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Colorado Rockies: Who would be their designated hitter?

By Olivia Greene

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 29: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies hits a 2 RBI home run in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 29, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 29: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies hits a 2 RBI home run in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 29, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Ryan McMahon

Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies
MIAMI, FL – AUGUST 13: Ryan McMahon #1 of the Colorado Rockies records his first major league hit in the eighth inning during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies at Marlins Park on August 13, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Why: I know someone is already saying, “he’s supposed to start at first.” Well, sorry Charlie. That’s not the case with this hypothetical. I’ve been questioning if Ryan McMahon was a smart choice at first for the longest time. When I say that, I’m not saying this guy can’t hit, because he can. I’m saying position-wise, it’s going to be a very big mess. So instead of the Rockies taking such a big risk with a crucial position, if the NL had a DH spot, they could put him in the DH spot.

2017 does not bring in a good sample size at the major league level. There is a lot of room for growth this season. Having McMahon as a DH would really show his worth when it comes to him at the plate. So looking back to last season, he had 24 plate appearances, which is a very small sample size. Because of that, it’s why his slashline looks like this: .158/.333/.211.

Projections: The projections have him playing in more games thus getting more plate appearances. They don’t have McMahon getting a lot of RBI (24) nor a lot of home runs (seven). However, they only project him playing in 20 games, which if he’s the team’s opening day first baseman, he’ll be in more than 20 games. With that being said, having him at DH exposes him to a lot of different pitchers and gives him plenty of experience so that when he bats more he knows what to expect and can pounce on any opportunity he’s given.

Where in the lineup: With McMahon DH’ing, that’d mean Ian Desmond would be playing first and Mike Tauchman and Raimel Tapia would be getting time in left field.

  1. Charlie Blackmon, CF
  2. DJ LeMaheiu, 2B
  3. Nolan Arenado, 3B
  4. Carlos Gonzalez, RF
  5. Trevor Story, SS
  6. Ian Desmond, 1B
  7. Ryan McMahon, DH
  8. Gerardo Parra*/Raimel Tapia/Mike Tauchman, LF
  9. Chris Iannetta, C
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