The Rockies will carry a first baseman TJ Rumfield and the hunter Brett Sullivan on their Opening Day lineup, manager Warren Schaeffer announced over the weekend (link via Thomas Harding of MLB.com). Colorado is also closed Ryan Feltner as their fifth starter, that is Chase the Dollar will start the season in the barn.
It’s the first big league call for 25-year-old Rumfield. Colorado added a left-handed first baseman in a trade with the Yankees in January. They sent a heavy reliever Angel Chivilli to New York. A former 12th-round pick who went undrafted in December’s Rule 5 draft, Rumfield isn’t a highly touted prospect. He is coming off a strong season in Triple-A, however, and the Rockies have provided a clearer path to playing time than he has in the past. Ben Rice again Paul Goldschmidt in the Bronx.
Rumfield hit .285/.378/.447 with 16 homers in 587 plate appearances in the minors last season. He worked at a 12% clip while striking out at a below-average 18.4% rate. Rumfield’s average batted ball metrics probably keep him from being considered a rule 5 draft pick. His solid 36.6% contact rate and average exit velocity of 87.8 mph would be on the low end of an MLB first baseman.
At the same time, Rumfield doesn’t have much to prove against minor league pitching. He posted above-average numbers at every stop, including nearly two full seasons in Triple-A. He is an advanced contact hitter with a quality approach. That was on display this spring as well. Rumfield hit .280 with four homers and surprisingly struck out just once in 58 plate appearances in camp.
There’s a good chance he’s the best first baseman on Opening Day. Colorado had the worst first team in the majors last year. They continued to leave Michael Toglia winter, finding Rumfield and Edouard Julien as options instead. Julien could also step in at second base depending on how the Rox use the fielder Willi Castro.
They could move Castro between second and third, although Schaeffer announced that the linebackers Ryan Ritter again Kyle Karros and made a team. They accounted for two bench spots, while Sullivan won the third as a backup catcher. (The final position of the bench is unknown, as is the midfielder Tyler Freeman is questionable for Opening Day with back pain.) Sullivan struck out Braxton Fulford for role #2 of holding; the latter was officially elected yesterday.
Colorado added Sullivan to a minor league deal over the winter. The 32-year-old played in three major league games with the Pirates last year. He has 43 games and 112 MLB plate appearances under his belt, hitting .204/.250/.291 with two home runs. Sullivan had a big camp, hitting .378 with two homers and three walks and a hit each in 16 games. Fulford hit .270 with three long balls, eight strikeouts and one walk.
Sullivan has shown enough that Rox wants to keep him around for support Hunter Goodman. He’s out of options, so he’ll either need to stick with the MLB roster or face waivers. The Rockies will need to officially pick up the contracts of Rumfield and Sullivan on Wednesday. They can do that without appointing anyone to the board. Pierson Ohl again RJ Petit he recently had Tommy John surgery and could be placed on the 60-day disabled list.
Meanwhile, the news on the pitching side comes as a surprise. Feltner and Dollander were competing for the back end rotation spot Kyle Freeland and free signers Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana again Tomoyuki Sugano. Neither pitcher took a job during camp. Feltner gave up 13 runs while walking 10 batters in 11 2/3 innings. Dollander gave up 11 runs (10 earned) and seven walks to three batters in 14 frames.
Given Dollander’s pedigree as a former top-10 pick, it seems like the rebuilding Colorado team would like him to continue starting. They selected Feltner instead but apparently don’t believe Dollarder would benefit from working in the Triple-A rotation. You will join Antonio Senzatela like a multi-inning arm out of the bullpen.
Without Freeman’s health, the bullpen is the last unknown part of the Opening Day roster. There are a few midfield positions up for grabs and one player out of options (Keegan Thompson) trying to keep his spot on the 40-man roster.
