There has been talk in the Purple Row comments of late about platoons. The 2026 Colorado Rockies have used the platoon system for a while, or at least it has been more apparent this season. Looking for every measure to gain an edge and win ballgames, the Rockies are using platoons as much as they can in the lineup, hoping to put forth the best matchups night after night.
Back in May, I asked: Is the platoon system working for the Rockies? For the most part, I concluded that it was working in theory,
as the Rockies were getting the necessary production from players facing opposite-handed pitchers.
However, because the Rockies’ offense has struggled recently, it seemed worth asking a follow-up question: Is the platoon system still working for the Rockies?
For this article, we’ll be looking at the platoon splits since the start of June.
Team splits
Since June, the Rockies offense as a whole ranks
- fifth in batting average (.258),
- sixth in on-base percentage (.329), and
- second in slugging percentage (.443).
In addition, the Rockies have the
- ninth-most hits (623), and
- fifth-most runs scored (369).
In most positive cases, the Rockies are a top-10 team offensively across the board in baseball.
Facing right-handed pitching
As for facing right-handed pitching, Colorado is batting .261/.334/.467 with a league-leading .801 OPS since June 1. They also rank seventh in home runs (71) while being 13th in runs scored (245). Meanwhile, the strikeout rate is at a reasonable 21.1%, and the walk rate comes in at 8.9%, which is 10th-highest.
Those numbers have been fairly consistent over the summer months. The Rockies had a .268 AVG in June and are currently sitting at that mark in August. As for July, the average dropped down to .248 while the .298 OBP was noticeably lower than the other two months, which makes sense because that was a tough month for the Rockies. Still, the team has continued finding overall success against right-handed pitching.
Facing left-handed pitching
There have also been some positive developments since the start of June concerning production against left-handed pitching. Over the summer, the Rockies are slashing .251/.320/.399, which places them in the top 15 in all three categories. They have the fourth-most hits (213) and the second-most runs scored against lefties (124) while leading the league with 120 RBI. The strikeout total is sixth-highest in the league (218), but they have the fifth-most walks (79), and the actual strikeout rates (22.9%) and walk rates (8.3%) are roughly league average.
Now, the heavy lifting in that production came in June when the Rockies hit .286/.338/.435 against southpaws. In July, they hit .244/.333/.369 and are hitting .215/.280/.388 in August, while strikeout and walk rates have dropped to league average after being 25.5% and 6.1% respectively in June.
As we know, however, these stats tell only part of the story. While they look good on paper, do the individual players reflect the success?
The lefty hitters
The left-handed hitters have found plenty of success for the Rockies this season. On a given night, the Rockies typically have three regular left-handed hitters and the addition of two switch-hitters (more on them later). The current roster also has three additional lefties coming off the bench.
Across the board, the lefties are successful against right-handed pitching. Since the start of June, there have been nine players hitting .250 or better against righties, seven of whom are currently on the big league roster. Jake McCarthy (.301) and TJ Rumfield (.300) lead the qualified lefties in batting average and are regular contributors in most categories.
Since returning from injury that cost him a month of games, Mickey Moniak has settled in with a .492 slugging against right-handed pitching with eight home runs. One of the bigger surprises has been Brett Sullivan, who has just 76 plate appearances against right-handed pitching since June, but is slashing .289/.337/.605 with six home runs.
The same success can’t be said of the players when facing left-handed pitchers. McCarthy has continued to be phenomenal, batting .298/.359/.548 with four home runs. Rumfield has also continued to be steady, particularly in his ability to draw walks against left-handed pitching. However, the other regulars on the current roster are not doing much against same-sided pitching.
Moniak has a whopping 31.7% strikeout rate while hitting .216/.244/.351 with just one home run. He has been kept in the lineup out of necessity when facing lefties, but the production has still not come for him as it has against righties.
The lack of success for most of the lefties against same-sided pitching makes it understandable as to why the Rockies deploy platoons more often.
However, the plan is only as successful as the players doing the platooning.
The righty hitters
As expected, Hunter Goodman has been the Rockies’ best weapon against left-handed pitching. Among the right-handed options since June 1, he is slashing .309/.415/.529 with four home runs and 16 RBI. Losing him to injury has left a hole in the lineup that the other right-handed options haven’t been able to fill.Braxton Fulford has gotten opportunities but is still slashing just .190/.261/.286 against lefties since June, including .167/.167/.167 in August.
The other bright spot — who is also injured — is Kyle Karros. Coinciding with his breakout summer, Karros has batted .296/.405/.437 against southpaws with 10 walks against 12 strikeouts. Jordan Beck also tends to find his success against lefties, slashing .278/.381/.333, and has continued that role since being recalled. Newcomer Connor Norby has been a welcome surprise in his brief sample of playing time, batting .333/.429/.417 in just 16 at-bats against lefties.
