The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: No. 31 Garrett Atkins

We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 31 on our list, Garrett Atkins.

Garrett Atkins by trade is a first baseman. By the end of his career he would earn a spot in the top-five third basemen in Colorado Rockies history.

That transition wasn’t always easy for Atkins who was drafted in the fifth round in 2000 out of UCLA where he played mostly first base but did play some time at third. Chase Utley and Atkins played on the same team in college. The inseparable friends in college met again in the majors in the 2007 NLDS.  

Atkins was the first three-time All American at UCLA and he had a .369 batting average which is second in school history. The two formed a dynamic duo on the right side of the field.

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While Utley transitioned relatively quickly to the big leagues, Atkins did took several years. His first year in the majors in 2003 he hit .159 in 69 ABs. He was sent back down to the minors but came back and showed promise in 2004 hitting .357 in 28 ABs.

That spring boarded Atkins into the 2005 season where he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .287 in 138 games. Atkins officially arrived. Over the next two season he drove in well over 200 RBIs and was the starting third baseman in the Rockies first ever trip to the World Series.

In those playoffs he struggled though and they were a precursor for what was to come with Atkins. In 2008, much wasn’t the same as the wild run to the playoffs in the previous year and Atkins was no exception. He made a transition to first base taking over for a injured Todd Helton. In that time, the Rockies saw the rise of Ian Stewart.

With Stewart’s alluring power and Atkins having his worst full-season in 2009 switching back and forth from first to third he was not brought back after signing a one-year contract. Atkins seemed like the corner stone at the hot corner for the Rockies. Instead he became a free agent and signed with the Orioles in 2010. He was designated for assignment in July that season and tried to catch on with the Pirates in 2011 but was released before the season.

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Maybe if Atkins was able to settle into first base and played the position more consistently, his career would have been longer. But Atkins should be remembered for the great seasons that helped lead to the Rockies first real shot at a championship. While it all ended too soon for Atkins, we’ll always have Rocktober.