2014 was a good year for DJ LeMahieu. The Rockies second baseman put up sufficient numbers offensively and was among the best of the National League defensively, which led to him earning his first Gold Glove.
But LeMahieu had always been better than average in the field. The question that was plaguing the Rockies was whether or not he would be able to produce enough offensively to warrant a permanent spot at second.
It’s understandable that the Rockies couldn’t be sure, even after strong seasons in 2013 and 2014. After all, Colorado’s search for a consistent second baseman has stretched back beyond Rocktober and included names like Jeff Baker, Clint Barmes, Mark Ellis, Kaz Matsui, and Jayson Nix.
So far this season, LeMahieu has more than guaranteed his spot in the everyday Rockies lineup.
In the 62 games he has played this year, LeMahieu is batting a stellar .332 with 76 hits and a .378 on-base percentage, which leads the Rockies in all three categories. While that line alone would be more than enough to satisfy the Rockies expectations, LeMahieu has added some power to his game this year as well, hitting three homers and driving in 31 runs. Last year, he hit five home runs and drove in 42 in 149 games. LeMahieu is on pace to not only have the best season of his career, but to have one of the best seasons by any second baseman in the majors.
.@DJLeMahieu is hitting .368 at home & .330 on the road.
THAT is #ASGWorthy: http://t.co/98ES1sUO3o #VoteDJ pic.twitter.com/e93lBIaciF
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 12, 2015
LeMahieu’s batting average and on-base percentage among National League second basemen is second only to Miami’s Dee Gordon. Gordon has also exploded offensively this season by batting .357 with an other-worldly 96 hits in only 62 games. Gordon has significantly less pop than LeMahieu however, driving in only 17 runs and hitting no home runs.
LeMahieu, not surprisingly, trails Gordon in the most recent All-Star voting update. What is surprising is that LeMahieu is not even among the top five vote-getters among National League second basemen, which is an unfair representation of the stellar season LeMahieu has put together so far. LeMahieu has proven this season that he should be an All-Star.
“He’s having a hell of a year offensively. Yeah, he needs to be in that (All-Star Game),” said manager Walt Weiss.
Here is the latest NL voting update for the #ASG: pic.twitter.com/WD9UhixT66
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) June 16, 2015
Even if LeMahieu has to wait another year to claim his All-Star honors (which would be a major oversight), the Rockies can rest easily knowing that they have finally found their answer at second base.
Jordan Gillmore, an intern at Mile High Sports and a student at CU-Boulder, contributed to this report