Isaac Stevens | @rockiesmilbreport | February 16
On March 21, 2023 the Rockies signed switch hitting utility player Jurickson Profar to a one year contract. The signing cemented him as the first switch hitter in the lineup daily since Dexter Fowler in 2013. After putting up a -2.0 fWAR in 111 games the Rockies subsequently released him.
That was one of many poor minuscule tenures for switch hitters in Rockies history. In this writeup I will talk about which Rockies switch hitters have done good, and which have done bad. I will also touch on what the future of Rockies switch hitting has in store.
What has gone wrong?
As it’s not a necessity to have a switch hitter on your team, but it’s one of those cool things in baseball that could work in special ways. Whereas in the Rockies viewpoint they have never pursued switch hitters nor drafted them. From 2011-2019 the Rockies only had 2 switch hitting prospects in their Pipeline Top 30 (Rosell Herrera and Cristhian Adames), and both players have a combined -1.9 fWAR in their MLB careers.
The Rockies have simply not drafted many quality switch hitters as well. They’ve drafted just 11 switch hitters in the first ten rounds since the 1993 draft. To add onto the fire none of them have put up a fWAR over 0.0. It’s a good strategy to draft whoever is best available by that selection in baseball, but it’s unusual to see the lack of switch hitters in Rockies organization history.
If we look at the even bigger picture there have been 24 switch hitters to get 110 plate appearances in a Rockies uniform, and only one had a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) over 100. The Rockies have, straight up, done a bad job at drafting/signing players since day one in team history. That could be the lack of ambition to think they’re MLB caliber, or contrary that they just are bad at finding switch hitting talent.
Who has done good
For all things bad I’ve said about the Rockies switch hitting history, there have been some bright spots in team history. Most notably is OF Dexter Fowler. He leads Rockies switch hitters in the following stats: WAR, wRC+, 2B, and SB. He was drafted in the 14th Round in the 2004 MLB Draft out of HS. He was the leadoff guy for the Rockies from 2009 to 2013. He’s been the only above average player statistically who has switched hitted in Rockies history. Here are some fun stats to emphasize Fowler’s success:
- Dexter Fowler is the only switch hitter to finish his Rockies tenure with a wRC+ over 100. (min. 110 PA)
- Every non Dexter Fowler Rockies switch hitter has a combined fWAR of -8.1
- Has a higher Rockies wRC+ than, Vinny Castilla, Jeff Reed, and DJ Lemahieu
One of the most notable players on the 2007 Rockies roster was second baseman Kazuo Matsui. He was traded to the Rockies from the Mets after a sub-par tenure in New York. In 2007 at Coors Field Matsui had a .330/.381/.482 batting line, with all of his home runs taking place there. Although Matsui only spent a season and a half with the Rockies he was a temple to the most important playoff run in Rockies history.
Some other notable players consist of: Catcher Walt Weiss, career .375 OBP in his Rockies tenure in 523 games. Only an underwhelming 14 homers though. Neifi Perez has appeared in the most games as a Rockies switch hitter, leading in HR, RBI and RBI. That accumulated to a 61 wRC+, and a -1.3 fWAR. Eric Young Jr. (0.6 fWAR). Nelson Liriano (0.2 fWAR). Jonathan Herrera (0.2 fWAR).
What’s in store for the Rockies?
As the Rockies have historically not seen much success from switch hitters, it looks like that may change soon. Before international signings the Rockies had six switch hitters in the organization, then the Rockies signed three players from the Dominican Republic (one being Ashly Andjuar, who is 17th ranked player from the 2024 international signing list) Three of their top 30 prospects are switch hitters (Adael Amador, Drew Romo, and Cole Carrigg). Although things haven’t been the prettiest, the future only looks up from here.
Here is a brief summary to the top 30 Rockies switch hitting prospects:
2B Adael Amador is MLB Pipeline’s 28th overall prospect in the MLB. He has an intriguing set of skills that wraps around elite plate discipline, and good barrel percentage. In his age 20 season in 2023 he made it all the way to Double-A Hartford, albeit missing 7 weeks due to a hand surgery. One of the more intriguing parts about Amador is how young he is, and how his power numbers can improve. He projects to be a sustainable hitter from both sides of the plate. His ETA is 2025, but there is a possibility he debuts in 2024. Read more about Amador here (Louis’s article).
C Drew Romo was a 2020 Competitive Balance Round A (picks between first and second round, 35th overall pick) out of highschool. He has a 60 grade Arm and Fielding tools, and for a catcher you love to see that. His hitting has always been inconsistent throughout the minors, and it hasn’t gotten easier the higher of level that he’s gotten. However looking at his batting splits he’s done exceptionally better from the left side of the plate. So it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep him as a strict Left Handed Batter, the Rockies could still see something with his swing.
C/CF Cole Carrigg was drafted 65th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. He’s nowhere near as close to the show as Amador and Romo, but he does have an intriguing case. He is a catcher/center fielder, and to do that at a professional level shows how elite his athleticism really is. 2024 will be his first full season in his professional career. His stuff is pretty raw, but he has the tools to excel through the minors.
The Rockies have the 3rd, 38th, and 42nd picks in the 2024 MLB Draft. Some Notable switch hitters that are available for the draft are OF/P Braden Montgomery, C/1B Ethan Anderson, OF Garrett Shull, SS Rustan Rigdon, SS JD Dix.
Wrap Up
Time will only tell whether or not the Rockies will ever see a stud switch hitter, but after looking at their actions as of late it is starting to look more and more possible each day.
Thank you all for reading!
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