Elehuris Montero’s plate vision growing, changing his outcomes in Rockies lineup as losses pile up
The playing time has decreased some for Colorado's young slugger, but his results at the plate have done the opposite
The curveballs that once haunted Elehuris Montero are fading and his power is showing through. Colorado’s lineup is benefitting from the new results when he steps to the plate.
His day in the Rockies’ 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks Monday has become a rarity, and his recent stretch speaks more to an upward trend. A two-walk game against Toronto was the first of his career. He reached four times in that game, and has a .346 on-base percentage since Aug. 4.
The Rockies’ rookies are learning to lay off the outside breaking ball, and it is a work in progress. But the results are showing through for the infielder.
“Montero’s put together a couple good weeks — there was a couple stretches where he didn’t start, we were playing (Michael) Toglia and mixing and matching a little bit,” manager Bud Black said after Sunday’s 7-5 loss. “What I like today is, a couple times, he laid off the breaking ball down (and) away, which has been a lot of our young guy’s nemesis.”
The breaking ball was a nemesis, and still is, for now.
Over the last two seasons with the Rockies — split between time in the majors and Triple-A Albuquerque — Montero has struck out 82 times with just 11 walks. The mark has been an anchor to his ability to get on base in between the moments that his power shines through.
Montero hit 15 homers in just 35 games with the Isotopes earlier this year. He’s largely played himself out of a minor league role, and is on the road to being either a consistent bat for the Rockies or a man without a position once the next wave of farm system reinforcements arrive.
He’s a cog in a bigger Rockies machine.
Around Montero, other young players are dealing with the same hiccups. As the group is turning a corner, the offense is producing again in bunches.
Brenton Doyle’s three-run triple helped garner a lead in Saturday’s 8-7 win over Toronto. Nolan Jones’s three-run homer came Friday. Both are striking out in over 30 percent of their at-bats, yet each has a had moments that added momentum in recent games.
Montero’s recent departure from the everyday lineup has shown growth in his results.
Hunter Goodman and Toglia being part of the bench has allowed Black to move pieces in the lineup. In Monday’s starting nine, he featured Montero and Goodman. In the last eight games since Goodman’s debut, he has been in the lineup seven times; Montero has joined four times and Toglia has been in it twice.
The increased time to work on pitch recognition has benefitted Montero and earned him additional time. His last 20 hits across 21 games have been split: 10 on fastballs, eight on breaking balls and two on off-speed pitches.
He was acquired as part of the Nolan Arenado trade, and will always carry the weight of being an assumed replacement for a franchise icon. Recent results have shown that his ability to be a viable replacement is not gone, it is just being developed. The future has been brighter for Montero, and Colorado’s lineup could be growing too.
Diamondbacks 4, Rockies 2
What Happened: Jace Peterson’s two-run double and Corbin Carroll’s run-scoring triple led the way for the Diamondbacks as they upended Colorado to start a three-game set. Merrill Kelly tied his career high in strikeouts to aid their effort. It was the Rockies’ 23rd loss in their last 31 games.
On the mound: Peter Lambert’s fourth inning proved to be his most trying. He worked six innings and struck out five, but allowed four earned runs — three in the fourth. Nick Mears made his return to the Rockies after another left oblique strain and pitched two innings and struck out a pair. It was his first appearance since June 27.
At the plate: Hunter Goodman drove in Colorado’s first run with his fifth-inning single. The rookie has hit for a .375 average in eight games since his debut. Elias Díaz had a pair of hits, including a run-scoring double in the ninth. Nolan Jones and Brendan Rodgers had a hit apiece. Merrill Kelly has started against the Rockies twice in the last month and racked up a combined 23 strikeouts.
What’s next: Colorado Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 5-14) at Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Brandon Pfaadt, 1-7) at 7:40 p.m. MT Tuesday at Chase Field (AT&T SportsNet).