Colorado Rockies Shortstop Battle: Week Two

As Spring Training rolls on and players fight for their spot on the 25-man roster, Rox Pile is committed to providing you with up-to-date looks at the state of each position from Colorado Rockies camp. We’ve evaluated the first base, pitching staff and outfield performances through week one.

Here is the second update on the shortstop competition.

Big things have happened over the last 48 hours for Colorado Rockies shortstops. Trevor Story has continued his power surge, Cristhian Adames has cooled off a bit and Daniel Descalso has a small fracture in his glove hand. The Rockies will have some big decisions to make at the end of April if Descalso can’t recover and Story continues to impress.

Cristhian Adames
Spring Training – 22 AB | 6 H | 5 R | 2 2B | 1 HR | 2 RBI | 1 BB | 4 K | .273/.304/.500
Week 2 – 12 AB | 3 H | 3 R | 1 HR | 1 RBI | 0 BB | 3 K | .250/.250/.500

Adames cooled off slightly in week two and his statistical performance would look considerably worse without a two-hit game on Monday. In this case, the numbers and the actual performance don’t quite match up. Adames looks comfortable rotating between shortstop and second base and is swinging a confident bat. He’s had some loud outs and looks like he belongs on a major league roster.

Daniel Descalso
ST – 15 AB | 3 H | 2 R | 1 2B | 2 RBI | 0 BB | 1 HBP | 5 K | .200/.250/.267
Week 2 – 7 AB | 3 H | 2 R | 1 2B | 1 RBI | 0 BB | 1 HBP | 1 K | .429/.500/.571

Descalso was having a great week until the unfortunate news broke about his glove hand, pun unintended. The small fracture in his left hand happened Friday when he was hit in the hand by Cleveland’s Tom Gorzelanny. The initial x-rays were negative, but after extreme swelling the team ordered an MRI that revealed the small fracture. Descalso is effectively out of the starting shortstop race but could also be in danger of losing the utility role, especially if both Adames and Story play exceptionally well over the rest of spring.

Rafael Ynoa
ST – 20 AB | 5 H | 3 R | 2 RBI | 3 BB | 5 K | .250/.333/.250
Week 2 – 14 AB | 4 H | 1 R | 1 RBI | 0 BB | 5 K | .286/.267/.286

Rafael Ynoa just keeps doing Ynoa things; solid defense, spraying singles across the field and being old-reliable. The Rockies know exactly what they’re going to get from Ynoa and, as mentioned last week, his versatility is very appealing. With better and younger options out there, Ynoa’s best chance at an Opening Day roster spot is as a super-utility player.

Trevor Story
ST – 20 AB | 7 H | 8 R | 1 2B | 1 3B | 4 HR | 8 RBI | 4 BB | 3 K | .350/.458/.1.100
Week 2 – 14 AB | 5 H | 5 R | 1 2B | 1 3B | 2 HR | 3 RBI | 1 BB | 1 K | .357/.400/1.000

Six of Story’s seven hits this season have been for extra bases, proving that his bat is by far the best of this group and will only get better with time. He’s emphasized that he’s the most talented player in this group, but the question is whether or not the Rockies want keep Story’s arbitration clock under Super-2 status, meaning they have one more year of control. The smart baseball approach would be to hold Story in the minors for three weeks until Super-2 eligibility passes, but if he keeps playing this well he might force the Rockies’ hand. Keep in mind, he’s still only 23 and it’s just getting better.

Next: Tyler Chatwood's Second Start

Tyler Chatwood looked good in his second start of spring training this afternoon against the Seattle Mariners. Chatwood last pitched for the Colorado Rockies in April of 2014 before having his second Tommy John surgery.

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