The Philadelphia Phillies are atop the NL East, thanks in little part to Johan Rojas, who despite some marginal success at the plate as compared to years past, is still a borderline MLB player at best. If you don't believe me, find your local Phillies fan. I can assure you they're everywhere. With the Phillies in Denver to face the Rockies on Thursday, Coors Field security almost did Rob Thomson a huge favor.
Rojas is in the Phillies lineup on Thursday. For the season, he is hitting .259, but has an OPS of just .657. That's not what ya want. Rather than sitting Rojas in favor of, say, Brandon Marsh in the outfield, Thomson has insisted on giving the former more playing time. I don't get it. Phillies fans don't get it. Rockies security, evidently, cannot believe it either. Per Phillies insider Matt Gelb, Rockies security tried to keep Rojas out of the ballpark. Yes, seriously.
"An all-time moment this morning at Coors Field. Johan Rojas went into the stands to make a phone call. Security guards wouldn’t let Rojas back onto field. They did not believe he was a player. Zack Wheeler had to fetch him. Rockies forever," Gelb wrote on X.
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The Colorado Rockies didn't recognize Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas
The Rockies are a bit of a mess these days. The team is stuck in the hyper-competitive NL West as an obvious outlier. Facing the Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks on a regular basis will not help their chances of avoiding MLB's all-time losses record, which they are pacing towards thus far. I spoke with Rockies insider Kevin Henry about this embarrassing season shortly after manager Bud Black was fired. Henry's take on the matter was simple – things will get worse before they improve.
"Coors Field is the best bar in Denver. That’s the joke in the Mile High City, but there’s truth to it as well. Whatever is happening on the field, people will come for the beverages and sunsets. With that in mind, why would Monfort sell the team when more than 30,000 show up on a Saturday night to watch the San Diego Padres post a 21-0 win?" Henry said at the time.
Yikes! The joke does have some truth to it, though. The Rockies struggle on the field – and seemingly even identifying opposing players – but the attendance and ballpark experience remains a steady positive. Rockies fans deserve better than this, as does Rojas.
It's just another low in a season that won't end anytime soon for Colorado.