it's a fastball coming, and they're still going to swing. But they're going to miss it, or hit a

popup or a ground ball. It's awesome."

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Wolters a different hitter since All-Star break

Hard work has paid off for Rockies' backup catcher

By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | August 17th, 2016

DENVER -- Rockies catcher Tony Wolters came into Spring Training with a batting stance that had his hands too low

and his rhythm out of whack.

But after months of work with hitting coach Blake Doyle, his bat is starting to come around. Wolters showed it off in

Wednesday's 12-10 win over the Nationals by going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs and two RBIs.

After hitting just .215 in the first half with a .296 on-base percentage and a .331 slugging percentage, Wolters has turned

his season around. Since the All-Star break, he has a hit in 10 of his 12 games and has slashed .432/.512/.676 with two

home runs and eight RBIs.

"He's worked hard," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He and Blake have really spent a lot of time working on swing

path, working on rhythm. I feel like he's got an approach that he's taking to the plate now, where early on, it was hit and

miss with his approach. He looks a lot more confident in the box now."

The Rockies took a flier on Wolters when they claimed him off waivers from the Indians in February. Although he had

never played above Double-A, Wolters made the Opening Day roster for his defensive skills, despite being relatively new

to playing catcher.

"He's always been a defender," Weiss said. "That's been his ticket. Ironically, he started as a middle infielder, now he's a

catcher. But at-bats come because he's worked hard. He's reaping the rewards of that."

Wolters and Doyle have worked hard through sessions of front toss and hitting off a tee to improve his swing throughout

the season, and the payoff is clear with Wolters' cleaner swing and improved results.

Wolters added that something as simple as seeing the ball all the way to his bat did wonders to help him hit better.

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"He's made a couple of adjustments that he needed to make," Doyle said. "He needed to stay back behind the ball a little

more and load up a little more and be more concerned about using his hands than his torso. He's come along really well."

Although Wolters has outhit starting catcher Nick Hundley since before May, Weiss doesn't envision shaking up the

catching duties. Wolters has started 11 of 33 games in the second half, all but one of which pitted the left-handed-hitting

Wolters against a right-handed starter.

"We've got a good situation back there," Weiss said.

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Rox break out early to top Nats in slugfest

By Jamal Collier and Thomas Harding / MLB.com | August 17th, 2016

DENVER -- Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg turned in his worst outing of the season as the Rockies jumped

him for nine runs en route to a 12-10 victory Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

The Rockies struck for seven runs in the first inning, including a bases-clearing double from outfielder Gerardo Parra,

who had four RBIs on the day. Before his pinch-hit double Tuesday night, Parra was hitting .182 since returning from the

disabled list after a left high-ankle sprain. Catcher Tony Wolters collected three hits, including a double and a homer, to

continue his hot streak since the All-Star break(16-for-37, .432 batting average).

A matchup of Strasburg, a two-time All-Star, and Rockies talented rookie righty Jon Gray figured to be a pitching duel.

Instead, it was a 3-hour, 52-minute affair in which 13 pitchers participated and all but five of them gave up runs.

"They square off 20 times, and that's probably the one that something like that would happen," Rockies manager Walt

Weiss said.

The Rockies, who peeked at playoff contention the early part of this month, won the last two in the series and have

consecutive wins for the first time since Aug. 2-3.

"You'd like for it to be a little easier than that after a seven-run first … but it's a big win," Weiss said.

The Nationals allowed a season-high 12 runs on a day manager Dusty Baker came in counting on a deep outing from

Strasburg. But the starter was not sharp from the outset and allowed a career-high nine runs before he was removed from

the game with two outs in the second inning.

"Couldn't get anybody out. I don't know," Strasburg said. "It felt pretty good coming out of the hand. Looking back on the

tape, I feel like they hit some good pitches. Just didn't have it today."

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After falling into an early hole, Washington battled back to score at least one run in seven of nine innings, including a two-

run home run from Bryce Harper in the fifth inning, which traveled 461 feet from home plate (the Nationals' longest homer

of the year) according to Statcast™.

"We were one key hit away from tying that game up," Baker said. "I looked over at their dugout and they didn't feel

comfortable at all, but you never feel comfortable here. Today was a typical Coors Field day."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

The left hand of fate: Lefty batters carried a .187 batting average against Strasburg into Wednesday. But Charlie

Blackmon doubled to open the first and extended his hit streak to 12 games. By the time Strasburg was gone, lefties had

torched him -- 6-for-10 with three doubles, a triple and two walks. Parra doubled in three runs in the first and tripled in a

run in the second, and Wolters doubled in the first.

"We know Strasburg is a great pitcher. He was struggling today," Parra said. "We just swung at good pitches in the first

inning, and we got him."

Short Strasburg: Wednesday marked Strasburg's third consecutive rough outing. He has now allowed 19 runs in his past

11 2/3 innings. In that span, his ERA has skyrocketed from 2.63 on Aug. 6 to 3.59 after Wednesday's game. Baker said

he was not concerned that Strasburg was dealing with any injury issues, citing the fact that Strasburg's velocity is still

normal.

"We're all human beings here," Strasburg said. "We all make mistakes. I don't need to change anything. I need to keep

going, I need to keep grinding, and the odds are going to be in my favor. They just weren't today."

Not back yet: Gray had struggled in his previous two starts -- 15 runs (14 earned) on 16 hits -- and seemed ready to turn

the corner with a spotless first inning. But the inability to put hitters away returned in a three-hit, two-run second inning.

Gray departed after four innings and 96 pitches, making him ineligible for the win, which started a parade of dicey

appearances by Rockies relievers. Only Boone Logan, who fanned Daniel Murphy and Harper in the eighth, escaped

without giving up a run.

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But Gray, who said he has received better results with the stuff he had Wednesday, could delight in his two-run double off

Strasburg in the first.

"I'm just glad we won and we battled," Gray said. "Guys in the bullpen came into tough situations and got out. I'm glad we

battled through and got the 'W.'"

Another early call to the 'pen: Baker called Colorado the toughest place to play in the Majors, because even a three-

game series here can ruin a team's bullpen; Washington's bullpen threw 16 1/3 frames during the set. The Nationals are

in the midst of a stretch where they play 20 consecutive games, but they did not have a starter make it past the fourth

inning in any of their three matchups here. Gio Gonzalez had his start cut short by rain, while Max Scherzer (4 IP) and

Strasburg each turned in their shortest outings of the season.

"It was the most challenging game we've had this year, to try and stay in the game," Baker said. "After awhile, the

matchup isn't as important as who's fresh."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

• The seven-run first was the Rockies' highest first-inning output since they scored eight against the Dodgers on Sept. 17,

2014. Wednesday marked the seventh time the Rockies have scored seven or more runs in the bottom of the first in their

history.

• Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu singled in his first at-bat to run his hit streak to eight at-bats and his on-base

streak to 10 plate appearances before plate umpire Clint Fagan called a third strike against him in his second at-bat of the

first inning. The hit streak was one at-bat shy of Andres Galarraga's 1993 club-record run. Current Rockies first-base

coach Eric Young holds the record, having reached in 12 straight plate appearances in 1993.

• Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth reached base for the 45th consecutive game Wednesday, moving him just one game

shy of the franchise record (Nats/Expos) for the longest streak in franchise history (Rusty Staub, 46, 1969-70).

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WHAT'S NEXT

Nationals: The Nats begin a four-game series in Atlanta on Thursday night at 7:10 ET. They will start right-

hander Reynaldo Lopez, who is fresh off the best start of his young career against the Braves. He held them to one run

in seven innings on Saturday.

Rockies: Rookie left-hander Tyler Anderson (4-4, 3.42 ERA) takes the mound to open a three-game set against the

Cubs at 6:40 MT on Friday. Prior to being ejected after four innings in his last outing, he had tossed four straight quality

starts and seven in his last eight.

