In 2010, Tyler Colvin led all major-league rookies not named Mike Stanton with 20 home runs.
Tyler Colvin, Cubs’ Top 2010 Rookie, Demoted To AAA
In 2011, Tyler Colvin has two home runs, two singles, and three doubles in 28 games. So he’s heading to Class AAA -- for the first time in his professional career, actually -- to get some at-bats and (everyone hopes) some hits. MLB.com:
"It's something that he definitely needs to go play," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "He had a really good year for us, and since the first days of Spring Training, he never played up to that level.
"We're in the production business. It wasn't that he wasn't given enough at-bats. He didn't earn enough at-bats. The other guys here outplayed him, too."
Well, okay. But it’s hard to earn at-bats when you’re given only 62.
The problem was that Colvin's not going to get Alfonso Soriano's playing time in left field, or Marlon Byrd's in center. Which left two possibilities: Kosuke Fukudome's in right field, and Carlos Pena's at first base.
Both of those guys make a lot more money than Colvin. Both of those guys bat left-handed; so does Colvin. Really, he was doomed unless Fukudome got off to a slow start this season, and he's batting .326 with a bunch of walks. It's not clear what Hendry means by "other guys" except for maybe Reed Johnson, a right-handed hitter who's done really well but isn't really Colvin's competition.
Anyway, Colvin’s still got a future with Cubs, or someone. He’ll probably never control the strike zone well enough to deserve an every-day job for long, but he’s got real power and he’ll be back. Maybe even with the Cubs, if not this year then next, as Fukudome’s and Pena’s contracts both expire after this season.
In any event, Colvin's roster spot is being filled by speedy (and lefty-hitting) outfielder Tony Campana, who entered this season as a non-prospect but has earned his promotion by hitting .342 in Iowa. He figures to play even less than Colvin did, but there are plenty of Cubs who are pinch-runnable.
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