SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rex Brothers’ spring training snapshot? That’s easy. It came March 14 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
We’ll let him provide the details.
“That’s Joey Votto standing in the box and here’s me, a little old guy trying to break in in his first camp,” Brothers said. “I had some adrenaline going on. I’m not going to tell you any different.”
Brothers didn’t just strike out the reigning National League MVP. He did it with a 3-2 fastball up in the zone.
Wait, it gets better. Rockies manager Jim Tracy said after the game that Votto never should have gotten to 3-2.
Said Tracy, “I personally feel (Brothers) had Votto struck out at least twice and didn’t get the call.”
Brothers, a left-hander who opened last season at High-A Modesto, is one of a handful of Rockies minor-leaguers who have made big impressions this spring. How impressive? With less than a week remaining, he’s still in the running to make the big club.
“We want him around here, and we want him to continue to face good hitters,” Tracy said.
While the Rockies are leery of rushing him to The Show, Tracy said, “Rest assured of the fact that, regardless of the direction we take, he’s close and he’s pushing.”
Brothers, the 34th overall pick in the 2009 draft, appears destined for Coors Field at some point this season. If so, he would qualify as your basic unlikely success story. How so?
For one, he’s from tiny Chapel Hill, Tenn., population around 1,000. Then there’s the matter of his height. He’s a 6-foot pitcher in a world of 6-4 pitchers.
“During drills, I’m standing there looking up at all these giants around me,” Brothers said. “Ubaldo (Jimenez), (Greg) Reynolds . . . those guys are monsters. Then there’s little Rex out there among them. I don’t look at my height as a disadvantage. That’s the way God made me, and I’m going to do with it what I can.”
No, Brothers isn’t tall, but he has a left arm that won’t quit. He has logged six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight.
His 95- to 96-mph fastball has claimed a few hitters, and his slider has chewed up the rest. Oh, and did we mention he calls everyone sir?
“To be from a small town in Tennessee and so close to reaching a milestone, it’s a dream,” he said. “It’s surreal being in the same locker room as the Ubaldos and Tulos of the world, and I’m enjoying every second of it.”
Brothers’ veteran teammates know a major-leaguer waiting to happen when they see one.
“He’s a bulldog out there,” catcher Chris Iannetta said. “He comes right at you with that slider. It’s exciting to have him on our side.”
So, Iannetta was asked, how would you like to be a left-handed hitter facing Brothers?
“I wouldn’t want to be a right-handed hitter against him,” Iannetta deadpanned.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
The kids are all right
Rex Brothers isn’t the only Rockies minor-leaguer to make his mark during the spring of 2011. Here are some others who have helped themselves:
Charlie Blackmon, OF. Homered to win the spring opener. A left-handed bat with pop, and he can run.
Jordan Pacheco, C. He’s 25, old for a kid who just arrived in Double-A last year, but he can swing it. Had 60 walks, 42 strikeouts last season.
Ben Paulsen, 1B. Destined for Double-A, his power numbers could spike after a 20-pound weight gain. Leads the club with 11 Cactus League RBIs.
Wilin Rosario, C. Hasn’t done much, but that was expected. All he had to do was prove he was healthy after ACL reconstruction.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
