Sophomore Jinx, Thy Name is Tyler Colvin

Tyler Colvin had a really nice rookie campaign in 2010. By virture of a very hot spring training, the Cubs were more or less forced to bring him north. Early in the season, Lou Piniella was criticized for not getting him enough at bats. But Kosuke Fukudome was not hitting well and Colvin started seeing more regular playing time.

He season ended a little early, when he was impaled by a piece of a broken bat. For the year, he hit 20 home runs while starting in only 80 games. He knocked in 56 runs and hit .254. Everything seemed good.

Topps was apparently impressed because they have included Colvin in all of their 2011 releases so far: Series 1, Heritage, Opening Day, Factory Team set, and Gypsy Queen.











Colvin even got a prominent spot on the Cubs team card...



...and had both jersey and autograph cards.





Unfortunately, National League pitchers were not as impressed. Baseball is a game of adapting; the pitchers have adapted but Colvin has not. He was hitting .113 and got stuck in a vicious circle. Fukudome is hitting ok, limiting Colvin's at bat. Having fewer at bats means he can't find any hitting rhythm. And with his poor hitting, Mike Quade hasn't been willing to give Colvin more ABs.

Yesterday the Cubs sent him back to AAA Iowa. The move make sense. He needs to get some regular playing time and it wasn't going to happen in Chicago. I hope he finds his stick and gets back to Chicago. Otherwise, you can add him to a long list of Cubs outfielders (Pie, Murton, Patterson, etc.) that showed promise early, but faded quickly.