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LeMahieu's hit streak ends at 8 straight Abs

By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | August 17th, 2016

DENVER -- Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu continues to quietly plug away as he ascends the ranks of the

National League batting race.

LeMahieu went 3-for-3 in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Nationals, starting the series with hits in seven straight at-bats.

With a pair of walks bookending the streak, he reached base in nine straight plate appearances, which is three shy of the

franchise record.

LeMahieu hit a single in the first inning of Wednesday's 12-10 win over the Nationals but struck out later that inning, which

ended his streak of hits at eight at-bats (one shy of the franchise record) and 10 plate appearances reaching base. He

also recorded an RBI single in the fifth inning.

The Rockies' record holder for consecutive plate appearances reaching base? That would be current first-base coach Eric

Young, who played alongside the team's current manager, Walt Weiss.

"His steadiness reminds me a lot of Walt, my double-play partner," Young said. "You don't know if DJ is 0-for-4 or 4-for-4,

he has the same demeanor. When I look at him doing more things -- he probably hit a little better than skip -- his

demeanor of approaching and preparing each and every day is the same."

LeMahieu owns a nine-game hit streak and picked up his third four-hit game of the season on Monday.

LeMahieu's recent hitting surge has pushed his batting average up to .343, which is second in the NL behind

Washington's Daniel Murphy by five points. But despite the average and a start in the All-Star Game last season, he

doesn't receive much national attention.

"I think home runs make headlines, and they make the highlights," Weiss said. "You can see DJ's power is coming.

There's a lot of raw power in there. I think he's going to be a guy that's going to hit some home runs. He's going to put

together some seasons where he really slugs. He's a very unassuming guy. He doesn't say much. He's not a self-

promoter. But to people within the game, they know exactly who he is and what he's all about."

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LeMahieu only has nine home runs this season -- which is already a career high -- but his power came through in a big

way Tuesday. His two-run home run in the third inning tied the game after the Nationals struck first in the top of the inning.

LeMahieu scored the go-ahead run in the fifth after tripling, but he only had one chance to complete the cycle, which

came in the seventh inning. Nationals relieverBlake Treinen didn't give him anything to hit, however, and LeMahieu drew

a walk and scored three batters later for the game's final run.

"That would've been nice," LeMahieu said. "I was thinking about it on the field. I was thinking that a double will get this.

But it's a close game, and you've just got to just have a good at-bat."

Perhaps that's why Young compared LeMahieu to Weiss, calling him "a very unselfish player."

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Rockies hope Anderson gets back on track vs. Cubs

By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | August 17th, 2016

Rockies rookie left-hander Tyler Anderson will have perhaps his greatest test of the season as he faces off against Kyle

Hendricks and the Cubs, who have the third-best offense in the Majors. However, he will do so with extra rest.

With an off-day Thursday, Anderson will be pitching on five days' rest, and he only threw three innings in his last start, as

he was ejected for hitting Philadelphia's Maikel Franco.

Anderson has been better on extra rest this season. Opponents are hitting .226 with a .323 slugging percentage against

him on five or more days' rest, compared to .276 with a .443 slugging percentage on regular rest.

"Sometimes it's just nice to have that recovery time," Anderson said. "You get an extra day with recovery, which is nice

because it's going to be a grind, but it's not a big difference. It's nice to go on five days, too, because you're on a steady

routine."

Hendricks will also be on five days' rest after Trevor Cahill got a spot start for the Cubs on Tuesday. Hendricks has been

about the same no matter how much rest he's had, with a .223 average against on five days' rest and a .216 average

against on regular rest.

Three things to know about this game

• Hendricks has not allowed more than three earned runs since May 17 against the Brewers, and his ERA is just 1.64

during that stretch. His 2.19 ERA is the third best in baseball.

• Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu saw his streak of at-bats with a hit come to an end at eight on Wednesday, but

he still owns a nine-game hit streak and is second in the National League with a .341 batting average.

• In two career starts at Coors Field, Hendricks has allowed seven runs (six earned) in 12 1/3 innings, with seven

strikeouts and two walks. However, the Cubs won both games.

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Rodgers among top prospect performers Thursday

Boston's No. 5 fans career-high 11 for second straight start; Rockies' top prospect goes deep twice in big game

By William Boor / MLB.com | 12:23 AM ET

The strikeouts just keep on coming for Red Sox No. 5 prospect Michael Kopech.

After setting a career high with 11 strikeouts in his last outing, Kopech matched that number in six innings with Double-A

Salem on Thursday.

The right-hander threw 65 of his 93 pitches for strikes and gave up one run on three hits and no walks.

"He's getting a lot more consistent with having an overpowering fastball," Salem pitching coach Paul Abbott told

MiLB.com. "His command, his location is getting a lot better, his confidence is growing and he's just evolving as a pitcher

as he's logging innings."

MLB Pipeline's No. 77 overall prospect has posted a 1.29 ERA through 10 starts across two levels after his season got

off to a late start.

Kopech has also been piling up the strikeouts. The Red Sox prospect struck out seven in a row from the second to the

fourth Thursday night and has fanned a total of 75 through 48 2/3 innings this year.

The rest of the best performances from top prospects Thursday:

• Brendan Rodgers (Rockies' No. 1) did a little bit of everything for Class A Asheville. The No. 7 overall prospect hit a

pair of homers and scored four runs as part of a 3-for-3, four-RBI night. The power display was Rodgers' second two-

homer game of the season. The 2015 first-round selection has two or more hits in three consecutive games.

• A pair of Indians' prospects had good showing in Class A Advanced Lynchburg's doubleheader. Bobby Bradley

(Indians' No. 3, No. 76 overall) went 2-for-6 with a homer and two RBIs in the two games, while Tyler Kreiger (Indians'

No. 16) went 4-for-7 with two RBIs. Bradley has hit four homers in his past seven games and has a career-high 93 RBIs.

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• Taylor Ward (Angels' No. 3) hit his fifth and sixth homers of the season in his first career multi-homer game. The

Angels' 2015 first-round pick went 2-for-3 and drove in four runs for Class A Advanced Inland Empire.

• Cubs' No. 3 prospect Jeimer Candelario has reached base in 25 consecutive games for Triple-A Iowa. The 22-year-

old hit a home run, his second in as many games, and went 2-for-4.

• Marlins' No. 4 prospect Brian Anderson put together his second four-hit game of the season for Double-A Jacksonville.

Anderson went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and has hits in seven of his past eight games.

• Home runs are starting to come in bunches for Nationals' No. 5 prospect Carter Kieboom. Washington's first-round

selection went 1-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs for the Rookie-level GCL Nationals. Kieboom has hit all four of his

professional in the past six games.

• Orioles' No. 12 prospect D.J. Stewart had a perfect day at the plate for Class A Advanced Frederick. Stewart hit his

seventh home run -- his first since July 11 -- and put together his seventh three-hit game of the season with a 3-for-3 day.

• Phillies' No. 18 prospect Nick Pivetta struck out a season-high nine in just his second start with Triple-A Lehigh

Valley. The 23-year-old was recently promoted and has impressed so far. Pivetta fired 64 of his 101 pitches for strikes

and scattered three hits across six scoreless innings.

• Jose Trevino (Rangers' No. 22) continued his hot August with hits in both halves of a doubleheader for Class A

Advanced High Desert. Trevino combined to go 4-for-6 with a double, a homer and four RBIs in the two games and now

has hits in 11 of 15 contests this month.

• After some rough starts to begin the month, Royals' No. 25 prospect Corey Ray appears to be back on track. The 23-

year-old was charged with just one unearned run in seven innings with Class A Advanced Wilmington and has now given

up just the one earned run over his past 12 frames.

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• Aristides Aquino (Reds' No. 20) is making a habit of jogging around the bases. The 22-year-old went deep in both

halves of Class A Advanced Daytona's doubleheader, bringing his season total to 23. Aquino has homered in three

consecutive games and hit seven long balls in his past eight contests.

