Colorado Rockies player profile: Ryan Spilborghs

Spilborghs is a team player and a great club house guy (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

You are sitting in Coors Field, enjoying the weather, the view and the atmosphere that surrounds baseball. You are minding your own business when some funky music plays over the speakers. A few years ago it was Gwen Stefani and the oooh, oooh from the song Sweet Escape, last year it was Michael Jackson’s hit single Thriller and this year it is Out Here Grindin by DJ Khaled. Who has the great taste in music? Who gets the crowd amped up when he steps to the plate?

Ryan Adam Spilborghs is nicknamed “Spilly” by Rockies fans. He was born September 5th, 1979 in Santa Barbara, CA. Spilly was drafted by the Rockies in 2002 in the seventh round by the Colorado Rockies out of California University. While in high school Spilly set a school record with a .519 batting average and seven home runs in his senior year. He also had a 2.84 ERA with 56 K’s while in high school.

Spilly has spent at least a portion of the season in the minor leagues in every season since 2002 when he was drafted. As recently as 2008 he spent 11 games with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He made his professional baseball debut in 2002 for the short season Tri-City Dust Devils.

2005 was when Spilly first reached AAA ball in the Springs. In his time with the Sky Sox he hit .330 in 227 at-bats with five home runs and 30 RBIs. He also had 46 doubles in the minors in 2005 which is a franchise record.

2005 was a big year for Spilly as he not only made his AAA debut he also made his Major League debut. He played one game for the Rockies in 2005 in which he had four at-bats and recorded two hits with his first Big League RBI. His contract was purchased from Colorado Springs on July 15th in the aftermath of Brad Hawpe being placed on the DL and Preston Wilson being traded to Washington. He singled in the 6th inning off Todd Coffey for his first Major League hit and also hit a single in the 8th off Jason Standridge.

Spilly had the CF job at the start of the year but Fowler has since taken over
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
 

In 2006 Spilly played in 67 games for the Rockies and had 167 at-bats. He hit .287 with four home runs and 21 RBI in part time outfield duty.

In 2007 he was not called to the big leagues until May 19th and Spilly was one of club's key offensive components for a 2 1/2-month span from late May through early August. He batted .299 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI in 97 games for Colorado, despite the late start.

Spent the entire season on the Major League roster for the first time in his career (except for minor league rehab stint) in 2008. Spilly hit .313 with a .407 on-base percentage, six home runs and 36 RBI for the Rockies. His OPS (.875) ranked 2nd among all NL players who played the majority of their games as a center fielder (minimum 200 AB), trailing only Carlos Beltran (.876). Spilly also went 10-for-26 as a pinch-hitter and finished the season with the second highest pinch-hit average in the majors.

In 2009 Spilly took over the centerfield role for the Rockies at the start of the season. The emergence of Dexter Fowler has moved Spilly all over the outfield, but he still continues to start somewhere in the outfield for the Rockies on a daily basis. He is full of hustle and energy and makes plays all over the field.
 

Spilly's bat has always intrigued the Rockies
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
 

Thanks to his music choices for when he is at-bat he is a favorite among the Coors Field faithful. Thanks to being a former Gaucho at UC Santa Barbara he is a favorite on the Jim Rome show and gets a lot of publicity. He also appears regularly on a weekly Rockies show on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain and his personality and sense of humor makes him a fan favorite.

Next time the speakers at Coors are rocking, stand up and give Spilly a cheer, he will be smiling and he appreciates it. 

2009 Update: Spilborghs 2009 season had one amazing moment: August 24th, 14th inning, bases loaded and the Rockies now losing 4-1. Spilly at the plate and-BAM!-grand slam! Rockies win 6-4. It was one of the most amazing games I have ever seen and will never forget it. I will never forget watching Spilly round the bases and score the run. He sprinted around the bases smiling from ear to ear.

2010 appears to be more of the same from Spilly and he will be a fourth outfielder in a group that already consists of four good outfielders. The surplus of outfield talent should give the Rockies some trade bait. If the Rockies do not make a move then Spilly might not see too much playing time with those in front of him.