What’s the Deal with Jake Cave?

Back in late March when the Colorado Rockies traded with the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Jake Cave, it seemed an odd move. After all, the Rockies were a rebuilding team with an abundance of outfielders, and two of them — Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon — had that veteran leadership the team is always stressing. Adding one more seemed like contributing to the glut.

His statistics were (and remain) unremarkable. Cave has a career slashline of .233/.294/.393. In 1,363 plate appearances, he has hit only 38 home runs. He has a career wRC+ of 85, which is well below league average and is worth 2.3 fWAR. His defense is no better: His career DRS is -2.

“Jake comes with a toolset that profiles for us as a role player,” manager Bud Black said at the time. “He has the ability to play all three positions in the outfield and the ability to play first base as well.

“He has some power and can hit a fastball. He’s a hard-nosed, gritty player. He can run, and he’s a solid defender.”

Cave, 31, was viewed as a fourth outfielder — even though the Rockies already had so many outfielders — who would occasionally spell Brenton Doyle.

The signing only made sense if the Rockies truly used him as a fourth outfielder and were willing to move Cave when younger players were ready.

We’re how halfway through the season. Here’s how that’s working out so far. (All numbers are as of Wednesday, June 26, 2024.)

Currently, Cave is slashing .250/.303/.326 with 0 home runs, a 94 wRC+, and 2 DRS, so his batting average and OBP are up a bit while the other numbers are not. His defensive numbers are also up a bit.

Cave has done a few things to get fans’ attention, like this moment of yelling at Lance Barksdale after a bad call.

And he’s made some very fine catches like this one:

Plus, there have been some clutch hits, but this is been a better, if unremarkable, season for Jake Cave.

With all this in mind, it’s worth considering how much playing time he has received, given that he was initially signed as a fourth outfielder to spell Brenton Doyle.

Here’s how the Rockies primary outfielders stack up in terms of innings:

• Brenton Doyle: 654.0

• Jake Cave: 337.3

• Nolan Jones: 283.2

• Sean Bouchard: 225.0

• Jordan Beck: 191.2

• Charlie Blackmon: 151.2

• Michael Toglia: 106.2

• Hunter Goodman: 88.1

• Kris Bryant: 27.0

• Greg Jones: 15.0

To be fair, some of these players have missed significant playing time due to injuries (e.g., Nolan Jones, Sean Bouchard, Jordan Beck, Charlie Blackmon, and Kris Bryant).

However, that Jake Cave has the second-most innings of all Rockies outfielders seems strange given both the Rockies stated intention when bringing him onboard and his limited offensive contributions. (Apologies, but berating an umpire for a bad call may provide a moment of catharsis for a frustrated fanbase, but it does nothing to improve an already-bad team.)

Moreover, of the 337.3 innings Cave has logged, only 35.0 have been in center field. Brenton Doyle has logged more innings than any other outfielder — and it’s not close.

Bud Black keeps stressing that this is a team “under construction,” which explains some of the poor play we’re seeing, and fans are willing to accept that if younger players are getting developmental playing time.

But the continual reliance on Jake Cave calls into question the construction plan.

What I’m Reading

• Patrick Lyons’ “How Jake Cave Became a Man of the People” (Just Baseball) — I’ve been pretty tough on Cave in this newsletter, so it only seems fair to include Lyons’ more positive take.

• Skyler Timmins’ “The Rockies Need to Solve Their Bullpen Problems” (Purple Row) — That the Rockies bullpen is not good is not a secret. Timmins explores how bad they are.

•Jake Shapiro’s “You Could Be the Next Rocky, Nuggets Looking for Next SuperMascot” (Denver Sports) — This is really Rockies-adjacent, but I wondered what a professional sports mascot might earn, and this gives some ideas.

Closing Thoughts

That will do it for this week as the Rockies head for a series with the Chicago White Sox prior to a home stand that proceeds the All-Star Break.

In the meantime, have a great weekend, and enjoy this song from former Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias, who released this song last night:

Singing it after wins has become part of the Mets postgame celebrations.

Perhaps the Rockies need a clubhouse anthem. Just a thought.

As always, thanks for reading —

Renee

Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball and tries to tell the stories no one else is.