When you see a team kicking off the season with more strikeouts than hits, sooner or later the team presses alarm buttons. Moreover, if they continue to struggle offensively and carry the worst record at 3-15 in the majors, something has to change. Not to mention, it’s just been three weeks into the season. That “something” is actually someone for the Colorado Rockies.
The Colorado Rockies have decided to relieve their hitting coach, Hensley Meulens. In replacement, they’ve onboarded someone familiar, their long-ago hitting coach and former manager Clint Hurdle. The Rockies have been in a slump for a while now. With their batting average being .220, they rank 21st in the league. Their OBS (.284) ranks at 24th. The Rockies are fifth worst in baseball with a team-wide 72 OPS+. And no, that has nothing to do with Meulens.
In fact, the general manager of the Rockies, Bill Schmidt, says, “I have nothing but respect for ‘Bam Bam’ [Meulens], his work ethic and his knowledge as a baseball person. I wish him nothing but the best.” Schmidt emphasized that the Rockies simply require some modifications with the offense to get going in the league.
Meulens commenced coaching the Rockies in 2023 and he has coached many teams before for different requirements. In 2010, 2012 and 2024, Meulens was a hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants. If you think about it, it’s not easy to fire the players because of bad performance, but it’s not hard to fire the coach. And so, the Rockies had to relieve Meulens from his duties.
Schmidt also admitted that the team has just been struggling so far and they haven’t been able to produce offensively. As a result, they believe Hurdle can bring the change. Interestingly, Hurdle was the manager of the Rockies from 2002 to 2009. And now, the Rockies have seen their fair share of setbacks. They currently hold the National League’s fourth-lowest batting average, which sits at .220.
With Hurdle taking the charge, the Rockies are hopeful for a change. A change that can bring back the offense that has been missing.
Rockies’ Toglia puts an end to homer drought but strikeouts are still a concern
Well, it’s true that a day off cannot magically fix it all when you’re trapped in an early-season slump. But at times, it gives you a breather as a player to sit, process, and reset. The Rockies’ Michael Toglia found himself in such a situation recently when he went homeless through his 16 games of this season.
Eventually, manager Bud Black ended up keeping Togila out of the lineup for a day. He was out for the second game of the three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger stadium. Interestingly, it turned out to be a good day for Togila.
He admitted, “It was nice to just kind of take a breather and watch the game from a different angle and just cheer on my teammates.” It’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes, just reflecting on your sport from the stands is all you need. He continued, “And I think it might have helped me get into a different mindset and just refocus.”
And then came the next day; Togila was stronger than ever before. During the third inning, he recorded a 1-2 curveball from Bobby Miller 418 feet to center field for a grand slam. His first grand slam was last year in June against the Pittsburgh pirates.
But ultimately, the Rockies lost 8-7 and their trip turned out to be winless, 0-6. The Rockies now stand at a 3-15 record this season. It was yet another painful defeat for the Rockies, but if we were to go by Togila’s swing, it could be the beginning of the much-needed shift they’re looking for.
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