• Red Sox No. 13 prospect Roniel Raudes has given up one earned run or fewer in four consecutive starts after spinning

seven scoreless frames for Class A Greenville. The 18-year-old struck out four and gave up four hits in his longest outing

of the year.

• Bobby Dalbec (Red Sox No. 21) hit a pair of homers for Class A Short Season Lowell. The 2-for-4, three-RBI game was

the first multi-homer performance of Dalbec's professional career.

"The first one was a little higher," Dalbec told MiLB.com. "The second one was mid-thigh, first one around the belt. I

overswung on a fastball inside, worked the count to 3-2 and just told myself to be easy, use my hands and really focus on

seeing the ball as deep as I can. [Gutierrez] had a fastball a bit more flat [than Chavez's], so I had to adjust my approach -

- swinging for the middle of the ball instead of the bottom of the ball. He left one middle-out, and I put it out over the right-

field fence."

• Fernando Romero (Twins' No. 7) fired another gem for Class A Advanced Fort Myers. Romero fanned eight and gave

up just three hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander hasn't allowed an earned run in either of his past two starts

and has struck out 19 in that span.

• White Sox No. 25 prospect Luis Martinez continues to put zeros on the board for Class A Kannapolis. Martinez set a

career high with nine strikeouts in five scoreless innings and has now given up just one earned run over his past three

starts (17 total innings).

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MLB may consider limits on pitching changes, shifts

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 18, 2016 at 3:45 pm

HOUSTON — Limiting pitching changes, restricting defensive shifts, altering the strike zone and installing pitch clocks are

among the ideas Major League Baseball may consider as it undertakes a multiyear review of the game that could include

the sport’s most radical changes in decades.

Baseball owners were given a lengthy presentation Thursday during their quarterly meeting of how the sport has changed

in the past 40 to 50 years.

“Sometimes baseball fans think about what should happen with the game sort of with an artificial construct, that the choice

is between preserving ‘The Game,’ as it came down originally from the mountain, and making some changes to that

game,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.

“The point of the conversation today was that the game has changed dramatically. It’s changed organically. It kind of has

flowed where the competitive juices of managerial and general managerial decisions have taken it. And the question is,

you take a snapshot after 40 years of that and you say, wow, here’s what it looks like, here’s what it used to look like and

should we be thinking about what has occurred and whether we want to allow it to continue to go on on the path it’s on?”

If implemented, some of the changes could be the most revolutionary since the AL adopted the designated hitter in 1973

or perhaps even since the number of balls for a walk was reduced from five to four in 1889.

Offense dropped steadily after the start of drug testing in 2003 until an uptick started in the second half of last season.

Strikeouts have set records annually for much of the past decade, increasing from an average of 12.74 per nine-inning

game in 2006 to 15.57 this season.

And the average time of a nine-inning game is exactly 3 hours — Manfred highlighted that Game 7 of the 1960 World

Series took 2:36 for Pittsburgh’s 10-9 win over the New York Yankees.

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Manfred acknowledged some of the increased length was caused by added TV commercials.

“We did not and we are really not at the point of making recommendations or having the owners make decisions about

what if any changes are necessary,” Manfred said. “I think when you have sort of a new administration, it’s a good time to

take a really hard look at the product. I think there are pieces to this project that are not yet complete, including figuring

out what are fans are seeing, what they like, what they don’t like in a more comprehensive way than we’ve done in recent

years, having interactions with the other stakeholders in the game, the ESPNs, the Foxes, the Turners, our big partners,

and sharing with them how we see the product and getting their reaction.”

Chief Operating Officer Tony Pettiti made the presentation with Senior Vice President Chris Marinak and Steve Hirdt of

the Elias Sports Bureau.

Manfred said defensive shifts have changed the game: There were 2,464 on balls in play in 2011 and this year’s total

projects to 28,117, according to Baseball Info Solutions. Pitchers per nine-inning game have increased from 6.89 in 2000

to 7.88 last year.

“You can make an argument that more relievers have lengthened the game, more pitching changes has slowed the pace

of the game and the unbelievable effectiveness of those relief pitchers have robbed some of the action from the game,”

Manfred said.

MLB is unlikely to propose altering the height of the pitcher’s mound, which was lowered from 15 inches to 10 inches after

the 1968 season.

“Because the height of the mound does changes people’s delivery and we have a lot of pitcher issues in terms or injury

and whatnot, probably would be a little slower to move in that direction,” Manfred said.

While MLB can make on-field rules changes unilaterally with one year advance notice, it has done so in recent years only

with approval of the players’ association. While Manfred would like to see pitch clocks, which have been used successfully

in the minor leagues since 2015, the union has been reluctant, leaving the matter for this year’s bargaining. The current

contract expires Dec. 2.

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“The CBA process is kind of where you expect it to be in August,” Manfred said. “We’ve got a nice, compete inventory of

issues on the table from both sides. We’ve had a good, respectful exchange at the table and we’re moving into that phase

where I think we’re going to start trying to package some things up and hopefully start to make agreements on issues and

move towards a final agreement. The pace of that depends, always depends, on how both parties see the relevant timing

deadlines.”

Owners approved the sale of a controlling stake in the Seattle Mariners from Nintendo of America to a group of minority

owners led by Western Wireless Corp. founder John Stanton, who will be the control person, and retired Microsoft

executive Chris Larson.

Bob Bowman, MLB’s president of business and media, reported on the split-off of BAMTech from MLB Advanced Media

and the agreement announced Aug. 9 to sell a 33 percent interest of BAMTech to The Walt Disney Co. for $1 million, with

part payable now and the remainder in January. Disney, which owns ESPN, gets an option to acquire majority ownership

in the future. The NHL receives a minority interest in BAMTech under an agreement announced in August 2015.

Manfred expects to have an announcement “quite soon” on baseball’s investigation into a December report by Al Jazeera

accusing high-profile athletes of using performance-enhancing drugs, among them Philadelphia first baseman Ryan

Howard and Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The lawyer for Howard and Zimmerman, William Burck, called

the report “outright lies.”

Former major league catcher Taylor Teagarden, another player implicated, was suspended for 80 games in April.

19

Nolan Arenado confident he’ll bust out of mini-slump with Rockies

Walt Weiss: “He’ll get on a run and nobody will be talking about (a slump)”

Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Aug. 17, 2016.

By PATRICK SAUNDERS | psaunders@denverpost.com PUBLISHED: August 18, 2016 at 3:56 pm | UPDATED:

August 19, 2016 at 6:37 am

Slump is a relative term, especially when it refers to Nolan Arenado. After all, the Rockies’ third baseman leads the

National League with 97 RBIs and 30 home runs.

But Arenado is a harsh self-critic, and he’s not thrilled with his play of late.

Of the eight errors he has committed this season, four have come this month. Plus, he looks at the torrid offensive pace of

teammates Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Gonzalez and rookie David Dahl, and Arenado can’t help but feel a

little left out.

“It’s kind of funny hitting between all of them because they are all raking right now and I’m not raking,” he said with a

shake of his head. “But I’m happy for them. I’m really happy for them, because it’s good for the team. Also, I’m having a

good year because they are getting on base and I’m driving in runs. They’re letting me do my most important job.”

But there is no denying Arenado has cooled off. Before the all-star break, he hit .287 with 23 homers and a .930 OPS (on-

base percentage, plus slugging percentage) through 87 games. He was in the conversation as a National League MVP

candidate.

In 32 games since the break, he has bashed seven home runs and hit .256 with an .807 OPS. In the first half, Arenado hit

a home run in 6.7 percent of his at-bats, compared with 5.1 percent in the second half.

