Tucson – As the Rockies open spring training today, there’s plenty to wonder about concerning last year’s Boy Wonder.
Can Clint Barmes rediscover the swing that made him a .400 hitter well into May of 2005? Can he beat out Cory Sullivan for the leadoff spot? Can he clean up his act at shortstop?
Barmes has been working overtime so he can say yes to all of the above.
He spent his offseason playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, where he fielded crazy hops on cratered infields. And although position players aren’t required to report to Tucson until Wednesday, Barmes is already in camp, fielding groundballs and taking his cuts while the pitchers and catchers work out their offseason kinks.
“I couldn’t wait for spring training, because I’ve been working this whole offseason to get better,” Barmes said. “I want to keep it simple, like I did when it was going well. I just want to get back to doing what I was doing.”
Manager Clint Hurdle tips his hat to Barmes’ passion.
“Barmes has things he’ll continue to work on, but he went to winter ball, which is a big sacrifice, and it speaks volumes about a player and his attitude,” Hurdle said.
Barmes opened the 2005 season with a two-run, ninth-inning homer off San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman to give the Rockies a 12-10 victory. Barmes became the first rookie in major-league history to hit a walk-off homer on opening day.
But his fairy tale start met an unbelievable end on June 5 when he tripped going up the stairs to his apartment while carrying a package of deer meat. Barmes broke his left clavicle and underwent surgery to have a metal plate inserted in his shoulder. He missed 78 games.
Before his injury, he was hitting a team-best .329 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs. After the injury, he hit just .216 in 27 games, finishing his rookie season hitting .289 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs.
During the long layoff, Barmes lost his mojo. Thus the trip to the Dominican Winter League.
“It was pretty much to see more pitching,” Barmes said. “I mean, I missed three months and a lot of time last year. So I went down to get more at-bats and a few more games under my belt. I pulled a lot from that, defensively more than offensively, to tell you the truth. But it was a great experience for me.”
Strike zones are notoriously liberal in the Dominican Republic, which might be a reason Barmes hit just .233 with one homer and eight RBIs. But he insists he’s close to finding his old swing. The Rockies are confident he can hit. Hurdle wants to use spring training to see if Barmes can produce at the top of the order.
When used as leadoff hitter last year, Barmes hit just .255 with a .294 on-base percentage in 247 at-bats, which is not good enough. He also struggled defensively, tying for second among National League shortstops with 17 errors, despite playing just 80 games.
Barmes said playing winter ball on less-than-pristine infields helped him become a better fielder by increasing his range, quickness and reflexes. In the first week of play, he said he rushed a hard chopper, intending to field it with his left glove hand, only to get a nasty surprise.
“It took a wicked bad hop, so I bare-handed it on the right side of my head,” he said with a laugh. “It was probably the best play I have ever made.”
As a rookie, Barmes gained a well-earned reputation for his hustle and reckless abandon. What the Rockies want to see now is consistency in his fielding, his throwing mechanics and at the plate.
“These are wonderful conversations to be having at the major-league level, because two years ago we were having questions about Barmes and whether he could even play here,” Hurdle said. “So, is he a work in progress? Yes. Does he have things to work on? Yes. You would expect that out of any player with just one season behind them.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
