MacIver looks to stand out this spring; Rodgers' plans for Gold Glove

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies catching prospect Willie MacIver took a circuitous route to his rightful place behind the plate.

At College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, Calif., and at the University of Washington, his teams needed him mostly in the infield. To MacIver, it meant double-duty, either staying after practice for catching drills or making sure his summer teams let him catch.

“In my mind, since about 10 or 12 years old, I’ve always been a catcher,” MacIver said.

The Rockies drafted him as a catcher in 2018, and this spring they’ll find out if his winding path has him pointed to the Majors.

Elias Díaz is the Rockies’ clear No. 1 and Brian Serven, a rookie last season, returns to back him up. But when Cactus League games begin on Saturday, expect to see a whole lot of MacIver, who could slot in as the priority catcher at Triple-A Albuquerque -- or, one painful foul tip away from the Majors. Former Braves Minor Leaguer Jonathan Morales, who joined the Rockies last season and appeared in 86 games with Albuquerque, also will see game action this spring.

That’s heady stuff for MacIver, 26, who was on the prospect radar and participated in the 2021 Futures Game at Coors Field. But his struggles offensively for the rest of that season and a slow start at Double-A Hartford last year didn’t help his rankings.

At catcher, however, it’s proximity over prospect panache. Serven wasn’t a well-known prospect when last year started, but the Rockies watched him in camp and called him to replace a struggling Dom Nuñez (now with the Cubs). Serven appeared in 62 games last year.

“Willie will play quite a bit this spring,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “As it stands now, him and Morales are slated to go to [Triple-A]. We would like both those guys to play.

“We’ve seen [MacIver] for a couple of years and everything has improved -- the hands, the receiving, the block, the throw, the technique. Everything you need to be a big league catcher is in order. The bat has been slow to come. But defensively, in all aspects, we feel pretty confident.”

MacIver earned the Futures Game invitation in 2021 mostly on his solid early season with High-A Spokane (.937 OPS, 10 HR). But he hit .167 with Double-A Hartford, although he finished the year hitting .242 in the Arizona Fall League. MacIver returned to Hartford last season, overcame a .164 batting average for the month of May and had a .728 OPS when promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque. Mark Strittmatter, promoted this year from catching coordinator to Minor League field coordinator, kept close watch on MacIver.

MacIver finished the season logging six games in Triple-A, batting .143 in 21 at-bats.

During the season, MacIver went from buzz-cut and clean-shaven to long auburn locks and a beard to match. There was growth in other areas, as well. This spring, MacIver is catching bullpens for key starters and has found them willing to share advice on strategy.

“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” MacIver said. “When you play baseball long enough, you learn that’s the game and that’s life in general. It’s definitely matured me a lot.”

Koch on familiar ground
Non-roster righty reliever Matt Koch, 32, who pitched for the D-backs from 2016-19, is slated be back on the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick mound for the Rockies in Saturday’s Cactus League opener against Arizona. Koch pitched in Japan during the pandemic year of 2020, and spent ’21 with Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate in Columbus.

Koch saw four appearances with the Mariners last year (8.31 ERA in 4 1/3 innings), but made the most of his 38 appearances with Triple-A Tacoma (4-1, 3.05 ERA, 50 strikeouts to 13 walks in 38 1/3 innings). The Rockies moved to sign Koch -- who has been working on a sweeping breaking ball as a swing-and-miss pitch -- because of his strike-throwing in Triple-A.

“They just seemed like they had a good opportunity when they were talking to me, and when my agent told me what they were saying, I just felt like this was the best opportunity for me to go to an organization and help,” Koch said.

Golden motivation
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers became a first-time Gold Glove Award recipient in 2022, and it’s clear he is new at this. He thought it would come in the mail, rather than be presented on the field in a special ceremony.

“I’m looking forward to getting it presented to me on the field, and probably keeping it in my apartment in Denver, then shipping it in my car home [after the season] so it’ll be safe and sound” Rodgers said. “It’ll definitely have a unique spot in my house.”