Tuesday Rockpile: Colorado Rockies infielder Thairo Estrada is ready to contribute

Colorado Rockies news and links for Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Back on December 10, 2024, Mark Feinsand reported that the Colorado Rockies had signed former San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada.

He followed up with the salary details:

Given that the Rockies had non-tendered their previous second baseman, Brendan Rodgers, this kind of move was not unexpected. The signing would save the cost-sensitive Rockies some money, and they probably hoped he could provide a desperately needed offensive spark. (Mac Wilcox provided a nice overview of the signing at the time.)

And then, nothing happened. The signing never became official.

The silence prompted @MeekPhill_ to send Rockies owner Dick Monfort an email checking on the status of the signing. Monfort was good enough to reply.

“Sent from my iPad,” indeed.

On Thursday, January 9, the Rockies made the signing official:

That morning, Estrada met with media to answer a few questions about playing in Colorado and his approach to the upcoming season. (He answered questions via Zoom and through interpreter Edwin Perez.)

Estrada has raked at Coors Field

Over the course of his career, Estrada has had 92 at-bats in Denver. In those outings, he’s slashed .348/.406/.565, including four home runs, six doubles, and three stolen bases (179 OPS+).

He said he’s looking forward to playing at Coors Field.

“I really like the stadium,” Estrada said. “I enjoy hitting there.”

Plus, the spacious outfield fits well with Estrada’s hitting style.

“My main focus when I’m hitting is to hit it down the middle and let the ball run down there,” Estrada said. “So I feel like, mentally, it’s going to help me, and also in my play, it’s going to help me.”

He concluded, “I think I can do well at Coors Field.”

He’s recovered from his 2024 injuries

Estrada was an above-average offensive contributor from 2021-2023 (.266/.320/.416 in 312 games with a 105 wRC+, 45 stolen bases, and 7.4 fWAR). However, in 2024, he struggled with persistent wrist and hand injuries that he tried to play through (217/.247/.343, 64 wRC+ in 96 games). (Read more about his 2024 injury-filled season here.)

However, he told reporters, he is fully recovered.

“It was a tough year for me, injury-wise,” he said. “But thankfully, right now, I’m healthy after the year of having ups and downs that I had last year, which, as a baseball player, you never want to deal with that.”

He accepts, too, that injuries are a reality of baseball.

“This year, I’m healthy, and I see this as a new opportunity.”

He’s positive about the Rockies’ future and his ability to contribute

Offensively, the Rockies probably hope Estrada can contribute to a low stolen-base total. He sees that kind of aggressiveness as key to his game.

“I’m an aggressive base runner, and I play hard,” Estrada said. “So I think as a team, we have a chance to [improve], and I’m going to do my part in any way to help the rest of the team in that manner.”

Projection systems may be down on the Rockies 2025 chances, but Estrada is not.

“I think it’s a very young team. It’s a very talented one,” he said.

“I think it’s a team that can be very aggressive on all facets of the game, and one that can steal bases, but one that can also play small ball if necessary. But I think the biggest thing, and the thing that attracted me the most, is that all these guys want to play and win, and that’s kind of the biggest thing in my head. As baseball players, I always want to go somewhere where the everyone has the common mindset of trying to go out there and play the hardest and win the game.”

He’s also eager to be a part of the Rockies talented infield.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity,” he said, noting especially the defensive talents of Ryan McMahon and Ezequiel Tovar as well as the play of the Rockies outfield.

He’s been connecting with Rockies players

He’s familiar with the Rockies from his stint with the Giants — and he knew Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela from their time in Venezuela before they became professionals. “We’re the same age, and we’ve talked in the past.”

He’s also been in contact with Ezequiel Tovar.

“He’s younger than me, but what a baseball player he is,” Estrada said. “He plays it the right way. He hits, he plays defense very well, and I think that he’s going to be leader. I think he’s going to be someone that’s huge for this franchise moving forward. It’s just exciting for me to play along someone like him.”

Closing thoughts

This is a signing with potential benefits for both sides.

For the Rockies, it means a veteran player who is a solid defender with offensive potential — and they are banking on having signed the 2021-2023 version of Estrada. Moreover, the short-term contract keeps them from blocking their future second baseman, be that Adael Amador or Ryan Ritter.

For Thairo Estrada, he gets a chance to re-establish his value in an offensively friendly ballpark where he has a history of playing well.

In the meantime, however, it’s all about preparing for 2025.

“I’m ready for spring training,” Estrada said, “and, more importantly, excited for this opportunity to play baseball. That’s the biggest thing: to play baseball and enjoy it, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing.”

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This week on the internet

As a reminder Rockies Fest is coming! This year, it’s on Saturday, January 25th.

I have it on good authority there will definitely be Rockies Family Fued.

We hope to see you there!

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ICYMI

We’re beginning to put together our Purple Row Opening Day Breakfast. If you’re planning to attend and could complete this Google Form, we’d appreciate it.

Since it’s our 20th anniversary, we’re planning to go all out!

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Yes, it’s a little late for predictions, but this one from Kevin Henry seemed worth sharing — in large part because of his forecast for Kris Bryant.

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Will CarGo make it to Cooperstown? Jay Jaffe considers the data. (Spoiler: He won’t, but this is still an excellent read.)

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