Colorado Rockies: Jonathan Lucroy talks HBP and competitiveness

2 of 2

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 03: Jonathan Lucroy #21 of the Colorado Rockies walks back to home plate in the first inning against the New York Mets at Coors Field on August 3, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Colorado Rockies catcher Jonathan Lucroy has set a new career-high this season, but it’s not exactly the kind of big stat you want to see on your timeline.

Lucroy was plunked twice in Friday night’s 6-3 loss to the Miami Marlins in south Florida. Those were his third and fourth occasions to be hit by a pitch during his time with the Rockies. Combine those with the four times he was hit this season as a member of the Texas Rangers and Lucroy has now been hit eight times in 2017, well over his career-high of five set in 2013 with the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I guess they’re pitching me more inside if I’m getting drilled,” Lucroy told Rox Pile in an exclusive interview inside the visiting clubhouse before Saturday’s game in Miami. “I know I have been hit by a couple of offspeed pitches that have back up and I know that’s a mistake. Hitting a guy with a slider or something is pretty hard to do, especially a righty hitting a righty. “As far as heaters, I would imagine some balls are getting away from them. Probably trying to pitch me in. They’re trying to pitch me up and in and the ball is getting away from them and it is getting me. It is what it is but, at the same time, this is the big leagues and you have to be able to control your fastball.”

That’s where the 31-year-old Lucroy seemed to take issue with 25-year-old Miami starter Jose Urena on Friday night. Urena, who has now hit 13 batters this season, drilled Lucroy with pitches in the fourth and sixth innings. In the fourth, it was a 1-2 pitch. In the sixth, the plunking came on a 3-0 count. They were the only times Urena hit a batter on Friday night and Lucroy showed his frustration after getting hit in the sixth.

As a point of comparison, Kyle Freeland leads the Rockies with eight hit batsmen this season.

“I was a little mad about that,” Lucroy said on Saturday. “You’re throwing 95, 96, 97 and you’re letting balls get away up and in. This is the big leagues. You have to be in control of yourself and control what you’re doing. It’s part of the game but, at the same time, when you’re getting drilled all of the time, it is frustrating.”

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 04: Pitcher Antonio Senzatela #49 and cacther Jonathan Lucroy #21 of the Colorado Rockies meet at the mound in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on August 4, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

One thing that has not frustrated Lucroy since he was acquired by the Rockies at the trade deadline is the attitude Colorado’s young pitchers bring to the mound. Prior to his first home game with the Rockies this season, Lucroy called Colorado’s starters “a great staff.” Now that he’s worked with them extensively, the veteran says the competitiveness he sees from them on the mound has made a big impact.

More from Rox Pile A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead? Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023? “They’re extremely competitive,” Lucroy said. “They’re not letting up at all on any pitch. They attack. They’re very aggressive. That’s something, for me, that is very refreshing. They’re out there giving everything they have because they care. They’re fighting for something. They’re playing for a reason. As a catcher, it’s nice to be able to have those guys on the mound because they’re attacking, attacking, attacking. Good results or bad results aside, it’s cool just to be able to be back there and to have that kind of mentality on the mound. Every pitch means something to them. There’s no letting up and, as a catcher, that’s really all you can ask for.”

And, as a veteran catcher, what does he do if he sees one of his young pitchers starting to get a little wild on the mound?

Next: Prized prospect Ryan McMahon talks about his first MLB call-up

“As a veteran guy, I let them kind of go and see if they usually self-correct,” Lucroy said. “Sometimes, young guys, they kind of get out of it and try to press a little bit. They try to do too much. Not all of them, but I was that age before too and I know how it is. You’re out there grinding through it and you’re fighting and you can’t figure out what to do to get back on track. Sometimes I will go out there and try to slow them down and get them to breathe. Get them to relax. Get them to focus on my glove. Just small stuff to see if I can get them away from what they’re thinking about.”

Home / Colorado Rockies News

Colorado Rockies catcher Jonathan Lucroy has set a new career-high this season, but it’s not exactly the kind of big stat you want to see on your timeline.

Schedule