NEW YORK -- When Jim Tracy took over as Rockies manager on May 29, he told Troy Tulowitzki two things: • Stand up straight
• I'm standing by you.
An adjustment to his batting stance, and the knowledge he is going to play every day, have enabled Tulowitzki to take off. His 14 homers since June 8 are more than anyone but Derrek Lee and Albert Pujols.
"I think the biggest thing is just confidence," Tulowitzki, 24, told FanHouse. "I think when you're going good you've got confidence and believe in yourself."
When Clint Hurdle was fired as Colorado manager in late May, Tulowitzki was a wreck -- hitting .227 with a .393 slugging percentage, going hitless in 27 straight at-bats with runners in scoring position over one stretch and getting benched for a couple of games the previous two weeks.
"As soon as [Tracy] took the job," Tulowitzki said, "he told me I was going to be playing every single day and I was his guy, and that was huge. I don't have bad things to say about Clint, but sometimes I didn't know if I was in the lineup. I'd have a couple of bad days without getting any hits and I'd get a day off. You never feel comfortable after that, so that was tough."
| Top OPS in majors (with minimum 150 plate appearances) from May 29 through Monday: | |
| Player | OPS |
|---|---|
| Albert Pujols (STL) | 1.169 |
| Josh Willingham (WAS) | 1.149 |
| Prince Fielder (MIL) | 1.108 |
| Lance Berkman (HOU) | 1.030 |
| Pablo Sandoval (SF) | 1.029 |
| Derrek Lee (CHC) | 1.012 |
| Troy Tulowitzki (COL) | .989 |
| Hanley Ramirez (FLA) | .986 |
| Source: STATS LLC | |
Meanwhile, Tulowitzki adjusted his stance. He added a "toe-tap" to help keep from stepping out too quickly.
"His stride foot was lifting a little early," said a scout who saw Tulowitzki early in the season and recently. "He's quieted it down and he's much more in sync at the plate."
Tracy also encouraged Tulowitzki to get out of his crouch.
"[Now] he's playing the game at 6-foot-2 inches tall as an offensive and defensive player," Tracy said. "Early in the season I saw a 6-foot-2-inch shortstop and a 5-foot-10-inch offensive player. So offensively, as big a man as he is, where he was going awry -- in my opinion -- was the first thing that he had to do to hit was stand up. So if he's standing up [as the pitch is on its way] and the ball's going to a different plane, you're not going to hit. Now he's above the ball and can hit down through the ball and here comes the power. Here comes the 2007 player that you saw as a rookie."
Since Tracy's promotion, Tulowitzki has hit .295 with a .382 on-base percentage, a.607 slugging percentage, 14 homers and 33 RBI in 51 games.
Of course, maybe the turnaround was just Tulowitzki's usual slow start (career .254 average before the All-Star break) or a carryover from last year, when he missed a total of more than two months with a strained left quadriceps and a laceration on his right hand."The bat has come and gone," the scout said. "The defense has always been there. He's got power. He plays with confidence. A couple of years ago I thought he was going to be a superstar. I've kind of backtracked. I still think he's an above-average everyday shortstop."
