DENVER – Rockies rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield is thankful for his at times bumpy development as a run producer.
“In the Minor Leagues, you fail so much,” said Rumfield. “There are certain situations where they tell you, ‘Hey, when you get to the big leagues, if you fail in this position, then you’re not going to stick around for a while.’”
On Sunday afternoon, a scuffling offense that trailed the Pirates by seven runs needed a lift. Rumfield provided it by launching a three-run, eighth-inning home run. The comeback attempt could not avert an 8-6 loss, as the Rockies failed to complete the three-game sweep at Coors Field.
Sunday’s pull-side shot off Dennis Santana was Rumfield’s 12th homer of the season and fifth in his last 11 games. It lifted him into the team’s RBI lead with 42, three more than 2025 All-Star (and 2026 candidate) Hunter Goodman.
This is anything but overnight success, unless a “night” consists of 1,805 plate appearances over 430 Minor League games.
A 12th-round Phillies pick in 2021 out of Virginia Tech, Rumfield, 26, was dealt to the Yankees four months after being drafted. The Rockies acquired him this winter for reliever Angel Chivilli in a trade that rated not much more than bottom-of-the-screen treatment on MLB Network.
Yet through the conclusion of his game on Sunday, here’s where Rumfield ranked among National League rookies:
- Tied with the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt for the lead in hits (74).
- Second in batting average (.279) and OPS (.842) behind the Giants’ Bryce Eldridge (.298 and .905, respectively, but in far fewer at-bats and plate appearances). He’s also second to Eldridge in slugging, .483 against .516.
- Tied with Wetherholt for second in homers (12), behind the Reds’ Sal Stewart (14).
- Second in RBIs (42) behind Stewart (53).
Manager Warren Schaeffer plays multiple lineup combinations because personnel dictates that playing matchups is the best way to win. But Rumfield has settled into prime positions, with his performance with runners in scoring position – a .299/.395/.478 slash line – a key reason.
“It’s locking in even more with runners in scoring position,” Rumfield said. “It’s knowing yourself and knowing the pitcher and being prepared. Because if you’re not prepared, you will get gotten.”
Rumfield’s dependability is all-encompassing.
“He’s doing it in all facets of the game,” Schaeffer said. “His defense has been outstanding. I’d start there. I’d start with the consistency of the at-bats – the walks, the ability to play every day through everything. That’s what you do in the big leagues. That’s what the good players do.”
The performance will mean a happy reunion with one of his mentors when the Rockies begin their series with the Twins on Friday.
When Rumfield reached Triple-A in 2024, current Minnesota assistant hitting coach Trevor Amicone offered him a no-uncertain-terms lesson.
“I grounded into a double play on the first pitch off a relief pitcher who had come into the game,” Rumfield said. “He sat me down the next day.
“He laid it out: ‘You are going to be one of the guys who hits in the middle of the order, and if you’re grounding into a double play like that, your team has no chance.’ It’s being on top of situations like that.”
Rumfield took Amicone’s words with an open spirit.
“You can’t take anything that coaches say, especially advice, personally,” said Rumfield, who said he can text Amicone about anything and is looking forward to the series at Minnesota. “They want the best for you, and I know the guy wanted the best for me. I know he wasn’t just going to [casually] tell me something.
“I know it’s difficult for him to tell me, and as a player it’s difficult to hear. But you have to be open-minded and be professional enough to be like, ‘Yes, I do have things that are wrong in my game. There are things I need to fix.’ And you can constantly get better.”
What Rumfield believes will not help his game is chasing honors and comparing himself to other rookies. There is no game situation that calls for such self-absorbed pursuits.
“It’s more like the Rookie of the Month thing,” said Rumfield, who earned National League rookie honors for May. “It’s just outside noise. It has nothing to do with how I’m going to prepare for the game tomorrow, or the next day or the day after.
“It’s something, but also you’ve got to know what it took to get there.”