Kris Bryant could join ignoble list for Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies signed Kris Bryant to provide another powerful bat in the middle of their lineup. Suffice to say that did not work out according to plan this year.
Bryant has battled injuries almost all season, appearing in just 42 games on the year. He has been as advertised when he has been healthy, posting a .306/.376/.475 batting line with five homers and 12 doubles in his 181 plate appearances. It is certainly a strong performance.
Kris Bryant cannot find power stroke at home for Colorado Rockies
There is one strange note about that production. Every single one of those home runs came on the road, as have seven of his doubles. In fact, Bryant has a .996 OPS in 70 plate appearances on the road this season as opposed to a .761 OPS at Coors Field.
That lack of power puts Bryant on an odd list. There have been 14 different seasons where a player on the Rockies has received at least 100 plate appearances without hitting a homer – Bryant would be the 15th.
As one would expect, there is not a lot of power on that list. The likes of Eric Young Jr., Jonathan Herrera, and Tony Wolters appear multiple times. If he does not get another plate appearance at Coors Field this season, Bryant would easily be the most established slugger to be a part of that group.
It is entirely possible that will be the case. As reported by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Rockies do not have a timetable for Bryant to return this season. While they have not counted out his return to the lineup, the focus is to make certain that he is healthy for next year. Bryant himself said that while he is “finally able to do some baseball stuff,” having a normal offseason is extremely important to him as well.
That likely leaves Bryant right where he is in terms of his numbers for 2023. He had a solid enough debut when he was on the diamond, although that did not happen frequently enough. Because of that, he will stand out on the list of Rockies players to get 100 plate appearances at Coors Field in a season and fail to hit a homer.
Kris Bryant still had his power stroke on the road. The Colorado Rockies outfielder just could not get on track at Coors Field this year.