Despite two major surgeries to his left hip and groin area in the past two years, despite the torn left quadriceps he sustained in 2008, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has no intention of switching positions.
“No, I won’t move,” he said in a phone interview. “I will retire before I move.”
Not to third base? Not to first base, a position that could save him from wear and tear and possibly prolong his career?
“No. It’s just who I am, it’s what I do, it’s what I have dreamed of as a kid,” said Tulowitzki, 29. “It’s all I know and it’s all I’ve ever worked for. So I guess when you have a dream and you accomplish it and someone tries to take it away from you … it wouldn’t be worth it for me to try and move somewhere else.”
Tulowitzki, considered the game’s best all-round shortstop — when healthy — will be due $118 million after this season on a contract that runs through 2020, with a club option for 2021.
Two weeks after undergoing surgery in Vail to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, Tulowitzki is still on crutches. Though he’s been cleared to ride a stationary bike, he’ll be hobbling around on crutches for another week. According to Rockies trainer Keith Dugger, Tulo’s hip operation was a success and puts him on pace to be ready for spring training.
“The hope is that fixing the labrum kind of stabilizes my hip so that it’s not the weakest link in my body, because the labrum was torn,” Tulowitzki said. “Maybe those muscles in my legs, which have been working so hard … can actually breathe now. I hope this works, so (the muscles) don’t have to take the brunt of the work.”
Rockies icon Todd Helton underwent a similar surgery in 2012 and his hip was pain free during his final season in 2013.
“I talked to Todd, that gave me some peace of mind,” Tulowitzki said. “We had some similarities in our hip, though maybe we didn’t have the same issues going on.”
Despite his many injury setbacks, Tulo remains convinced he can return to play shortstop at the level that earned him two Gold Gloves. During the first half of the season, Tulowitzki was being mentioned as a possible National League MVP candidate. He led all NL players in fan voting for the All-Star Game, garnering 5,349,456 votes. He also was captain of the NL’s Home Run Derby squad.
“I have always said that if I was playing (shortstop) and I wasn’t effective, then switching would be something I would talk about if I was hurting the team,” the four-time all-star said. “But for me, I am not even thinking about it, because I still think I have a lot of years left playing that position at a high level.”
After becoming a rookie sensation in 2007 and helping lead the Rockies to their only World Series, leg injuries became Tulo’s nemesis. Since suffering a torn left quadriceps early in 2008, Tulowitzki has been compensating for issues with muscles in his left leg. He battled groin problems near the 2011 all-star break, and was limited to 47 games in 2012 before undergoing surgery to remove scar tissue from his left groin.
Since breaking in with the Rockies in August 2006, he has exceeded 150 games played just twice, in 2007 and 2009, both playoff seasons for the Rockies.
This season, by sticking to an intense pregame and postgame routine for flexibility and maintenance, he played in 91 of Colorado’s first 97 games before yet another injury. He was on track for possibly the best season of his career. He was batting .340 with 21 home runs, a .432 on-base percentage and a .603 slugging percentage before suffering a left hip flexor strain while running out a groundball in Pittsburgh on July 19.
Tulowitzki underwent a dry needling procedure July 28 in Philadelphia. It was performed by leg and core muscle specialist Dr. William C. Meyers, and Tulo was hopeful the procedure would accelerate the healing process. Tulowitzki rejoined the Rockies and took batting practice, but there still was discomfort when he ran or worked on his fielding. At that point the Rockies shut him down for the season.
Surgery, he’s convinced, was the best option.
Although Tulo’s been able to spend more time with his wife, Danyll, and their 7-month-old son, Taz, of late he gets restless watching Rockies games on TV.
“Once I’m back moving around and we see the benefits of the surgery, it will put me in a little bit better mood,” he said. “But there is no doubt it’s tough to take when you see that your team is still out there playing games. You wish you could be out there with them and help them win.
“They are doing what you love to do. It’s not easy, but I keep on thinking about spring training and it can’t come quick enough. I will be out there soon and hopefully feeling better than ever.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
