Standout spring has Rumfield set for potential Opening Day start -- and MLB debut
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- These could be nervous final days of Spring Training for Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield.
But Rumfield has tried nerves before, and they didn’t work for him -- not the way being quiet and controlled is working this spring.
“In the past, I was so nervous in Spring Training,” said Rumfield, 25, who arrived in a trade with the Yankees just before camp. “I just felt I’m the most prepared I’ve ever been professionally. Physically, I feel in a really good spot.”
Rumfield further tightened his grip on the starting first-base job with a solid RBI single to right field off Giants starter Logan Webb in the first inning of Thursday night’s 14-11 Rockies loss.
Thursday’s 1-for-3 performance left the left-handed-hitting Rumfield’s Cactus League slash line at .295/.385/.568 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 19 games. Starting regularly -- and therefore receiving a significant number of plate appearances against opponents’ top pitchers -- Rumfield has five walks to one strikeout.
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The trial and error of 430 Minor League games in the Phillies' (2022) and Yankees' (2022-25) systems have helped him build the confidence to adhere to a hitting approach that should earn him a Major League debut -- in the Rockies' starting lineup at Miami on March 27.
“It’s all about the pitches I can do damage on; if I feel I can hit them hard, then I’m going to swing at them,” he said. “If I feel I can’t hit it hard, I’m not going to swing at it.”
Being kept in the Minors in a Yankees system that always had someone in front of him allowed Rumfield to learn to handle hot streaks and inevitable lulls.
“I’ve proven now that I can do it,” Rumfield said. “Later on, I can tell myself when I’m struggling, ‘Hey, you can do this.’ It’s Major League pitchers. It’s a hard game. But I’ve proven that I can develop an approach and a plan to attack these pitchers.”
MESHING WITH HIS NEW TEAM
Back from pitching for Japan in the World Baseball Classic, Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano threw strikes on 26 of his 34 pitches over three innings against the Giants, allowing just one unearned run.
“There is specific stuff that has to be worked on but I think it was OK,” Sugano said through interpreter Yuto Sakuri. “That was a team goal. We want to pound the strike zone a lot. From that perspective, I did a really good job.”
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HALVORSEN’S BLIP
Righty Seth Halvorsen had some rough early appearances before evening out his performance this spring. But Thursday was another sideways one -- five hits and four runs in one-third of an inning.
“No concern about Seth; he’s just throwing strikes,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I thought he had fastball command tonight. He just got hit a little bit.”
SECURITY
Schaeffer used Ezequiel Tovar as designated hitter in his first game back with the team after helping Venezuela to the World Baseball Classic title. He was able to do so because of versatile Willi Castro, who pencils in as the second baseman but can play third, short or even the outfield to fill a need.
Castro made two strong fielding plays and smoked a home run in the fifth inning off Webb. Castro’s 2-for-3 night with a double and the homer left him at a .588 average for the spring.
“Castro, specifically, had a very nice at-bat there -- foul ball, foul ball, homer,” Schaeffer said.