These are anxious times for the Rockies.
This team was built to make the playoffs, which means that handling the roster requires as much bluntness as finesse. The Rockies don’t have deep pockets, so they must maximize their assets.
As such, when the early-season results of Dexter Fowler and Chris Iannetta didn’t match their talent, the Rockies demoted their starting center fielder and opening-day catcher to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
“It wasn’t meant as punishment,” manager Jim Tracy said. “We needed them to go down there and get right.”
Neither was playing much, Fowler lost in the outfield mix in May, and Iannetta a ghost in April because of Miguel Olivo’s meteoric rise. But the Rockies aren’t naive. To reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time, they know it’s going to take a village.
That’s what has made the successful return of Fowler and Iannetta — never more evident than last week — so significant.
“To come back as quickly as they did, it goes without saying how much that helps us,” said hitting instructor Don Baylor, who credited the work of his Triple-A counterpart, Rene Lachemann, for accelerating the process. “They put in the work. We were all on the same page.”
Fowler, starting again, entered Saturday hitting .342 since being recalled while reaching base more than half the time in the 10 games he has been back. Iannetta’s power has resurfaced, as he has delivered four home runs in his last six starts, including Wednesday’s walkoff blast.
A time to tinker
There are practical explanations for their success. Hitting is a function of mechanics and mind-set. Before his stint in Triple-A, Fowler was overmatched as a left-handed hitter, the side he has learned on the fly in pro ball since becoming a switch hitter.
His pitch recognition was poor, leading Fowler to flail at sliders down and inside. With playing time scarce in late May, Fowler, 24, began tinkering with his approach. He went back to the DVDs and noticed that his best success left-handed came last May in Detroit when he dropped his hands to his waist.
Baylor was open to the change. And Triple-A represented a less stressful environment to implement the new stance. Ten days into his stay with the Sky Sox, Fowler committed fully to the radical adjustment.
“Being down there, it cleared my head. I wasn’t worried about anything. You see the sky, there’s hardly anyone in the stands, it was just me and the pitcher, ‘Let’s go,’ ” Fowler said. “With my hands finally comfortable, I didn’t think about anything else.”
With Fowler’s hands right, his eyesight has improved. He is picking up the ball sooner because he’s not worried about putting a specific swing on a specific pitch. “I am just reacting because I know everything else is going to work,” he said.
This was evident Wednesday when he crushed a three-run home run off Cardinals reliever Jason Motte, depositing a 98-mph fastball into the Rockies’ bullpen. No way that happens in May.
“Fowler just got off to a bad start. He didn’t have the swing he has now,” Baylor said. “It’s still a work in progress. But he didn’t sulk in Triple-A. He worked his way back, and his confidence level is high.”
New mental approach
Iannetta’s story is similar, yet different. He didn’t have to go under the hood and fix his swing. He just needed regular at-bats. With Olivo off to the best start by a Rockies catcher, Iannetta’s April slump led to a surprising hook after just 30 at-bats.
In Triple-A for a month, Iannetta raked as he always has during all three layovers there, hitting five home runs in 63 at-bats. The key for Iannetta is staying consistent even when playing time is not. His biggest change, said Baylor, has been with his head.
“Everything doesn’t have to be perfect anymore,” Baylor said. “He puts in the work, but when he swings 10 times, they all don’t have to be just right. When you are the backup not knowing when you are going to play, you have to change mentally. He’s done that. He’s not happy. But it’s not killing him anymore either.”
Iannetta has experienced a confusing career. He was supposed to be the man in 2007, but was supplanted by Yorvit Torrealba. In 2008, Iannetta grabbed the job back, only to lose it again last season and this April. But there’s no denying his intriguing power. Since 2008, he has 40 home runs and 130 RBIs in 705 at-bats.
“Everybody knows the kind of season Miggy is having. And I am his biggest fan. At the same time, I want to play,” Iannetta said.
“The majority of time I have been here, I have been this (reserve) role. I am not getting used to it, but with maturity I understand it better. At some point, I am going to get a chance to play every day. But it’s not right now. So whatever opportunity I get, I have to be ready. We know that we are a team here. It’s not one guy dominating. We need everybody.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
If at first you don’t succeed . . .
Dexter Fowler and Chris Iannetta were demoted to the minors this season. The Triple-A at-bats have gotten both back on track (statistics through Friday):
Dexter Fowler
Avg. BBs RBIs
Before .216 23 4
After .342 11 6
Chris Iannetta
Avg. HRs RBIs
Before .133 2 2
After .255 4 11
