A new outfield makeup brings promise to wash away mistakes of the past

Colorado Rockies fans are looking for change.

At this point, it is pretty clear that this won’t come in the form of some dramatic roster shakeup. That doesn’t mean there won’t be some significant changes to the composition of the 2020 team, however.

One area in which some change has already occurred – and in which statements from the club suggest will continue to occur – is the outfield.

Ian Desmond was tasked with the lions share of the duties in center field throughout 2019. Colorado tacitly admitted this strategy had failed when they permanently moved him away from the spot after the All-Star break through the end of the season.

He currently sits at fifth on the depth chart in center, behind David Dahl, Sam Hilliard, Raimel Tapia, and Garrett Hampson, signaling a significant shift at a key spot.

The highest ceiling among them belongs to Dahl who has already rightfully been named to the All-Star game. If he can stay on the field, the Rockies have their center fielder.

“I would say that David – just pure talent-wise – is one of the most talented players, bat talent in particular,” said GM Jeff Bridich at the Winter Meetings. “I think that him playing a lot and being able to put together a full season and then another season on top of that, he is going to learn. Some of his learning – because of injuries – has been disjointed. These young guys, they learn through experiences. They learn from pitchers getting them out and strategizing against them and adjusting to them. I do believe that with his bat talent and more consistent playing time, he has a chance to become a pretty proficient all-around hitter, somebody that can do a lot of things at the plate. He’s already shown he can hit for power and be a really tough at-bat.”

There may well be more to unlock at the plate, but at this point, there are few questions for Dahl there.

“I think the word is out,” Bridich laughed.

In a small sample size, the advanced metrics dislike Dahl’s defense less than most, certainly less than Desmond or Charlie Blackmon, but they aren’t exactly in love with him.

All the tools are there, though. He’s got the speed, the smarts, the arm, and the athleticism to eventually translate his excellent defense in the minors to the majors’ most difficult outfield position to play.

So, Colorado is likely to see what he’s got.

The good news for anyone who isn’t a believer in his defense, or is scared by the injury history, is that the Rockies have a sudden burst of depth to serve as insurance.

Raimel Tapia was getting a good long look at the position until an ill-timed late-season injury. Also in a very limited sample, the club has said they like the improvements he has made defensively.

What has been even more impressive, though, is the way that Hampson, a career infielder, has changed the equation.

Responding to a question about his role in all this from DNVR’s Patrick Lyons, Bridich said, “He’s a good athlete. When we threw him out there and added center field to his repertoire, he took to it quickly. I think it showed the type of athlete he is. I like him out there. He doesn’t have a ton of experience out there. So far, so good.”

This string of plus-athletes, who have recently added the incredibly intriguing Hilliard to the mix, has allowed Colorado to transition Blackmon to right field as he becomes more and more of a slugger primarily.

His defense there was shoddy in 2019, especially early on when he says he was having a difficult time adjusting to the new, and much brighter, LED lights installed at Coors Field prior to the season.

It’s a far cry from Gerardo Parra or Carlos Gonzalez, but Blackmon improved throughout the season as he grew more comfortable in the spot and two factors that emerged later in the year may quietly have begun to show that the long-term play is working out on this front.

Firstly, once the move away from Desmond in center was finalized, the parade of young athletes did an excellent job mitigating some of Blackmon’s deficiencies, especially in the range department.

It showed that it may well be possible to man the other two outfield spots with guys who can cover enough ground that the Bearded One can use his smarts to at least become a right fielder who doesn’t cost his team an inordinate amount of runs.

On the flip side, Colorado feels confident that this move is going to help them get the most out of one of the few members of the core who is past his physical prime.

“I think Charlie’s body at the end of the year was in a better way than it was in previous years,” said Bridich. “We found out for Charlie, at this stage in his career, that the move was beneficial for him. That’s a huge center field. And production-wise, it was quite similar to what we’ve grown accustomed to from Charlie. It certainly didn’t seem to hurt his offense. And at the end, his body in general, his joints, felt better than at the end of 2018.”

In order for Colorado to get back into the postseason picture, they need to get back to being a run prevention team first and foremost. They were able to accomplish this when Blackmon was giving them substandard defense in centerfield throughout 2017 and 2018 so they ought to be able to get it done with better defenders finally ready to take over the most demanding position.

Yoda and baseball have always taught us that “the greatest teacher, failure is.”

If that’s true, the Rockies ought to have learned something by now. To that end, there was a comment from Bridich that shows, whatever the end result may be, it’s going to look different for Colorado at a key spot in 2020.

“If center field ends up being a time-share situation, that’s OK,” he said of a policy the club has been reluctant to adopt in the past. “That doesn’t give us pause at all. We need multiple people on our club to play that position. And we have that. In Hilliard and Hampson. We’re not devoid of them.”

It will not be the same story for the Colorado Rockies outfield in 2020. Whether or not it will be a happy or sad one is in the hands of the kids now.