Colorado Rockies: Garrett Hampson has earned the second base role

Experiencing a taste of the Show last season, Garrett Hampson came into spring training on a mission. Now as Opening Day is less than three weeks away, the Rockies number three overall prospect looks to solidify his spot as the starting second baseman.

Youthful exuberance has swept over the Colorado Rockies over the past two seasons. Gone, for the most part, barring a few exceptions, are the days of relying heavily on a veteran presence in the clubhouse and instead shifting gears to young adolescence. As Hall of Famer, Ken Griffey Jr. says, ‘let the kids play.’

The Rockies are in a wholly unfamiliar territory heading into the 2019 season. Over the offseason longtime gold glove second baseman DJ LeMahieu signed a contract with the New York Yankees. In an ideal effort to quell the gap faced by his exit, the club brought in Daniel Murphy. The only problem? Murphy is slated to take over at first base for Ian Desmond, who himself signed a $70 million deal three years ago to in fact play first base.

As Bud Black continues his chaotic carousel of moving players around, second base is one spot seemingly still unoccupied, for now. While the potential does exist for third-year platoon infielder Ryan McMahon to step in to fill the role, the Rockies would be in an overall better spot if they utilized McMahon off the bench in his usual role, affording the starting opportunity instead to Garrett Hampson.

Finding his groove

Last season Hampson received a piece of the action at the major league level. He played in 24 games, registering 48 total plate appearances, slashing a relatively solid .275/.396/.400 with a more impressive .355 wOBA and 108 wRC+, respectively. He did not hit a home run; however, he drove in four runs and swiped a couple of bags.

One of the stats which stands out looking at his first time around the league and the sample size is his walk rate. It is true Hampson did strike out at a 25% clip which in and of itself is not horrible. However, the 14.6% walk rate is excellent. As his 24 game sample size does not qualify him for anything regarding his stats, had the walk rate been registered, it would be sitting in the top ten across the league.

Regarding his most valuable asset, the speed, Hampson managed 52 stolen bases over 600 plate appearances while in the minor leagues, and stole 123 bases over his career with an 84% success rate. His speed is on the back half of being considered elite, and while it does not quite reach the multitude of some other base stealers, for Hampson, it is downright impressive. Overall, what Hampson brings to the table is something Rockies fans should be excited about moving into the new season.

Competition in full swing

Thus far, Hampson has knocked the competition around. In 13 games across the spring, Hampson is slashing .308/.379/.654 with a stellar 1.033 OPS. Over these games, Hampson has recorded 30 total plate appearances. He already has three home runs, six RBI, and an impressive five stolen bases.

While most of the quality of pitching Hampson has faced is close to Double-A, he has still taken full advantage of the opportunity in front of him and is running with it and making an impact.

Nobody knows how the rest of the spring will shake out and whether Hampson can continue to build on his already impressive showing as we close in on Opening Day. McMahon is also on a tear, slashing a ridiculous .406/.472/.781 with a couple of home runs and four RBI.

McMahon has also seen his fair share of major league action the past two seasons. While there have certainly been bright spots, McMahon has shown struggles too. In 2017, his first stint in the Show, McMahon slashed an unimpressive .158/.333/.211 with a .269 wOBA and 46 wRC+. It got slightly better last year, as he slashed .232/.307/.376 with a .296 wOBA and 68 wRC+ over 202 plate appearances.