While outfielder Jeff Baker’s brash homers have made him the poster boy for the Rockies’ late-season call-ups, Troy Tulowitzki has made slow, steady and relatively quiet progress.
“It’s all been about making adjustments,” Tulowitzki said before Saturday’s game against the Braves. “At the beginning, I was chasing a lot of sliders in the dirt. I just think it was a matter of being anxious. But I think I’ve been recognizing pitches a lot earlier now.”
The 21-year-old shortstop quickly dug a major-league hole when called up from Double-A Tulsa on Aug. 30, going 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts in his first four games. Since then, Tulowitzki has steadily improved, hitting .358 (19-for-53) and has shown glimpses of talent that made him one of the organization’s most ballyhooed prospects.
Tulowitzki is just beginning to display power at the plate. His run-scoring double in the second inning Saturday was his second double of the season, and he has one home run.
“I think he’s been able to slow the game down a bit lately,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Like most guys, the initial intention is to go out there and let it rip, to say, ‘This is where I belong.’ So I think it was eye-opening a little bit, but I think he’s done some good things.”
FOOTNOTE: There’s a good chance rookie catcher Alvin Colina will make his first major-league start today. … With an announced crowd of 24,300 Saturday night at Coors Field, the Rockies’ season attendance (2,014,001) passed the 2 million mark for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Last season was the only time in franchise history the Rockies failed to draw 2 million fans.
