Rockies Lineup Against Braves Reflects Changing Offensive Roles

Connor Norby continues to produce near the bottom of Colorado’s order while Hunter Goodman closes in on another major milestone.

Connor Norby celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the Washington Nationals Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Standings-wise, the Colorado Rockies are dead in the water and have little left to play for, but the final few weeks can still be used to evaluate who belongs in this young core and who could eventually be on the chopping block.

Friday’s game against the Atlanta Braves shows both ends of that spectrum. Hunter Goodman is the centerpiece of this lineup, batting third as he closes in on 40 home runs for the season.

Connor Norby is hitting seventh despite his excellent start to life in Colorado, while Ezequiel Tovar bats ninth as he desperately searches for something positive to salvage from a dreadful offensive season.

Tovar’s placement in the lineup should not be surprising. The shortstop is hitting .210/.259/.338 this season, and his Statcast page contains enough blue that you could mistake it for voting results from a Democratic state. His chase rate, strikeout rate, xwOBA and hard-hit percentage are all indicative of a miserable offensive season after he entered the year hoping for a bounceback.

Connor Norby May Deserve a Bigger Opportunity

Connor Norby celebrates with Willi Castro after hitting a grand slam against the Washington Nationals Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Connor Norby is the polar opposite. Right now, it seems like he has the Midas touch offensively.

In his last seven games, the 26-year-old is batting .344/.444/.652. Colorado acquired Norby from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline, and he has quickly made the deal look like a potential steal.

Over the past week, he has hit anywhere from fifth to seventh, and moving him higher could give Colorado a longer look at how his hot bat handles increased opportunity near the top of the order.

Of course, if someone moves up, someone else has to move down. Cole Carrigg might benefit from a lower spot in the order. The youngster has been ice cold lately, batting .138/.219/.276 over his last seven games.

Sliding Carrigg to fifth and Norby to second could give Colorado a fresh look at both players. Carrigg has also produced considerably better results from the fifth spot this season, albeit in limited lineup-specific samples, posting a 1.084 OPS there compared with .570 when batting second.

And if the switch does not work, what exactly do the Rockies lose? The playoffs are a distant dream, giving Colorado little reason to treat its current lineup construction as sacred.

Moving Norby up and Carrigg down would provide another data point as the organization determines which players — and which roles — make the most sense for 2027 and beyond.