So Brad Hawpe got let go this morning. What a bummer. I mean, the guy was not doing well statistically, and the Rockies have a deluge of outfielders that are outperforming him, and they need to clear the roster spot to get some kind of pitching relief. But still, it bothers me.
Hawpe’s one of those ghosts of 2007 that remind me of why I became a Rockies fan in the first place. The very first free t-shirt I got at Coors Field was a Hawpe shirt. He used to be an incredible hitter, the kind of guy who always batted well north of .300 and would sky almost any shot that was left up. Between him and Holliday in right field, you had this incredible one-two punch that would do serious damage to weak pitching. I went to a lot of lopsided games that were chiefly his fault.
He’s been on a downward sprial, though. He almost won the 2008 All-Star game with a robbed home run, and now he’s hitting in the mid-hundreds. It’s so strange how all of the 2007 alumni have just fallen apart. Garrett Atkins got released from the Orioles for poor plate performance (just showing up is average plate performance for Baltimore); Kaz Matsui was batting like 0 for 29 for the Astros before getting let go. I won’t even get into Aaron Cook.
I just saw Hawpe play on Saturday, and didn’t really think it would be one of his last games. I thought since he made it past the trade deadline, he’d coast until winter. Guess I’ll have to get used to seeing him in a White Sox uniform, or where ever he goes.