“I feel like I haven’t been playing the way I’d like to at all for about two months now,” Arenado said. “You sometimes go

through hot streaks where they last a long time, and mine haven’t really been lasting long. I’ve got to get back to getting

those good habits going.”

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Manager Walt Weiss cracks a wry smile when asked about Arenado’s “slump.”

“I’m not worried about Nolan at all,” Weiss said. “He comes to the park and energizes this team in some many ways,

every day. I’m sure he’ll get on a run and nobody will be talking about (a slump).”

Arenado acknowledges he’s hard on himself, maybe too hard at times, but it’s the only approach he knows.

“Maybe sometimes I should give myself more of a break, but I also think I’ll lower my standards sometimes when I do that,

and I never want to be content with how I am doing,” he said. “When I feel like I’m not helping the team win, it irritates

me.”

Weiss occasionally counsels his third baseman, urging him to chill out.

“Nolan fights himself, expects a lot of himself, and sometimes that’s emotionally draining,” Weiss said. “We’ve had our

talks, like we do from time to time, to make sure he maintains the proper perspective.”

Even when his bat is cold, Arenado typically sizzles at third base. The three-time Gold Glover leads the National League

in range factor, and his .979 fielding percentage is better than his career percentage of .969.

“It’s not easy to separate hitting from defense, but I know when I can help the team with my glove, I can go to sleep

better,” he said.

The highlight-reel plays are still there, but the errors are piling up. He committed two critical errors in Colorado’s 7-6 loss

at Philadelphia last Sunday.

“Nolan is going to be just fine,” Weiss said. “He’s assured me he’s going to work his way through this. … It’s a tough

game, and even the best in this game fail and struggle. Nolan’s no different. Everybody goes through it, and my job is to

help him work his way through it.”

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The one thing Arenado has done with impressive consistency is drive in runs. He’s hitting .336 with runners in scoring

position and .385 with two outs and runners in scoring position. He’s on pace to drive in 130 runs, which would match his

total of a season ago, when he led the major leagues.

“I take a lot of pride in RBIs, but I don’t know if I would rather hit .200 with 100 RBIs or hit .300 with 50 RBIs,” he said with

a chuckle. “I guess I would sleep better if I hit .300, but I know the RBIs are helping the team more. I’m a run producer,

that’s my job, I’m supposed to bring runs in and I’m supposed to play good defense. I think I’m doing that.”

HALF -n- HALF

Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado had an MVP-worthy first half of the season but has run into a mild slump since

the all-star break:

Pre All-Star Game

Games …. 87

At-bats … 342

Avg. …. .287

Home runs … 23 (1 per every 14.9 at-bats)

OPS … .903

RBIs … 70 (1 per every 4.9 at-bats)

Errors … 1

Fielding percentage: .996

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Post All-Star Game

Games 32

At-bats … 117

Batting avg. 256

Home runs … 7 (1 per every 16.7 at-bats)

OPS … .807

RBIs … 27 (1 every 4.3 at-bats)

Errors … 7

Fielding percentage: .940

Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

Looking ahead

Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (11-7, 2.19 ERA) at Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (4-4, 3.42), 6:40 p.m. Friday, ROOT, 850 AM

Anderson comes to the mound with a chip on his shoulder. In his last start, he was ejected for hitting the Phillies’ Maikel

Franco in the fourth inning. After quality starts in seven of his last eight outings, the rookie left-hander was not sharp in

Philadelphia, giving up four runs over three innings. Hendricks has tossed three consecutive quality starts, giving up just

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three earned runs in 23⅓ innings during that run. The Rockies handed him a loss April 15 at Wrigley Field, scoring four

runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings in a 6-1 Colorado victory. Hendricks must pitch carefully to Carlos

Gonzalez, who is 4-for-11 (.364) with a homer, double and three RBIs against him.– Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

Saturday: Cubs LHP Mike Montgomery (4-5, 2.43 ERA) at Rockies’ TBA, 6:10 p.m., ROOT

Sunday: Cubs RHP Jason Hammel (13-5, 2.75) at Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (7-7, 5.29), 2:10 p.m., ROOT

Monday: Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (10-6, 5.29) at Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (7-10, 4.90), 5:10 p.m., ROOT

24

Colorado Rockies hang on for win against Nationals in high-scoring affair

By Jay Milnes on Aug 17, 2016, 5:05p / Purple Row

The Rockies put up a ton of runs in the first inning and held on for the win.

The Colorado Rockies were involved in a high-scoring affair this afternoon against the Nationals in what was the last of a

three-game set. The Rockies sent out seven different guys to the mound, but were able to hold off the Nationals to

preserve the win.

Jon Gray entered the afternoon coming off of two difficult starts against Miami and Philadelphia looking to turn things

around, but he had another bit of a rough showing today. The righty lasted just four innings and tossed 96 pitches over the

course of his outing. He struck out three and walked just one, but allowed six hits.

The Rockies struck first, hammering Strasburg for seven runs in the first inning. Blackmon hit a leadoff double to center

and LeMahieu singled him to third before David Dahl drew a walk to load the bases. Arenado singled home Chuck to start

the scoring and the Rockies poured on the hurt with doubles from Parra, Wolters, and Gray to put them up 7-0 after the

bottom half of the inning.

Bryce Harper started off the top of the second with a hit to left and scored on Rendon's double before Brian Goodwin

singled Rendon home to put the score at 7-2. In the bottom half of the frame, Parra tripled to drive in Arenado and

crossed the plate himself following Ben Paulsen's single. After allowing a subsequent hit to Tony Wolters, Strasburg was

pulled from the game in favor of Koda Glover. Gray allowed a further pair of runs in the fourth.

Christian Bergman replaced Gray and started the fifth with the Rockies up 9-4 and promptly allowed a two-run homer to

Bryce Harper, which put the score at 9-6. Wolters, however, answered with a shot of his own in the bottom half of the

inning and LeMahieu and Arenado knocked in a run apiece to extend the Rockies' lead to 12-6.

Jordan Lyles replaced Bergman in the sixth and allowed a run on a wild pitch. Carasiti replaced him in the seventh and

allowed a solo home run to Pedro Severino, which brought the score to 12-8. The Nationals continued to chip away at the

Rockies lead in the eighth inning, scoring a run off of Carlos Estevez, who was then replaced by Boone Logan. Scott

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Oberg came in for the Rockies in the ninth and allowed a two-out home run to Chris Heisey, which put the Nationals

behind by just two runs. Oberg, however, was able to retire the last batter to give the Rockies the win.

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Pioneer notes: Pint learning how to pitch

Rockies' top pick shows 'unbelievable stuff' while looking for first win

By Fritz Neighbor / Special to MiLB.com 08/18/2016 10:00 AM ET

A growth spurt in junior high school prefaced the first dose of head-turning heat Riley Pint handed out on the diamond,

and a few years later the 6-foot-4 right-hander is throwing thunderbolts all over the Pioneer League.

He's still searching for his first win in his debut season, but in his seventh start for Grand Junction, the Rockies' Pint

showed why Colorado took him with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 Draft: serious, serious gas.

"The fastball is pretty firm," said Grand Junction pitching coach Ryan Kibler, a day after Pint hit 99 mph several times,

according to the scoreboard at Missoula's Ogren-Allegiance Field (the Osprey's pitch charters had him hitting 100). "And

he has a really nice breaking ball, too. He has an unbelievable arm, an unbelievable body and unbelievable stuff."

And, people should remember, he's 18. Pint, a native of Lenexa, Kansas, turns 19 on Sept. 6. His frame holds 215

pounds, yet he's already this good, striking out hitters with a deadly fastball-curve combo.

This is no surprise to fans around Kansas City. Pint was enough of a phenom at St. Thomas Aquinas High School that he

landed on the pages of Jeff Passan's book The Arm, which describes Pint hitting 96 mph as a 16-year-old, 98 as a junior

and then, that same year in front of scouts, 102.

