Rookie Brenton Doyle Sets Colorado Rockies Record With Speedy Outfield Assist
Brenton Doyle has been one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball since making his big league debut in April, and he added another record-breaking highlight to his resume Tuesday night.
The Colorado Rockies were down 3-1 in the top of the sixth inning when Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies knocked a single up the middle. Shortstop Orlando Arcia tried to score from second on the play, but Doyle came charging in and and threw a rope to catcher Elias Diaz that got there in time.
The rookie center fielder saved a run with his outfield assist, which also happened to set a team record.
Doyle's throw was clocked at 100.4 miles per hour, which was tied for the second-fastest outfield assist in MLB this season, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. Additionally, it became the Rockies' fastest-tracked outfield assist in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015.
"I think he's proven that he's a very solid defender – you can put a lot of superlatives on it so far in his rookie season," manager Bud Black said after Tuesday's game. "There's a lot of stats, right? You just mentioned one, (100.4) miles an hour. But to the baseball eye, he's got a great arm, that's what that tells me."
Doyle leads all National League center fielders in Ultimate Zone Rating, per FanGraphs, as well as Defensive Runs Saved with 12. He has eight outfield assists to just one error this year, putting up a 1.4 dWAR in the process.
The rookie hasn't found as much success at the plate this season, batting .188 with a .552 OPS through 99 games. Things haven't gotten any better as of late, either, as Doyle is just 9-for-71 with 31 strikeouts and two walks since Aug. 7.
Tuesday's game still ended in a 3-1 loss for Doyle and the Rockies, but it was a vast improvement from their 14-4 loss on Monday. They also held the Braves to three or fewer runs for only the third time in their last 44 contests.
Colorado and Atlanta will wrap up their three-game series at 8:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
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