However, Tyler Freeman and Ezequiel Tovar have mostly been empty at-bats against lefties and righties, making it hard to fill out and balance the lineup, a fact that extends to most of the right-handed hitters when facing the same side.
Outside of Karros’ excellent .313/.395/.554 slash and Norby’s .261/.346/.522 slash, the right-handers are struggling against righties. Goodman has an excellent .645 SLG, but that has correlated with a 33.1% strikeout rate. Strikeouts as a whole are rampant among the right-handed hitters not named Karros and Freeman.
With Goodman and Karros on the Injured List, Freeman in Triple-A, and the other options not exactly thriving on either side of the platoon, it’s showing cracks in the offense. More than ever, the Rockies need better right-handed hitters.
The switch-hitters
It’s worth pointing out how impactful it’s been having two switch-hitters in the lineup who are regularly consistent on both sides of the plate.
Willi Castro is having a career year, particularly in the power department, but his ability to contribute on both sides of the plate is especially useful. Castro is batting .240/.291/.417 as a right-handed hitter this season. It is the weaker side of his splits, but it’s passable enough to utilize him in the lineup. As a left-handed hitter against righties, Castro is slashing .281/.373/.525 and has nine home runs, which leads the lefties on the team. He tends to walk much more as a lefty, while the strikeouts are fairly similar on either side of the plate, albeit still a little higher than league average.
Since arriving in June, Cole Carrigg has played with his hair on fire since arriving in June, and his splits as a switch-hitter have been promising as well. When facing left-handed pitching, Carrigg — a natural righty — is batting .296/.324/.480 with two home runs and 17 RBI. When he flips to the more prevalent left side of the plate, Carrigg is still batting .252/.387/.432 with a 15.3% walk rate against a 17.5% walk rate.
The fact that both switch hitters are consistent and productive on both sides of the plate is a significant asset for the club. Castro and Carrigg have been a driving force for the offense all summer, and their ability to post up every night and compete regardless of the handedness of the pitcher is the type of switch-hitting production the Rockies haven’t had in a long time.
Is it working?
In general, there is still a viable reason for the Rockies’ utilization of the platoon system. The opposite-handed batters are finding success against their counterpart on the mound. However, the issue stems less from the actual act of match-up hunting through platoons but more from the platoon players not being effective hitters, especially against left-handers.
The Rockies offense is much better this year, but it has a lot of work to do that doesn’t necessarily involve the act of platoons.
So yes, the idea of platooning is still working for the team, especially when fully healthy. It’s the players themselves that have to start pulling their weight even more.
On the Farm
Triple-A: Round Rock Express 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 4
It was a heartbreaker for the Albuquerque Isotopes as they surrendered two runs in the bottom of the ninth to give Round Rock a 5-4 walk-off victory. Parker Mushinski started the game as the opener, tossing two scoreless innings; Jarrod Cande was responsible for the first two runs given up out of the bullpen, followed by Blas Castaño’s one run in two innings of relief. The pen held firm with two scoreless innings from Evan Shawver, but TJ Shook ended up with the loss after giving up a two-run double to end the game. Bryant Betancourt had another good night, going 2-for-4, while Sterlin Thompson also went 2-for-4 with two walks.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 8, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2
The Hartford Yard Goats had a quality offensive night, scoring eight runs on 12 hits en route to victory. Andy Perez and Jacob Humphrey each had three hits at the top of the order. Dyan Jorge had two hits and drove in three runs while the newly promoted Roynier Hernandez had two RBI as part of a 0-for-4 night. On the mound, Stu Flesland III made the start and allowed two runs through four innings before giving way to a bullpen that allowed just two hits and a walk with six strikeouts over five innings.
High-A: Vancouver Canadians 6, Spokane Indians 1
The Spokane Indians struggled to come through offensively all night but avoided the shutout by scoring a run in the ninth inning as they fell 6-1. Lorenzo Carrier had an excellent night, going 3-for-4 on the night. Not much else happened for the Indians as Blake Penso’s single in the ninth drove in the only run. On the mound, Everett Catlett kept things close after going five innings and allowing just one run. However, Justin Loer gave up three runs in the sixth inning, recording just two outs. Luke Hansel then took over and allowed two unearned runs in his 1.1 innings of work, giving up just one hit and allowing two walks.
Low-A: Inland Empire 66ers 8, Fresno Grizzlies 0
The Fresno Grizzlies had a tough night on offense, mustering just five hits as they struck out 12 times and were shut out. Cort MacDonald led the offense with two singles, but the team went 0-for-8 with RISP. The pitching didn’t fare much better as Sandy Ozuna started the game and went just 2.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, followed by Manuel Olivares, who took the brunt of the damage. He worked 4.1 innings, but gave up five runs on seven hits.
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