Nick Hundley | C
Wilin Rosario’s three years leading the Rockies in starts by a catcher (2012-14) were the longest such stretch since the club’s first-ever catcher, Joe Girardi, posted that same number (1993-95).
Girardi is now managing the New York Yankees and Rosario is now platooning for Colorado between first base, catcher and DH (for interleague games). Meanwhile, Nick Hundley has stepped into the all-important role of managing a Rockies pitching staff that has been sub-par (at best) over the several seasons.
Not only does the eight-year vet call a decent game (he can’t help it if his staff doesn’t deliver the pitches he calls for), he’s also bolstering the bottom-half of a lineup that was called “the toughest lineup in the national league” by Zach Greinke earlier this season, but hasn’t fully lived up to the billing.
Hundley carries a .307 average and .814 OPS with him as Colorado inches closer to Memorial Day weekend, good for third in both categories among catchers with at least 25 starts and made all the more impressive considering his position in the lineup.
Buster Posey (SF) and Brayan Peña (CIN) will likely end up on the roster, but Hundley is making a strong case to make the first All-Star appearance of his career.
The final candidate has had limited success in 2015, but that’s no fault of his own…
