ROCKIES ON RIGHT ROAD WITH ROUT OF BRAVES
Back on April 22, shortstop Trevor Story had a succinct and apt evaluation of where David Dahl stood as a major-leaguer. Long a highly touted Rockies prospect, Dahl had just been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to make his 2018 Rockies debut.
“He’s had some tough breaks, for sure, health-wise and stuff like that, but he can do some damage really no matter where he’s at on the field or in the lineup,” Story said. “I think you’ll be able to see that pretty soon.”
But after a rib injury kept him off the Colorado roster all of last season, it turned out “soon” would again have to wait for the promising outfielder, as Dahl was sidelined again June 1.
This time, it was another unfortunate injury, a right foot fracture, caused by fouling off a ball.
However, since returning from that injury Aug. 5, Dahl — alongside infielder Ryan McMahon — has emerged as a premier young player on the Rockies’ roster, and he’s started nine of the dozen games in that time span while hitting .258 with two home runs and six RBIs heading into Friday.
His continued impact was clear again in Thursday’s series opener at SunTrust Park, when Dahl blasted a 434-foot dinger to dead center in the third inning before his two-RBI single in the ninth completed the Rockies’ 5-3 comeback win.
“David’s maturing to a point where he’s starting to understand where he is in his career,” manager Bud Black said. “He’s starting to realize what the big-league game is all about, what his responsibility is as a player and as a teammate.”
According to veteran outfielder Charlie Blackmon, Dahl’s growth is also catalyzed by his progression up Major League Baseball’s mental learning curve.
“He’s a really good bat-to-ball guy, and just a great hitter naturally, but now he’s adding in the knowledge from other guys and the scouting reports,” Blackmon said. “He’s getting a leg up on the competition
rather than just showing up and hitting the ball. He’s figuring out how to mentally approach the big-league game.”
Dahl, 24, is grateful to be with the club for the final stretch of 2018 after missing last year, especially considering the taste of success he got in 2016 when he hit .315 in 63 games with seven home runs and 24 RBIs.
“You come into the season wanting to be in a playoff race, and hopefully getting there,” Dahl said. “That’s what we’re trying to do, and I’m excited to be up here and help keep it going. It does (feel different) from when I played in 2016. It’s more tense, everything matters a lot. You’ve always got to be ready.”
And with the way Dahl’s been ready lately, it seems as if continued health may be the only thing standing in the way of the Rockies’ 2012 first-round pick (No. 10 overall) from becoming a permanent starter down the stretch and into next spring.
“On the physical side, there have been seasons that have been interrupted due to injury, and so now for him it’s just a question of being able to maintain some durability so that he can show his skills,” Black said.
Footnotes.
Left-handed reliever Mike Dunn, on the disabled list due to left A/C joint inflammation, threw a simulated session prior to Friday’s Game 2 against the Braves and felt no pain. He was executing his pitches and worked ahead of Pat Valaika, Garrett Hampson and Ryan McMahon in their at-bats. The next step is likely a rehab assignment, and Dunn is hungry for the opportunity to salvage his summer, one in which he’s been injured multiple times. “I’ve never missed this much time,” he said. “I’ve accepted the fact that this season, in a sense of numbers, is going to be completely gone. To try to get back and help the team in the final month, and hopefully into the playoffs, is the renewed goal.”… Ahead of Friday’s game, the Rockies reinstated reliever Scott Oberg from the paternity list and optioned Harrison Musgrave to Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move.