Colorado Rockies: 3 hitters who underperformed at Coors Field in 2020

Sep 15, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies designated hitter Matt Kemp (25) tosses his bat after striking out in the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 15, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies designated hitter Matt Kemp (25) tosses his bat after striking out in the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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Aug 28, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies designated hitter Matt Kemp (25) celebrates his three run home run in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies designated hitter Matt Kemp (25) celebrates his three run home run in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Which Colorado Rockies hitters didn’t feel quite at home hitting at Coors Field in 2020? Let’s dive into the statistics.

Yesterday, we looked at three members of the Colorado Rockies who hit much better at home than they did on the road in 2020. Today, we’re going to look at three Rockies who hit worse at home than they did on the road or, in 2020, simply didn’t live up to their performance in seasons past at 20th and Blake.

Let’s start with a late signing who didn’t provide the pop he was expected to bring to his new team.

Matt Kemp

Just after Kemp signed with the Rockies, we discussed how the veteran outfielder had hit so well during his career at Coors Field. Let’s not forget that Kemp was even named as one of the great Rockies killers over the past decade because of his propensity to hit in Denver.

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Well, unfortunately, the magic for Coors Field didn’t carry over for Kemp in 2020. Overall, Kemp slashed just .214/.276./400 in 70 at-bats over 23 games in downtown Denver. He did, however, hit four of his six homers on the season at Coors.

Kemp performed better overall on the road in 2020 than he did at 20th and Blake, albeit in a small sample size. In 47 at-bats over 20 games, Kemp posted a .277/.393/.447 line.

Will Kemp return to the Rockies in 2021? MLB.com’s Thomas Harding believes Kemp will be among those who will not receive a qualifying offer from the Rockies this offseason.

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 12: Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies hits fielders choice during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on August 12, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 12: Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies hits fielders choice during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on August 12, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Charlie Blackmon

Chuck Nazty got off to an incredible start and had people wondering if he could hit .400 in the shortened season. However, he finished the year hitting just. 303 overall after hitting just .230 in September.

A monster in Denver in past seasons, Blackmon also didn’t live up to his numbers at 20th and Blake in 2020 as well. In 111 at-bats over 30 games, Blackmon slashed .306/.347/.450 at Coors Field in 2020. In 110 at-bats over 29 road games, the 34-year-old outfielder posted numbers of .300/.366/.445.

You may look at the 2020 numbers and see an even split between home and road … and that’s the problem for Blackmon. Including this season, Blackmon has career splits of .347/.404/.583 in Denver and .263/.316/.431 on the road. So while it was good to see Blackmon improve on the road in 2020, he also regressed on his home numbers.

A troubling sign or another effect of the shortened season? We’ll find out next year.

Tony Wolters

Much like Blackmon, we’re looking at career numbers here for home/road splits and doing a little head-scratching.

This year, Wolters (who has career .238 average) slashed just .230/.280/.270 overall, so it’s not like we’re looking at him as a prolific hitter as we are with Blackmon. However, Wolters has always hit much better in Denver (.273/.357/.369 career) than on the road (.203/.289./.268 career).

In 2020, Wolters flipped those numbers, slashing .214/.279/.250 in Denver (56 at-bats over 23 games) and .250/.283/.295 in 44 at-bats over 19 road games.

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Is it a huge difference between road and home this year for Wolters? No, but it’s still interesting to see another player who, in a smaller sample size, saw mirror numbers in 2020 than in his career.

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