In a move that eluded MLBTR last week, the Rockies recently signed outfielder Wynton Bernard to a minor league contract. He was assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque and has already appeared in six games there.
It’s a familiar setting for the minor league journeyman. Bernard spent most of the 2021-22 campaigns in Albuquerque as well. After more than a decade in the minors, he reached the majors last August when Colorado selected his contract. The Niagara product appeared in 12 big league contests, hitting .286/.286/.310 through 42 trips to the dish.
The Rockies outrighted Bernard off their 40-man roster at season’s end. He signed a non-roster pact with the Blue Jays in January and spent the bulk of the year with their top affiliate in Buffalo. Through 264 plate appearances, the right-handed hitter put together a solid .271/.360/.393 batting line. He walked at a strong 11.4% clip, kept his strikeout rate a tad below 20%, and stole 15 bases in 18 tries.
Toronto released Bernard a week ago. He signed back with Colorado a day later to again offer non-roster depth at all three outfield spots. The Rockies could look to move impending free agents Jurickson Profar and Randal Grichuk at this summer’s trade deadline, which might open a late-season opportunity for Bernard to get another look at the highest level.
I really thought Bernard deserved a shot at regular playing time last year based on his AAA hitting performance. He’s not an All Star in the making (and he’s certainly playing against much younger competition at this stage of his career) but he’s a well-rounded player that does a bit of everything.
Walks at a good clip, has 30+ SB speed even at 32, has a decent bit of pop, won’t kill you on AVG, and can extend plays with his legs. I feel like if you give him 150 games on a team like Oakland, he could very well hit something like .250/.340/.425 with 30 doubles, 15+ HRs, and 30+ SBs.
He’s been very solid the last 3 seasons at AAA and it would be a pretty cool story to see him get a legit shot at MLB playing time this go around.
Profar and Grichuk are probably gone by the TDL, Doyle has looked overmatched against MLB pitching. I’m usually an advocate for giving the younger guys a shot over spent vets, but Bernard has done as much as he can the last few years to earn a crack at the majors.
I’m really surprised that OAK, MIA, or WAS didn’t pick him up since all 3 are thin at CF currently. I’d even like CLE to get him, put him in CF, and send Straw to AAA to get his head on straight.
Wynton Bernard’s debut for the Rockies was really one of the best moments of the year. It was very emotional because you could just see how much this young man had fought to make the majors. The whole Coors crowd felt it too. It was an oddly touching moment considering Bernard hadn’t been with the organization long at all. But it didn’t matter.