"I always threw a bit harder, I guess," he says with a smile. "When I was in eighth grade I was kind of a short, chubby kid.

Then from eighth grade into freshman year I grew five, six inches. I was kind of tall and lanky and just grew out of the

chubbiness, I guess."

That freshman year he broke 90 for the first time. The good news behind all this is pitch count: Pint, with his easy motion,

recalls throwing no more than 101 pitches in a game.

College baseball power LSU liked what it saw, but then so did the Rockies. They drafted a guy Kibler compares favorably

with current Colorado pitchers Eddie Butler and Jon Gray, who both started their pro careers in Grand Junction.

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"Stuff wise … he's at the top," said Kibler, who also pitched in the Rockies' system for four seasons. "When it comes to

raw ability, at that age -- his fastball and his breaking ball -- I haven't seen anybody quite like him."

The rub is that in the Rookie-level Pioneer League hitters can square up fastballs, no matter how fast.

"It's definitely an adjustment because you have to use all your pitches," Pint said. "You can't just go out there and rely on

your fastball all the time. Even though you want to establish the fastball, you have to use the other pitches."

The Aug. 13 start in Missoula was his strongest, with one run allowed in five innings. The Rockies' No. 4 prospect threw

76 pitches, his high as a pro, and struck out six.

"It's been quite different, actually," he said. "Just because you're not able to blow fastballs by guys. They're going to catch

up to them and they're going to hit them hard. Just like yesterday -- you saw an 0-2 fastball I tried to sneak by [Osprey

shortstop Jasrado Chisholm] and he just flicked it the other way for a home run."

Pint also drew a mound visit from Kibler after putting a couple more runners on.

"He was getting behind in counts and I wanted to make sure he was really focused on the target and pitching to contact,"

Kibler said. "That's where he gets into trouble: He gets behind in counts or even in counts, where the opposing offense

can eliminate that curveball. That is about the only way they're able to do anything with that 99-mph fastball.

"I said, 'This contact you're getting, deep in the count or behind in the count -- why don't we try to get that in the first three

pitches?'"

Pint finished out with two scoreless innings, and a day later chalked up the visit to exhuberance. The son of two Division I

athletes -- father Neil pitched for Iowa State and mom Missy played basketball and volleyball at Kansas State -- loves the

game.

"I get a little amped up, especially when I'm out there because I'm so excited to be out there," Pint said.

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You get the feeling it wouldn't matter where: Coors Field, Colorado Springs or Helena's aging ballpark. In two starts at

Great Falls and then Missoula, he quickly lowered his ERA from 7.59 to 4.22.

"I couldn't imagine anything more because it's been just such a blast, coming to Grand Junction and playing in the Pioneer

League," Pint said. "It's been awesome."

In brief

Voyage to the top of the staff: The Great Falls Voyagers' league-leading pitching staff has put them in position for a

second-half playoff berth out of the Northern Division, and no one should overlook the addition of second-round 2016

Draft pick Alec Hansen. The 6-foot-7 righty out of Oklahoma has 42 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings since coming to Great

Falls in mid-July; he's 2-0 and the Voyagers are 8-5 this half. That's not to discount Chris Comito (4-2) and Aron McRee

(4-0). "They've all done well," Voyagers manager Tommy Thompson told the Great Falls Tribune. "I can't say one's better

than the other. They've all had their moments."

Owlz fly coup: Orem used a nice mix of veterans and 2016 Draft picks to win the first-half Southern Division title via

tiebreaker over Idaho Falls. But where once 13 of the parent Los Angeles Angels' top 20 Draft picks were in Utah, now

there's five. Connor Justus (.344), Jordan Zimmerman (.422), Troy Montgomery (.341) and Brennon Lund (.397) all

contributed to the Owlz' league-leading team batting average and then were moved to Class A Burlington or elsewhere.

Among the remaining top players are outfielder Zach Gibbons (.388 average, 11 steals) and league runs leader (and 2015

second-round pick) Jahmai Jones.

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Colorado Rockies Prospects: Marquez, Almonte, Cabrera producing in their first year in the system

By Isaac Marks - Aug 18, 2016, 8:00a / Purple Row

What a day for Bridich’s acquisitions on the mound. German Marquez, Yency Almonte, and Wander Cabrera all produced

stellar starts as the Rockies affiliates went 6-2 on Wednesday.

Marquez continued his stellar first year in the Rockies farm system. In his second start for Triple-A Albuquerque, he went

six innings, allowed two hits, two runs, three walks, and six strikeouts over 95 pitches. Marquez has a 2.92 ERA across

148 innings, already surpassing his innings total from last year and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Almonte has been a revelation this year. He threw a seven-inning, complete game shutout in the first game of a double-

header in Bowie for the Yard Goats. Almonte was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the Tommy Kahnle trade and

pitched well in the launching pad that is the Cal League.

Wander Cabrera missed the PuRP’s list this time around but has quickly proven he should be considered among the

organizations Top 30 Prospects. Cabrera is 6-0 with a 2.40 ERA in 11 starts this year for the DSL Rockies and continued

that Wednesday. He went five innings, allowed three baserunners, and struck out five. Cabrera was acquired from the

Chicago Cubs in the Rex Brothers deal.

#TrustTheProcess

Other Games

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 2, Oklahoma City Dodgers 3

Tom Murphy (15 PuRP): 2/4, HR, RBI, 2 R

Pat Valaika: 1/4, 2B

Mike Tauchman: 2/3

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German Marquez (7 PuRP): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 95 pitches

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 4, Bowie Bay Sox 0 (7 innings)

Michael Benjamin: 2/3, 2B, R, RBI, SB

Cesar Galvez: 2/3, RBI

Jan Vazquez: 1/3, 2B, R, RBI

Yency Almonte (18 PuRP): 7.0 IP (CG), 4 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 104 pitches

Game Two: Hartford Yard Goats 2, Bowie Bay Sox 1 (7 innings)

Ryan McMahon (6 PuRP): 1/3, 2B, RBI

Noel Cuevas: 1/3, R, RBI

Dillon Thomas: 1/3

Jerry Vasto: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, K, SV

High-A: Modesto Nuts 4, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3

Dom Nunez (14 PuRP): 3/3, HR, 2 RBI, R

Josh Fuentes: 1/3, 2B, 2 R, BB

Shane Hoelscher: 1/3, 2B, R, SAC

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Parker French (28 PuRP): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 6 K, 93 pitches

Low-A: Asheville Tourists 7, Columbia Fireflies 6

Brendan Rodgers (3 PuRP): 2/4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, SF

Chris Rabago: 2/4, 2 R

Carlos Herrera: 1/5, 2B, 3 RBI

Jesus Tinoco (20 PuRP): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 5 K, 99 pitches

Short-A: Boise Hawks 2, Eugene Emeralds 3

Garrett Hampson: 0/1, RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB

Willie Abreu: 1/4, 2B

Daniel Suero: 1/4, R

Robert Tyler (19 PuRP): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 2 BB, K, 51 pitches

Rookie: Grand Junction Rockies 9, Helena Brewers 2

Manuel Melendez: 3/4, HR, RBI, 2 R, SAC

Taylor Snyder: 2/5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI

Jonathan Piron: 2/5, 2 2B, RBI, R

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Luiz Guzman: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 5 K, 88 pitches

DSL: Rockies 3, TIgers 2

Daniel Montano (24 PuRP): 1/4, HR, 2 R, RBI

Shael Mendoza: 2/5, 2B, SB

Jose Grullart: 1/4, 3B, R

Wander Cabrera: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 5 K

Tomorrows Games and Probables

Triple-A: Albuquerque (Harrison Musgrave, 7-6, 4.57 ERA) @ Oklahoma City (LAD), 6:05 MT

Double-A: Hartford (Alex Balog, 5-0. 3.63 ERA) vs. Bowie (BAL), 4:35 ET (in Bowie)

High-A: Modesto (Helmis Rodriguez 3.9, 3.88 ERA) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (LAD), 8:05 MT

Low-A: Asheville (Trey Killian, 9-5, 3.96 ERA) vs. Columbia (NYM), 5:05 MT

Short-A: Boise (Manuel Rondon, 6-0, 1.27 ERA) @ Eugene (CHC), 8:05 MT

Rookie: Grand Junction (Alejandro Requena, 1-5, 5.47) @ Helena (MIL), 7:05 MT

DSL: Rockies (TBA) vs. Tigers, 8:30 MT

33

Colorado Rockies: Nick Hundley is Team’s Most Overrated Player

By Trevor Irvine – August 19, 2016 / Rox Pile

Colorado Rockies catcher Nick Hundley is having a very average year. Compared to his 2015 season, all his major

batting statistics are well down. His defense has also slipped, with more passed balls already in 2016, and nearly as many

errors. He is the Rockies most overrated player.

