Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every week on Tuesdays during the season.

Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

I find myself scratching my head over the (departure) of DJ LeMahieu. He’s a Gold Glover, consistent hitter and his Yankees salary is basically the same as Daniel Murphy’s… vs. a group of under-performers now at second base? Wow! What is your take?

— Jim Doolittle, Lakewood

Jim, this has become a really hot topic, especially now that LeMahieu was the star of the show in the Yankees vs. Red Sox series in London and because of his selection as the starting second baseman in the All-Star Game.

I’ve said from the beginning that I though it was a big mistake to not pursue LeMahieu when he became a free agent. But general manager Jeff Bridich and his front office never even contacted LeMahieu about a new contract. I know this because LeMahieu told me so, numerous times. He also told me he wanted to stay in Colorado.

Bridich is not the kind of GM who shares his strategy with the media, but I believe the thinking in the front office was this:

• With top prospect Brendan Rodgers on the cusp of his major-league debut and Ryan McMahon improving monthly, Bridich felt that room – and playing time – had to be made for them.

• The Rockies shelled out big bucks over the last two seasons for Wade Davis (three years, $52 million) Charlie Blackmon (six years, $108 million) and Nolan Arenado (eight years, $260 million), and perhaps they didn’t think they could pursue LeMahieu.

• The Rockies targeted veteran Daniel Murphy to play first base and be the kind of veteran hitter who would be a catalyst to the offense.

My take is this:

• The Rockies miss LeMahieu’s presence on the field and in the clubhouse. This isn’t just my opinion. Several Rockies players told me that in spring training and have reiterated it since then.

• The Yankees signed LeMahieu to a two-year, $24 million deal; the same contract the Rockies gave Murphy. For the same number of years and same money, I would rather have LeMahieu.

• Once Murphy’s broken finger healed, he became a solid offensive force (.282 average, .330 on-base percentage, .781 OPS, six home runs and 42 RBIs in 202 at-bats). But that pales next to LeMahieu’s production (.345 average, .392 on-base percentage, .925 OPS, 12 home runs and 61 RBIs).

• LeMahieu, a three-time Gold Glover, was the best second baseman Colorado’s ever had. The Yankees are discovering just how good a fielder he is.

• Murphy is not a good fielder. In fact, he’s one of the worst first baseman in baseball. I’m still wondering why the Rockies didn’t keep LeMahieu at second and use McMahon as their primary first baseman.

• LeMahieu is 30 and in excellent shape.

• Murphy is 34 and not in good shape.

• The Rockies made a huge mistake.

For an excellent take on LeMahieu’s all-star season, please read Bob Nightengale’s recent profile in USA Today.

A big mistake was made letting LeMaheiu go to free agency. McMahon and Rodgers do not seem ready to hit at this level and sometimes their fielding is suspect. The Rockies also need a bat in the second hole like DJ who would not strikeout, could move runners up, made contact and hit the long ball once in a while. Is there anyone on the trading block you feel could fill this position that is currently playing at the major league level?

— Terry Jeddeloh, Centennial

Terry, I voiced my opinions regarding LeMahieu in the previous question, but to answer your questions, I think the Rockies have done pretty well with Trevor Story batting in the No. 2 hole, but I think LeMahieu’s skills also profiled well at No. 2. He doesn’t strike out as often as Story, but he’s not as dangerous a hitter.

I don’t see a trade in the offing.

I think the future is bright for both Rodgers (currently on the injured list) and McMahon, but they’re experiening substantial growing pains — Rodgers especially.

What’s going on with Arenado? I know his toe is hurt, but an average of .250 over the last 15 games and .143 over the last seven seems way out of normal range for him. It’s like Ian Desmond’s lately hitting prowess is anti-matter taking away Arenado’s batting karma or something. Thanks!

— Eric Rasmussen, Denver

Eric, I’m not sure when you submitted your question, but by now you know that Arenado has snapped out of his funk. Last Friday night, he hit 4-for-5 with a home run against the Dodgers. He’ll be just fine the second half of the season. By the time all is said and done, he’ll bat close to .300, hit close to 40 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs. That’s just who he is.

As for your take on Desmond stealing Arenado’s karma, that’s like really far out and groovy, but I don’t buy it!

If I recall correctly, box scores prior to the turn of the century showed both the tickets sold and the turnstile attendance. You probably aren’t allowed to comment on MLB policies but why can’t MLB be more honest with us. Attendance is not tickets sold.

— James Downs, Lafayette

James, I’ve always been puzzled by what actually constitutes a sellout. For instance, the Rockies have had sellout crowds of exceeding 49,000 fans this season, and sellouts with the announced crowd less than 48,000.

