Colorado counting on versatile players like Hampson, Owings
Pundits have the Rockies headed toward the National League West basement.
But manager Bud Black is not fretting. Rather, he sees Colorado’s versatility as a strength and views utility players such as Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson, Josh Fuentes and Chris Owings as much more than fill-ins.
“We’re not in a bind,” Black said. “It’s so advantageous to have those types of players who can bounce around because of cases like this; when maybe you lose a player.”
McMahon, who was going to start at third before an injury to Brendan Rodgers, will now be the primary second baseman, though he can also play first. Hampson, who will likely see a lot of time in center field, can also play left field, second and shortstop. Fuentes has shown he can handle first and third and has even played a little bit of left field.
Owings, who officially made the team Saturday after coming to spring training on a minorleague contract, is the epitome of versatility. Earlier in his career, he was the opening-day starter in three consecutive seasons at three different positions for Arizona: shortstop (2014), second base (’15) and center field (’16). His 2020 season was limited to 17 games with Colorado because of a hamstring injury, but he played every position except first, catcher and pitcher.
Hampson, one of the fastest players in the majors, is embracing his role as a center fielder, while aware that he could be called into the infield at any time.
“I’m excited about the outfield,” Hampson said early in camp. “I think I could be a really good outfielder. If I’m playing
there every day, I think I can be one of the best outfielders out there. I really do. But I think to myself a little bit that I’ll probably miss the infield if I’m just out there roaming the grass. But whatever it takes, I’m going to take pride in what I’m doing out there.”
The Rockies are not alone in the concept of moving players around the diamond and up and down the batting order. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli has said that intends to rest his regulars once every week and count on role players to fill in.
The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of eight consecutive NL
West titles, have long had the deepest, most talented team in the National League. Enrique Hernandez, who would be a starter on a lot of teams, is the poster player for L.A.’s versatility. From 2016-19, he appeared in 100 or more games and played seven different spots in the field, even pitching in an emergency. The only position he didn’t play was catcher.
Defensively, the Rockies should be OK with a mix-andmatch lineup. At the plate, however, there are concerns. McMahon (79), Hampson (68), Fuentes (90) and Owings (90) all ranked below average in OPS+ a year ago. That statistic takes a player’s OPS and normalizes the number across the entire league. It accounts for external factors such as ballparks. A score of 100 is considered the league average.
Black is hopeful that Hampson, and along with his other versatile players, will benefit from a full season, noting that some players began pressing last year during the 60-game season.
“Philosophically, some guys started chasing hits,” Black said. “(Hampson) expanded the zone a little bit too much on breaking pitches, and that’s not Garrett. That’s something that he’s been committed to working on.”