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Three Colorado Rockies players who have something to prove in the final 30 percent of 2021

By Noah Yingling |
Apr 7, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Garrett Hampson (1) runs to third after stealing second base in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Garrett Hampson (1) runs to third after stealing second base in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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Mar 26, 2021; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies second baseman Garrett Hampson (1) bats against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2021; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies second baseman Garrett Hampson (1) bats against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies are a team that is at a crossroads and a lot of their players are at a crossroads as well.

Some players will almost definitely be with the Colorado Rockies in 2022, like Germán Márquez, Ryan McMahon, Kyle Freeland, Charlie Blackmon, and Brendan Rodgers are just four of the players that will fall into that category.

But there are some players that will have a lot to prove in the final 48 games (or 30 percent) of the Rockies regular season. It could be because they could be playing for a starting job next season, it could be just to get more playing time in general due to recent struggles or struggles throughout 2021, or it could be that they haven’t shown that they can play at the major league level yet.

So here are three Colorado Rockies that have something to prove in the final 48 games of the season.

Colorado Rockies utility man Garrett Hampson is definitely one in this category.

The Colorado Rockies love Garrett Hampson because he is extremely versatile and he is one of the fastest players in all of baseball.

However, he has seen his playing time diminish because his bat has not yet translated to the major league level.

Overall in 2021, Hampson is hitting .236/.289/.376 but since July 3, he is hitting .165 with an OPS just over .400. Considering that he has had an OPS between 65 and 72 from 2019 through 2021, Hampson has a lot to prove in the remaining 48 games of the season.

May 16, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Josh Fuentes (8) reacts to his double in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Josh Fuentes (8) reacts to his double in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Colorado Rockies infielder Joshua Fuentes also has something to prove too

Joshua Fuentes hit .306 with a .759 OPS in 2020 while playing an excellent defensive third and first base for the Colorado Rockies but it was often mentioned how Fuentes was having *a lot* of good luck. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was chief among the numbers pointing to that as his BABIP was .406 (league average is around .300).

He even hit well to begin the 2021 season, as through May 23, he was hitting .269 with an OPS of .723 (.320 BABIP) but his good luck ran out shortly thereafter. From June 8 through July 28, Fuentes hit .169 with an OPS of .423.

That’s why the Rockies sent him back to Triple-A Albuquerque. However, down there, he still isn’t hitting well as the former Pacific Coast League MVP is hitting .179/.256/.231 in 39 plate appearances.

Whether it’s in Albuquerque and/or at the major league level, Fuentes has shown that he can compete against anybody defensively but he has a lot to prove with the bat.

Colorado Rockies reliever Yency Almonte also has a lot to prove as well

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Quite honestly, there are about half a dozen relievers that you could pick for this third spot. After all, eight of the nine relievers that are currently in their bullpen have an ERA of 4.40 or higher but we are going with Yency Almonte for a few reasons.

Almonte, 27, has made 99 appearances in the major leagues and he has an ERA of 5.59. That skyrocketed from 3.89 entering the 2021 season.

In 2021, he has an ERA of 9.90 and that’s an improvement as it was as high as 14.09 in June. That ERA is, by far, the highest among Rockies relievers. Considering how poorly he has pitched in 2021 and considering that he has no minor league options remaining, he has a lot to prove in the remainder in the season and he has, perhaps, the most to prove out of any reliever.

Relievers are a dime a dozen so if Almonte finishes the season on a sour note, he could find himself out of the Rockies bullpen in 2022 and that could also happen for a few other Rockies relievers as well.

Next. Three players that Rockies should extend right now. dark

There are even more players that have something to prove and/or continue proving (e.g. Brendan Rodgers and Sam Hilliard’s recent play). That’s the nature of the beast with a rebuilding team but now, the Rockies just need to have a handful of players step up in the next few weeks to provide fans something to look forward to in 2022 and beyond.

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