Tulo odd or just off?

By Alex Patterson

When Troy Tulowitzki was drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the seventh pick in the 2005 draft, they knew he was different. The indefinable leadership, the uncanny knack for the big moment and unearthly strength and accuracy of his throwing armed proved that. But, how would they know that he’s just odd?

So far in Tulo’s big league career, only in odd years has he produced. In 2005, his final year at Long Beach State, he was fantastic and improved his draft status to the point that he was drafted number seven. In 2007, Tulo’s rookie year, fans fell in love with the player that should have won Rookie of the Year. A batting average of .291 with 24 homers and 99 RBI’s and Gold-Glove-caliber defense were the main reasons why, and who doesn’t love the Tu-Lo chant? In 2009, a bump in the average to .297 with 32 homers and 92 RBI’s while getting robbed of the Gold Glove Award for shortstop.

For all those numbers, something is missing. What about the even numbered years? 2006 was lost mostly to the minors, but a .240 batting average was nothing to write home about. 2008 was injury plagued, but the serious injury was brought upon himself when he shattered a bat and had a shard leave a deep gash in his hand. Even after those, a subpar average of .263 was all that was left.

Anyone else noticing a pattern here? Is it just me, or does Troy only produce in the even numbered years? Even in 2010, a start that includes .268 average and 0, count ‘em, 0 home runs to this point. The other quandary that can’t be left unnoticed is the defense has been faltering for the first time. There maybe only one error officially, but several other defensive plays nearly cost this team ball games already.

During the preseason, I picked Tulo to have a fantastic year and compete for the MVP Award in the National League. So far, Troy’s leaving a little bit more to be desired. Will he continue his trend of producing in odd numbered years and faltering in the even ones, or is this just a coincidence? Only Tulo can turn that around.