In the piece I wrote on Monday I talked about which starting pitchers the Rockies should look to sign. In the comments it became apparent that quite a few folks believe our pitching will be OK and that the bigger need for the Rockies in 2012 lies at second and third base.
The assumption here is that Chris Nelson, Ty Wigginton, Ian Stewart, Jonathan Herrera, Mark Ellis and whoever else the Rockies want to force into a position they are not familiar with (hello Jordan Pacheco) is not good enough. The Rockies need someone else at each of these positions. Who is available this coming off season? If the Rockies don’t spend the 20 or so million dollars they having coming off of the books on a pitcher which infielder can they get for that price?
Let’s tackle the light hitting second base position first.
Cream of the crop: Um. Well, this is awkward. There isn’t a second basemen who will be available this off season that I would call the cream of the crop.
Quality starters: Clint Barmes (there is certainly a large part of the Rockies fan base that remembers Barmes much the same way every man remembers his first crush), Kelly Johnson and Omar Infante. One of our brilliant readers brought up Infante on the pitchers piece and he would be an OK fit, but I wouldn’t expect much at the plate. Barmes we have had before and try your best to remember how streaky he is at the plate – and how his cold streaks last a lot longer than his hot streaks. Johnson had a great start to last year otherwise who knows what you are going to get. Essentially this group of guys, none of these guys represents any sort of significant upgrade over what the Rockies already have in Nelson.
Old scrappy guys that the media thinks are great, but they suck: Jamey Carroll, Craig Counsell, Adam Kennedy and Aaron Miles. Yep, they all suck.
Old guys still available: Counsell (double dipper), Orlando Cabrera, Luis Castillo, Carlos Guillen and Felipe Lopez. Yep, don’t want any of them either.
Guys with team/player options: Willie Bloomquist, Robinson Cano, Aaron Hill and Brandon Phillips. Imagine a 3-4-5 of Cano, Tulo, Cargo…makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? Will never happen. Maybe somehow Hill hits the market and the Rockies land him in hopes of getting the 2009 version.
There aren’t going to be many options on the free agent market at second base. Makes sense as second is usually a position reserved for smaller light hitting players which is why if the Rockies are so intent on Eric Young Jr. being their leadoff man they need to spend the next five months working on his defense with him at second.
The list at third base is even shorter.
Cream of the crop: Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez is a flier due to his age and injury history (only two seasons since 2005 in which he had 600 or more at-bats) but he might come cheap. It has been rumored that he will be seeking a multi-year deal and since June 1st he has batted .311/.362/.569 with 23 home runs and 21 doubles for the Cubs. He is average at best defensively and at age 33 he could decline quickly. If the Rockies could net him for two years and maybe 10 million per I think he would be a good get. $10MM would be a pay cut for Ramirez as he is making $16MM this season.
Quality starters: None. Zip. Zero. Number of walks Jose Lopez took with the Rox. Number of bases Dexter Fowler steals. There isn’t much else available which will unfortunately drive Ramirez’s price up.
Injury risks: Eric Chavez and Mark DeRosa. DeRosa couldn’t even get into the San Francisco Giants lineup when he was healthy and that should tell you all you need to know about his bat. Chavez has hit with the Yankees in 2011 but he has only played in 48 games which is actually the most he has appeared in a single season since 2007.
Average Options: These guys are neither old or crappy, they are just average. Wilson Betemit, Greg Dobbs and Wes Helms. In nine MLB seasons Betemit has been worth 3.7 wins above replacement or about a half a win a season. Dobbs has been worth -1.7 in his eight seasons and Helms at -2.4 in his 13 seasons. The first question I have to ask is how these guys have lasted this long in MLB? I suppose it is opportunities with teams like the Rockies in 2012 that keep these guys alive. They are the very definition of replacement level.
Old guys that need to retire: Miguel Tejada, Omar Vizquel and Melvin Mora. I can already see the Rockies fans putting on their lilac colored glasses when they think of Mora. He is going to be 40 next year, people, 40!
If the Rockies could land Ramirez and maybe he would come to Colorado for one year in hopes of playing really well for a second straight season and proving to a bigger market team that he has three more years left in his tank worth about $40MM, that would be great. If that happens the Rockies would be more likely to stick with EY2 and Nelson at second which is probably what they will do anyway. Adding another big bat in the lineup would certainly be helpful and allow the franchise to wait on other young guys to come up in the system.
At both third base and second base there are not a lot of options that will significantly improve the Rockies current roster which means it is probably not likely that they play too much in the free agent market at either position.
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9 comments
Simone
September 14, 2011 at 6:06 PM (UTC -6)
I don’t think we need to spend much more on pitching if we can get DLR back by the All star break and Nicasio by May.
Starting rotation:
1. DLR
2. Chacin
3. Nicasio
4. Pomeranz
5. Rogers
That’s a pretty good rotation. Dump Cook and Hamel.
