Colorado Rockies Rundown: Catchers, Chris Rusin, And Jorge De La Rosa

Mar 1, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher D. Garneau poses for a portrait during photo day at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Dustin Garneau’s long, long road

(via MLB.com)

Dustin Garneau hit the first home run of his big league career on Wednesday night in the Colorado Rockies’ 11-4 loss to the San Diego Padres. It was a bomb, too — a left-center field shot that went several rows into the seats, but Garneau had no idea about any of that:

"“It was pretty cool. I didn’t really feel it off the bat, but I was sprinting around the bases like it wasn’t going to go out, but then it did. It was a pretty cool experience.”"

But hey, at least he’s got the ball as a souvenir!

"“The guys in the bullpen signed a ball for the fan that got it. Not sure yet [where the ball will go], but Alan Bossart [Director of Clubhouse Operations] just took it and is going to do some framing for it — but I am waiting for it.”"

[ Related: A look back at possible Colorado Rockies’ September call-ups ]

The real story here is Garneau’s long road to the big leagues, after spending seven seasons in the minors before making his debut. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 19th round of the 2009 draft out of Cal State Fullerton, only just now getting his first shot at a big league job.

It’s a credit to him that he (a) persevered this long to get to the Majors after seven minor league seasons and (b) that he was able to overcome being a 19th round selection to collect his first service time in the bigs.

He’ll get lots more playing time this month after Nick Hundley has gone down with a neck strain (more on that below), and Michael McKenry is, of course, already out after having knee surgery.

Unfortunately, though, I can’t see Garneau having any significant long-term future with the Colorado Rockies; Hundley ought to be back next year, and catcher-of-the-future Tom Murphy (who just finished the season in AAA Albuquerque) will likely be his backup at some point next year, fighting with McKenry for that spot.

Next: Wilin Rosario is catching again!