Bryant, Montero flashing power in spring games
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies need power from Kris Bryant and are willing to move him around positionally to keep him in the lineup. And if Elehuris Montero¡¯s early spring power holds, there will be good reason to shift Bryant to designated hitter or right field to accommodate Montero playing first base or DH.
In Monday¡¯s 12-10 Cactus League victory over the Giants, Bryant and Montero each homered, with Bryant hitting his second of the spring and Montero his third.
Montero¡¯s solo shot came off Luke Jackson in the third inning, and Bryant¡¯s shot was for three runs off Erik Miller in the fourth.
Bryan is asked to do damage from the No. 2 spot in the planned batting order.
¡°He got just underneath on a couple, and he got the last one -- that ball was well-struck,¡± Rockies manager Bud Black said. ¡°That ball was well-struck to the big part of the park. That was out of any ballpark.
¡°That¡¯s a confidence booster for sure.¡±
Montero¡¯s hitting adjustments last season allowed him to track pitches better and hold off on some of the low-and-outside stuff that gave him trouble for his first year-plus in the Majors.
¡°The bat speed is there," Black said. "The head of the bat is getting to fastballs middle and middle-in, and that¡¯s a sign of a guy that¡¯s on time and confident with his swing.¡±
Black is willing to be flexible to accommodate younger players swinging hot. Montero finished last season strong and is batting .389 with a 1.455 OPS in the early spring. Also swinging well is switch-hitting Michael Toglia, whose 1-for-2 Monday left him at .350 and 1.135. Toglia has first base and outfield capabilities.
Notes:
? Rockies No. 28 2023 prospect Aaron Schunk, a second-round 2019 pick who slashed .290/.350/.461 at Triple-A Albuquerque, drilled the decisive three-run double in the seventh. Not a member of the 40-man Major League roster but long a presence in Spring Training, Schunk, 26 and from the University of Georgia, is trying to plant an idea that he is deserving of a phone call. Schunk is 6-for-12 this spring.
¡°He¡¯s more poised, more under control, more confident,¡± Black said. ¡°He¡¯s playing loose, but yet there is an intensity, a focus. You need that combo, and he¡¯s showing it on the field.
? The game featured right-handers Dakota Hudson, Ryan Feltner and Peter Lambert, who are competing for two rotation spots. Only Lambert, who gave up two hits in two innings, escaped without giving up a run.
? Ubaldo Jim¨¦nez, statistically the most-accomplished pitcher in club history (18.3 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference) and anecdotally owner of the Rockies¡¯ most dominant stretch, arrived Monday as a guest instructor in Minor League camp for a week.
¡°I don¡¯t know yet what they¡¯ll have me doing, but whatever I can do to provide a little insight into things that worked for me, I¡¯ll give,¡± said Jim¨¦nez, whose standout start to the 2010 season -- including a no-hitter at Atlanta on April 17 -- earned him the start in All-Star Game representing the club.
? The Rockies are off on Tuesday. When they return Wednesday, it¡¯s possible that designated hitter-right fielder Charlie Blackmon and catcher Elias D¨ªaz will be back in the lineup. Blackmon hasn¡¯t played in a Cactus League game since feeling discomfort in his back on Saturday, but has continued his daily work. D¨ªaz last played last Wednesday, when he left the game after feeling soreness in his right thigh.