The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 91 Terry Shumpert

We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 91 on our list, Terry Shumpert.

The 2001 season was supposed to be a season where the Colorado Rockies were supposed to spend big. They spent plenty on pitching but they might have not spent enough on position players.

The Rockies started 12 players in left field that season. Terry Shumpert arguably was the best in his 24 appearances in left batting .394. But that wasn’t even Shumpert’s primary position. Shumpert was one of the first stand out utility players in Colorado Rockies franchise history. He played for the club from 1998 through 2002 slashing .282/.349/.463 with 30 home runs. Shumpert played everything but the battery positions in his time with the Rockies. He played mostly second and third base and some of left field.

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He was able to show consistency although being moved around to many positions and seven teams over his 14-year career. His best season came in 1999 as a Rockies hitting .347/.413/.584. That was good enough for a 2.4 WAR which is simply incredible in only 92 games. Considering many position players didn’t earn that in their entire career with the Rockies. He was part of offensive explosion that year when the entire club slashed .288/.348/.472. The last season of the millennium started to define the club as hitters first. This wasn’t a winning formula though as the team went 72-90. Manager Jim Leyland quickly jumped ship. But the message was clear, if you want a good offense, you need someone who can come off the bench and fill in the gaps. Terry Shumpert set a blueprint for how to do it in Colorado.

Shumpert’s legacy of Colorado baseball continues in his son Nick Shumpert. A former middle infielder for Highlands Ranch High School, Nick was set to play for his dad’s alma mater at the University of Kentucky. Instead, in 2015 he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round. Singing with the club never materialized and he now plays for the Atlanta Braves organization.

If Nick Shumpert shows any of the versatility and perseverance of his father, he will be playing in the majors for some time to come.

Next: Colorado Rockies: Is Their Future the Brightest in Denver?