Kaz Matsui is the former starting second baseman for the Rockies. Jayson Nix is the current starting second baseman for the Rockies.
And the future starting second baseman for the Rockies? It could be Clint Barmes.
I’m not sure of the exact time frame, but Nix can’t have more than another month or so to start hitting. If he’s still struggling in mid-May, look for Barmes to take over the job.
The first six hitters in the Rockies’ batting order are going to put up numbers. The problem is the seven and eight hitters. Yorvit Torrealba is your basic No. 8 hitter in the seven hole by default, and Nix could prove to be unworthy of an every day job in the big leagues.
Certainly some of the Rockies’ other hitters are off to slow starts, most notably Troy Tulowitzi. But in the long run, the issue figures to be at the bottom of the order. A team that plays 81 games in Coors Field, where runs come in bunches for both teams, can’t have near-automatic outs in the seven and eight holes.
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He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
