Missing in Action: Colorado Rockies left off the September roster

Mike Tauchman

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?

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.