A reminder about DJ LeMahieu’s defense

As far as second baseman are concerned, DJ LeMahieu is a solid option. He does not have a very high ceiling; I daresay that he actually has the kind of ceiling that might make you claustrophobic.

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That wouldn’t be helped by the fact that he does have a high floor, something that makes him much more appealing to the Rockies than when you are envisioning an actual space and what it would be like to occupy the “DJ LeMahieu’s upside” room.

LeMahieu’s offense this season can be summed up as it can be for his entire career: “meh.” He is batting .263/.315/.336/.651 with four home runs, 32 RBI, and eight stolen bases. He is not on this team for his offense, however.

The lanky LeMahieu plays outstanding defense at second base. As we know well by now, if you pair him with Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop and Nolan Arenado at third base, you have one of the best infield defenses in baseball.

The lack of punch at the plate is hard to take over the course of the long season, but then LeMahieu will go and make a play like this one:

That more or less sums up what will happen with LeMahieu again this off-season. The Rockies will wonder about a second baseman with more upside, perhaps a guy like Josh Rutledge. Then they will LeMahieu in action, appreciate the steadiness of his sometimes-underwhelming presence, witness a great defensive play, and go with the tall second baseman once again.

As long as LeMahieu keeps providing those reminders with plays like this one, he will have a spot with the Rockies. Given the value of good defense, especially for this franchise, that is not necessarily a bad thing.