In 2015, Hundley hit .301, with an OBP of .339 and an OPS of .807 for the Colorado Rockies. Now, this year, his batting

average has dropped to .248 (over a 50-point drop), his OBP is down to .322 and his OPS has dropped nearly 90 points

to .719.

He has also hit into a career-high 12 double plays, which is four more than his previous worst over a whole season

(including last year).

He primarily plays over backup catcher Tony Wolters due to his experience and his supposed better bat. But Wolters bat

is not far off Hundley’s. He has a .266 batting average, a OBP of .348 and an OPS of .760.

What do you notice about all of these numbers?

Yes, all of them are higher than Hundley’s.

What is more noticeable between the two is their respective defense. Hundley is not very good at defense in general, and

his pitch framing and getting strikes called is far inferior to Wolters.

The statistics don’t lie for Hundley. Four errors in 2016 (one less than in the whole 2015 season), six passed balls (just

five last season) and his throwing out of runners stealing base is poor – out of 46 stolen base attempts from opposing

runners, 40 of them have reached.

In just 46 games, Wolters has committed just two passed balls and has thrown out eight runners trying to steal. The only

statistic he ranks behind Hundley is in errors (six).

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The Rockies are paying Hundley $3,150,000 this season (eighth-highest on the roster) compared to Wolters $507,500,

per spotrac.com. It’s obvious who is providing more bang for the buck.

With just 41 games to go in the regular season, it is time to give the full-time catcher job to Wolters. Since the All-Star

break, in 12 games played, he is hitting a team-leading .432, with an OBP of .512 and an OPS of 1.187.

And he is hitting right-handed pitching better than Hundley, which according to baseball percentages shouldn’t be

happening, per Purple Row’s Adam Peterson:

The most incredible number from this run is his games played. In the last 37 games the Rockies have played, Wolters has

started just 12 of them, less than a third. Walt Weiss has elected to give the majority of starts to Nick Hundley, who is an

inferior receiver behind the plate and is now hitting .248/.322/.397 for a wRC+ of 79, compared to Wolters’ 86 wRC+.

When you compare their numbers against right handed pitchers it gets even crazier: Wolter’s (a left-handed hitter) is

hitting .254/.340/.408 against righties on the year (remember, he was flirting with the Mendoza Line a month ago), while

Hundley has hit .224/.313/.354 against righties.

It is head scratching on why Wolters, who is hitting the ball so well since the break and with his superior pitch framing, has

played in just 12 games. Maybe it’s because he has just three years of catching experience.

Manager Walt Weiss clearly trusts Hundley, otherwise he wouldn’t have started in twice as many games since the break.

He also provides as a good mentor for Wolters, as noted by Jake Shapiro of BSN Denver.

“I learn a lot from Nick,” Wolters told BSN Denver via Shapiro. “And he’ll always be like ‘can you check this pitch.’ I’ll go

check it and tell him what I see. We talk about a hitter or sometimes I’ll go get his protein bars. But it teaches me you need

to make this game smaller and treat it moment by moment not look at the big picture of the game but to stay in the

moment and pitch by pitch. Nick is really good at that, that is still something I’m learning. I go to the bullpen, sometimes

we’ll throw two guys at once so I have to go down there but there is a TV down there so I’ll still look to see how he is

attacking guys and I’m learning for the next game I play.”

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It is great that Wolters has this working relationship with Hundley. However, it is time to see what Wolters can do with the

full-time catching gig. Hundley’s offensive and defensive numbers no longer warrant him starting games over Wolters 2-1.

Even with the Rockies still a very outside chance of making the playoffs, it is a good gamble to place your faith in Wolters.

If he gets the job and bombs, you will know. You still have top catching prospect Tom Murphy waiting in the wings.

The Rockies want to really contend in 2017. It’s time to see the future now, and not rely on an overrated Nick Hundley to

provide offense from the catcher position any longer.

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Colorado Rockies: DJ LeMahieu is Team’s Most Underrated Player

By Trevor Irvine – August 18, 2016 / Rox Pile

Colorado Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu is having a terrific offensive and defensive season. In 113 games, he is

hitting .343 (third-best in MLB), with nine home runs (a career high), seven triples, and has an OBP of .415 and an OPS of

.911. However, the only people who recognize his efforts are us. The national media don’t have a clue. It is why he is the

Rockies most underrated player.

As Rox Pile’s Tim Engquist noted in his Purple Monday series, LeMahieu has quickly ascended into one of the best

second basemen in all of baseball. He has limited his strikeouts to just 62, as against a new career-high in walks (52) for

the Colorado Rockies.

In the Rockies 6-2 win over the Washington Nationals, LeMahieu nearly hit for the cycle, just falling a double short.

He is also having a superlative defensive season at second. He ranks fifth in the majors with just five errors, 75 double

plays turned and a fielding percentage of .991. His range factor (defined as a total number of outs participated in, divide

putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a position) ranks third out of all second basemen at 4.82.

So has this year been a fluke?

No.

LeMahieu has simply turned himself into a good hitter, whether you believe the Coors Field bias or not. As Purple Row’s

Bryan Kilpatrick notes, it is his plate discipline which sets him apart.

The first thing to look at when evaluating how LeMahieu has hit .342 to this point in the season is his plate discipline. The

one-time All-Star has the 12th-lowest swinging percentage in the National League on pitches outside of the strike zone.

That speaks to his improved selectivity at the plate; in each of his four full big league seasons, LeMahieu’s walk rate has

climbed steadily — from 4.4 percent in 2013 to 10.9 percent this year.

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LeMahieu has coupled his ability to lay off pitches outside of the zone with a truly elite contact rate. Out of all qualified NL

hitters, his 90.5 percent contact rate ranks third, behind only Martin Prado and Ender Inciarte.

LeMahieu has mastered the craft of being a good contact hitter. This makes him a tough out, and is a nice backup to

leadoff man Charlie Blackmon and his 21 HR and .322 batting average.

And with the club having control over him for the next two years at a very cheap $7.8 million (per spotrac.com), two-third

of the Rockies infield is 28 years old or younger.

LeMahieu can keep playing to this great level and be ignored by the national media.

That’s just fine with us. He’s our best underrated player.

38

German Marquez, Tom Murphy Shine in Albuquerque Loss

By Kevin Henry – August 19, 2016 / Rox Pile

German Marquez limited the Oklahoma City Dodgers to just two hits over six innings. However, the Dodgers got that

many hits in just five pitches thrown by Simon Castro and that proved to be the downfall of the Albuquerque Isotopes on

Wednesday night.

Corey Brown launched the first pitch he saw from Castro deep over the right-field wall to give Oklahoma City (70-53) a 3-2

come-from-behind win over the Isotopes, Colorado’s Triple-A team. It was a sour ending to a night that had flowed with

such promise for Albuquerque.

