Pat Valaika made his major-league hitting debut for Colorado on Sept. 8, 2016, and wasted no time recording a double in his opening at-bat.
And after hitting his first home run in his first start a few weeks later, Valaika kept the good omens coming with a 2017 campaign that saw him excel as a pinch hitter. He batted .328 (19-for-58) in 66 appearances in the role, and his 16 pinch-hit RBIs led all of baseball in addition to being the most by a rookie since 1958.
This year, though, the long and winding road to establishing oneself as a big-leaguer has kicked some dust up into Valaika’s face.