Zach Knaus’ (aka @twodogszk) Blog

Switch in technique and infusion of confidence have slugging shortstop in groove
By Troy E. Renck

Troy Tulowitzki is a winner. Simple as that. In his life, he has played on one team with a losing record, last season's Rockies. On May 28, the Rockies were knee deep and headed toward another horrible season when Tulowitzki looked in the mirror and saw a big reason why.

"In this game you definitely want to take steps forward to get better," Tulowitzki said, "And I felt like since my rookie year I was taking steps backward."

So that was how he ended up in the batting cage the day Jim Tracy took over as Rockies manager, willing to overhaul his hitting mechanics while carrying the burden of a .227 average. Tracy told Tulo he wanted him to stand more upright at the plate.

That single change was the first stroke in a bold new painting for the 24-year-old. Once standing tall, Tulowitzki was agreeable to returning to a toe tap when he starts his swing. It might as well have been Fred Astaire steps back to stardom. The tap, which he had used in the minor leagues, helps Tulo "load" his arms and shift his weight back to get in the proper hitting position. The result? Dramatically quicker bat speed.

Since he started the toe tap, Tulo has hit 12 home runs, the most by any shortstop in baseball during the same period. He enters this weekend's big home series against San Francisco with 17 home runs.

"I think anybody who first saw me in the minor leagues and in college saw that I did it. When I got here, I stopped because I felt like I was getting beat too much (with fastballs)," Tulowitzki said. "So I spread out my stance to make more contact."

Anyone who has seen Tulowitzki knows he will never be confused for light-hitting shortstop Mark Belanger. Tulowitzki is 6-feet-3, 205 pounds. He should admittedly leave the singles to eHarmony.

"I have always wanted to be a power-hitting shortstop," said Tulowitzki, who had 24 home runs his rookie season and only 13 in his next 509 at-bats through May 28.

"Not too many guys can do that, and I can play a little defense, too, to help us win games," Tulowitzki said. "That's the key, helping the team."

Tulowitzki is quick to credit Tracy, hitting instructor Don Baylor and first-base coach Glenallen Hill for his offensive revival. Hill, in particular, was instrumental. He had seen Tulo use the toe tap briefly in the minor leagues. Hill used the technique in his career after talking with Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and coach Jeff Pentland, who worked with both players.

When Tulo used the tap in the minors, it was simply for rhythm. Hill explained to him why it worked, and showed him video of a current big-leaguer who successfully implements it.

"Of course, failure presents opportunities," Hill said. "Seeing someone else doing it helped him commit."

Change has served Tulowitzki well. When the Rockies were sinking toward obscurity, Tulowitzki was wearing the anchor. He had been benched three times by manager Clint Hurdle, the last time in Atlanta on May 20 after the shortstop swung at the first pitch following Dexter Fowler's walk.

Tulowitzki was upset, correctly pointing out that he was hardly alone in this transgression. On that day, Hurdle officially lost support of the clubhouse and, a week later, his job.

Under Tracy, Tulowitzki hasn't sat once for performance issues, and has become a fixture in the run-producing fifth spot in the order.

"I think the biggest thing is the consistency of the lineup, knowing that I will be in there every time and not worrying about if I struggle," Tulowitzki said. "With Tracy, I have been in there every day. Before, it was tough on me mentally. I am not going to lie. I was worried about just making contact so I could I still start."

Tulowitzki's transformation extends beyond his statistics. He has become more vocal in the clubhouse and in the dugout. After Garrett Atkins knocked in the tying run Wednesday, Tulowitzki was there to meet him with an encouraging scream.

That image was common during the Rockies' 2007 World Series run, the image of a winner, who has found his way back with a toe tap.

Putting the pieces of the story together, this morning Ken Rosenthal reported that the Indians and Rockies were talking about Rafael Betancourt in his article confirming the Jhoulys Chacin call-up. Rumors about a pending deal have been heating throughout the afternoon, and Ed Price at AOL FanHouse has a source that says it's done. Now we're getting more substantial word that the Indians will likely be announcing the trade in a press conference this afternoon. Still no word on who the Rockies will be sending to Cleveland, but we will update this post as more comes out.

UPDATE: According to the comments, a Cleveland news station is reporting that the Rockies will be sending RHP Connor Graham to the Indians to complete the trade.

Quick analysis: It's a good exchange, Graham's got some upside that could make him better than a reliever down the road, but the more likely scenario would have him working out of the bullpen as a late inning power arm, which is exactly what Betancourt is.