Los Angeles – The timing didn’t go unnoticed. When the Rockies’ doubleheader with the Florida Marlins was rescheduled for Aug. 8, a teammate joked with that those games would be played without him.
They occur, after all, after the July 31 trading deadline, which many figure will be Wilson’s last day in a Rockies’ uniform. He is a center fielder with power, but not the centerpiece of a youth movement, leaving him a prime candidate to change addresses in the walk year of his contract.
“I don’t worry about things I don’t control, and I don’t have any control over any of that,” Wilson said. “If it comes up and happens, it does.”
Don’t mistake Wilson’s indifference for lack of interest. He helps the Rockies’ kids as much or more than any other veteran.
According to teammates, he provides positioning tips in between pitches, yells “in or back” when a flyball is hit and gives scouting reports on hitters.
“When you see the outfielders together during a pitching change, we aren’t talking about the girl in the third row,” right fielder said. “He’s reminding us how our pitcher’s strength matches up with their hitters. He’s amazing with that stuff.”
Wilson, who grew up in a baseball family, doesn’t view his contribution as anything abnormal, explaining “that as players you want to do what you can to make the game better when you leave.”
While trade rumors will persist, they are baseless unless the first baseman asks out, something he’s given no indication he will do. That makes Wilson the Rockies’ primary pawn to fill roster needs. After a slow start, Wilson, appearing fully recovered from two surgeries on his left knee, is hitting .246 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.
“I definitely have (something to prove). But I am not more motivated because I am going to be a free agent,” Wilson said.
Added manager Clint Hurdle: “He’s not going somewhere else until someone tells him to. This is a big year for him, and he has a mature understanding of the situation, and it shows in how he’s handled everything.”
MLB provides security muscle
After Hurdle expressed disappointment with how Dodger Stadium security handled a fan interference incident, Major League Baseball flew in muscle for the final game. George Hanna, second in command of MLB security, was sent to Los Angeles to ensure player and fan safety after an unidentified fan grabbed left fielder ‘s jersey Friday, yet was not arrested or ejected.
“If nothing is done, it sends the wrong message,” Holliday said.
The Dodgers are not actively looking for the fan involved.
Footnote
Hawpe, the Rockies’ second best rookie behind , provided a simple explanation for his breakout month. “I am in better position to hit fastballs and I am more relaxed mentally compared to last year when I was looking over my shoulder every time I made a mistake.” … Even as other teams inquire, free agent Dan Miceli’s first choice is to sign with the Rockies, his agent said Sunday. “That’s where he wants to be, but it has to make sense,” Tom O’Connell said.
