100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 58 Michael Cuddyer

We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 58 on our list, Michael Cuddyer.

The next Rockie on our list is another long-time Minnesota Twin who won a batting title in Colorado. While Cuddyer debuted in 2001 with the Twins, he seemed to get better as he got older. Ten years after his debut, he made the All-Star game for the first time in his career.

That may have been a large factor in the Rockies decision to sign Cuddyer to a three-year $31.5 million deal. While Justin Morneau wore the double three, Cuddyer wore three to honor his mentor Harmon Killebrew. Cuddyer’s phenomenal signature is one of the lasting legacies of the Hall of Fame Killebrew. Watch this video here to see the impact Killebrew had on Cuddyer’s life.

More from Rox Pile

Michael Cuddyer took pride in the little things and that translated to his determination on the field. His first year in Colorado wasn’t his best but in 2012 not many Rockies had a good year. He built on his debut in Denver and turned it into arguably the best season of his career in 2013.

Cuddy played 130 games batting .331 with 20 homers, 84 RBIs and a .919 OPS. All of this led him to his second All-Star game appearance, a Silver Slugger award and the NL Batting Title. Maybe the coolest thing for Cuddy that year though was his 27-game hit streak. This is the most all-time for a Rockie when Cuddyer passed Dante Bichete’s former record of 23 straight games.

The right-fielder actually hit .332 in 2014. One point better than his batting title year. The problem was he only played in 49 games. Injuries sidelined Cuddyer limiting his mobility in right where he shifted to first to platoon at first while Morneau had the day off. Cuddyer hit for the cycle for the second time in his career, making him only the 30th player to do so in major league history. He finished his Rockies career with a 3.7 WAR.

He did not resign with the Rockies after his contract was up and signed with the Mets. He played in the World Series in 2015 but decided to call it a career penning his retirement in an inspiring Player’s Tribune article.

Next: How Bud Black's Time with the Angels Molded Him Into a Manager

Cuddyer is still in baseball in retirement. He was inducted to the Twins Hall of Fame and he is now a special assistant to baseball operations with the club. The Twins couldn’t have chose someone more qualified as Cuddyer’s passion for the game and his attention to the small details is unparalleled. The moral of signing Cuddyer and Morneau for the Rockies should be to sign as many former Twins as possible.

Home/Colorado Rockies All-Time Lists