TUCSON — Brad Hawpe arrived at camp Tuesday, two days before the mandatory reporting date for position players.
One of his first stops? An impromptu meeting with manager Jim Tracy, who benched Hawpe for most of the Rockies’ playoff series vs. Philadelphia. So what did they talk about?
Tracy said, “I told him if we started tomorrow, he’d be hitting fifth.”
Enough said about Hawpe’s status with the Rox. Despite a tumultuous season in which he earned his first all-star berth, only to hit .240 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs after the break, Hawpe isn’t going anywhere. Not to a lower spot in the lineup and certainly not to another team.
It’s the same old, same old with Hawpe, including his typical upbeat disposition.
“You’ve got to remember the good things too,” said Hawpe, when asked about his 2009 season. “For me, I reflected on that as well. I put it all behind me, the good and the bad, evaluated it and moved on and got ready for this season.”
The Rockies’ outfield depth and Hawpe’s $7.5 million contract for 2010 led some major-league executives to speculate that the Rockies would entertain trade talks.
“It didn’t come up,” Hawpe said. “I know it was printed in your paper. As soon as it was, I got a phone call saying it wasn’t what they were going after.”
So Hawpe is back for another season in right field, confident he’ll put together his usual year. To wit: Hawpe in the past four seasons hasn’t hit less than .283 or hit fewer than 22 home runs.
Footnotes.
Hawpe’s arrival, along with Seth Smith, dropped to four the number of position players who haven’t reported: Carlos Gonzalez, Jason Giambi, Melvin Mora and Jay Payton. . . . Yes, Hawpe brought a first baseman’s glove to camp. He could get a few innings at first as Tracy tries to find ways to keep him fresh. . . . Tracy believes fatigue was a factor in Hawpe’s hitting the skids. “I feel like we grinded the wheel pretty good last year.” One of the issues with Hawpe playing so much was Ryan Spilborghs’ atypical struggles vs. left-handers. Spilborghs had been .303 career vs. lefties, but finished at .230 last season.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
