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The Eight-Hole

Given the Rockies recent struggles at the plate, discussing who should hit eighth might seem a little out of place.  Let’s be honest – when a team scores more than three runs only once over …

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3 Up 3 Down: Much Ado About Tulo

The Rockies dropped to third place in the NL West after finishing their home stand a disappointing 2-4 and following that up by losing 2 of 3 in St. Louis.  The pitching struggles came from …

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Cuddy v Beltran

Prior to the 2012 season the Colorado Rockies were looking for an outfielder to replace the Seth Smith/Ryan Spilborghs combo in right field. The best player available was Carlos Beltran who had just made a …

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Hate the Dodgers? Sure. Hate Matt Kemp? Nope.

There are plenty of Rockies fans who hate the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies don’t really have a rival, in my mind, so depending on which fan you ask you may get a different response …

I’m sold: start Arenado on Opening DayI’m sold: start Arenado on Opening DayI’m sold: start Arenado on Opening DayI’m sold: start Arenado on Opening Day

Mar 04

I’m sold: start Arenado on Opening Day

Categories:

Chris Nelson, Jordan Pacheco, Nolan Arenado, Rockies

by Travis Lay

Nolan Arenado has come out swinging in Spring Training, literally, he hasn’t taken a walk yet but he does have three bombs. For a kid who had a down year and some questioned his mental preparedness he has come out swinging to start Spring Training in an effort to get a strong look and make his case for the Colorado Rockies starting third baseman to start the 2013 season.

In 14 at-bats Arenado has posted a triple slash of .357/.357/1.071. He has only struck out once, not taken a walk but four of his five hits have gone for extra bases (three of them wall clearing shots).

And check out the perennial All-Star pitchers he has taken deep:

  • On February 25th against the Texas Rangers Arenado blasted Neil Ramirez in the eighth inning. Ramirez is a household name in the Ramirez household. He has played in the PCL (AAA) twice and has a career minor league EAR of 4.52. He has not played in the Bigs. Yet. But when he does I bet it is in a middle reliever roll! Read the rest of this entry »

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Mar 01

Springtime Baseball Latitudes and a Cosmic WBC

Categories:

Around Baseball, News

by Kevin Kroh

As major league teams (and we BSB writers) finally emerge from off-season hibernation, a entire month of spring training games in those two sanguine states of Arizona and Florida offer baseball fans a sneak preview of future prospects, flashes of brilliance from replacement players doing their best to earn a roster spot, and brief glimpses of the well-known stars playing it safe. Tulo occasionally runs the bases, Weiss likes what he sees out of Player X, and Helton is still sobering up after his DUI.

And although there’s an interesting mix of styles and abilities on display during spring training, the lack of shared passion or coordinated team effort or any real desire to win usually makes it all seem a bit individualistic and unfulfilling. Especially in comparison to that surprisingly overlooked and underappreciated phenomenon known as the World Baseball Classic – which just so happens to start today, March 1st!

This will only be the third WBC ever played (the first was in 2006, last one was 2009), plus we’ve had to wait an extra year for it, so this time around it’s gonna taste extra spicy. Read the rest of this entry »

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Feb 26

3 Up 3 Down: Catching up with a (not so) wild offseason

Categories:

Dexter Fowler, Jeff Francis, News, Walt Weiss

by The View from 132

Dexter Fowler

The offseason is officially over (and Bronco mania has subsided), which means that we can begin to look forward to 2013 and grasp for reasons to believe it will be better than the disaster of 2012 – the eternal optimism of spring training. While other teams like the Indians and Royals made big moves to improve their clubs, the Rockies were content to retool the coaching staff and leave the roster pretty much intact. Admittedly, getting Tulo and De La Rosa back from injury is similar to adding a middle of the order bat and top of the rotation starter, so although the names are familiar, it is not exactly the same team that bumbled through the franchise’s worst season ever. Here, we knock off some of the cobwebs and take a look at a few of the moves the Rockies did make: a new contract for Dex, the resigning of Francis, and the new names on the coaching staff.

1. True or False: the Rockies will regret the contract extension they gave to Dexter Fowler ($11.6 for 2013 and 14)? Read the rest of this entry »

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Feb 15

Rockies player goals for 2013

Categories:

Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Rockies, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Wilin Rosario

by Travis Lay

Can Fowler hit 20 triples and 20 homers in 2013?

Bored at work. I woke up way too early this morning (3:45) and it hit me like a ton of bricks about 8am. I was literally falling asleep at my desk. I decided to walk over to Wal-Mart and buy a Naked Juice in hopes that the walk and the cold would wake me up. It did, but I need to keep stimulating my brain until beer 30 rolls around and I can head to Dry Dock for their Firkin Friday green chili double IPA. So, why not browse the play index at Baseball-Reference.com and see what kind of fun things we can set as goals for Rockies players? And then see what sort of company it would put them in if they could meet those goals.

