Garrett Atkins, critics said, couldn’t field. Sunday, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle fielded questions about the third baseman’s National League rookie of the year candidacy, confirmation of his surprising season.
The award will be announced today with Houston’s Willy Taveras, Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard and Atlanta’s Jeff Francoeur considered the favorites, much to Hurdle’s chagrin.
“Nothing against those players, I just think Garrett has been overlooked,” Hurdle said. “He was consistent offensively and gave us more defensively than anticipated. He took as big a first step as any rookie.”
Atkins’ strongest argument lies at the plate: He hit .287 with 13 home runs and led rookies with 89 RBIs. As pitcher Jason Jennings, the Rockies’ only rookie of the year winner, explained Sunday, “he had a solid year under the radar.”
Two factors work against Atkins. Despite his remarkable improvement, Atkins finished with 18 errors. And his home-road splits – a .339 average on Blake Street compared with .238 in visiting ballparks – feed the Coors Field bias, even as the ballpark continues to play more fairly.
Taveras paced rookies in hits (172) and stolen bases (34), and recently won the Players Choice rookie award. Howard hit 22 home runs in 312 at-bats, and Francoeur delivered 14 home runs and 13 assists in 70 games.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