In his second Triple-A start, Marquez gave up a solo homer to Andrew Toles to open the game and put the Isotopes in a

quick 1-0 hole. That, however, was one of the few mistakes the 21-year-old right-hander made on the humid, 89-degree

Oklahoma night.

“He’s just electric. It’s hard to describe,” Albuquerque catcher Tom Murphy said. “The ball comes so easy out of his hand.

I think every night he has a chance to do what he did tonight, or maybe even better. He can throw three pitches whenever

he wants for strikes and they’re all plus pitches.”

Marquez gave up just two hits and issued three walks. However, he was able to work his way out of jams each time. His

six strikeouts were part of 10 Ks on the night by Isotopes pitchers.

“He was really confident in his changeup, which is great,” added Murphy, a player many Rockies fans are hoping to see

back in Denver sooner than later. “I thought early on he was pushing it across the zone but once he got a feel for it, he

was really confident in it with both lefties and righties. That’s something you don’t see too often. His fastball was good too

at any time. He runs it up there and it’s hard to hit.”

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While Marquez was keeping the Oklahoma City offense off-balance, Jose De Leon was nearly as dominant for the

Dodgers. Albuquerque (57-66) had just six hits on the night against De Leon, who struck out 10 in his seven innings of

work. However, two of those hits came from Murphy, including a fourth-inning solo homer that was his 16th round-tripper

of the season.

“I had a pretty good night. I got myself into decent counts, saw the ball well and laid off tough pitches,” Murphy said. “I’m

just trying to be as consistent as I can be. That’s what the big leaguers do and that’s what I want to do. If I come to the

park every day with the same mindset and same process and give it my all every day, that’s all I can ask for.”

Mike Tauchman was the only other Isotope to have multiple hits, putting together a 2-for-3 night at the plate.

40

Colorado Rockies Front Office Giving Up On 2016 Season

By Nolan Lees – August 18, 2016 / Rox Pile

With 120 games played in the 2016 season, the Colorado Rockies are six games under .500 at 57-63. Their playoff hopes

are not dead yet, but they are certainly in critical condition. Meanwhile, the Rockies front office, rather than swinging into

action, seems to be content with letting this season go.

Just one month ago, the Colorado Rockies were acting as aggressively as we’ve seen them in a while. Earlier in the

season, the team surprised people by calling up Tyler Anderson and plugging him into the starting rotation.

In late July, the unexpected promotion of top prospect David Dahl made Brandon Barnes suddenly expendable. Both

Anderson and Dahl have been terrific thus far in their young MLB careers, and the decision to add them to the big league

roster looks brilliant in hindsight.

Then, with one unfortunate slide against the Mets, the Rockies season took another turn. Trevor Story tore the UCL in his

left thumb, and just like that, one of the more spectacular rookie years in MLB history was over.

Another injury, this time to Mark Reynolds, stretched the Rockies even thinner. Colorado’s starting lineup was suddenly

forced to replace Story and Reynolds with Daniel Descalso and Cristhian Adames. It would be unfair to put all of the

team’s problems on the shoulders of two guys, but that’s a significant drop-off in talent.

The Rockies front office, which had previously been so bold in adding their top prospects, saw the effect of the injuries

and suddenly went in a different direction. After Reynolds was lost for the season, they replaced him by promoting Ben

Paulsen. Paulsen isn’t a terrible baseball player, but he’s not going to help the Rockies make the playoffs.

Jordan Patterson might be a guy that can do that. The word “might” is important in that last sentence, because he’s an

unknown commodity at this point. But as I’ve written about previously, Patterson is putting up huge numbers against

Triple-A pitching, and seems more than ready to make his MLB debut. In fact, Patterson’s batting average is 40 points

higher than Paulsen’s in Triple-A this year.

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So why did Colorado promote Paulsen instead? Because they know what they’re getting. Paulsen is already on the 40-

man roster and has MLB experience. The Rockies know they can play Paulsen at first base, and while he won’t be great,

he probably won’t hurt them too much either.

With Patterson, Colorado has no guarantees. Yes, he’s been terrific against Triple-A pitching, but it’s still possible he

would hit .150 if he were called up to the big leagues. It’s also possible that Patterson would hit the ground running and

help the team win like Anderson and Dahl have.

Think about it like this: You can choose between a $100 bill and or check for a mystery amount that could be worth as

little as $50 or as much as $150. The Rockies promoting Paulsen instead of Patterson was their decision to take the $100

bill.

Last night, news broke that Tyler Chatwood was heading to the DL and Christian Bergman would likely replace him in the

rotation. Once again, Colorado had a chance to promote a top prospect, this time pitcher Jeff Hoffman, and once again

they chose to pass him over for a fringe major league player.

It’s not what fans want to see, but it’s not necessarily the wrong decision. Even with Story and Reynolds, the Rockies

would have been long shots to make the playoffs. Without them, it’s going to be virtually impossible.

There’s enough pressure on top prospects to perform when they reach the major leagues as it is. Putting the weight of

saving a sinking season on Patterson and Hoffman would be asking for a lot.

Make no mistake though; the Rockies front office’s top priority is competing in 2017. That’s not to say this year’s team

can’t make the playoffs, but the recent roster moves make it pretty clear that GM Jeff Bridich and his staff aren’t planning

on it happening.

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Colorado Rockies could call up Freeland before Hoffman

By Jake Shapiro - August 18, 2016/ BSN Denver

DENVER – Since May, there have been hints that top pitching prospect Jeff Hoffman may receive his well-deserved call

up to the Colorado Rockies. That hasn’t happened, yet. With the injury to starter Tyler Chatwood and the continued

success of Hoffman the time may be now. Walt Weiss gave the biggest hint of the season yet that a prospect will get the

call in the comings days.

Hoffman, the main piece in the Troy Tulowitzki trade last summer, was the 9th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, picked

right after Colorado-born and developed Kyle Freeland.

He has been great for Triple-A Albuquerque, with a 6-9 record and 4.02 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

He’s struck out 124 batters in 118.2 innings pitched and his only hiccups have come due to an elevated walk rate.

Meanwhile, Freeland started the year in Double-A Hartford before getting called up to Triple-A in late June. He’s had a

couple of up-and-down starts and it’s well known that the organization has been testing up to try new things while still in

the minors, so take his stats from the combined two leagues he’s pitched in with a grain of salt.

In 143 innings pitched this season, Freeland has a 4.15 ERA with a 9-9 record. His strikeout rate is down at 6.1 K/9 but it

has improved since his move to Triple-A.

Even though he is the same age as Hoffman at 23, Freeland was more ready for the big leagues coming out of the

University of Evansville. Unlike Hoffman, who had Tommy John surgery derail his 2014, the Denver native has pitched

more innings in pro ball.

That’s why when you potentially see a call up next week it’s just about as likely to be Kyle Freeland as it Jeff Hoffman.

Both have had Tommy John Surgery. Freeland’s came while still in high school and Hoffman’s was in 2014. The crazy

stat here is that Hoffman didn’t make his pro debut until May 20, 2015. He’s pitched just over a year professionally. In that

year-plus, he’s pitched just 30 innings less than Freeland has since the two were drafted back-to-back.

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While Hoffman has been more dominate this year and deserving under normal circumstances, it seems Freeland is the

better option. It makes sense the Rockies would take the side of long-term health in ensuring both guys are mainstays on

the rubber, but to do so they may need to hold Hoffman back and give Freeland the call first.

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Rockies former GM Dan O’Dowd deserves credit for positive direction

By Drew Creasman - August 18, 2016 / Rox Pile

In October of 2014, Jeff Bridich was named the general manager of the Colorado Rockies and everyone from pundits on

the radio to bloggers on the internet and traditional newspapermen all had one question their minds; Would Bridich turn

out to be a kind of “clone” of his predecessor, Dan O’Dowd?

This question was asked mostly out of fear, O’Dowd’s name having become synonymous with the Rockies’ struggles to

compete.

