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Tag: double-a hartford

  • Rockies’ Adael Amador a big hit in his major league debut

    Rockies’ Adael Amador a big hit in his major league debut

    First things first: Adael Amador makes quite a first impression.

    Called up from Double-A Hartford, Amador made his major league debut Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. The Rockies’ No. 1 prospect singled on his first swing on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat. The second baseman’s forever-memory moment arrived when he led off the third inning with a looping single to right off Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante. Amador connected on Pallante’s 94.1 mph fastball.

    In Colorado’s 5-1 loss, Amador hit 1 for 3 with one strikeout and stole his first base. At age 21 and 59 days, Amador became the second-youngest position player in Rockies franchise history to make his major league debut behind current starting shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (21 years, 53 days), who debuted on Sept. 23, 2022.

    “He looked fine of defense,” manager Bud Black told reporters in St. Louis. “He was probably a little amped up. … He expanded (the zone) a little bit today, which is out of his norm. But I think that will probably quiet down a little bit as each day goes on. We didn’t see the expansion of the strike zone in spring training. I’m sure he was fired up today, but overall, he looked comfortable.”

    Amador, the No. 32 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, was called up to replace veteran second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.

    Unless Amador lights up major league pitching, his first stay with the Rockies will be short, and he’ll be optioned to the minors for more seasoning. But the Rockies thought the time was right to give Amador a test run.

    “It’s going to give Amador a taste of the majors here for a short period of time until ‘B-Rod’ comes back,” Black told MLB.com. “We’re excited about that. It’ll give us a chance to look at him. He’ll be exposed to the pace of a major league game versus a Double-A game. He’s in good form at 21 years old.”

    Even though Amador faced early failure at Double-A, that didn’t dissuade general manager Bill Schmidt from making the move.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Rockies’ Kris Bryant sidelined again with sore back; Kyle Freeland nearing return

    Rockies’ Kris Bryant sidelined again with sore back; Kyle Freeland nearing return

    Kris Bryant, the oft-injured first baseman and designated hitter, was not in the starting lineup for the Rockies’ Monday night game against Cincinnati. Bryant is once again dealing with lower back issues.

    Manager Bud Black said that Bryant was “a little sore” and added that Bryant was consulting with doctors and team trainers.

    Bryant tweaked his back Sunday while making a twisting catch of Mookie Betts’ popup in foul territory in the eighth inning during Colorado’s 4-0 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

    Bryant missed 31 games earlier in the season after he was placed on the injured list on April 17 with a strained lower back. Since coming off the injured list on May  21, Bryant has slashed .222/.333./306 while reaching base safety in eight of 10 games.

    In 28 games this season, Bryant is hitting .186 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. He opened the season in an 0-for-28 slump.

    Last month, Bryant acknowledged that his aching back — he has disc problems and what he called “severe arthritis” — will be a challenge for the rest of his career.

    “I know I have a bad back, and that’s no secret, and there are some things in there you aren’t going to heal,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s just part of getting older, and it sucks.”

    Freeland’s progress. Veteran left-handed starter Kyle Freeland is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game on Tuesday. Freeland was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 16 with a left elbow strain and transferred to the 60-day IL on May 24. Black estimated that Freeland is likely 3 1/2 weeks away from returning.

    Veen sidelined. Outfield prospect Zac Veen, who had been playing well for Double-A Hartford, is in Scottsdale, Ariz., getting treatment on his strained lower back. He’s working out at the Rockies’ Salt River Fields complex but is not doing baseball activities. There is no timetable for his return to game action. Veen, Colorado’s first-round draft choice in 2020, has not played since May 18. He’s hitting .326 with a .986 OPS, five home runs and 12 RBIs.

    Patrick Saunders

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  • Justin Lawrence has right stuff to be Rockies’ closer — if he can harness it

    Justin Lawrence has right stuff to be Rockies’ closer — if he can harness it

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — June 13, 2023, Fenway Park, Boston. Rockies 4, Red Sox 4. Seventh inning. Justin Lawrence trots out from the bullpen and hikes the mound.

