PITTSBURGH -- The meticulous offensive message that the Rockies are delivering to their traditionally free-swinging Rockies in the Majors and below is showing results at Triple-A Albuquerque.
During a 13-8 run that has the team atop the Pacific Coast League East, the Isotopes own the PCL’s lowest strikeout rate at 16.9 percent, and the highest walk rate at 15.8 percent. Despite ranking in the middle of the pack in home runs, Albuquerque solidly leads all Triple-A teams in runs per game at 7.10, with El Paso second at 6.64, yet the Isotopes’ 41 home runs are tied for 15th among the 30 Triple-A teams. In the last 10 games, just three times has any player who appeared not reached base.
This surge, while sustained, was not immediate. But once messages about patient and relentless hitting took hold, Albuquerque took off. Last week’s combined 22-7 record among the affiliates -- Albuquerque, Double-A Hartford, High-A Spokane and Single-A Fresno -- indicated that the whole system is getting it.
According to Albuquerque manager Pedro Lopez, the new Rockies hitting profile is coming to a big league park near you.
“With [Major League hitting coaches] Brett Pill and Jordan Pacheco, it’s the same message, and I know that for a fact,” Lopez said. “It's gonna get to a point where it's at the big-league level. It's going to be a relentless approach. When teams are coming, you know, and facing the Rockies, they know they’ve got to earn their outs.
“It’s actually pretty cool.”
Who’s hot? Everyone
Seven players -- of varying experience levels -- have active on-base streaks of at least 17 games. Chad Stevens, 27, who debuted with the Angels last season, has runs of 42 games dating to last year with Salt Lake (longest of any professional player) and 32 this year. Rockies No. 6 prospect Cole Carrigg is at 29 games, Rockies No. 2 prospect/ MLB Pipeline No. 53 Charlie Condon at 27, former No. 1 prospect Adael Amador at 23, former Athletics and Orioles utility man Vimael Machin at 22, Rockies No. 13 Zac Veen at 19, and No. 15 Sterlin Thompson at 17.
There are high batting averages over the streaks -- Thompson .400, Machin .388, Carrigg .382, Veen .338. It’s new-found plate discipline for Carrigg and Veen, who have been notoriously over-aggressive in their pro careers.
Just as notable is Condon. Extra pregame work at first first base and the outfield (which was added this year), has led to recent fatigue, as evidenced by his .226 average and .330 slugging percentage during the run. But he’s on a .359 on-base tear.
“I watch their games every night and you see it’s a very keep-the-line-moving offense,” Rockies director of baseball operations Amir Mamdani said.
Takeoff
The plan starts with each hitter identifying his “go zone” -- the area of the strike zone where he hits best. The plan early in the count is to swing only in that area. A pitch to a different area might be a strike, but the more likely result of a swing is either a miss or weak contact.
“It’s like Baseball 101, but it’s a commitment organizationally to it, and that matters,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said.
Early-season chase rates were high.
But an April 28 Zoom meeting with president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, general manager Josh Byrnes, assistant GM Tommy Tanous, player development director Chris Forbes, assistant player development director Jesse Stender and key club officials and coaches offered an eye-popping message.
If hitters were able to lay off an added 4 percent of pitches outside of the “go zone,” which tend to be middle-middle pitches -- numbers would skyrocket. It’s a start toward where the Rockies want to land offensively.
“The power numbers are going to go up,” said Lopez, who noted that Albuquerque hitting coach Matt Snyder is reinforcing the lessons day to day. “The on-base percentages are going to go up. The walks are going to go up even though we’re not talking about walks [the emphasis is on aggressiveness, so “walks” don’t fit the language]. Every number on the offensive side is going to go through the roof.”
Buy-in
A phenomenon is in place at the Major League level. The stronger at-bats are coming from players brought in from the outside over the last two seasons. In Triple-A, the veterans are assuming teaching roles.
“Before Nicky Lopez got traded [to the Cubs], he took Carrigg under his wing; once he left it was Vimael Machin,” Pedro Lopez said. “Blaine Crim has been working with Zac Veen and some of the younger players, and has done a great job. I’m really excited.
“After Sunday’s game [a 5-4 win at Sugar Land], I was having dinner with Luis Lopez, our bench coach. We had some of the guys at the next table. Just to hear some of these guys talk, ‘This is probably the best team they ever played for,’ is really rewarding.”
Same language, different challenges
The relentlessness flashes in the Majors. In Philadelphia on Friday, Jesús Luzardo, who struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings at Coors on April 4, lasted just three innings and the Rockies used the whole roster for a 9-7 victory in 11 innings. Saturday was a loss, but decorated Phillies starter Aaron Nola was gone after 94 pitches over 4 2/3. But Cristopher Sánchez carved up the Rockies for seven innings of a 6-0 loss on Sunday.
The Rockies are using the same language and priorities, but they realize that results are harder to come by in the Majors. Unlike the recent past, where prospects doing well were called up quickly, the emphasis at the big club is to teach the players they have -- and allow prospects to make sure they are ready for much better pitching.
Those having the hardest time, such as shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and outfielders Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck, rose faster to the Majors with nowhere near the Triple-A time that the current Isotopes are receiving. They have to learn against the best.
“These are the best pitchers in the world -- it’s hard to do in applications, because guys throw so hard and they’re throwing a lot of spin,” said Pill, whose Rockies hitters will face Pirates starters Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Carmen Mlodzinski in a three-game series starting on Tuesday night at PNC Park. “For us, it’s knowing why -- sometimes the hitter thinks a fastball may be coming, sometimes it’s just that there are a lot of fans in the stands and they’re amped up. We’re trying to get feedback on it and figure it out.
“That’s the hard part -- not to be reactive. We’ve had some close games we didn’t win. But if we only focus on the result, we forget that these guys are developing in front of our eyes at the hardest level. So we have to step back, take a failure and learn from it, and moving forward they’re more equipped to solve the problems.”
If Albuquerque is any indication, the Rockies are speaking a language that leads to answers.