Troy Tulowitzki is going to get a chance to make his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies, announced Rockies manager Clint Hurdle in a post-game press conference Tuesday.
Tulowitzki, the first pick of the Rockies in the 2005 Amateur Draft was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to the majors in hope of bolstering a struggling offense that has planted the Rockies (61-70) in last place in the National League West. Tulowitzky received a $2.3 million bonus after being drafted.
“We’re not a finished product,” stated Hurdle on the Rockies Web site. “We’ve got areas to improve upon. We need guys that have had good campaigns to finish up strong.”
After spending just over a year in the Rockies minor league system, there is a possibility Tulowitzki will play Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Looking ahead at the possibility of a homecoming, the Rockies play a three-game series against the NL West leading Dodgers at Chavez Ravine over Labor Day weekend, a familiar Southern California crowd for Tulowitzki.
While in the minor leagues with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, Tulowitzki batted .291 with 13 home runs and 61 RBI in 104 games. He missed 11 days of play in June due to knee problems, but did participate in the Futures Game during All-Star weekend in Pittsburgh.
In 2005, his final year at LBSU, Tulowitzki batted .349 in 39 games, with 32 runs, a team-leading eight homers and 29 RBI. In his final two seasons at LBSU, he garnered a .962 career fielding percentage and 88 career RBI to go along with a .296 career average. He was rated as the best defensive shortstop in the Big West in 2004 and 2005 by Baseball America.
Rounding off his career at LBSU, Tulowitzki hit 12 home runs, 25 doubles and had a .453 slugging percentage over 116 games and 111 career starts in the hole. He was also a two-time All-Big West selection.
If Tulowitzki makes his debut, it will mark the second Dirtbag player to do so this year. Former teammate Jered Weaver is currently making a name for himself with the Los Angeles Angels. Weaver is 8-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 14 games started. Since 1999, 10 former Dirtbags have debuted in the MLB and another dozen are in the minor leagues.