Last week I revisited some players that spent time with the Rockies but aren’t household names that we typically remember. With the lockout currently underway, we might as well keep the trend going and revisit some more random Rockies that you probably forgot played for the team. This group features primarily players from 2012 with an extra player thrown in from 2007.
Tyler Colvin (2012-13)
When the Rockies traded Casey Weathers and Ian Stewart to the Cubs in 2011 the Rockies received some guy named D.J. LeMahieu along with Tyler Colvin. While it took a bit of time for LeMahieu to secure his spot with the Rockies, Colvin was thrust into action for the 2012 season. In his first season in Colorado, Colvin managed to replicate the success he had in Chicago in 2010.
In 136 games in 2012, Colvin had a career-high slash line of .290/.327/.531 with a .858 OPS to go along with 18 home runs and 72 RBI. He had a sharp decline in 2013 that resulted in a back and forth type of year between the Rockies and their Triple-A affiliate. He did pan out exactly how the team probably wanted, but they still managed to get one great season out of him before moving on to other players.
Jeremy Guthrie (2012)
In February of 2012, the Rockies made a trade with Baltimore that brought in Jeremy Guthrie in exchange for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. The expectation was that Guthrie would headline the Rockies rotation as a veteran presence and help with the younger pitchers. The opposite happened as Guthrie fell off the cliff immediately in Colorado. Prior to joining the Rockies, Guthrie had a career 4.19 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio above two, but his 2012 in Colorado yielded a 6.35 ERA, a 3-9 record, and a 1.45 K:BB ratio, and he was ultimately traded to Kansas City in July of that season.
Guthrie’s struggles in Colorado stemmed from his inability to throw strikes and keep the ball out of the air. In 90 innings he allowed 21 home runs, with 14 of them coming at Coors Field and overall he turned out to be a terrible trade for the Rockies. However, he did have a sweet shoe collection that the team showed off once.
Marco Scutaro (2012)
In January of 2012, the Rockies tried to find an answer at second base by trading for Marco Scutaro from the Boston Red Sox. For the most part, Scutaro provided veteran experience and quality plate discipline for the team. In 95 games with the Rockies that season, he had a .271 AVG and had 35 strikeouts to 27 walks. His defense in the middle infield was also quite serviceable and kept the seat warm for players like D.J. LeMahieu and Josh Rutledge.
However, like most of the 2012 season, Scutaro was on a sinking ship and wasn’t doing much to make an impact that improved the team. So, near the deadline, the Rockies shipped him over to the Giants for Charlie Culberson. It’s bad enough that the Rockies made a division in the trade, but the part that stings for Colorado fans is that Scutaro had a resurgence in San Francisco and was a key piece in their World Series victory that year, including driving in the run that won the World Series.
Steve Finley (2007)
When you think of the 2007 Rockies outfield you probably think of Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Wily Taveras, and the combination of Cory Sullivan and Ryan Spilborghs. For half of the season, however, the Rockies had another face on their roster getting reps in the outfield and filling out the bench. Steve Finley had a favorable 19-year career and made his last stop in the bigs with the Rockies when he signed prior to the 2007 season at the age of 42.
Unfortunately for Finley, his time with the Rockies was the most forgettable of his career as he had his worst slash line of .181/.245/.245 with a career-low .490 OPS. He appeared in 43 games with the Rockies but started in center field in just 15 of them. His -1.2 bWAR with the Rockies is but a small blemish on an otherwise great career in which he posted a 44.2 bWAR across eight teams.
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