Colorado Rockies: The 4 biggest takeaways from time at spring training

I just returned from a week at the Colorado Rockies spring training facility. During that time, I not only caught up with several players, manager Bud Black and many members of the Rockies organization, but also took in practices and games.

One of the common misnomers about spring training is that it’s a time when players take it easy. On the contrary, the clubhouse opens to media at 7:30 each morning and games aren’t over until around 5. In between, there are plenty of meetings and workouts, both on the field and in the weight room.

There is a sign at the Rockies facility in Scottsdale that says, “The road to Rocktober begins here.” There is also little question that spring training is where the building blocks for a successful season are placed and built upon.

Now that I am back in the Denver area, I wanted to share with you some of the impressions I took away from my time in Arizona. Sure, it’s early in spring training and a lot can happen between now and Opening Day (March 29 at Chase Field against the Diamondbacks) but there are still patterns that can be seen and thoughts that can be interpreted.

Here are my four biggest takeaways from my time at Rockies camp in Scottsdale…

The kids are looking good … and getting experience

Spring training is a time when all teams get a look at that “next generation” of players. That includes players like Daniel Castro, who went 3-for-3 from the nine hole in a March 6 win over Seattle, and Sam Hilliard, who drove in the winning run with a two-out, two-strike single on March 8 against Cincinnati.

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Bud Black likes getting a chance to see the young Rockies in clutch situations, and he got a chance to see them in those situations a lot during a run of six consecutive one-run decisions (three losses followed by three wins).

“It’s good to see these guys in these situations,” Black said. “For Hilliard, (Brendan) Rodgers, (Yonathan) Daza, this is great experience for them. We talk about all these steps we have to take all the time. These are little steps, even though it’s a spring training game. But it’s a big league camp. They’ve never been here before. We look for certain things because we want to know these players as they go through the system to see what they can actually do. “I like to see the young guys at the back end of these games. Both the pitchers and the hitters. Even when we’re on defense, it’s good to see these guys make plays. (Garrett) Hampson made a nice play in the hole. It’s good to see these late-game at-bats. Hilliard, two strikes, took a fastball the other way for a base hit. That was good to see. Sam’s has had a good spring. He’s shown well. It puts a little pressure on the pitching too in these close games. So these young guys like (Shane) Broyles and (James) Farris and (Jerry) Vasto and (Ryan) Castellani, it’s good to see these guys pitch in close games.”

While some Rockies fans may not know their names (yet), having these young players on the field for important innings is a big part of spring training … and can pay off down the road for the organization.

Don’t sweat the numbers too much

Ian Desmond is working on a new swing. Bryan Shaw gives up a home run in his first outing in a Colorado uniform. Antonio Senzatela throwing plenty of changeups.

Baseball writers and fans are focused on statistics and performance, but spring is also a time for players to work on things that they may or may not use once the regular season arrives. If a player is going to work on a tweak to his stance or throwing motion, it’s best to do it in an exhibition game than when the games count in the standings.

Colorado Rockies

As an example, Shaw, one of the Colorado’s biggest offseason signings, has a career 6.03 ERA in 61 spring training games. His regular-season ERA is at 3.13.

Another example is Kyle Freeland, one of last year’s biggest breakthroughs in the rotation. He has a 6.75 ERA in eight innings pitched over three starts. That’s less than three innings per start, something that certainly won’t happen in the regular season and one of the reasons why Freeland is focused on other things than his ERA in the spring.

“Getting first-pitch strikes is extremely key. It improves your chance of getting that batter out by a serious percentage,” Freeland said after his Thursday start. “First pitch strike is very key for me, especially early in the spring and going into the regular season.”

A fastball in spring training that might be pushed for a first strike might not be the same as a pitch thrown in the regular season. Different scenarios and different circumstances. If you’re worried about stats this early, relax a little and know that spring training is for trials and experiments that may not always result in the best numbers.

Want to see a perfect example of that? It’s all in what Jon Gray told me after Friday’s rough outing against the Indians.

And there’s always this reminder from Cubs manager/philosopher Joe Maddon…

Gerardo Parra is more important than you think

There has been a lot of talk about the Rockies outfield in spring training. With David Dahl, Mike Tauchman and Raimel Tapia each pushing for a roster spot, it was one of the key battles we were looking at heading into spring training. However, there was a wrench thrown in the mix when Gerardo Parra underwent hand surgery before spring training and hasn’t made an appearance … yet.

On Thursday, I talked to Parra about his injury and rehab for this article. On Friday morning, Bud Black announced that Parra would be back on the field for Sunday’s game against the Dodgers in Scottsdale. You can believe that the 30-year-old outfielder will get plenty of at-bats in the coming days as he tries to make up for lost time.

For Black, it isn’t just about at-bats with Parra, however. It’s also about his defensive abilities. With the reported return of Carlos Gonzalez, Parra will now be pushing for time in left and right field, likely splitting time with Ian Desmond and CarGo in those spots, as well as the younger outfielders mentioned above.

Left field at Coors Field comes in as an underrated defensive position, but Parra has shined in the past out there, including this gem of a catch during Kyle Freeland’s attempt at a no-hitter last season.

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“Left field, you can make a case, is just as important as center field in our park,” Black told Rox Pile and other media members on Friday morning. “Parra is capable of going back and forth between right and left. He can center if needed, but we have other guys who can cover that. He’s a good defender.”