The Last Piece Of The Colorado Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez Trade Has Washed Up

Aug 28, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder A. McCutchen (22) beats out an infield single as Colorado Rockies first baseman M. McBride (12) looks for the late throw during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Matt McBride

And now, we get to the main point of this post, and the only non-pitcher involved in the trade, in Lehigh University’s Matt McBride. Entering Thursday’s game, McBride was hitting a paltry .199/.228/.305 in his Major League career — all with the Colorado Rockies — while walking only 3 times in 158 plate appearances.

He’s done a heap of nothing in the big leagues this year, going just 7-for-42 with a .353 OPS in a very short stint in Denver.And maybe the short stints are part of the problem. He hasn’t gotten significant chances to prove himself in Denver; 81 PAs in 2012, 34 more in 2014, and so far another 43 this season.

That’s unfortunate, considering how much he’s killed the ball in the minor leagues (he hit .328/.380/.549 in Albuquerque this year before his call-up). McBride has proven himself time and again to be better than AAA, and yet, like so many other players before him, he just can’t stick in the big leagues.

[ Related: Is DJ LeMahieu the Colorado Rockies’ 2015 MVP? ]

But he’s 30 years old now, and it’s increasingly looking like he’s not going to be part of the long-term plan. Ben Paulsen has first base covered in Justin Morneau‘s absence, and the Colorado Rockies have a better right-handed option there in Wilin Rosario than they do in McBride (let’s just not talk about Wilin’s defensive… liabilities).

In the outfield, the club is similarly stacked — Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Barnes and Kyle Parker all have conceivable short- or long-term futures in Denver, with more young outfielders coming up quickly like Raimel Tapia and David Dahl. There’s no place for McBride.

Next: So did the Rockies lose the trade?