Dooley's Diary Spring Training

Dooley's Diary
Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Scottsdale, Arizona- Hello from Salt River Fields, the official spring training home of the Colorado Rockies. It's so great to hear the crack of the bat, pound of the mitt, and the buzz of the crowd as baseball is well underway here in Scottsdale. And we are just 16 days away from Opening Night at Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford on April 5^th. The Yard Goats begin the season by hosting the Toronto Blue Jays affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, as part of a 7-game opening homestand.         
LIVE SPRING TRAINING SHOW ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 (7-8 PM) ON 97-9 FM ESPN
I'm excited to announce that for the second straight season we will be broadcasting the Live Spring Training Show on 97-9 ESPN from the Colorado Rockies complex in Scottsdale, Arizona. Join me from 7-8 PM and get a sneak preview of the 2018 season and what we can expect for the Yard Goats. Manager Warren Schaeffer and Senior Director of Player Development Zach Wilson will update us on how things have gone in camp and some of the players we may see in Hartford this season.
Rockies hosted Brewers today at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick
Former Yard Goat lefty Tyler Anderson started today's Rockies game against the Brewers. You may remember Anderson was the first Yard Goats player to punch his ticket to the Major Leagues when he advanced from Hartford to Colorado in 2016. Anderson pitched well in five innings of work (5 IP 2ER 1BB 5K). X-Goats OF David Dahl and SS Trevor Story started for the Rockies and INF Pat Valaika , INF Ryan McMahon and OF Raimel Tapia also played in the game. A handful of future Yard Goats entered the game and played the final few innings. Valaika and McMahon smashed back-to-back doubles in the 9^th inning to tie the game in front of more than 9,000 fans on Tuesday. The game ended in a 4-4 tie.  
Roster Moves
We are getting to the point of spring training when the Rockies must trim their roster down as they prepare for the opener on March 29 at Arizona. Every couple of days more and more players get optioned to the minor league, thus filling the Yard Goats roster. Today, INF Brendan Rodgers , INF Garrett Hampson and C Jan Vázquez were optioned to minor league camp as part of the moves. I think Rodgers and Hampson both have a great chance to begin this season as Yard Goats. Vazquez, who has played in the Eastern League during the past three season, will have be battling for a spot at Triple-A.
Fans got a chance to see Rodgers last season after he tore up the California League. The Rockies top prospect provided some great moments in the inaugural season at Dunkin' Donuts Park, including a two homer game, capped by a walk-off home run in front of a sellout on July 16th. Meanwhile, Hampson the Rockies 3^rd round pick in 2016, has hit over .300 in each of his first two professional seasons. Last year, he was a California League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star selection. The Rockies #7 overall prospect batted .326 with 24 doubles, 12 triples, 8 home runs and 70 RBI.
German Márquez
Tomorrow, former Yard Goats ace and Eastern League pitcher of the Year from 2016, German Marquez will start in a minor league game. The Rockies are off but Marquez will start to get his work in and stay on regular schedule. Last season, Marquez was a big part of the young starting rotation that helped the Rockies earn a spot in the National League Wild Card Game. He led all rookies with 14 quality starts and 147 strikeouts.     
Thanks for reading and more to come all week long.
-The Voice of the Yard Goats
                -Jeff Dooley