Rumfield reunites with coach who taught him the lessons that have made him a ROY candidate

MINNEAPOLIS -- When Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield stepped onto the grass at Target Field this weekend, he didn't just head over to stretch. He went straight to the opposing dugout to find Minnesota Twins assistant hitting coach Trevor Amicone.

Rumfield has been one of the summer's most interesting breakout stories. Acquired via trade from the New York Yankees during the offseason, the 26-year-old rookie has played his way into the National League Rookie of the Year conversation with advanced plate maturity and consistency at first base.

But to Amicone, who coached Rumfield at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2024, this success isn't a surprise. It’s the result of hard work on his approach that started in the Minor Leagues.

"Triple-A is tough," Amicone said before Saturday's game. "It’s often where you see guys at their lowest, at their most frustrated. You're this close to the big leagues, and yet it feels so far away. [So] seeing him here, happy and performing -- that is what it's all about."

To understand Rumfield’s path, one has to look at the situation he faced in the Yankees' system. Blocked by a deep roster of established talent in New York, Rumfield was putting up solid numbers in the International League, but he lacked a clear path to the Majors.

"He could have gotten bitter and angry, and been very satisfied with really good numbers and a really good performance in Scranton," Amicone said. “He didn't. He kept working. He knew that his goal wasn't just to get to the big leagues -- it was to be really good in the big leagues."

That foundation came from daily conversations with a young hitter who initially relied mostly on natural hand-eye coordination. In early 2024, Rumfield was a contact-first hitter without a concrete plan.

"He was getting a young kid who could put the bat to the ball, but he didn't really have a plan when he stepped into the box," Rumfield laughed. "I was kind of just swinging away."

Amicone challenged him, pointing out the habits that wouldn't hold up against big league pitching. If Rumfield chased a pitch or rolled over on a ball, Amicone addressed it.

"Not every coach is going to do that because they don't feel comfortable or they don't want to step on a player's toes," Rumfield said. "He was really adamant about wanting to make me better, no matter what it took."

The turning point came when Amicone explained how modern offenses score runs. While staying up the middle has its place, consistently generating runs requires driving the ball with authority.

"We always joke that I don't make the rules, but I do know what they are," Amicone said. "Whether you like them or hate them, it is big to center field and you've got to do damage to consistently score runs. Pitching is too good now. It’s really tough to get three singles in one inning to string together a run."

Amicone encouraged Rumfield to stop trying to hit everything to center field and instead learn when to pull the ball. Rumfield adopted the advice, changing his entire mindset in the box.

"I'm not trying to hit it to center field anymore, that's for sure. I'm trying to hit it to right field and use the shorter part of the field," Rumfield explained. "That's the one thing I take away from that year with him... try to pull the ball more, and it's started to work out for me."

Beyond the mechanics, the personal side of the relationship stuck with Rumfield the most. Amicone treated him like a big leaguer before he ever got the official call.

"He would always be adamant about, 'Hey, you're going to be a big leaguer,'" Rumfield said. "At the time, I don't know if I believed it. But I was like, he's telling me this, so hopefully, he's right about it. And sure enough, he was right."

Watching from the dugout on Friday night as the Rockies nearly pulled off a massive comeback before falling 9-8 in extra innings, Amicone saw that progress firsthand.

"It was hard to watch against us," Amicone smiled. "But it was fun to see his maturity level getting to where it has been."

As the schedule hits the midway mark and the NL Rookie of the Year talk builds, the demands on Rumfield will grow. But every time he steps into the box, he still relies on those foundations built in Scranton.

"The lessons that were taught back there are lessons that I carry with me now," Rumfield said. "And I feel like they help me be a better big leaguer than if I didn't have them."