TEMPE, Ariz. — The Ian Desmond dominoes continue to fall for the Rockies after the first-time first baseman broke his hand a week ago. Mark Reynolds likely will start the season at first base, but Colorado needs options.
On Saturday, they turned to second baseman-turned-shortstop Pat Valaika, a 24-year-old minor-leaguer who played in 13 games with the Rockies last season after a September call-up. Valaika took groundballs with coaches, alongside Reynolds and Jordan Patterson, who has played the most innings at first this spring, with 57.
“As I’ve gotten older in the game, I realized quality work is better than quantity.