First, a trigger warning: We’re about to heap praise on a member of the Colorado Rockies.
If you cannot handle good things being said about someone affiliated with a rudderless baseball organization, the Grading the Week staff will understand if you decide to skip ahead to the rest of the column.
As for those of you looking for a ray of hope that a night at Coors Field can be more than just beautiful sunsets and overpriced beer, let the Grading the Week staff present you with Brendan Rodgers.
Brendan Rodgers — A
It wasn’t all that long ago that some dummy in this space loudly advocated for the second baseman’s demotion to Triple-A Albuquerque.
It was the end of April, Rodgers was 20,000 leagues below the Mendoza Line with a .078 batting average, and it seemed fair to wonder if the third overall pick of the 2015 MLB draft would ever realize his big league potential.
Then the next 15 weeks happened.
His numbers from May 1 to the first pitch of Friday night’s home game vs. Arizona: .318/.362/.490 with 11 home runs, 23 doubles, 55 RBIs and 55 runs scored in 87 games. That includes a four-game stretch this week that saw him go 10 for 19 with five runs, five RBIs and one home run.
That, dear friends, is All-Star level production for a second baseman.
In fact, even after factoring in that awful April, Rodgers is fifth among MLB second basemen this season in WAR (3.3) — a cumulative statistic that determines a player’s value relative to a league-average replacement.
The two second baseman just a hair above him in that stat? Houston’s Jose Altuve (3.4) and San Diego’s Jake Cronenworth (3.5). Not bad company to be in. Not bad at all.
Of course, we’d be remiss if we failed to mention that former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu — the guy former GM Jeff Bridich let walk to the Yankees for Daniel Murphy money — is currently seventh in MLB at 4.6.
Because even good news must be accompanied by a dose of dread in Rockies Land.
Jay Norvell’s lunch order — A+
In one of the great honors of the Grading the Week staff’s tumultuous tenure at The Post, we got an opportunity to dine with new CSU Rams football coach Jay Norvell as he made the rounds with Denver media Thursday morning.
The location: Pete’s Kitchen on East Colfax in Denver.
The coach’s order: steak and eggs, with the steak medium rare and the eggs over easy.
The takeaway:Â This man is a leader.
Hologram Harry Caray — F
Generally speaking, it’s never a good idea to attempt to raise the dead.
Case in point: FOX conjuring up Hologram Harry Caray for a from-the-grave rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch of Thursday night’s Cubs-Reds game in Dyersville, Iowa.
The Grading the Week staff fully understands the thinking behind the idea.
“Field of Dreams” is the story of long-since-passed players, coaches and umpires emerging from cornfields to live out their baseball dreams on a heavenly ballpark in pastoral Iowa. So why not try to resurrect a baseball broadcasting legend for old time’s sake?
The obvious answer: Because it was absolutely horrifying.