DENVER -- Left fielder Jordan Beck homered his way into Rockies history in big and small ways on Friday night.
Beck’s two solo shots in the 8-7 loss to the Reds, coupled with a three-homer doubleheader on Thursday in Kansas City, made him just the sixth player in Rockies history to go deep five times in three games (the feat was done on eight occasions, as two players did it twice).
But first things first for Beck, who turned 24 last Saturday. Friday night’s 404-foot homer in the third off Reds starter Andrew Abbott was his first career long ball at Coors Field.
The 38th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee, Beck debuted for the big league club last year but his time was interrupted by a left hand injury. This year, he struggled at season’s start, and was sent down for an eight-day reset in the Minors earlier this month.
He brought up his need to open his homer account at Coors with rookie pitcher Chase Dollander, who -- like Beck -- was a high Draft pick from the Volunteers program.
“I was telling him I’d never hit one here,” Beck said. “The last series I played here, I hit a ball pretty well but still didn’t get one out,” Beck said. “So it felt good.”
The second homer, off Tony Santillan in the eighth, traveled 437 feet.
Trevor Story. Charlie Blackmon. Carlos González. Troy Tulowitzki (twice). Hall of Famer Larry Walker (twice). That is some heady company for the Rockies. Beck did them one better by accomplishing his feat over two days.
Before the 24-plus hour binge, Beck was batting .167. Now he’s up to .282 and flashing the swing expected of a highly valued prospect. Suddenly, Beck is catching up to the fastballs that were beating him earlier. He drew two walks Friday night by laying off the outside breaking pitches that he was waving at earlier in his career.
The Rockies (4-21) became the second team in National League history to lose at least 21 of their first 25 games (the 2022 Reds began 3-22). But Beck is becoming one of those beacons during such a rough time.
“It starts with the commitment to the fastball,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “When you do that, you have a tendency to get the head of the bat out, and that’s what he’s doing. You’re seeing that the homers are coming to the pull side.”
Beck revealed that video study led him to slightly tip his bat going into the first game at Kansas City, on Tuesday night. By Thursday, the ball was flying off the bat the way it did during his quick trip through the Minors. He has 37 homers in 202 Minor League games and wants to translate that power to the Majors.
“I had a time in the Minor Leagues where I felt like this, too,” Beck said. “It’s just about seeing how long you can do it -- keep the same routine every single day, and then keep stacking at-bats.
“It doesn’t change. You face better players here, but the game’s always the same. Pitchers are a little better but at the end of the day, when you get going, you get going. I feel good right now.”