Colorado Rockies: Duane Espy talks hitting, navigating tough times at plate

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DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 4: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after striking out looking with a runner in scoring position to end the eighth inning as Nick Hundley #5 of the San Francisco Giants runs off the field at Coors Field on September 4, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Giants 4-3. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

PITTSBURGH — Through the first 17 games of the 2018 season, the Colorado Rockies were ranked 27^thin Major League Baseball with a .217 batting average. However, their 24 home runs were tied for second, trailing only the Los Angeles Angels. There is no question that it is a time of feast or famine at the plate for the Rockies.

These are not only statistics that Rockies fans know and anguish over but they are also the puzzle that is trying to be pieced together under the watchful eye of hitting coach Duane Espy.

Talking to me in the tunnel under Nationals Stadium before Sunday’s finale in Washington, Espy knows there is not a magic cure for the Rockies right now. There is no wand that can be waved to cut down on Trevor Story’s strikeouts or the struggles that young players like Ryan McMahon, Mike Tauchman and Pat Valaika have had while trying to provide some pop off the bench.

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Espy says he doesn’t want to find the magic bullet because the effect might be temporary. He’s looking to find long-term fixes where there are holes in swings and at-bats can be improved and not empty.

“It’s like the start of the season for us offensively. It’s been what it is, but it hasn’t been what we hoped for,” Espy explained in our exclusive interview. “I don’t look at it as anything other than an opportunity for us to figure out some things and be better down the road.

“I kind of, in a weird way, have developed that finding our way out of difficult times is more gratifying than when we’re on a three-week streak where we’re scoring double-digits and everything is clicking. You think that’s where you’re having the most fun. That’s the easiest part but figuring out the difficult times is where you get the most gratification.”

It’s also a never-ending job. Mornings and evenings are consumed with what can be improved and how that can happen. It’s part of winning at the Major League level.

“There’s always a lot of dialogue about our players,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “All hours of the day, whether it’s in the mornings or late after game, there is constant dialogue about our players, their swings, their approach and our team approach.

“For me, how I work, it’s collaborative between all of the coaches in all phases. That’s how I approach the coaching thing. All seven or eight of us are involved with the dialogue because I respect everyone’s opinion on what they see and their knowledge.”

PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 29: Manager Bud Black #10 of the Colorado Rockies watches from the dugout during the third inning of the opening day MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on March 29, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The relationship between Black and Espy goes back to 1991 when Espy was managing the Pacific Coast League’s Phoenix Firebirds and Black, then a member of the San Francisco Giants, was sent to Phoenix to pitch on a rehab assignment.

“A big-league guy doing a rehab start. That’s not actually managing,” Espy laughed.

It may not have been, but, 26 years later, the duo is together, working to solve Colorado’s recent offensive woes.

When Black became Colorado’s manager last season, one of his early moves was to bring Espy back for his second stint as the Rockies hitting coach, a position he held under Clint Hurdle from 2003 through 2006.

“Duane has been a very long-standing, highly regarded baseball man. He’s been with the Rockies for over a decade and he’s done great work,” Black said.

This, however, could be one of Espy’s toughest tasks. A Colorado team with high hopes for the season finds itself scrapping for runs … and struggling to stay above .500. Sure, Charlie Blackmon has missed time with injury. Yes, Nolan Arenado is currently suspended for his role in a brawl against the San Diego Padres. However, even with both of them in the lineup, Colorado has scuffled this season.

Espy says there are no short-term fixes.

“It would be great to look at today and find out something where we all get hits and all do great,” Espy said. “But if we have to find something else tomorrow, that’s not it for me.”

We throw out acronyms like BABIP and WPA and REW and Espy is aware of those. But he’s more concerned about the bottom line of what’s going on with his offense.

“I try not to pay attention (to sabermetrics) in the sense that that’s not what we’re trying to do,” Espy said. “We’re trying to score runs and win games.

“I guess it’s hard for people to understand, but the other day (Friday in Washington) we won 2-1 and that doesn’t upset me. It doesn’t upset me that we got five hits and we won 2-1. If we would’ve won 2-1 on Saturday with one hit (Charlie Blackmon’s two-run homer), we win. There is no satisfaction for me to get 17 hits if we lose 12-11. I don’t walk around going, ‘We’re really swinging the bats well.’

“For me, the game is about finding a way to win. That being said, all things are stat-driven now. I know people look at it differently but, to me, you functionally hit and score enough runs to win or you don’t.”

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) /

While the way we look at stats may have changed, “the physical elements of hitting have remained the same,” Espy says. Another thing that hasn’t changed throughout the years is the importance of communication between player and coach.

Take Story, for example. While Espy served as Colorado’s minor league hitting coordinator in 2015, Story was working through Double-A and Triple-A toward his time in the Majors. The two developed a relationship that continues today as Story continues to work on his swing.

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“I talk to Buddy a lot about the game and situational stuff, including defense. He’s a pitcher and he has that mindset,” Story said. “But I’ve been around Duane a long time, including the minor leagues. We just know each other really well and know how we work together.”

“Familiarity with anyone and knowing their personality and what they physically do well and what that slippery slope is where they could head the wrong direction, we try to monitor those things and keep them on track,” Espy chimed in. “He (Story) knows the language I’m speaking and I know the language he’s speaking. Sometimes things can still go off but there is enough respect in our relationship where we can go back and forth and get things where they need to be.”

His 2012 Tulsa Drillers Double-A team featured a 21-year-old Nolan Arenado, 22-year-old Tyler Chatwood and 23-year-old Josh Rutledge, among others. Through his years as manager, minor league hitting coordinator, supervisor of development and hitting coach, Espy has had his fingers on the development of several of today’s Rockies … and those who have impacted the organization in the past.

That’s a lot of job titles … and a lot of difference-making for the franchise.

“Everything’s a little different,” Espy said about his various roles. “There are good elements. There are frustrations in everything. I think the great thing about this game is that, and it took me a lot of years to understand this, it’s fun and it seems to be an easy game when it’s going well. But I’ve found a little more joy and gratification in getting through the tough times.”

And that gets us back to today and those “tough times” the Rockies are facing as they open a three-game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Espy believes in the old saying that “tough times don’t last but tough people do.”

You can bash this team or individual players. You can give up on them. You can say the season is already a lost cause. Do what you will, but Espy knows what he is seeing in the cage and in the sessions that no one else sees.

Next: The top 25 Colorado Rockies players and prospects under 25 years old

“I want them all to find something they can take on a consistent basis from day to day. Their work, how they prepare and how they can get through a long season,” Espy said. “The one thing I will say about this group, their attention to detail and how they work and come to the ballpark has been great. There is nobody who has fallen off to the side. It’s easy to help when you have guys who are working like these guys.”

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