The Cubs and White Sox are leading their divisions, the Tigers are in last place, and Ryan Howard, Andruw Jones and Gary Sheffield couldn’t see .200 on a clear day.
And you thought you had this baseball thing figured out.
Happens every year. A player or team comes out of nowhere to shock the baseball world. Which brings us to the Rockies’ most productive hitter through the first seven weeks of the season. Dude named Clint Barmes.
Barmes was leading the team with a .355 batting average and .597 slugging percentage through Tuesday. That was better than Matt Holliday (.529) and Garrett Atkins (.519), and a lot better than Todd Helton (.400) and Brad Hawpe (.357).
Not bad for a guy who went to spring training not knowing if he was going to have a job. Stuff happens when you hit .220 and .216, as Barmes did in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
It seems like ancient history, but the Rockies went into the spring with Troy Tulowitzki as their starting shortstop and Jayson Nix as their everyday second baseman. Barmes? For all he knew, he was going to be traded. Once that didn’t happen, he was prepared to be a utility player who might have had 25 at-bats at this point in the season.
“If that were the case, I was going to do everything I could to be prepared for every one of those 25,” Barmes said. “I was prepared to take advantage of whatever opportunity I got. And I haven’t changed now that I’m playing every day. I’ve tried to stay with my routine and stay consistent with my approach, and so far it’s worked out really well.”
You think? There’s no telling how ugly things could have gotten for the Rockies if Barmes hadn’t brought back memories of 2005, when he hit .410 with four homers in April. You could make a case for him being their most valuable player since Tulowitzki went on the disabled list, with no return date in sight.
So how does this hot streak compare to 2005? There is no comparison, says Barmes. National League pitchers didn’t have a book on him back then. He saw and hit a lot of first-pitch fastballs. At 29, the Barmes of 2008 is a much more mature hitter.
“I feel better, to be honest with you,” said Barmes. “At this same point in time, I was going by feel back then. I was riding that feel, riding that streak for as long as I could. I didn’t understand my swing as much as I do right now. I’m not saying I won’t slump, but as far as keeping the barrel through the zone, I’m a better hitter now.”
At this point, Barmes has earned an everyday job in the Rockies lineup. When Tulo returns, he figures to move to second base. And if he keeps hitting, he could stay in the two hole in the batting order.
Clint Barmes an everyday player in the big leagues? There are those who wouldn’t have believed it, what with Barmes having landed in Triple A for most of the 2007 season and Tulowitzki having taken over as the Rockies” starting shortstop.
For Barmes, this season wasn’t supposed to be about winning an everyday job. It was all about proving that he belonged in the major leagues. Now it’s a matter of settling into a role. He wants to play every day, but if being a utility infielder is in his future, then he’ll be the best utility infielder he can be.
“I feel like I have (re-established myself) with as many at-bats as I’ve gotten,” he said. “I know I can play second, short or third, but I don’t want to be labeled that way. But if that’s what you are, and you’re asked to do a job in the big leagues, then you accept any role you can. You take that utility job and run with it.”
Follow Jim Armstrong’s daily sports commentaries on The Jimmy Page midday during the week. And read his columns on Sundays at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
