Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Left Fielders

3.  Dante Bichette (1993-1999, fWAR 6.6)

As one of the original ‘Blake Street Bombers’, Dante Bichette holds several historic moments in Colorado history that you won’t find in a box score or leaderboard. In case you ever find yourself in a trivia situation, Bichette hit the Rockies first ever franchise home run, and also walked the Rockies off in their franchise home opener with a two-run shot in the bottom of the 14th against the New York Mets.

By leading the National League in hits with 219 in 1998, Bichette is the Rockies single-season record holder for hits in a season. Bichette would finish his Rockies tenure with a .316 batting average, which is good enough for third all-time in Rockies history.

Bichette also led the NL in hits in Colorado’s 1995 playoff season with 197. 1995 would be Bichette’s best as a Rockie as he finished second in the MVP race (although all seven of his years in Colorado were pretty darn good). Bichette lead the NL in home runs (40), RBIs (128), and slugging percentage (.620) to accompany a .340 average on a Colorado team that won 77 games in a 144 game season.

Bichette made the All-Star Game on four occasions in his 14-year career. All came with Colorado. Dante played for five organizations in his big league tenure. Dante retired with a .299 average, 274 home runs, and 401 doubles. Dante currently serves in the Rockies organization as a special assistant. Dante’s son, Dante Jr., participated in the Little League World Series and was ultimately drafted 51st-overall in the 2011 draft by the New York Yankees.

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