Colorado Rockies news and links for Friday, April 4, 2025
When it comes to what weather will show up on Friday for the Rockies home opener, 9News warns fans of a “precipitation potpourri,” which could include the possibility of graupel, hail and/or rain turning into snow. Friday’s high is 47, so it shouldn’t threaten the 27-degree home opener in 2018, but, if the game is played, it could be quite chilly and wet.
Whether the weather allows the Rockies to host the A’s on Friday or Coors Field’s 2025 debut is postponed, one thing is certain: whenever the Rockies do play, they will strike out a lot, and torpedo bats aren’t likely in the forecast.
As the baseball world debates and watches players on at least 10 teams try out the bowling-pin shaped bats, the physics-fueled phenomenon is here to stay. By moving the bat’s sweet spot from 5-7 inches from the end cap closer to the player’s hands, or about 11-14 inches from the end cap, the torpedo bat can help more batters get the barrel on the ball for solid contact, according to ESPN’s Jeff Pasan. The method relies on analytics of the player’s swing pattern to calculate the location of the maximum barrel diameter of 2.61 inches, which is the widest a bat can be. If players are willing to break tradition and superstition, they can try the new approach, which can also net a faster bat speed. Of course, it won’t help everyone, and not everyone will try it.
The bat came from the mind of former Yankees coach and current Marlins field coordinator Aaron Leanhardt, who was trying to help hitters match the gains made by pitchers’ super-human feats that have tipped the scales in their favor in the past few seasons. Leanhardt took the feedback that the Yankees gave him, including how “bigger barrels would help,” and used a trial-and-error method of design and data input to develop the torpedo bat.
In a game ruled by analytics, research and development, bats remained the uncharted frontier as they have remained relatively the same since baseball was invented in the mid-1800s. Even if they won’t replace bats for everyone and the long-term success has yet to be seen, torpedo bats now exist. The fact that Leanhardt got his PhD in physics from MIT and taught physics at the University of Michigan before going into sports science explains a lot. The bats took two years to develop and were only possible with staff and players who value creativity and the space and freedom to explore new ideas.
Some credit the bats. Some credit the swingers of the bats. Both are right. The Yankees have hit 22 homers in six games, with some coming from torpedo-bat wielding hitters like Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe, while Aaron Judge has hit five homers with his standard bat.
The Rockies are tied for the lowest homers in MLB with three and homers per game at 0.5. At the same time, the Rockies have totaled 68 strikeouts in six games so far and currently lead MLB with a 33% strikeout rate (11.33 strikeouts per game). They not only don’t hit for power, they simply don’t hit often. Having players try out a bat with a bigger barrel in a different part of the plate certainly can’t hurt, right?
As I wrote about in March, it was already hard enough being a Rockies fan in a Yankees world before torpedo bats. Now it’s worse. Compared to the New York organization that expects to succeed, a fanbase that demands it does and a front office willing to go outside the box to find ways to be better, the Rockies aptitude for losing and resistance to change reveal a depressing combination of complacency and inadequacy.
While the Yankees employed a MIT-trained physicist, the Rockies coaching staff is employing a hitting philosophy that hitting coach Hensley Meulens says includes “putting the ball in play when we have guys in scoring position,” making “contact in the zone early in the count” and “putting the ball in play when we have guys in scoring position,” according to a March 6 Denver Gazette article by Kevin Henry.
Not exactly innovative or creative. And it’s certainly not helping so far.
When it comes to specific players, Meulens had some pretty shocking advice for Ezequiel Tovar, who had a 28.8% strikeout rate and the second-most strikeouts in the Big Leagues in 2024 at 200.
“We haven’t changed anything,” Meulens told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. “The only thing we talked about at the end of the year last year is coming into Spring Training this year — and I did this with Pablo Sandoval over at the Giants because he was the same kind of hitter — was to be more patient early in the count.”
Tovar is 3-for-24 with a .125 batting average, but I guess his four strikeouts are an improvement. After all, his strikeout rate is only 16.7%. He’s striking out less, but he’s also hitting less. Which is worse for a guy who hit .269 last season?
When it comes to preaching patience or using physics to invent new bats, I prefer the latter. It may fail and it may take time, but why not try something new? Former Rockie and current announcer Ryan Spilborghs said during a Rockies.TV broadcast that the Rockies had ordered some bats and Kris Bryant was one of the first players to practice swinging one. However, in their first six games, no Rockie used the new bat in a game. No A’s player has either. Seems like Coors Field could be a great place to give it a go.
Come on Rockies, why not try something different? Why not hire a sports scientist itching to test a hypothesis about how to turn altitude into an advantage? Or a physicist with a theory to help pitchers and hitters better adjust to rapid ball movement differences at altitude vs. sea level and back again? Who knows, maybe something new could result in something new — like winning.
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On the Farm
Triple-A: Salt Lake Bees 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 3
Sam Hilliard homered and hit a sac fly to lead the Isotops, but it wasn’t enough for the win. Carson Palmquist gave up four runs on three hits, including two homers, with four strikeouts and two walks to take the loss for Albuquerque. Zac Veen and Adael Amador each added a hit on a night when the Isotopes were held to three hits. On the bright side, Ryan Rolison threw two scoreless innings and Jaden Hill struck out five and only gave up one hit in 1 2⁄3 innings. Zach Agnos gave up one run on one hit with one strikeout in one inning in the ninth.
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Colorado Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela Makes History By Continuing to Escape Jams | SI.com
In his first two games of the 2025 season, coming on the heels of back-to-back seasons where he combined to make five appearances, Antonio Senzatela has the luck on his side. Despite a 2.172 WHIP, a .457 on-base percentage, 19 hits and an unearned run, Senzatela has a 0.00 ERA to start the season through 9 2⁄3 innings.
escape artist:
Antonio Senzatela has allowed 19 hits this season & no earned runs
That’s the most hits vs a pitcher in his 1st 2 outings of a season without allowing an ER since ER official (1913)
Only others to do so in any 2g span in last 95 szns:
1993 Jaime Navarro
1973…— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 3, 2025
Rockies fans set for chilly home opener at Coors Field | 9News.com
If you are headed to the home opener, bring your layers. Check out the complete forecast and see where the temps could rank in the opening day record book.
Denver celebrates Rockies home opener with iconic purple stripe | 9News.com
It might be covered by snow on Friday and Saturday, but there is a purple stripe running down Blake Street, thanks to a Rockies-themed paint job courtesy of the Denver Department of Transportation.
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