'We¡¯ve got to keep him on the field': Bouchard eyes bounce-back in 2025
Outfielder launches 2nd spring homer in 3-hit game; Jones rakes; Tovar swings in 2-hole
Thomas Harding
@harding_at_mlbSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It¡¯s about time fortune stayed with Rockies outfielder Sean Bouchard during Spring Training.
Bouchard pulled a Wandy Peralta pitch down the left-field line and -- as he offered the power of body language from the batter¡¯s box -- watched it stay fair for a Statcast-projected 409-foot, two-run homer in the Rockies¡¯ 13-2 victory over the Padres on Wednesday afternoon at Salt River Fields.
¡°I¡¯ve hit that ball a million times where it does tail foul,¡± Bouchard said with a smile. ¡°It is pretty cool that it stayed fair this time.
¡°I tried to talk to the ball a little bit so it would go where I wanted it to go.¡±
Bouchard, whose homer was his second in Cactus League play, also doubled while going 3-for-4 to lift his Spring Training batting average to .379 (11-for-29). After coming to camp as a roster candidate, Bouchard is performing like a player who is trying to grab the regular lineup job that was believed to be his heading into last spring.
In 2023, Bouchard sustained a left distal biceps tear in Spring Training. Last spring, Bouchard sustained an oblique injury that led to his not making the Opening Day roster and seeing merely on-and-off time in the Majors in 2024. Bouchard also underwent surgery for a fractured hamate in his right hand after last season.
¡°I like the homer -- hard-hit,¡± manager Bud Black said. ¡°One broken-bat double off the end of the bat and a grounder in the hole. Two that were hard-hit, which is good.
¡°He gives you a good at-bat. He¡¯ll take a walk. He¡¯ll get a hit. He was hurt last year. We¡¯ve got to keep him on the field.¡±
Bouchard has been through enough Spring Training highs and lows to understand his best shot is keeping his meter even as camp heads into its final two weeks.
¡°I guess depending on how you look at it, sure, it¡¯s crunch time ... whatever ... all at-bats are the same,¡± Bouchard said. ¡°You want to perform when it matters, but at the same time, you want to perform all the time.¡±
Finding a swing
The Rockies entered camp planning on Nolan Jones in left field and Jordan Beck (who didn¡¯t play on Wednesday) in a right field/designated hitter timeshare with Kris Bryant, with the latter playing more outfield on the road. Both Jones and Beck started the spring slowly, although Beck has flashed the required bat speed in recent swings and Jones went 4-for-4 on Wednesday to lift his average to .250 (9-for-36).
Black said of Jones: ¡°Players want hits. When you¡¯re starting to get hits, it fuels some confidence. That¡¯s what Nolan needs right now. Any player, no matter the setting, wants hits. I¡¯m glad he got four.¡±
Turn it up
After looking at third baseman Ryan McMahon batting second behind Brenton Doyle earlier this spring, Black is experimenting with switching shortstop Ezequiel Tovar to the two-hole with McMahon batting third.
¡°I sort of like [Tovar] getting the extra at-bat,¡± Black said. ¡°I think he¡¯s a clutch hitter. He¡¯ll get those 50 at-bats over the course of the season, late [in games] more than the third-place hitter. He¡¯s a clutch hitter. I think when the heat turns up, he turns on.¡±
Multi-inning tests
Woodford gave up one run, but all three pitchers were solid. Woodford has been a starter and reliever in the Majors with the Cardinals, White Sox and Pirates. Agnos, a 10th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, has succeeded as a reliever at the lower levels, but he has not appeared in the Majors. Blalock, who debuted in the Majors with Milwaukee in June and then logged 29 2/3 innings with Colorado late last season, has had little experience in the bullpen.
Blalock struggled in an earlier relief appearance, but he pitched out of a jam on Wednesday.
¡°I thought the stuff ticked up today -- good fastball, good hard breaking ball, and he got a changeup for a popup in a big spot with a guy on third,¡± Black said. ¡°Our critical eye is watching everything. That was a good sign today for Bradley.¡±
Arrive early
With rain expected in The Valley of the Sun on Thursday, the Guardians-Rockies game at Salt River Fields has been moved up an hour earlier. Watch live on MLB.TV at 1:10 p.m. MDT/12:10 MST.