Luke Wortman | November 23, 2024
Yesterday the Rockies made their first external splash of the offseason signing second baseman Kyle Farmer. The 34-year-old has been playing in the big leagues since 2017.
The contract is a one-year deal that will pay him $3.25 million, with an additional $1.25 million in incentives. With starting second baseman Brendan Rodgers also being non-tendered on Friday, it raises the question: what is the state of second base for the Rockies? While there’s a list of options, Farmer headlines the group.
The Second Base Options:
Kyle Farmer | .214/.293/.353 (.647 OPS), 5 HR, 3 SB, -0.3 WAR (MLB)
Currently, the most experienced option and arguably best option is Farmer. Since making his debut in 2017, he has been a slightly above-average player. Farmer was worth 4.2 WAR between 2021-2023, but struggled badly last year amid a swing path change. If he can play like he did in the early 2020s, then this will be a solid signing for the Rockies.
Farmer provides veteran leadership and useful utility, being able to play throughout the infield. Farmer has historically been a quality defender at each infield spot. If this signing happened last year when there were fewer questions about his bat, there wouldn’t be a downside to this signing. However, the Georgia native is nearing his mid-30s and his production significantly decreased last season.
It is likely that Farmer will platoon at second base this season with the flexibility to man the hot corner and possibly shortstop in a pinch. He’s always been significantly better against lefties, including last season when he had a .751 OPS compared to a .545 OPS against righties. With the platoon role being a virtual guarantee, who might Farmer split time with?
Adael Amador | .171/.194/.200 (.394 OPS), 0 HR, 1 SB, -0.4 WAR (MLB)
2024 MiLB Stats: .230/.343/.376 (.719 OPS), 14 HR, 35 SB (AA)
If the season were to start today, Amador seems like the next-best option at second base. The former top prospect has loads of potential, even though he struggled mightily in his brief MLB debut. The 21-year-old hasn’t looked the same since an injury in 2023. Regardless, this could be Amador’s breakout year as he hopes to start it with good health.
In what was a controversial move, the team called up Amador to the show in early June even when his Double-A stats indicated he still had boxes to check in the minors. Hopefully, Amador’s time in the big leagues will serve as a developmental lesson. It’s likely that he will start the season in the minors unless he has a dominant spring. Once Amador starts hitting, it won’t be long until the team calls him up as a huge piece of the Rockies future lies with Amador.
Owen Miller | .185/.185/.222/ (.407 OPS), 0 HR, 0 SB, -0.6 WAR (MLB)
Miller has over 1015 big league plate appearances and was recently acquired by the Rockies from Milwaukee (non-40 man player). After spending a significant portion of the last three years in the big leagues, Miller only appeared in 14 games last season. He spent the majority of his time in AAA, hitting .276 with 5 home runs. Much of Miller’s value comes from his above average defense at second base and quality speed.
With the solid sample size he has had in MLB, it’s clear that he doesn’t provide much more than average overall impact at the big league level with a well below average bat. Regardless, he provides a lot of experience to an otherwise inexperienced depth chart.
Aaron Schunk | .234/.265/.330 (.595 OPS), 2 HR, 0 SB, 0.2 WAR (MLB)
After a steady season and a half at Albuquerque, Schunk spent the last half of the season in the show as a utility infielder. The 27-year-old can play all across the infield, but second and third base are his strongest. He struggled to find consistent playing time, which undoubtedly threw off his rhythm.
It’s clear that Schunk does not have as high of potential as Amador because he can be a bit overly aggressive at the plate and lacks big time pop. Schunk was able to hold his own in his first big league showing, and will undoubtedly be in the mix next season at second base.
Ryan Ritter | .270/.370/.403 (.773 OPS), 7 HR, 17 SB (AA)
The dark horse option of the group, Ritter had a major offensive breakout at Hartford last season. The 24-year-old has always been regarded as a good defensive shortstop, but his offensive potential has clearly increased. Ritter won’t start the year in the majors, but another solid offensive start could allow him a shot at Blake Street soon.
Ritter showed out in the Arizona Fall League recently, working a stellar 27.7 BB% (18 walks in 65 PAs) while also hitting a pair of homers. Ritter’s floor isn’t overly high because he’s not a polished pure hitter but his power and defensive ability leaves the door open to an everyday skillset, especially if Ritter proves the Fall League discipline is for real.
The Rockies certainly have a dilemma on their hands with no obvious everyday second baseman. However, the lack of certainty may ultimately yield a huge benefit as a handful of players are all openly competing for a starting job at the big league level. As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron.
Leave a Reply