Catchers are rarely caught off guard, but the Rockies’ Chris Iannetta admitted Tuesday he was blind-sided by his demotion to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Iannetta told The Denver Post. “A lot has been said about the mental side of it and I have been hearing a lot about that, but I think that’s overblown. I felt fine at the plate. I hadn’t lost my confidence.”
Iannetta was hitting .133, including two home runs and two RBIs, in 30 at-bats. He struck out 11 times and had just four walks. An 0-for-13 slump combined with Miguel Olivo’s hot start led Iannetta to begin losing playing time. Olivo is hitting .319, including a team-best five homers and 12 RBIs.
” ‘Miggy’ has been outstanding,” Iannetta said of Olivo. “There’s not much I can do other than go forward. I have too much pride not to work hard and play as hard as I can. After that, it’s in their hands.”
Rockies manager Jim Tracy said he had no choice but to make the move with Olivo off to a hot start.
“Shame on me to sit down at my desk and not recognize what was taking place and move on it,” Tracy said. “But I think the important thing to realize is the other guy is also very important to us.”
Said Tracy, when asked the nature of Iannetta’s problems: “Chris Iannetta at times, to me, looks very confused as an offensive player. I see uncertainty in his body language. I see uncertainty in his decision-making process at a time when a pitcher is getting ready to throw a baseball at him.”
It’s never surprising to a see a struggling hitter get sent down, but the timing was surprising in this case. Iannetta was given a three-year, $8.35 million contract last winter, a vow of confidence that the Rockies hoped would provide Iannetta, who is notoriously self-critical, peace of mind.
Footnotes. Esmil Rogers is expected to be called up from the Triple-A Sky Sox to start Saturday at San Francisco. Tracy said Jhoulys Chacin will start Sunday. . . . Jeff Francis threw 45 pitches in a simulated game in Tucson, hitting 87 mph on the radar gun. Huston Street, meanwhile, threw a 20-pitch batting practice. . . . Brad Hawpe (quadriceps) is free of pain and will begin running this weekend. . . . Iannetta’s replacement, Triple-A’s Paul Phillips, arrived at Coors Field during batting practice after his original flight from Reno, Nev., was canceled because of strong winds. Said Phillips: “I’ve been up for 12 hours. That’s what energy drinks are for, right?”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
