First base has long been a position of royalty for the Rockies. Andres Galarraga, Todd Helton and Justin Morneau all won batting titles. Galarraga was a feared member of the Blake Street Bombers, while Helton put up numbers worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.
But the throne will soon be vacant. Is Ben Paulsen the man to fill the void?
“I definitely have confidence in my ability, there is no doubt about that,” said Paulsen, who has hit . 333 with four home runs and a 1.040 OPS since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 19 to replace Morneau.
Yet, at age 27 and with a checkered minor-league career on his résumé, Paulsen takes nothing for granted.
“I can’t afford to look at the big picture like that,” he said. “I just go one day at a time. That’s what keeps me so level-headed right now — one at-bat, one pitch at a time. It sounds like such a cliché, I know, but I slow it down that much. It starts with batting practice. It’s the process. You think about that one pitch in BP. Practice counts, it adds up.”
Manager Walt Weiss is quick to point out that Morneau, who’s on the disabled list as he deals with a neck injury and concussion symptoms, remains the Rockies’ starting first baseman. But last year’s National League batting champion is 34. It’s unsure when he might be able to play again, and he is in the final year of his contract.
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So the door is open for Paulsen, who is splitting playing time at first base with Wilin Rosario and also has acquitted himself well as a corner outfielder.
“He’s certainly made a case for himself,” Weiss said of Paulsen. “He’s a big-league first baseman who could get a lion’s share of opportunity in the future.”
As a rookie last season, Paulsen hit .317 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 31 games — over four different call-ups.
“Benny’s got poise and a high baseball IQ,” Weiss said. “He has the ability to string together competitive at-bats, and at-bats dictated by the scoreboard. He can move runners. I see a good baseball player who knows how to play the game and can hit.”
It’s not been an easy road to the majors for Paulsen, whom the Rockies drafted out of Clemson with a third-round pick in 2009.
He spent two years in Double-A, didn’t make his big-league debut until midsummer last year and failed to make the big-league roster in spring training when he hit .143 with no home runs in 42 at-bats.
“I didn’t deserve to make the team out of camp,” he said. “It’s one of those springs that I almost want to forget.”
He received encouragement from center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who was awful during spring training a year ago but ended up hitting .288 with 19 homers and rode an early-season hot streak to the All-Star Game.
“I told Ben to approach every game down in Triple-A like you are a big-league player,” Blackmon said. “I said, ‘Just because you are in Triple-A doesn’t mean you don’t have major-league talent.’ “
Blackmon believes Paulsen, a left-handed hitter, could be the Rockies’ first baseman of the future.
“From what I have seen, yes,” Blackmon said. “He’s very receptive to coaching and improving. He looks so polished already and he really executes his swing. He doesn’t take big swings, off-balance swings. I think he’s got what it takes.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or
Big shoes to fill
Ben Paulsen hopes to become the Rockies’ first baseman of the future. It won’t be easy to measure up to these three:
Andres Galarraga (1993-97)
Two-time all-star, 1993 NL batting champion (.370)
Todd Helton (1997-2013)
Five-time all-star, 2000 NL batting champion (.372)
Justin Morneau (2014-15)
Four-time all-star (with the Minnesota Twins), 2014 NL batting champion (.319)