Troy Tulowitzki: 30 homers, .300 batting average and 100 driven in.

My first thought is if Tulo achieved all three of those numbers that would have to put him with rare company at the shortstop position, and it would. Since 1901 there have only been 12 occurrences in which a shortstop hit 30 bombs, drove in 100 and batted .300 and of those 12 seasons only six players have done it, including Tulo in 2011. I am guessing you can name the other five…Ripken, Rodriguez, Banks, Tejada and NomAH.

That level of production from Tulo would be huge for the Rockies chances of touching .500 this year.

Carlos Gonzalez: 30 homers, 30 stolen bases, .320 average and 100 driven in. Read the rest of this entry »

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Feb 11

iiiiit’s baaaaack!!

Categories:

Around Baseball, News, Rockies

by Travis Lay

  • Pitchers and catchers reported yesterday (and commercials were filmed).
  • The rest of the team is required to report by next Saturday (February 16th).
  • First Spring Training game is at home (but the Rockies are the away team) against the Diamondbacks on February 23rd.
  • First official “home” Spring Training game at beautiful Talking Stick is the following day, against the same team on February 24th.
  • The World Baseball Classic begins on March 2nd and Rockies Carlos Gonzalez and Ramon Hernandez are the only two Rockies you have heard of that are playing in the event. (There is a third, David Kandilas, who is playing for Australia. Kandilas has not played higher than A ball in his two seasons in the Rockies organization.) This might change before the event, but it is not looking likely.
  • The Rockies open the season on April 1st against Ryan “those PEDs ain’t mine” Bruan and the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee.
  • The Rockies first game at Coors Field is on Friday, April 5th against the San Diego Padres and Chase Headley – he of Fountain, Colorado and out-of-nowhere-solid-hitting-third-baseman fame from last year.
  • The Rockies square off with the new uber-spending club in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Monday, April 29th in L.A. The Dodgers payroll for 2013 is $217 million, or, about $7 million MORE than the New York Yankees. Move over, Gotham, there is a new big spender in the league.

What are you MOST looking forward to in 2013? Me? I am just looking forward to sitting in Coors, on a hot summer day, watching baseball.

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Feb 09

For second year in a row Troy Tulowitzki is MLB Network’s top shortstop

Categories:

Around Baseball, Off the Field, Troy Tulowitzki

by Travis Lay

Avoid those inside pitches this year, Tulo

Two year’s ago Troy Tulowitzki was the named the second best shortstop in baseball by MLB Network, and at the time I cried foul, but since then MLBN has wised up and named Tulo the best shortstop in baseball each of the last two seasons. Yesterday MLBN had their “Top 10 Right Now” series on shortstops and Tulo was ranked first by the shredder, third by Bill James and, just because of his injury history**, not included on Larry Bowa’s list of 10 shortstops.

As noted in the video linked above; Tulo ranks first among shortstops since 2009 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs and is tied for first in runs batted in with Hanley Ramirez. And let us not forget that Tulo missed pretty much all of last year and still leads in those counting stats like HR and RBI.

It goes without saying that the Rockies season in 2013 hinges on Tulo’s ability to stay healthy. Tulo played in 155 games in 2007 and 151 in 2009 and those were the years that the Rockies made the playoffs. The other years Tulo only played in more than 122 games in 2008 (143) and he had a career low 47 game played last season. Not saying that if Tulo plays in 160 games this year he will carry the Rox to the playoffs, but it certainly gives them a much better chance at .500.

The “Shredder’s” top 10 shortstops are: Read the rest of this entry »

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Feb 08

Todd Helton…c’mon man!

Categories:

News, Off the Field, Rockies, Todd Helton

by Travis Lay

Thorton Police

What was Clint “Deer Meat” Barmes hiding from the rest of us? Is there a drinking problem within the Helton household? Apparently driving 4×4′s under the influence of alcohol – allegedly – isn’t the only thing Todd Helton drives when inebriated. Unfortunately.

Helton has been the face of the Colorado Rockies since the late 1990′s. The one constant that Rockies fans can root for year in and year out. Other than some unfortunate comments by ex-Rockies broadcaster Wayne Hagin suggesting Helton used PED’s, Helton’s name has been pretty darn clean in an era of dirty names.

