Brad Hawpe is the stealth Rockie.
He doesn’t have Todd Helton’s pedigree, Matt Holliday’s explosive power or Garrett Atkins’ reputation as a natural hitter.
What the Rockies’ right fielder does possess is a silky smooth swing and a growing understanding of the art of hitting. Though he has flown under the radar, he’s circling the top of the National League charts.
Heading into Thursday night’s game, Hawpe led the league with a .374 average. His .446 road average also paced the league. His eight home runs – all solo shots – are tied for eighth in the NL.
“I’ve known for a long time that I could do this,” Hawpe said. “It’s all about going out there and trying not to get too giddy.”
Hawpe has been in this rarefied air before. He began the 2005 season as a rookie platooning in right field, but a hot April won him the job. He hit .380 with four homers and 13 RBIs in his first 20 games. He had eight homers by the all-star break, and there were even rookie of the year whispers. But he went out with a hamstring injury July 9 that cost him nearly two months of the season.
This season his mission is threefold: stay healthy, prove he can be a quality hitter over the long haul and hit consistently against left-handers.
“He’s consistently calmed down and everything is under control,” hitting coach Duane Espy said Thursday. “He’s obviously seeing the ball well. When he gets the ball in the zone, he’s getting the barrel of the bat on it. When the ball is out of the zone, he’s laying off. That shows a guy that’s very calm, very under control and very confident.”
Among Rockies starters, Hawpe’s walks (15) and on-base percentage (.456) are second on the team only to Helton (19, .529). As for his battles against southpaws, Hawpe is hitting .333 in the early going after hitting .250 last year.
“I think I’m getting more confident with the more at-bats I get,” Hawpe said. “The more I learn the pitchers in the league and how they are trying to get me out, the more I can make adjustments. The key for me is not trying to expand the zone and not trying to do too much.”
Helton’s comeback
Helton, out since April 19 with a painful intestinal ailment, will start at first base tonight against Houston. The Rockies were 8-5 in Helton’s absence entering Thursday’s game, and the team’s tenacity impressed him.
“Their ability to battle back on the road is something that hasn’t happened in the past,” Helton said. “Now you don’t see any panic, and every time you see them battle back and stay in the game.”
Footnotes
What was supposed to be right-hander Sun-Woo Kim’s final tune-up with Triple-A Colorado Springs was changed by the weather. Kim was able to throw just two innings and 46 pitches before the rain came. He will throw Monday for the Sky Sox before rejoining the Rockies next week. … Injured reliever Mike DeJean’s simulated game, scheduled for Thursday, was pushed back until Saturday. Manager Clint Hurdle said DeJean wasn’t as fresh as he had hoped after throwing a bullpen session.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck contributed to this report.
Rockies recap
Manager Clint Hurdle has issued a challenge to shortstop Clint Barmes, the No. 2 man in the batting order most of the season: Start hitting or you could lose your place in lineup.
Barmes’ average is .245 and his on-base percentage is just .265. The past five games he has batted 2-for-22.
“We are going to talk to Barmes when he gets back,” Hurdle said. “We need more out of our two-spot hitter. So we’ll see.”
Barmes missed Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games to attend the funeral of a cousin back home in Indiana.
TOUGH TO PLEASE: Todd Helton returns to the lineup tonight with some solid numbers to build upon. Before his illness, Helton was hitting .347 with nine doubles, a triple, one homer and nine RBIs in 15 games. But that didn’t impress the first baseman, who said he wasn’t quite right at the plate. He said his two-game rehab stint at Triple-A Colorado Springs helped him: “I feel a lot better now than I did before. I felt like I slowed things down a lot and got back to doing what I was doing during spring training.”
ROSTER MOVE: To make room for Helton on the 25-man roster, the Rockies sent outfielder Ryan Spilborghs to Triple-A.
