DENVER – The Colorado Rockies are facing a tough decision. And for the first time in years, it doesn’t have anything to do with who to fire or trade, or who to call up in a panic or how to make the best of a bad situation.
The Rockies actually have the problem of having too many good players.
The much ballyhooed Ian Desmond acquisition has turned into the much-controversial topic of what to do with Mark Reynolds who has filled in for Desmond brilliantly post injury. Reynolds has been easily the Rockies second most valuable position player in 2017, slashing .339/.400/.661 with five home runs and 16 RBI. You could probably even argue he has been just as good with both the bat and glove as superstar Nolan Arenado.
So naturally, manager Bud Black was asked about this “dilemma” for when Desmond does come back to the team.
“I don’t know if that’s a dilemma,” he said. “Isn’t that a good thing? Right? That’s a good thing, not a dilemma. Hey, do we maybe have to shuffle some things at times? Sure. But I can’t wait to get Ian Desmond back. You know why? Because he’s a good player. I’m a Desmond fan.”
When asked directly if there have been conversations about playing Desmond at spots on the diamond other than first, Black gave a simple and direct answer but then seemed to back off just a little bit.
“Yes. Not so much short,” he said. “I’ll phrase it this way, has there been internal discussions about all our players and where they fit? No doubt about it. We talk about our players all the time and about what we can do to maximize our players and our team. And Ian specifically is one of those guys we talk about because of his versatility. You’ve heard me talk often about the value of Ian moving forward about the potential versatility he brings not just in this year but in coming years.”
As far as the timetable for Desmond’s return? “He’s getting closer,” Black said. “It varies, it could be as little as three [rehab starts] and as many as 10.” Black went on to tell a story about David Eckstein in San Diego wherein the manager said “let’s talk about a rehab assignment” to which Eckstein replied, “yeah, let’s talk about me not going on one.” Black says he told the story not to say that Desmond will be back immediately but that he could be back sooner than traditionally expected.
Whenever he returns and wherever the Rockies put him, Black is right that framing this as a negative for the club is a bit odd. In baseball, these kinds of things tend to work themselves out. But if the team really is fully healthy in a couple of weeks, the internal discussion will have to grow in intensity as the first-place Colorado Rockies search for ways to get their best bats into the lineup on a daily basis.
