Colorado Rockies: 2017 Batting Order Possibilities with a Designated Hitter

Earlier this month, we took a look at the different configurations that the Colorado Rockies could use in their batting lineups. We took a look at how the lineup might appear against right-handers, left-handers, and even at the end of the season, depending on if the Rockies were in or out of the playoff chase. You can read the article by clicking here.

One thing we didn’t look at in that article was how the Rockies might line up when facing an American League team on the road. Those series will be at Minnesota (May 16-18), Seattle (May 31-June 1), Cleveland (August 8-9) and Kansas City (August 22-24).

As a reminder, before we dive into the lineup scenarios, let’s remember that, however the lineup might shake out, offense has never been much of a problem for the Rockies. Take a look at some of the numbers last season and where Colorado ranked among all of Major League Baseball…

2016 numbers and MLB ranking

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Average: .275 (2^nd)

Home Runs: 204 (10^th)

RBI: 805 (2^nd)

Stolen Bases: 66 (Tie for 20^th)

Runs: 845 (2^nd)

OBP: .336 (3^rd)

SLG: .457 (2^nd)

OPS: .794 (2^nd)

So how will the lineup look in an American League park? Let’s take a look…

Against right-handed pitchers

Charlie Blackmon CF (.320 last year vs. RHP)

DJ LeMahieu 2B (.354 last year vs. RHP)

Nolan Arenado 3B (.304 last year vs. RHP)

Carlos Gonzalez RF (.309 last year vs. RHP)

Trevor Story SS (.268 last year vs. RHP)

Ian Desmond 1B (.269 last year vs. RHP)

David Dahl LF (.316 last year vs. RHP)

Mark Reynolds DH (.297 last year vs. RHP)

Tony Wolters C (.267 last year vs. RHP)

Colorado Rockies

We broke down why players like Trevor Story and Ian Desmond might be slotted into the lineup in certain places in our previous article on lineups that you can read here. But let’s look at the impact of the designated hitter here.

In this lineup, Mark Reynolds or Ian Desmond can serve as the designated hitter with the other player manning first base. Again, Desmond’s versatility will provide some opportunities to move players around this season, especially when playing in an American League park with the designated hitter. Perhaps Desmond shifts to shortstop and Story focuses on hitting for the day. Perhaps Blackmon gets the day off in center field while Desmond plays the outfield. The possibilities are many. It’s just a matter of how new Rockies manager Bud Black wants to play that day.

One other thought is Tom Murphy serving as the designated hitter. He hit .323 against right-handers in limited duty (31 at-bats last season). Again, there are possibilities.