The Colorado Rockies have more than earned their fair share of criticisms in a season where it took them until early May to win back-to-back games for the first time and also win their first series, ironically doing so against the defending champion Texas Rangers.
It was predictable that this team would struggle to get wins. But it was also predictable that they’d be phenomenal on defense.
On Sunday, in the game that swept the champs, the Rockies showed off their glovework in tremendous fashion, making seven elite-level plays featuring four players vying for gold.
Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, Brendan Rodgers, and Brenton Doyle showed why they might all be Gold Glove finalists this season.
For fun, here is my largely subjective ranking of the quality of those seven plays:
- Rodgers Scoop
This play isn’t as obviously impressive as the others but it shouldn’t be overlooked. Rodgers gets about as tough a short hop as one can get, fielding on a backhand behind second base and not only was he able to keep his focus enough to bring in the baseball but also had the wherewithal to know he had the runner caught between second and third, getting the far more important out.
- Tovar Stab
Another incredibly tough short hop taken in by sure hands, Tovar didn’t have to go too far for this one but the quickness with which he hopped to his feet and skipped a perfect throw across the diamond is stunning. Shoutout to Elehuris Montero on the dig at first.
- The Double Play
The gracefulness of this twin-killing was something to behold. Tovar is too the ball, fields it, and lofts it toward the bag all in one motion you could make a painting out of. Then Rodgers bare hands the baseball a little bit behind him and fires on the money to first. Give a nod as well to Hunter Goodman at first base for a nice dig.
The only “down side” to this one is that you could maybe argue that with the runner not yet up the line, Rodgers didn’t need to barehand it and turn it so quickly… but that’s getting awfully nitpicky.
- RyMac Basket Catch
On a dead spring and way into the outfield, McMahon makes one of the prettiest plays in baseball; an over-the-shoulder basket catch. We’ve seen him make a few of these over the last few years but this might be his best one yet.
- RyMac Slide
The pure, raw athleticism it takes to first make the dive and then to throw without your feet underneath you is remarkable. He’s got a fast runner and no room for error, unleashing a perfect throw from a ridiculous angle. This is why he is a three-time Gold Glove finalist.
- Rodgers from CF
This is absurd.
This play shows about as far as a second baseman can reasonably range. By the time Rodgers got the ball into his glove he was in shallow right-center field. He reaches full extension on the sliding dive and in one single smooth motion manages to pop to his knees and uncork an almost blind throw that Montero makes a great stretch to catch. Beautiful.
- Doyle’s Leap
This ball off the bat of Corey Seager had, according to Baseball Savant, an .860 expected batting average and would have been a home run in 20 of 30 MLB parks. It traveled farther than any ball hit in the game with the exception of the McMahon double in the eighth and came with two outs and two on in a one-run game.
Had almost anyone other than Brenton Doyle, the first NL rookie outfielder to ever win the Gold Glove, been playing centerfield. He used every bit of his elite speed and athleticism to make a leap at the wall and not only do some damage to the fencing but take a pair of runs off the board and preserve the lead.
It’s hard to say for sure which play was the most impressive in a vacuum but this one may well have swung the outcome of the game and so takes the top spot.