So I did a little digging and I found a very informative, 2005 article by Bill Shakin of the Los Angeles Times. Here’s part of what he wrote:

“National League teams announced an actual turnstile count through 1992, MLB spokesman Rich Levin said. But the National League and American League have since consolidated business operations, and Major League Baseball defines attendance as “tickets sold,” not “tickets used.”

“It’s because of revenue sharing,” Levin said. “That’s what we use in our official count.” (Teams contribute 34% of the revenue they generate, including most ticket and concession revenue, into a pool to be redistributed among teams that generate the fewest dollars.)

The Times no longer routinely includes attendance in sports stories, because of the discrepancies between actual and announced attendance.

“In effect, we’re intentionally presenting inaccurate information while attributing it to the home team,” Sports Editor Bill Dwyre wrote in a memo announcing the change.”

To me, good teammates (clubhouse guys) are very important and underrated in a sport with 162 games spread over six months. In your opinion, how have the addition of Murphy and the younger faces offset the loss of Cargo Gonzalez, LeMahieu, and Gerardo Parra — as well as Tyler Anderson and Kyle Freeland who seem to be lost for the season? Is clubhouse leadership and chemistry as important of a consideration for general managers in the days of sabermetrics and Statcast?

— Eric Nolan, Kingston Tennessee

Eric, this a good question that is hard to answer, because leadership and chemistry is such a subjective and nebulous concept. I still think team chemistry is a huge consideration, especially with the Rockies.

I do think the Rockies keenly felt the loss of CarGo and Parra early in the season, but this team is now forging its own identity. It’s a good group.

As I stated above, I do think the Rockies miss LeMahieu, but I think Murphy has become a popular addition in the clubhouse and in the dugout.

Having said that, I will admit that I don’t know a lot about what goes on behind the scenes when the clubhouse is closed to the media. I don’t pretend that I do, so team chemistry is hard to qualify, and impossible to quantify.

FYI, we get about an hour a day in the clubhouse before games and also get time in the clubhouse after the game ends. Much of the time, however, players are in the training room, video room or food room. Through the course of a long season, I think it’s safe to say they get tired of us invading their space, so avoid us from time to time. I understand that.

Hey Patrick, a question about Freeland. I know that the team has diagnosed his struggles as technical and about execution, but I’m wondering if you think that the changes in this year’s ball, explored the recent article in The Athletic are contributing to Freeland’s struggles? He was mentioned in the article, as it noted that pitchers who rely on location might be having more difficulty since the ball seems to have slicker leather and is more difficult to grip than last year’s.

— Jermey Goldson, Denver

Jermey, I read the article in The Athletic, too. Very interesting stuff, some of which went over my head. I think everybody in baseball knows that something funny is going on with the baseball. However, I don’t think Freeland’s struggles are directly tied to the slickness of the baseballs.

There are a lot of moving parts going on right now as Freeland tries to fix what’s going wrong. He’s working on his mechanics, his approach and his self-confidence.

The hot topic around the league is the incidents of fans getting hit by foul balls and extending the protective netting. Is there any word on whether or not Coors Field will extend the nets from foul pole to foul pole?

— Aaron Hurt, Omaha, Nebraska



From what I understand, the Rockies are seriously reviewing this, as are a number of teams around baseball. The Rockies, however, have not made an official statement about extending the netting beyond the end of the dugouts.

After a young fan was hit by a Cody Bellinger foul ball at Dodger Stadium during a Rockies-Dodgers game on June 23, the Dodgers said they will be extending the netting farther down the lines.

Dodgers team president and CEO Stan Kasten told the Orange County Register on June 24 that discussions have been ongoing since last year when the netting was extended to the far ends of the dugouts and plans will be announced “in the next couple weeks” to extend the netting even farther.

“We have been talking for some time with different providers and looking at different options,” Kasten told The Register. “Surely we will be expanding netting. I don’t know yet the final configuration. Obviously, there are some different choices to be made and different products which each come with their own set of challenges.”

Kasten said the timing of the installation of additional netting has not been determined yet but it seems “likely” the Dodgers will be able to do the project before the end of this season.

“I can’t say that for sure, although I think it’s likely,” Kasten said. “For sure, something is going to be done. As for the exact timing, I don’t know that yet.”

According to a recent survey commissioned by ESPN, “Major League Baseball fans support installation of more safety netting at ballparks by an overwhelming majority. Fans agreed by a margin of 78 percent to 22 percent that netting is a good idea because it protects fans who often do not have enough time to react to foul balls or bats that fly into the stands.

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every week on Tuesdays during the season.

Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.