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Tulowitzki Soars into the Majors
by Bob Keisser, Long Beach Press-Telegram
September 1, 2006
Everyone familiar with Dirtbags baseball knows Troy Tulowitzki is a five-tool
player. We just didn't know speed was the best of his skills.
Not raw speed, mind you, but how quickly he sped through the minor leagues
to the Colorado Rockies' roster, a spot in the lineup, and presumably
a regular spot in Denver for the next decade or more.
The former Long Beach State shortstop played just 126 games in the minor
leagues before his call-up Tuesday. He arrived with the modest total of
517 minor-league at-bats, the equivalent of a season, and his actual time
from Blair Field to Dodgers Stadium for Friday's game was little more
than 14 months.
Comparisons? Jason Giambi, the 2000 American League MVP, played 265 minor-league
games in the A's system before being called up. Bobby Crosby, the 2003
American League Rookie of the Year, played 270 games for Oakland farm
teams before getting his ticket.
College baseball fans knew Tulowitzki was on a fast track to the major
leagues. The Rockies used the seventh pick in the 2005 draft on him and
everyone agreed he would challenge for a starting job in 2007.
The shortstop's job is now his to lose. Rather than wait for next season,
especially with incumbent Clint Barmes struggling at the plate (.226),
the Rockies decided to start Tulo's audition now and jumped him past their
Triple-A farm team and right to Denver from their Double-A team in Tulsa.
"I thought there was a possibility I would be called up this year,
but I didn't really think about it a lot," Tulowitzki said. "It's
earlier than I probably expected. My understanding is that I'm going to
play regularly so they can see what I can do.
"I tried all season to just go out and play hard and let things fall
in place, because other people are going to make that decision. There
was no one thing I worked on to get here. I just wanted to have a complete
game, work hard and be ready when the time came.
"It is awesome. Being in the major leagues is everything you hear
and more."
Tulowitzki has been everything the Rockies had hoped - and more.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder was hitting .291 for Tulsa, with an on-base
percentage of .370, slugging percentage of .473, 34 doubles, 13 home runs
and 61 RBI. Those numbers are reminiscent of the most recent generation
of power-hitting shortstops - Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada and Michael
Young.
He's been crushing the ball against left-handed pitching, and was hitting
.340 with runners on base. In an effort to learn him to be more patient,
he was hitting leadoff on Tulsa.
He made his big-league debut Wednesday batting seventh and went 0 for
4, but made a dazzling, backhand, in-the-hole catch-and-throw play in
the field. He got his first hit Thursday on a hard line drive that knocked
Mets' shortstop Jose Reyes on his butt.
"I hit it hard but right at him," Tulo said, "but I was
running so hard I didn't see it. It was a relief to get it. It's something
that not too many people can say they did."
His immediate family in Sunnyvale made the trek to Colorado to see his
debut, and even more joined them Friday night here, along with several
life-long friends, the entire Dirtbags coaching staff, and several of
his former teammates, those who weren't preoccupied playing baseball themselves.
"I talked to everyone," he said. "I've had a lot of phone
calls in the last (few days). The coaches (Mike Weathers, et al) all said
the same thing, have fun and be myself."
As quick as his path has been, it has been part of a plan. After his half-season
in 2005, the Rockies asked him to workout in the offseason at Coors Field
in Denver so he would become familiar with his future home.
The decision to have him hit leadoff in Tulsa - he was a No. 3 hitter
with the Dirtbags - was to give him more at-bats and make him more selective.
"I was told to work counts," said Tulowitzki. "Toward the
middle of the season I started to feel good about it."
Even with his call-up now, he will still play in the Arizona Fall League
after the season.
The Rockies view Tulowitzki as a key component of their conversion to
a young, home-grown lineup.
He was called up at the same time as catcher Chris Iannetta, who is just
23 and the Rockies' backstop of the future. Outfielders Brad Hawpe (27),
Matt Holliday (26) and Ryan Spilborghs (27) give them options in the outfield.
Garrett Atkins (26) has developed into star material at third base.
Top prospect Ian Stewart, the 21-year-old Long Beach native who starred
at the same high school as Bobby Crosby (La Quinta), could crash the lineup
next season.
Jeff Francis (25), Jason Jennings (28), and Aaron Cook (27) give the Rockies
their first rotation foundation. At this rate, first-baseman Todd Helton,
33, will soon be asking for the seniors discount at the movies.
"He is a special player," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said
of Tulowitzki this week. "There's only one other position player
from the 2005 draft that's already in the big leagues (Washington third
baseman Ryan Zimmerman).
"We haven't had a player of this caliber that we've felt was ready
to pull from Double-A to the major-league level, but we feel the upside
is there. We're trying to be the best team we can be next year."
Not that the Rockies need convincing, but Dirtbag fans would all agree
they couldn't have selected a better person with which to start.
Tulowitzki didn't have the best of nights at Dodger Stadium on Friday,
going 0 for 2 in his first two at-bats.
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