Now, I think spending $15-$20 million for Cano would actually be a GREAT investment. I am also liking what I see from Pacheco at third. Hopefully they will work with him in the offseason and I like what I see…
CodenameDuchess
September 14, 2011 at 6:24 PM (UTC -6)
Cano and Tulo would be unbelievable. At the plate and in the field. However, it will never ever happen. The Yankees will never let him leave. As ARod/Jeter/Posada/Rivera slowly fade away Cano/Tex/CC are now the face of the Yankees.
I wouldn’t mind taking a flyer on Kelly Johnson. The guy will hit 20-30 HRs at Coors pretty easily. He’ll only hit .225 but I’m pretty used to that from Rox 2nd basemen at this point.
As for 3rd I hope they give Nelson a shot. At least he has some upside and can add some speed to the lineup. I’ve seen nothing from Wigginton or Kouzmanoff that makes me think they can perform any better next year. Its too early to make a call on Pacheco and sadly I think Stewart’s career is done without a new manager or a change in scenery. Nothing on the FA side seems remotely interesting.
How is Aaron Miles defensively? Maybe he is the answer at 3B? I understand that he is just a smidge above replacement level but the midget sure seems to just rake against the Rockies. If we can get 30HRs from Kelly johnson at 2nd do we really need power from 3rd if we lock up 60 HRs up the middle?
Travis Lay
September 14, 2011 at 6:25 PM (UTC -6)
No way they will get Cano. If he actually hits the market (he wont this year because the Yanks have team options for ’12 and ’13 and they will most certainly pick those up) he will sign for a long term deal worth 100+
Simone
September 14, 2011 at 6:47 PM (UTC -6)
Omar Infante is a free agent in 2012 and he’s fairly cheap. This year he’s at $2.5 mil.
I do think Ian Stewart’s career is done, mostly because the Rockies don’t seem to believe in him. If I was Ian, i’d get the hell out of Colorado.
I really like what I see from Pacheco, he’s got pop. Keep him at 3rd and develop him in the offseason and pre-season and see where it goes. Casey Blake is also available at 3rd in 2012.
I’d still like to see David Wright in Denver if at all possible. What can we trade for? Ian Stewart! LOL!
Travis Lay
September 14, 2011 at 6:50 PM (UTC -6)
Where are people getting that Pacheco has any sort of pop?? In nearly 2000 minor league plate appearances he had TWENTY SIX home runs. So about 8-9 a year if he received a full 600 ABs. His ISO throughout his minor league career wasn’t even .140 and in super hitter friendly Colorado Springs it was only .100. If anything he has the OPPOSITE of “pop”.
Simone
September 14, 2011 at 7:06 PM (UTC -6)
Without looking at all those numbers, based on the at bats I have seen so far…he’s putting wood on the bat and hitting the ball a long way.
Michael
September 14, 2011 at 7:18 PM (UTC -6)
DLR is more of a no. 2 or 3 starter – outrageously good some days, very average others, while Pomeranz is likely to prove better than a no. 4 quickly. Rogers, despite his occasional impressive outing is a guy who just now got his ERA under 6.00 while last year it was over 6.00. He is not a quality starter.
Robinson Cano is for elitists with the big pocketbooks, not the Rockies. Love him. Not happening.
Aaron Hill, to me, seems like a Dan O’Dowd guy – once very good, slumping now. Remember shortstop-soon-to-be-second sacker Josh Rutledge, who ripped High-A pitching in the second half of the season, hitting over .400. He could be in Coors, cheap, as soon as after the All Star break if he can prove he can hit in the Texas League in 2012. Why invest big now. Think stop gap.
Same for third base, where Nolan Arenado drove in 122 runs, had 30-plus doubles and 20 home runs at High-A Modesto. He too could be in Denver as soon later next season and if not then, most assuredly 2013.
So O’Dowd will not spend big on either 2B or 3B. That’s just not the franchise approach.
I think the Rockies would like to ride out Pacheco and Ellis and whomever at 3B until the system provides help. Don’t look for a David Wright trade, with his health being a serious concern, especially with the investment necessary to get him.
Andrew
September 15, 2011 at 8:59 AM (UTC -6)
Am I the only one who thinks Jonathan Herrera is our best bet for 2B? Or is his role always going to be utility player?
The fact that there’s no definite answer for 2B/3B spells trouble for me, since it means there’s going to be a lot of juggling at those positions, with Tracy (assuming he’s still around) attempting–unsuccessfully–to ride hot streaks. Nobody will get their rhythm. It’s gonna be a disaster.
Anna R.
September 17, 2011 at 12:44 PM (UTC -6)
Nope, you’re not. I like Jonny, too; he gives a good professional at bat. More than that, he has a great dedication to the game that seems to be lacking in others. That being said, they cannot afford to have him at Second if Third is still a black hole.