Schunk Looking to Impress in Big League Camp

Aaron Schunk was “somewhere in Arkansas.”

The 26-year-old infielder, whom the Rockies drafted in the second round out of the University of Georgia in 2019, was driving from Atlanta to Arizona, where he’ll be taking part in Major League Spring Training in a couple of weeks.

As a steady rain came down on his truck, he had one thing on his mind.

“The hope is always to accomplish the big goal and try and break camp with the Major League team,” Schunk said. “But that’s not necessarily sight No. 1 for me. Goal No. 1 for me is to be prepared to play 162 games, whatever season I’m a part of.”

If he continues on his current trajectory, at least part of that season could be spent in Colorado. Schunk was one of the most productive hitters for Triple-A Albuquerque last season, posting a .290/.350/.461 slash line with 14 home runs and 77 RBIs in 508 plate appearances.

Schunk has made some mechanical changes to his swing that have helped elevate both his output and his confidence at the plate as he has graduated into the upper levels of the Rockies’ farm system.

“I had a little bit of a down year in High-A Spokane and came back and put together a pretty solid offensive campaign in Hartford in 2022,” he said. “That offseason, I just felt like I was proud of my body of work in Double-A. I went into the next season refining some stuff, just swing-decision-wise.

“I felt like it paid off last year. Part of it is always confidence -- having some confidence going from one season into another season was probably a big factor in that.”

ABOUT THE SPOKANE INDIANS

The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane Valley, Wash., and were named the 2023 MiLB CommUNITY Award Winner. The Spokane Indians Front Office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Spokane Indians Team Store is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.