Coming into spring training, the Colorado Rockies looked like an up-and-coming team that could contend for a postseason spot if some things went their way. Their offense is great, there’s some upside in the rotation, and they have a bona fide megastar in Nolan Arenado. The ingredients are there to take the next step.
Instead, things are already going very wrong for the Rockies in spring training. They’ve been hit hard by injuries, losing outfielder David Dahl (stress reaction in rib) and first baseman Ian Desmond (broken hand) in recent days and weeks. Starter Chad Bettis is also away from the team following his recent cancer diagnosis. Now starting catcher Tom Murphy has gone down as well.
An MRI revealed #Rockies C Tom Murphy suffered a hairline fracture of his right forearm Saturday. Estimated recovery time is 4-6 weeks.
— Rockies PR (@RockiesPR) March 14, 2017
Murphy’s injury was a complete fluke. He threw down to second base during a game over the weekend, and during his follow-through his arm arm hit the hitter’s bat as he ducked out of the way. That’s nothing but plain ol’ bat luck, similar to the Desmond injury. Desmond broke his hand when he was hit by a pitch.
The Rockies do have some decent depth, with Gerardo Parra ready to step in for Dahl and Mark Reynolds available to play first base while Desmond is out. Catcher is a different story though. Murphy hit .327/.367/.647 with 19 home runs in Triple-A last year, then smashed five more home runs during his September call-up. His power and Coors Field sure do seem like a match made in baseball heaven.
With Murphy out, the Rockies figure to lean on pitch-framer extraordinaire Tony Wolters, who did solid work as the team’s backup in 2016. Dustin Garneau is now the favorite to back up Wolters. Wolters will be an upgrade defensively, though neither he nor Garneau will match Murphy’s power. Not even close, really. Colorado’s recipe for success is bludgeoning opponents offensively and getting just enough pitching.
Perhaps the Rockies will be able to overcome the loss of Murphy because they figure to score so many runs anyway. They’ll still have guys like Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Gonzalez, Trevor Story, and Arenado in the lineup, after all. The injuries are undeniably starting to pile up though. Losing Dahl, Desmond, and Murphy is tough.
The Rockies were going to need some things to go their way to have a shot at the postseason this year, and right now the opposite is happening. Three projected starters are hurt and it’s still only mid March.