In the last four to six years Helton’s offensive contributions have diminished in the power department. Once a 40 home run threat, Helton has had a hard time hitting 20 bombs in a single season for a while now. Helton is always a threat to bat around .330 and earlier in his career he even threatened .400. His lifetime average is spectacular and even for a guy who has lost his power playing a power position on the diamond, when he hits .325 he still has value to the organization.

While Helton is quiet and avoids the public eye, doesn’t give great audio for TV or great quotes for the paper, he is loved in Denver. His at-bat music is country and he lives on a large ranch and hunts. He is an outdoorsman and that endears him to many of the folks who root for the Rockies and love horses and the outdoors themselves. (How about that for a generalization…if you love horses you must be an outdoorsman.)

But, now….c’mon man! You can’t drive drunk. No one should drive drunk. Read the rest of this entry »

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21 comments

Feb 06

Which Rockies are ownable in fantasy?

Categories:

Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Nelson, Dexter Fowler, Drew Pomeranz, Eric Young Jr., Fantasy Baseball, Jeff Francis, Jhoulys Chacin, Jordan Pacheco, Jorge De La Rosa, Josh Rutledge, Juan Nicasio, Matt Belisle, Michael Cuddyer, Rafael Betancourt, Rockies, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Tyler Colvin, Wilin Rosario

by Travis Lay

Pacheco's value ties directly to where he has eligibility

I don’t know about you, but I am starting to get that “kid on Christmas Eve” feeling. It is getting sooo close to pitchers and catchers reporting that the anticipation is building. Along with the awesomeness of baseball returning this also means fantasy baseball is right around the corner. So which Rockies players are ownable in fantasy? This isn’t just those who should start, but any that should be on a roster once the season begins.

I am talking basic 5×5 roto league with a decent bench. Standard stuff, not wacky 20 team NL only league with 10 bench spots where every Rockies player is probably ownable.

The no-brainers

  • Troy Tulowitzki should be the first shortstop selected in any fantasy draft, much less be 100% owned across all fantasy leagues that involve National League players.
  • Carlos Gonzalez is the same as Tulo: owned in every league. Even with his slightly down year from last year he should still be a top five or top three pick among outfielders.
  • The last no-brainer to me is Dexter Fowler. 20-20 from any position is a must own and Dexter fills that. He will have a nice slugging percentage thanks to his triples, too.

Safe bets Read the rest of this entry »

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Jan 30

Initial prospect rankings do not paint a pretty Rockies picture

Categories:

Dan O'Dowd, Minor Leagues, Rockies

by Travis Lay

It is that time of year: the snow is falling in Denver (occasionally, at best), temperatures are freezing in the morning, all the talk is about some game this weekend that will last five hours with about 11 minutes of actual action, a game in which more interest is around the commercials than the teams, and, most importantly, pictures of big trucks being loaded with baseball equipment is starting to hit the internet. With the trucks rolling out and heading towards either Arizona or Florida we start to get our yearly prospect rankings.

This is always a fun time for me; I love looking at prospects and thinking about who to draft in fantasy, but also realize that projecting prospects is still about as much a crap shoot as it is when they are drafted. There are a few players who will definitely make an impact each year, like Trout and Harper last year, but for the most part predicting who will make the jump to the big leagues and be successful is a guess, at best.

Last year Baseball America had these players as the 10 best prospects for the Rockies: Read the rest of this entry »

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Jan 24

Good-bye Justin Upton!

Categories:

Around Baseball

by Travis Lay

Coors Field patrons won't have to see this much going forward.

Today Justin Upton was traded to the Atlanta Braves (along with Chris Johnson) for a handful of minor league players.

Good riddance.

Upton is one of the top players in baseball age 25 or younger. Since he first played for the Arizona Diamondbacks at the age of 19 it is almost hard to believe Upton is still only 25 and doesn’t turn 26 until late August this year**. The kid has ridiculous power, a canon for an arm and great awareness in right field. In a little over five years of baseball he has 108 home runs and 80 stolen bases and shows that he isn’t a single tool player, he has all five. Upton was a serious MVP candidate in 2011 at the age of 23 and will just continue to get better. He had a bad hand early last season and it impacted his entire year but expect him to return to form in 2013. In Atlanta. Thankfully.

**Speaking of young players that feel older: I can’t believe Felix Hernandez will only be 27 in 2013. If age 27 is when a player hits their prime then what will this guy do in 2013?!

The fewer times Upton comes to bat against the Rockies the better. In his career he is a .278/.357/.475 hitter. He has sort of had an up and down career but I got to think he is a player who slugs over .500 more times than not over the next three seasons (the time remaining on his contract, which was club friendly, that the Diamondbacks traded away).

Here are his stats against the Rockies and at Coors Field: Read the rest of this entry »

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