But the question was always a false dichotomy that failed to recognize two important truths: The Rockies were already

turning things around and Dan O’Dowd was largely responsible for it.

Less than a month before he left the organization under somewhat mysterious circumstances, I interviewed O’Dowd for

Purple Row and we talked mostly about the future of the franchise.

We talked about Raimel Tapia’s two-strike approach being the “best in the entire organization.” We talked about how the

team was not trying to convert Jon Gray into a pitch-to-contact guy — despite some concern buoyed by numbers that they

may be doing exactly that — and how a little bit of adversity in the minors might go a long way toward Gray becoming the

ace of the future.

We talked about Tyler Anderson’s health and how good he can be when he actually takes the mound. In the space

around the interview proper, we talked about guys like David Dahl and Trevor Story and the kind of impact they could

have on an MLB roster.

He told me that assembling this group of prospects was among the proudest achievements of his career.

And watching some of these players blossom now on the big stage in front of a national audience, it becomes clear that

O’Dowd deserves some credit for the current positive direction of the Colorado Rockies.

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After all (and obviously on purpose) every guy listed above was a draft pick during the O’Dowd administration. Sure, most

of the players in question had not yet debuted, and absolutely, credit goes to the development team previously headed by

Bridich and still going strong after O’Dowd’s departure.

But still … going all the way back to drafting Anderson in the first round in 2009, credit needs to be given where it is due. If

the Rockies do make a run at the postseason either this year or next featuring primarily O’Dowd draft picks, one has to

wonder if national or even local audiences would notice.

In fact, you shouldn’t stop at just the recently promoted youngsters. Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon were both

drafted and developed entirely during the O’Dowd years. Carlos Gonzalez and DJ LeMahieu came over in some of the

former GMs best trades. Adam Ottavino was a Dan O’Dowd acquisition, though Bridich wisely extended him.

The players on the 25-man roster that arrived after O’Dowd left: Jake McGee, Ryan Raburn, Gerardo Parra, Nick Hundley

and Tony Wolters with Mark Reynolds, Chad Qualls and Jason Motte, all on the disabled list.

An argument could be made for the ultimate value of each of those players, but you’d be hard pressed to define them as

the core of the Colorado Rockies.

For the record, this is not meant to be an indictment of Jeff Bridich, who has played the hand he was dealt excellently. It’s

just that the hand he was dealt might not have been nearly as bad as many thought.

“But,” you might be saying, “Bridich was really the one in charge of the minors that whole time.”

If it is fair to simply point at the scoreboard and declare a GM must be held accountable for that, it is unfair to give all the

credit for his achievements to his advisors.

If O’Dowd can be blasted (and he should be) for drafting Greg Reynolds, he gets credit for Jon Gray. Jeff Bridich

assuredly played a vital role in drafting and developing the current crop of promising Rockies prospects, but if the buck

stops with the man at the top on the negative side, we must follow suit on the positive side.

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It got confusing at times during the Bill Geivett-O’Dowd era as to who was running what, but O’Dowd received the bulk of

the blame for the downtimes and therefore deserves the bulk of the credit for the positive acquisitions made under his

leadership.

Arenado, Gonzalez, Story, Dahl, Gray, LeMahieu, Blackmon, Anderson, Ottavino, Tyler Chatwood, Chad Bettis, Carlos

Estevez and even the old stalwart Jorge De La Rosa are all ultimately in a Colorado uniform because of O’Dowd. He has

earned his critics, but he has also earned a closer look.

To be fair, they are still here — and a certain shortstop is not — because of Bridich, and it is unlikely this group will truly

contend without support from a multitude of the current GM’s acquisitions, not the least of which, Jeff Hoffman.

So, is Jeff Bridich a Dan O’Dowd clone? That’s a more complicated question than when it was first asked and now

irrelevant. The question should be whether or not Bridich has the wisdom and the fortitude to finish what the two men

started … together.

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LeMahieu sparks offense as Rockies beat Nationals 12-10

By MICHAEL KELLY

Aug. 17, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

DENVER (AP) — D.J. LeMahieu hasn't had much to say about his recent success, which is fine because his bat is saying

plenty.

LeMahieu kept tormenting the Nationals with two hits, Gerardo Parra drove in four runs and the Rockies beat Stephen

Strasburg and Washington 12-10 on Wednesday.

Tony Wolters homered and had three hits, and Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 12 games for the Rockies.

LeMahieu singled in his first at-bat to stretch his on-base streak to 10 plate appearances, the fourth longest in club history.

The streak ended when he struck out to end Colorado's seven-run first inning.

It was the first time Washington retired LeMahieu during this three-game series. LeMahieu was 4 for 4 on Monday and 3

for 3 with a walk Tuesday. He also walked in his final at-bat Sunday against Philadelphia.

"I feel comfortable, relaxed, confident," the soft-spoken LeMahieu said after raising his average to .343, second in the NL.

LeMahieu has elevated his average 15 points over the last five games and combined with Blackmon at the top of the

order to spark Colorado's offense. Blackmon is hitting .346 since July 1.

"Both guys have really upped their game," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Both are getting on base at a really high

rate. They're a big reason why our offense is performing better."

Bryce Harper homered and Jayson Werth extended his on-base streak to 45 games, the longest in Nationals history and

one behind Rusty Staub's franchise record. Staub reached base in 46 straight games for the Montreal Expos spanning the

1969-70 seasons.

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Strasburg (15-4) continued his recent struggles with his shortest outing of the season. After winning 15 of his first 16

starts, the right-hander has allowed 19 earned runs and 24 hits in the last 11 2/3 innings. His ERA is up nearly a run, from

2.63 to 3.59, in his last four starts.

"You just kind of got to put them behind you," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "For one, you got to quit counting

because if you don't quit counting, it goes to four and five and it gets in your head. He'll get it together."

The first six batters reached against Strasburg on Wednesday. Colorado sent 11 to the plate in the first and eight more in

the second to build a 9-2 lead.

Parra had the big hit in the first, a three-run double that made it 4-0.

Koda Glover relieved Strasburg after Wolters' two-out single in the second.

"You don't want to just become passive or change the way you go about your business," Strasburg said. "I think it's just

one of those games where I didn't execute it enough in spots and I got beat on it."

Rockies starter Jon Gray allowed four runs and six hits in four innings and has allowed 18 earned runs over his last 11

innings.

Harper made it 9-6 in the fifth with a two-run shot that traveled 461 feet to right-center. Colorado scored three times in the

bottom of the inning to make it 12-6.

Pedro Severino had a pinch-hit homer in the seventh and Trea Turner led off the eighth with a triple and scored on

Werth's sacrifice fly.

Boone Logan (2-2) struck out Daniel Murphy and Harper to end the eighth before Scott Oberg allowed a solo home run to

Chris Heisey before closing it out for his first save.

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"You'd like for it to be a little easier than that after a seven-run first but that's usually how it goes here," Weiss said. "You

get a big inning early and you end up having to hang on. It's not how we drew it up but a great win."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Washington: LHP Sammy Solis was placed on the 15-day DL with left shoulder inflammation. Solis got the win with an

inning of relief Monday but was not available Tuesday. ... The Nationals recalled Glover from Triple-A Syracuse, and he

pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Colorado: OF Carlos Gonzalez was not in the lineup for precautionary reasons. Gonzalez has been bothered by a left

ankle injury suffered Aug. 6 but worked his way back without going on the disabled list. Weiss said he didn't want to play

him in a day game after a night game, and an off day Thursday gives him extra rest.

UP NEXT

Nationals: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (1-1, 5.74) opens a four-game series in Atlanta. Lopez tossed seven innings of one-run

ball against the Braves on Sunday.

Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (4-4, 3.42) faces the surging Chicago Cubs on Friday. He was ejected in the fourth inning

of his last start, at Philadelphia.