A concerted effort to spell Todd Helton and the importance of power-hitting prompted the Rockies to sign slugger Jason Giambi, manager Jim Tracy said today.
Before catching a flight from New York after receiving another postseason award, Tracy explained the move, which won’t prevent the team from having Brad Hawpe take groundballs at first during spring training.
“I am tickled to death to have Jason back,” Tracy said. “It serves two purposes. You just wonder how much more of a special player you could have down the stretch if we could get Todd some sensible rest.”
“We are still talking to Todd. But we don’t want to run him into the ground again so that when we get to late September and October that all we have left is sawdust. We got a bird’s eye view of how Jason fits and this could be a way to get him some extra at-bats.”
Giambi, 39, hit .292 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 19 games for the Rockies. Tracy recruited Giambi aggressively last month, telling him that he didn’t have 450 at-bats for him, but an expanded reserve role was available. Giambi returned when a DH role didn’t materialize.
“Now when you give Todd a day, you don’t have to reinvent the lineup. You have a guy who can hit in the middle of the order,” Tracy said. “You aren’t creating all kinds of confusion.”
Helton admitted last week that he was run down at the end of last season, leaving him open to more rest.
“I would like to be able to do something special like hit a home run, not just slap at the ball,” Helton said.
Giambi’s return doesn’t impact the Hawpe experiment, but there’s clearly less urgency. The Rockies will have Hawpe take some groundballs in spring training, but it will be as a proactive move in case of injury to Helton or Giambi.
“I had a conversation with Brad and explained my reasoning to him. But I made sure that No. 11 knows that he’s our right fielder,” Tracy said. “Anything we do at first base will just be a look-see, just an alternative plan in case we run into some devastating injuries.”
The Rockies continue searching for a utility player and versatility — the ability to play infield and outfield — is paramount. That means it’s unlikely Colorado will make a strong play for Orlando Cabrera and Orlando Hudson, though it hasn’t been ruled out as long as they are available. Eric Young Jr. could fit a broader role than once envisioned since he plays center field and second base, and will try third base and left field this spring.
Footnotes
The Rockies remain firmly in the mix for free-agent reliever Derrick Turnbow, who threw for the team last week.
…Reliever Eric Gagne remains a possibility as well.
…Paul Lo Duca, Tracy confirmed, will compete for a bench role in spring training.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
