Last night, Terry Collins should’ve pitched around Tulo in the fifth inning, but he chose to risk it. Tulo immediately deposited an outside fastball 10 rows deep into the right field bleachers. Later in the game, when Tulo came up again, Collins simply held up four fingers.
Collins is not the only manager to give up on trying to get Tulo out. Currently, the Rockies’ shortstop leads baseball in intentional walks. Overall, he has ten total walks, one less than he has hits. His OBP is approaching .500 — that’s Barry Bonds early 2000s territory.

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What’s the point of all these numbers? They are indication that Tulo is taking his game to the next stratosphere. Assuming he stays healthy, it’s almost guaranteed that he will hit 40 bombs this year. This kind of offensive production for a shortstop is almost unprecedented. A-Rod is the only player that has done anything like what Tulo is doing right now. While A-Rod had a terrific glove at short, he wasn’t as good as Tulo.

Obviously, we are watching something special develop right before our eyes. At the tender age of 26, Troy Tulowitzki is becoming one of the greatest shortstops we’ve ever seen. I think he’s robo-shortstop, assembled from all the best attributes of baseball’s finest players at the position. He has Shawon Dunston’s arm, A-Rod’s bat, Ozzie Smith’s range, and Ernie Banks’ intangibles. And, of course, he’s bringing something unprecedented to the table — the rat tail. Now, if we could just get him to stay healthy and improve his taste in music.
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As a general rule, right-handed batters have an easier time facing left-handed pitchers and lefty batters are better against righties. Since the vast majority of pitchers are right-handed, lefties have a built in advantage. When a right-handed pitcher throws to a right-handed batter, the ball is often released behind the batter’s head and breaks across his body towards the plate. This creates an indirect line of sight, making it difficult to recognize the pitch. However, when right-handed pitchers face lefties, they lose the element of deception. The same holds true for lefty on lefty matchups, only the pitcher’s advantage is exaggerated because of unfamiliarity. Some left-handed batters never get used to the effect and find themselves on the bench every time there is a southpaw on the mound.

Tim Wheeler, a Rockies 2009 first-round draft pick, serves as an example of a left-handed player that is having trouble adjusting to good left-handed pitching. In two minor league seasons with Colorado, Wheeler has hit under .200 against lefties. Tim is a highly touted prospect — many consider him one of the Rockies’ ten best — but his inability to produce against minor league southpaws is disconcerting. Fortunately, the Rockies are stacked with outfielders, allowing the luxury of patience with Wheeler as he works to improve.
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