Doyle

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — What a fickle world is often found in Major League Baseball.

The players are given advice on a daily basis. “Don’t get too high.” “Don’t get too low.” Sometimes a player’s mood can change from at-bat to at-bat.

When a pitch is made in baseball, a rapid-fire sequence of events can occur in a mere fraction of a second.

Second-year major leaguer Brenton Doyle, nearing his 26th birthday on May 14, had shown a rise-from-the-ashes surge in his hitting for the Colorado Rockies. Doyle played collegiately at NCAA Division II Shepherd University and became a fourth round draft choice of the Rockies in 2019. He steadily rose through Colorado’s minor league system and then late last April joined the big league team for the remainder of the 2023 season.

He proved to be a near-sensational fielder, winning a Gold Glove for his close-to-flawless play in centerfield.

But he struggled at the plate with too many strikeouts and not enough hits. Doyle finally reached an average of .203 at the season’s close with an effective spurt at the plate in late September.

His swing and mechanics when batting were tinkered with by more than one coach.

He was an attentive listener and spent hours of practice trying to make the adjustments needed to become a more productive offensive force.

When this season began, he was mostly batting eighth or even ninth in the Colorado batting order.

Hits began to fall in. After about 50 official at-bats his batting average was at .280. Several weeks later, he was elevated to second in the batting order to take advantage of his speed and improved-for-the-time-being average.

Doyle’s surge left him at .323 and he was one of the few bright spots in the otherwise lacking Colorado lineup.

But, recently, the Rockies went to Pittsburgh and were swept in a weekend series by the Pirates. Doyle went hitless in the all-losing series and had his batting average tumble to .279 in games through May 5. The Rockies had an open date on May 6 and it may have been a needed opportunity to rest and ponder his situation for the Shepherd graduate.

His coaches will be again watching film and slo-motion images of his at-bats during the luckless series in Pittsburgh.

Hopefully, it was just a slump and not a return to the sometimes gloom of the 2023 season.

Doyle’s baseball tools are above average in many categories and being as coachable as he is a reason for Colorado’s sustained interest in his future.

Possibly the pending warmer weather and consistent schedule will also be helpful toward any improvement he can find again.

Baseball is a fickle game that can bring wide smiles or deep frowns. “Try to learn from the troubled times. Remember the valued teaching you are receiving. And use all your tools to get a little better a little bit at a time.” And then begin to dump the hits to all fields and maintain a Gold Glove fielding stance in the vast outfield at Coor’s Field in Denver.