Missing in Action: Colorado Rockies left off the September roster

As the Colorado Rockies stumble through September, it’s worth looking at some of the players conspicuously left off the 40-man roster. Would the Rockies be better off with these guys on the squad? Or was there good reason to snub them from the roster to make space for, say, the infield prowess of Pat Valaika?

Jeff Hoffman

Hoffman is a familiar face to Rockies fans after starting 16 games for the team in 2017. Despite his uninspiring campaign (5.89 ERA and 1.47 WHIP), it seemed he could still be a viable arm for the Rockies this season.

Unfortunately, 2018 was a tumultuous year for Hoffman. He made one spot start for the Rockies — a home game on July 13 against the Seattle Mariners — and it was an ugly one as he allowed eight hits and three earned runs in just 3.1 innings (the Rockies won the game 10-3). Hoffman made five other relief appearances, and in total pitched just 8.2 innings for a nasty 9.35 ERA and 2.54 WHIP.

Hoffman struggled in AAA as well. He started 21 games for the Isotopes, and while his 4.94 ERA and 80/34 strikeout-to-walk ratio are respectable numbers for the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, his performance declined as the season went along. His ERA was 3.97 before the All-Star Break, with 1.17 strikeouts-per-inning and a .251 batting average against him, but after the All-Star Break his ERA was 6.06 with 0.73 K/inning and a .285 batting average against.

Hoffman has an aggravated case of what’s often ailed Jon Gray — when the going gets tough, he lets games get away from him in horrifying fashion. The Rockies weren’t going to call up a guy they can’t trust with a comfortable lead, especially as the bullpen is finally coming around.

2019 should be pivotal for Hoffman as he attempts to prove he still can play a role in this organization. Otherwise, Jesus Tinoco — who pitched well this season for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats — is the last man standing from the Troy Tulowitski trade.

Josh Fuentes

You would think the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year — who also happens to be Nolan Arenado’s cousin — would be a shoe-in for the 40-man roster. But instead, Fuentes has a date with the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.

Fuentes tore apart PCL pitchers for a slash line of 327/.354/.517, good for an OPS of .871. He led the league in hits (171), while accumulating 14 home runs, 12 triples, and 39 doubles. He committed just 10 errors in 107 games played, and led the PCL with a .965 fielding percentage.

Fuentes didn’t get a cup of coffee with the Rockies this season, but his performance certainly merited consideration for the 40-man roster. In fact, Patrick Karraker of the MLB Daily Dish added Fuentes as one of his “10 players who got snubbed for a September call-up.”

“It would’ve been justifiable for the Rockies to add Fuentes rather than acquiring Drew Butera from the Royals,” Karraker writes. “Or after acquiring Butera, they could’ve DFA’d fourth catcher Tom Murphy, who is out of options after this season.”

After a few weeks with Butera, it’s hard to argue with that.

It’s also hard to understand why Pat Valaika is a better infielder option than Fuentes. But hopefully the Fall League will help Fuentes’ development more than being a body in the Rockies dugout.

Jordan Patterson

Is time running out for Jordan Patterson?

The 26-year-old corner outfielder’s AAA resume is nothing to scoff at. He is the Isotopes all-time home runs leader (66) and this season, slashed .271/.367/.525 for an OPS .892. He had 26 home runs to go with 23 doubles.

Unfortunately, the Rockies have barely used Patterson at the major league level. He made the 40-man roster in 2016 and had eight hits in 19 plate appearances and two starts. But he’s made only occasional appearances in the Rockies dugout since then, and hasn’t had a plate appearance.

As Jeff Aberle of Purple Row pointed out, David Dahl and Raimel Tapia “are ahead of Patterson in the pecking order for a Major League role.” In addition, Mike Tauchman, a lower-regarded prospect and clearly less capable hitter, was called up over Patterson at points in the year.

Patterson is 26 years old. He’s been nothing if not consistent in his AAA career, but hasn’t shown much improvement, either. I doubt he has anything left to showcase for the Rockies in the minor leagues. He doesn’t have a role in the near future with the Rockies, and it might behoove the Rockies to send him to another organization.

Mike Tauchman

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Speaking of Tauchman, the Rockies gave him ample opportunity to prove himself this season. But the 27-year-old outfielder didn’t come through, slashing a woeful .094/.194/.125 in 37 plate appearances, with just one extra base hit and one steal.

However, Tauchman raked in the PCL. He hit an eye-popping .323/.408/.571 for a .978 OPS, and had mashed 20 home runs and 26 doubles while stealing 12 bases. Tauchman’s Isotopes teammates named him the team’s MVP and he was voted the Fan Favorite. They might as well make him the mayor of Albuquerque.

Such prowess at the plate makes his performance with the Rockies all the more baffling. He wasn’t great at the plate with the Rockies in 2017 (.222/.344/.296 with one extra-base hit in 27 plate appearances), but his speed and defense made Rockies fans take note. Though that speed isn’t particularly useful when those legs aren’t on base.

Now, Tauchman is yet another left-handed outfielder drowning in a sea of them. He wasn’t even worth the call-up for a pinch-runner role, at the very least. If Tauchman could mash at Coors like he can in Albuquerque, he would possibly leapfrog Dahl and Tapia in the depth chart. But it’s difficult to envision that happening at this point.