Rookie Sterlin Thompson quipped about his place in Rockies trivia. “Colorado native, baby,” Thompson said. Thompson being called the first Colorado-born position player to make his debut with the club is a source of humor, since his family moved to Florida when he was 6 months old. But he made his birth city of Longmont and the entire Rocky Mountain region proud Wednesday night, with a ninth-inning pinch-hit single to drive in the winning run in a 3-2 victory over the Cubs at Coors Field. The walk-off hit was Thompson's first in MLB. He is the third Rockies rookie to record a pinch-hit walk-off in his debut season, joining Adam Melhuse (Aug. 22, 2000 vs. the Braves) and Todd Helton (Aug. 29, 1997 vs. the Mariners). The 31st overall Draft pick out of the University of Florida in 2022, Thompson is developing an approach that can keep him here long enough to make himself at home in a place he hardly knew before the Rockies summoned him from Triple-A Albuquerque, where he slashed .341/.485/.485 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 38 games. Thompson, the Rockies’ No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, batted .148 in his first 12 games, but is hitting .368 (7-for-19) over his last seven appearances and gaining confidence. A combination of prepping for pitchers --- but not well enough to be awed by them -- but primarily trusting his batter’s box strategy is earning him trust as a left-handed-hitting matchup option.
