Troy Tulowitzki Benched by the Rockies

A couple years ago, Troy Tulowitzki was a rookie phenom for the Colorado Rockies. Now, the shortstop who led the Rockies to the 2007 World Series has been benched indefinitely due to a hitting slump. The 24-year-old out of Long Beach State is hitting just .167 with three homers and five RBIs in 54 at-bats.

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies (Image: Newscom)

As a rookie, Tulowitzki played 155 games, had a batting average of .291 with 24 homers, 99 RBIs and 104 runs. As a sophomore, his numbers began dropping — hitting .263 with eight homers, 46 RBIs and 48 runs.

Hit-less in his last 19 at-bats, the Rockies have shut Tulowitzki down to have him work on his swing and get him to calm down at the plate. Scouts say Tulowitzki oftentimes swings too hard and pitchers have adjusted by giving him less pitches to hit. Even more worrisome than his .167 batting average is the fact that he has 17 strikeouts already this season.

Don’t expect the shortstop to be out for long. He’ll likely be out a couple days and then the Rockies will put him back into the lineup to judge his progress.