    “I came into a jam in a tight ballgame and I caught myself singing the ‘Sweet Caroline’ song,” the Rockies’ right-hander recalled Wednesday. “I was looking around and I thought, ‘This is kind of cool.’

    “Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, it’s a tie ballgame in the seventh inning, I’m coming in to get us out of a jam, and it’s my first time ever at Fenway.’ It didn’t matter, it was a fun moment.”

    Lawrence pitched 1 2/3 innings that night, and although he issued two walks, he allowed no runs, stranded two inherited runners, and kept Colorado in a game it eventually won, 7-6, in 10 innings.

    It wasn’t the singular moment of Lawrence’s career but it illustrates how far he’s come since being a raw prospect with a unique, sidewinder delivery, 102 mph fastball and frequent bouts of inconsistency.

    Justin Lawrence (61) of the Colorado Rockies warms up during Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

    “There are two main things about Justin,” manager Bud Black said. “On the fundamental side, he’s tightened up his stuff. Secondly, I’ve seen changes in his poise and maturity. In essence, he’s grown up to where his perspective and his mindset are of major league quality.”

    Lawrence, 29, is competing with friend and fellow right-hander Tyler Kinley for the closer job. Righty Daniel Bard, who will miss spring training after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, could be in the mix, too, when he returns.

    Black and his staff are going to take a hard look at both Lawrence and Kinley for the ninth-inning role.

    “We think (Kinley) is mentally built to handle the ninth inning,” Black said. “Stuff-wise, he’s got weapons. He can pitch with velocity with the fastball, has a swing-and-miss slider and he’s working on the changeup. The bread and butter is his slider. But like Justin, he’s not a secret anymore in the National League and in our division.”

    Lawrence’s road to the majors has been full of potholes but he’s always had tantalizing talent. Black became intrigued with Lawrence’s raw stuff in 2018 when the right-hander posted a 2.65 ERA in 55 appearances with High-A Lancaster. Lawrence wowed the Rockies in the Arizona Fall League and impressed again during spring training 2019. But then his control evaporated and his ERA soared at Triple-A Albuquerque and Double-A Hartford.

    Then came the lowest moment of Lawrence’s career. He was suspended before the 2020 season for taking DHCMT, a substance banned by Major League Baseball. Lawrence said he didn’t know that the NSF-certified supplement he was taking contained DHCMT.

    “I wouldn’t wish what I had to go through on my worst enemy,” Lawrence said later.

    With those struggles behind him, he now has an opportunity to lock down his dream job.

    “I like the idea of going in to get the saves and the holds,” he said. “I don’t feel out of my element at all, and I don’t feel like the game speeds up on me or anything like that. I mean, this is what a competitor wants. As a kid, you want to be the starter, or the four-hole hitter, or the closer. It would be awesome to be the closer, but I came to camp ready to prepare for whatever role the team needs me for.”

    Justin Lawrence (61) jokes with Lucas Gilbreath (58) of the Colorado Rockies during Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
    Justin Lawrence (61) jokes with Lucas Gilbreath (58) of the Colorado Rockies during Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

    Lawrence’s 2023 season was a mixed bag. He posted a 1.47 ERA in 15 appearances and moved into the closer role in June when Pierce Johnson (later traded to Atlanta) started walking batters in droves. In his first 17 games as the closer, Lawrence converted seven of eight save opportunities while posting a 1.86 ERA. But he slumped in the second half of the season and lost the closer job to Kinley in early September.

    Lawrence’s first- and second-half splits illustrate his inconsistency. In 38 appearances before the All-Star break, he had a 2.76 ERA and opponents slashed just .188/.284/.269 against him. In the second half, his ERA soared to 5.22 in 31 outings and opponents slashed .299/.400/.470.

    “I liked everything about last season — the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said. “I liked the bad and the ugly because I learned from those things. I also loved that I was healthy the whole year and that when Buddy asked, ‘Hey, are you good to go?’ I was available.”

    Lawrence is also aware that volitivity is part of a reliever’s life.

    Patrick Saunders

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