Standing at 6-foot-3 and tipping the scales at 205 pounds, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was big and tough and played the game in a visibly physical manner. When he wasn’t on the diamond, he was in the batting cage or taking countless ground balls. His work ethic was undeniable; his will to win was insatiable. As was pointed out in a recent Denver Post article, Tulowitzki played baseball with a “football mentality.”
The relentless style eventually took its toll on his body, though. Injuries became a factor in the complicated equation that defines the glorious, sometimes misunderstood, baseball career of the ballplayer everyone called “Tulo.”
“If he could stay healthy for 12, 14 years, there’s no question in my mind that he would’ve compiles a Hall of Fame-caliber resume,” says Drew Goodman, the Rockies television play-by-play announcer on the call for the duration of Tulowitzki’s tenure in Colorado. “He was Hall of Fame talent.”
To point, Cooperstown isn’t out of the question; Tulowitzki’s name debuted on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the 2025 cycle.
Massive in stature, his range was mystifying. His pillow-soft glove was magical, and his arm was nothing short of a cannon. He fielded his position as well as anyone who’s ever played the game. In fact, he and Hall-of-Famer Omar Vizquel share the highest fielding percentage (.985) by a shortstop in the history of baseball.
At the plate, opposing pitchers feared Tulo’s exceptional combination of percentage and power. A career .290 hitter, he blasted 264 doubles and 225 home runs, the 12th-most ever by a Major-league shortstop. He once hit 14 home runs in a 16-game span.
While his rare combination of poetry and power were enticing to the naked eye, baseball is a game most often defined by numbers – and despite a career shortened by injury, Tulowitzki’s still stand tall.
Through 10 years and 1,048 games in Colorado, Tulowitzki’s slash line of .299/.371/.513 paired impressively with 188 homers. He was a five-time All Star selection, winning two Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. In 2007, he narrowly finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after slashing .291/.359/.479 with 24 home runs and 99 RBI as an integral part of the National League Champion Rockies. He received MVP votes in six seasons, including fifth-placed finishes in 2009 and 2010. In six different seasons, Tulowitzki finished with a WAR of at least 5.0, placing him alongside Ernie Banks, Alan Trammell, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Francisco Lindor – a small and elite group of shortstops to ever do so. Tulo’s 5.6 rWAR average sits higher than the average Hall of Fame shortstop (4.9).
But numbers never tell the entire story. A picture, however, says 1,000 words. Perhaps it’s the countless highlights of Tulowitzki’s ranging deep into the hole, snagging a would-be base hit and jump-throwing a runner out from what looked like a football-field away, or the indelible image of Tulowitzki pointing at a jubilant dugout after blasting a home run, more effectively tell his tale.
“Fans could tell it meant a lot to this guy,” Goodman surmises.
The name of the game in any sport, however, is winning. And that’s what mattered most to Tulowitzki himself.
“Listen, my bottom line was winning”, he told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “We did that early in Colorado. I’m proud of that.”
By Doug Ottewill, Mile High Sports Magazine
