3 ROCKIES IN RACE TO REPLACE LEMAHIEU
Hampson, McMahon, Rodgers in competition for job at second base
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.» Filling the gaping hole left by the departure of three-time Gold Glove second baseman DJ LeMahieu won’t be easy for the Rockies. Look for manager Bud Black to platoon at that position to start the season.
“DJ was an everyday player,” Black said. “He was a batting champion, an allstar, a Gold Glover — it was his position. We don’t have that type of player — yet.”
So the Rockies could mix and match, depending on the situation, the opposing pitcher and who’s hot and who’s not. That’s the initial plan. But the Rockies would love to have Garrett Hampson, Ryan McMahon or No. 1 prospect Brendan Rodgers kick down the door and capture the job.
“We won’t know until we get there, until we start playing,” Black said.
The Cactus League begins Saturday when the Rockies play the Diamondbacks. Here’s how the three chief candidates for second base stack up:
• Hampson: Made his big-league debut last season at age 23, batting .275 in 40 at-bats. Speed is his calling card — 123 stolen bases in the minors while being thrown out just 23 times — but it was Hampson’s poise and maturity that most impressed the Rockies last season.
“He’s an athlete. I like this guy,” Black said Monday. “He didn’t get overmatched at the plate. Defensively, he showed some range, showed some hands. He didn’t scare off. He’s a gritty little gamer.”
LeMahieu, who signed a two-year, $24 million deal with the Yankees, shied away from naming his successor in Colorado this winter but did say, “I really like Hampson’s feel for the game. He seems to have really good instincts.”
Hampson, a third-round draft pick in 2016, won over the Rockies in his first big-league camp last year, outshining Rodgers. He saw playing time in 24 games, making five starts at second and five at shortstop, and hit safely in eight of 10 starts at a .313 clip.
“Last year helped me a lot, just seeing what it takes to get to the big leagues and seeing big-league pitching,” Hampson said.
Hampson’s No. 1 goal is to be better prepared for the grind this season.
• McMahon: He’s a strong, 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete who was drafted as a third baseman in the second round in 2013. Last season, he made 21 starts at first base, eight at second and eight at third, hitting .232 with five home runs in 181 at-bats.
Although there were inconsistencies