Tulo's Success Written All Over
10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
|
Tulo Had Success Written All Over Those who were fortunate to watch Troy Tulowitzki play shortstop for Long Beach State knew there was no limit to his talent. So all the speculation whether the former Dirtbag and now-playoff bound Colorado Rockies shortstop could win the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year award overlooked the fact that he's been competing against more than just Ryan Braun and Hunter Pence. Tulowitzki has just finished one of the finest seasons even for a rookie shortstop. He played in 155 games, scored 104 runs, had 177 hits, clubbed 24 home runs, drove in 99 runs, hit .291 with a .359 on-base percentage and .479 slugging average. His 24 home runs broke the National League record for most home runs by a rookie shortstop set by a fellow named Ernie Banks in 1954 with 19. Call it thickly ironic that Banks, who always wanted to play two, never played a postseason game and Tulowitzki, at the age of 22, will play his first today in the National League Division Series at Philadelphia. The only rookie shortstops to ever hit more home runs in a season are Nomar Garciaparra, who hit 30 for the Boston Red Sox in 1997, and Cal Ripken, who hit 28 in 1982. No offense is meant to Braun, Pence or any other rookie of the year candidate, but comparisons to Banks, Nomar and Ripken trump all others. And that doesn't even take into his account his defense, which could earn him a Gold Glove award-which would make him the first rookie Gold Glove winner ever, at any position. Tulowitzki led all major league shortstops this year in total chances, putouts, assists, double plays, range factor and fielding percentage. Led isn't the proper word; he dominated. His 834 chances were 114 more than the runnerup. He had 82 more assists than No. 2. His range factor of 5.39-which assesses how many plays he gets to compared to other shortstops-was much better than the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal, who was next best at 4.98. He beat out Omar Vizquel for the fielding title by one percentage point, and only the Giants' wizard had fewer errors (nine, to Tulowitzki's 11). His 561 assists were the most for a National League shortstop since Ozzie Smith had 621 in 1980. He also turned in just the 13th unassisted triple play in major league history. "I'd be crazy to say I expected him to be this good this soon," said Dirtbags coach Mike Weathers, "but anyone who knew him also knew he'd never allow himself to fail. He went to spring training on a mission to be the starting shortstop, and once he did that, he went on a mission to show he earned it." Dave Snow knew this, too. The man who created the Dirtbags has been a Rockies scout for four years, and he advised the Rockies to draft Tulowitzki with their first pick in the 2005 draft, the seventh overall, based on Tulowitzki's makeup and what is now a deadly accurate projection that he could be the starting shortstop within two years. Tulowitzki, who hit .310 with 117 RBI in 155 games as a Dirtbag from 2003 to 2005, saved his best work of 2007 for the stretch. He was named baseball's rookie of the month for August with 40 hits and 25 RBI, and he played a major role in the Rockies' stunning 14 wins in their last 15 games-only the Dodgers contributed more, losing seven to the Rocks- putting together a career-high 12-game hitting streak, clubbing his first grand slam home run, and turning in several key defensive gems that proved pivotal to the streak. In Monday's wild card playoff game, Tulowitzki went 4 for 7 with two doubles and a triple. He drove in the first run of the three-run 13th and one wonders how the game might have finished if he hadn't aggressively stretched that hit into a gap double. Matt Holliday's subsequent drive off the right-field fence likely wouldn't have scored Tulo from first. Milwaukee's Braun hit 34 home runs and drove in 97 runs while hitting .324, but he also had the most errors by a major league third baseman with 26, in just 112 games, and a .895 fielding percentage. Houston's Pence hit .322 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI. Arizona's Chris Young clubbed 32 home runs but hit .237. "He's been a special player this year," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said last month while stumping for Tulowitzki. "I think he's earning the respect of everybody in the league. He's put himself in place to be a force for years to come." Other comparisons are more meaningful. Banks hit .275 with 19 home runs and 79 RBI as a rookie in 1954. Ripken hit .264 with 28 home runs and 93 RBI for Baltimore as a rookie in 1982. It took Robin Yount seven seasons to have a 20 home run season. Former Poly star Vern Stephens, who has Hall of Fame numbers but no Hall of Fame plaque like the aforementioned, hit .294 with 14 home runs and 92 RBI in 1942. Derek Jeter (.314, 10-78 in 1996) and Nomar (.306, 30-98 in 1997) are probably headed to Cooperstown, as is Alex Rodriguez, who played enough games in 1995 to make his 1996 season (.358, 36-123) his sophomore season. Weathers said he was inundated with questions from Dirtbag fans and people associated with the program about the Rookie of the Year voting, worried that the process might miss Tulowitzki's fast finish. Ballots from the designated voters of the Baseball Writer's Assn. of America (BBWAA) are due this week, and they are urged to wait until the last weekend before submitting them. One wonders how many will look at Tulowitzki's defensive numbers before making a decision. "I'd like to think what he's done on the national stage the last few weeks will get him the votes he deserves," Weathers said. The kid himself isn't too worried. He has playoff games to play, which trumps awards any day, "We fought hard all year," Tulowitzki said after the Rockies win Monday. "Finally, to have this happen, all the hard work pays off. I can't explain it. This is a dream come true for my rookie year. Some of these guys have been going at it a long time, and I made the playoffs in my first year. What an experience." What a player. |
