New York – Sandy Alomar Sr. believed in something he could not see. He was convinced Garrett Atkins could become an adequate fielder.
The idea strained credibility in September 2003. Atkins struggled with his footwork, aimed throws, lacked confidence.
“The problem was he had too much baggage dating back to college, always being told that he couldn’t do it,” said Alomar, now the New York Mets’ bench coach. “Once he stopped worrying about what other people thought, I knew he would be fine.”
Through relentless work with Alomar, special assistant Walt Weiss and current Rockies infield coach Mike Gallego, Atkins improved as much as any Rockie defensively. He finished with a team-high 18 errors, but bore no resemblance to the player once typecast as a DH. His most noticeable strengths were a strong, accurate arm and a reliable backhand.
“When you have guys who have all played in the big leagues for more than 10 years who believe in you,” Atkins said, “eventually you can’t help believing in yourself.”
Atkins’ glove was consistent enough to keep his productive bat in the lineup. He drove in a run in Sunday’s victory, finishing with team-high 89 RBIs. That represents the fifth most by a National League rookie since 1980, trailing only Albert Pujols (130), Mike Piazza (112), Todd Helton (97) and Scott Rolen (92).
Atkins still received no love in the Players Choice Awards, failing to finish ahead of the top three vote-getters: Ryan Howard, Jeff Francoeur and Willy Taveras.
“I think (Atkins) should be considered for rookie of the year,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s a blue-collar player. He answered all the questions I had about him.”
ACEVEDO HELPS OUT: Reliever Jose Acevedo quietly played Santa Claus in the clubhouse this season, collecting gifts for underprivileged children in the Dominican Republic. On Sunday, catcher Todd Greene donated cleats, batting gloves and workout shirts.
“I want to thank my teammates for all they did,” Acevedo said. “They don’t realize how much even a pair of shoes can change someone’s life.”
Acevedo sells some of the clothes that are too big to raise money to feed children in his hometown of Monte Cristi.
“It means a lot for him to do it,” said cousin Richard Fermin, who attended Sunday’s game. “When we grew up, there were some tough times.”
FOOTNOTES: The Rockies are a different team offensively, relying on small ball. They finished with 740 runs, their fewest in a full season. Saturday, Boston became the first American League team since the Rockies in 2001 to score more than 900 runs in three consecutive years. … Former Rockies pitcher Jason Young was removed from the Indians’ 40-man roster, leaving the right-hander with an uncertain future.
