Colorado Rockies spring flashback: A history-making lineup

It was a decade ago today that the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks opened up play at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. In celebration of the milestone, let’s take a look back at Colorado’s lineup that day.

On February 26, 2011, the Rockies and Diamondbacks took the field to mark the first-ever game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., that the two National League West rivals still share as their spring training headquarters.

So what was the Colorado Rockies starting lineup for the first-ever game at their new spring training headquarters?

Here is the lineup rolled out for the historic game by Rockies manager Jim Tracy

Dexter Fowler, CF

Seth Smith, RF

Carlos Gonzalez, LF

Troy Tulowitzki, SS

Ian Stewart, 3B

Ty Wigginton, 1B

Jose Lopez, 2B

Chris Iannetta, C

Ubaldo Jimenez, P

There are some memorable names in the lineup, including a couple who would have a very brief stay in Colorado.

After being traded by Seattle to Colorado for Chaz Roe, Lopez would play just 38 games for the Rockies, posting a .208/.233/.288 slash line before being released.

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Wigginton, meanwhile, played his only season in Colorado in 2011 after being signed as a free agent in the offseason. Playing in 130 games, he hit 15 homers, good for a third-place tie in power behind Tulowitzki’s 30 and CarGo’s 26.

While they might not have started the game for the Rockies, there were several players on the spring roster who would make their MLB debuts later in the season, including Charlie Blackmon, Wilin Rosario, Jordan Pacheco, and Juan Nicasio.

And let’s not forget the Arizona side of the roster on that February day as well, which included Gerardo Parra, who would suit up for the Rockies from 2016-2018.

Check out both sides of the lineup below.

Have you visited Salt River for a Rockies spring training game? If so, let us know your favorite memory in the comments section below.