Colorado Rockies Down On The Farm: Roger Bernadina

Mar 1, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder

Roger Bernadina

poses for a portrait during photo day at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The veteran outfielder probably won’t find a place with the Colorado Rockies this year, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t auditioning for a job somewhere in 2016.

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Roger Bernadina will mostly like have only suited up in a Colorado Rockies uniform in 2015 for the Photo Day which has produced the picture at the top of this post. The 31-year old is a veteran of 548 big league games, none of which have come this season so far — and considering his age and the Rockies’ depth in the outfield, likely he will not add to his big league games total in 2015.

But he’s playing like he wants a damn call-up, reality be damned. Slashing .260/.371/.463 in 227 at-bats over 77 games this season, Bernadina has filled up the stat lines with a decent amount of production — eight doubles, four triples, ten home runs, 36 runs, 41 RBIs, 37 BB, and nine stolen bases. No, those aren’t All Star numbers, but he certainly hasn’t given up in the purgatory that can be the Pacific Coast League for so many 30-plus-year old players.

Remember Jason Pridie last season? He ended up getting a couple big league at-bats with the Rockies in 2014, but he was in much the same position as Bernadina — a Major League veteran signing with a club at or before Spring Training to serve as a depth piece in case of injuries.

Sometimes it pays off (let’s talk about Yohan Flande, who’s appeared in many more big league games than you ever thought he would over the last two years), and sometimes it doesn’t (Pridie and, perhaps, Bernadina).

Bernadina’s .236/.307/.354 slash line in 548 Major League games doesn’t inspire any crazy amount of confidence, but he’s done a little bit of everything in 1,323 at-bats at the big league level: hit (56 doubles, 8 triples, 28 home runs), walk (121 times), steal (59 bases in 71 attempts), and score runs (159).

Remember, Bernadina has played for four big league clubs, and two more (including the Rockies) in the minor leagues. A lot like Thomas Field, he’s at or near one of those 1,000 best players in the entire world, and he’s shown enough for affiliate after affiliate to be interested in keeping him employed patrolling outfields and the big league and minor league levels.

None of that is going to get Bernadina any big league club’s starting center fielder job next season — but that, combined with good work to finish his year at AAA Albuquerque, will absolutely get him an invite to somebody’s Major League Spring Training in 2016.

And hey, from there, (almost) anything can happen.

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