DENVER -- There was no fooling Rockies left fielder Jordan Beck on Friday night.
Beck had three hits, including a triple and a homer, and finished a double shy of the cycle in a 6-4 victory over the Twins at Coors Field.
The second of the hits, a home run to deep center off Twins starting pitcher Chris Paddack, was an indication of how quickly Beck, 24, is growing into a role of a run producer that the Rockies expect.
It came on a 3-0 count -- a count in which Beck accepted a walk all five times he faced it this season. Counting his debut last season, in 10 3-0 plate appearances he was 0-for-1 with nine walks.
The homer turned out to be a perfect swing for the Rockies. Their 23-74 record is fifth-worst in the Modern Era through 97 decisions. But the Rockies figured they’d look at the first game after the All-Star break as a fresh start, so in their book they’re 1-0.
“It wasn’t a change of plan,” said Beck, whose homer was the Rockies’ first on a 3-0 count since Charlie Blackmon’s on July 1, 2024, against the Brewers. “It was more that he threw three fastballs for a ball, and all pretty much in the same spot. So I was like, ‘Surely, he’s going to make an adjustment.’ And I just wanted to be ready for it.
“I mean, nowadays, it’s maybe one of the only pitches where you might actually know what’s coming. I’ve had plenty of 3-0 counts that have been offspeed. I just felt like this was going to be a heater.”
Paddack was merely trying to get a pitch in a better spot.
“The 3-0 homer, you tip your cap, any day of the week,” Paddack said. “That's very impressive to be able to do that, to center field.”
Beck, selected in the first round (38th overall) out of the University of Tennessee in 2022, is making an increasingly strong impression.
“I feel all year he’s been growing,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “The sky’s the limit for Jordan Beck. So it’s good to see nights like this.”
Nine games into the season, the Rockies sent Beck -- an Opening Day starter -- down to Triple-A Albuquerque after a slow start. Beck quietly felt there was no problem other than trying to settle into the season, although he did make a small timing adjustment at the start of his swing.
Not long after being recalled, Beck hit five home runs in three games over two days, and has been a mainstay since. In his last 35 games, he has batted .293 (41-for-140) with three home runs, 10 doubles and 17 RBIs. There have been huge nights, like a 5-for-5 performance against the Astros on July 1, with solid work in and around it.
Friday started with his fifth triple of the season, which drove in a run and set up Ryan McMahon’s two-run shot for his 14th homer of the season and a 4–0 lead. Beck reached on a fifth-inning infield single, but popped out in the sixth and struck out looking against Travis Adams in the eighth. Beck disputed the plate umpire Ryan Blakney’s call on two of the pitches.
Beck spoke carefully while saying that he has responded to the Rockies’ major changes. The Rockies parted with manager Bud Black in May and, nearly a month before, hitting coach Hensley Meulens. Now running the team is Schaeffer and there are two familiar hitting coaches from his development days, Nic Wilson and Jordan Pacheco.
“I don’t want to necessarily say there was a change of momentum or how things were done, but there is definitely more communication,” Beck said. “That’s huge when you can openly communicate and have a tough conversation, or not have a tough conversation. We have that dialogue here and that’s been huge for me.”
Is Beck previewing something special?
“You let that stuff happen,” Beck said. “I’m going to go out there and compete the same every day.”