The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 85 Ryan Spilborghs
We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 85 on our list, Ryan Spilborghs.
Ryan Spilborghs debuted on July 16, 2005 went 2-4 and didn’t play another major league game that year. The debut doesn’t seem fitting for one of the most animated players to ever wear a Colorado Rockies uniform.
Spilborghs was and is everything a fan loves about a player. He has a personality and an underdog quality that make it impossible not to root for him. But that one game debut is part of that underdog story. Drafted in the seventh round in 2002, in 2005 he played most of the year in Colorado Springs with the AAA Sky Sox. It was only a matter of time that he would return to the big league club after hitting .338 in 68 games. The 67 games he played in the big leagues in 2006 were just a stepping stone to his breakout season in 2007.
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Steve Finley started with an outfield roster spot but he was eventually released by the Rockies and Spilly earned a spot on the team. He hit .299 with eleven homers. He was an integral piece to getting that team to the World Series. Spilborghs wrote a piece about “glue guys” during the 2016 season giving the credit to his teammates. But no one epitomized a cohesive teammate that brought people together better than Ryan Spilborghs.
The best personal moment of Spilborgh’s career came at a time when he lost his mother and his starting job in the outfield. Through all the adversity, he still managed to be a role player and that all culminated on August 24, 2009. In the bottom of the 14th inning against the San Francisco Giants with the Rockies down 4-2, he hit the first walk-off grand slam in Rockies history. His excitement and energy running around those bases was contagious. It’s no coiencdence that Spilly was on two of the greatest Rockies teams of all time. He motivated this team to be better and have fun.
“I remember sprinting around those bases and screaming for the Giants to “get the F$&@ off our field!” It was the excitement at winning a very important game, but also the emotion of a difficult year filled with new life and death.”
That’s the best thing about Spilborghs. He is incredibly candid and he’s the first one in the clubhouse to make you laugh. From his Rockies commercials to his giant personality, broadcasting for Root Sports was a logical step for Spilborghs.
After the 2011 season, the Rockies didn’t offer Spilborghs a contract and he became a free agent. He spent 2012 in the minors in the Indians and Rangers organizations. In 2013 he spent the season with the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Japanese Pacific League.
In his blog post, Spilly talks about how the Japanese league made him a better player and was considering signing a minor-league contract with the Rockies. Spilly’s decision to join the Root Sports broadcasting team in 2014 was a win win because it gave him the opportunity to make a more meaningful and longer lasting impact on this organization than a minor-league contract could bring.
Along with Cory Sullivan, Spilborghs is in the Rockies clubhouse like he is still part of this team. It’s time to get the Spilly and Sully show in production. These guys make baseball fun and their lasting impact on this organization will only continue to grow.
Check out the previous story in this list about number 86 Cory Sullivan here.
