The Rockies lack a few things, and intensity may be one of them
Baseball, in general, is a slow, methodical game.
When considering the major American sports, baseball’s pace is the slowest, and there can be full minutes between the action. That’s partly why baseball is often called “the thinking person’s game.”
But what if, instead of approaching baseball so logically and pragmatically, someone were to come in with a head of steam? A maverick, if you will?
It’s that kind of edge that the 2024 Colorado Rockies seem to lack at present. Right now, they appear to be going through the motions and just trying to stay afloat in what’s been a very rough first month-plus of the season.
This is one of those concepts that’s tough to quantify in any meaningful sense — I’m still waiting on Baseball Savant to come up with a “dawg in him” category.
It’s true, though, that some of MLB’s best teams have included one or several players who wear their passion on their sleeves.
Take White Sox stalwart AJ Pierzynski. While his work on the field was impressive, it was his tendency to act as a heel that endeared him to Chicago fans and made him so reviled by others.
Say what you will about his antics — he was extremely successful, being the game-caller for many of the best pitchers of the aughts. Did his combative nature lead to wins? Who knows. But if nothing else, it gave the White Sox a needed boost of energy.
We could also point to a current star such as Bryce Harper. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion on Philadelphia’s slugger. Taking his baseball talent out of the conversation for a moment, Harper’s personality is always at the forefront of his games. While some may see it as a distraction, others see his intensity as a catalyst for the team to feed off.
The thing is, the Rockies have had some intensity on their roster in the past.
Nolan Arenado famously brought the fire during his stint in Colorado, be it during a scuffle with the San Diego Padres or when he went in on his teammates during a particularly rough stretch of games. Of course, he’s also the subject of arguably the hardest image in Rockies history — one that’s etched into the minds of all Denver fans.
In losing Arenado to the Cardinals, the Rockies also lost, in my opinion, the last true sparkplug of intensity the team had.
That’s something the current roster could sorely use.
Why, though? What does having such a brash personality on the roster actually do for the team? Well, look at it this way — that volatility is a plus, especially when things seem so . . . dreary right now.
I’m not taking anything away from the current crew, by the way. They all want to win and express themselves in their own unique ways. It does seem, though, that the general vibe of the team is . . . down. Fair enough that they’re in the middle of what’s on pace to be a historically bad season, but the season is long.
There’s got to be someone that’s not willing to let things go the way they are.
Whether it’s empathically arguing balls and strikes with the umpire, starting (or finishing) beef with other clubs, or even just firing up their teammates, I’d love to see someone — on the team currently or from without — step into that role.
Who’s the most likely to do so?
Charlie Blackmon has shown similar fire in the past, but as he enters what’s likely the twilight of his career, I find it unlikely that he will pop off like this again. Maybe Ryan McMahon — the best player on the team at present — though his bright, friendly demeanor seems ill-suited for fiery exchanges.
Perhaps the ever-intriguing new kid, Jordan Beck?
He has famously shown that moxie in the past, and, though he’s unlikely to repeat that particular gesture at the game’s highest level, could end up being the fuse that lights the Rockies up?
Obviously I don’t expect him to do that in his rookie campaign while he learns the ropes of playing at the MLB level, but I often daydream of a year or two from now, when Beck sends one over the Coors Field fence and looks straight into the opposing dugout, perhaps finding another colorful form of nonverbal language to convey his feelings.
I understand that some may see this as “not baseball” or potentially lacking in sportsmanship, and to that I say . . . yeah, maybe. But the game is changing and will continue to change, and those that display fiery emotion are spearheading that change.
Does it sound like I’m advocating for the Rockies to add a jerk?
Maybe a little bit, but really I just want to find some sort of bite. Right now things are far too stagnant, and I hope someone will step into that role before we all collectively fall asleep.