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The 2007 Colorado Rockies won the National League and reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history. The following pitchers started at least one game for the team that season: Josh Fogg, Jason Hirsh, Rodrigo Lopez, Mark Redman, Elmer Dessens, Denny Bautista, and Byung-Hyun Kim. With most names on that list it would be an unfair representation of the season to say they played significant parts in the team’s success. But this group does show us with relative certainty that the Rockies did not enter the season with a wealth of so-called “proven” starting pitchers. We thought the Rockies would remain irrelevant in 2007 because they did not have enough pitching.

We remember that a huge part of the team’s success that season was the emergence of Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales in the second half of the season. Forced up to the big show ahead of schedule, they both answered the call in meaningful games. I dare say they took a “quantum leap.”  Continue reading this post »

I am an enormous Eric Young fan, and if you’re not, I’m not sure that we can be friends. There are many iconic images from the mid-’90s heyday of the Blake Street Bombers, and most of them are related to gigantic home runs. But don’t you forget about speedy little EY charging around the bases, showing lead-off hitters everywhere just how it’s done.   Continue reading this post »

When I think back to the 2010-2011 offseason and the moves that seemed likely to make an impact at the time, the Matt Lindstrom trade is not one that comes to mind. Lindstrom was grabbed from the Astros for a couple of prospects to add some depth to a bullpen that was waiting on the likes of Rex Brothers and Chad Bettis. We’re still waiting on Bettis, but we’ve also still got Lindstrom, and that’s not a bad thing at all.   Continue reading this post »

With the acquisition of Marco Scutaro over the weekend the regular starting nine for the 2012 Colorado Rockies should be established. The only real questions left for position players in the back-up spots.

There will probably be only two spots open for middle infielders, with a second catcher, Jason Giambi and a forth outfielder taking three of five bench spots. That means a maximum two spots open for a combination of Eric Young, Jr., Chris Nelson, Jonathan Herrera, DJ LeMahieu and Jordan Pacheco with Thomas Field and Hector Gomez as long shot options. Continue reading this post »

That’s what Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said the team lacked in 2011 in this article by Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci: an “all-for-one” mentality. So what is the big takeaway from this offseason for O’Dowd?

“We will play better as a team.”

From a young age we learn to value playing well as a team. Don’t be selfish. Pick up your teammates. Always remember what is best for the team. But what exactly does that mean in baseball?

There is no questioning the importance of team chemistry. Among the problems from last year, O’Dowd notes that players did not hold each other accountable. That is a more precise articulation of the vague “change in clubhouse culture” that has been a major talking point this offseason. In that regard fans can find hope in the claim that the new players will “play better as a team.”      Continue reading this post »

The final installment in our first round of conversations with the enemy looks at what the Rockies and Giants bring to the NL West for next season.

Michelle: The Giants’ primary offseason priority has seemed to be keeping their starting rotation intact. Where do you rate their rotation compared to the others in the NL West, and do you think it’s enough to compensate for their run-scoring struggles?

Bryan – Around the Foghorn

Saturday’s trade of Clayton Mortensen for Boston’s Marco Scutaro completely changed the landscape at second base for the Rockies, and with it the future of Jonathan Herrera. I’ve always liked Herrera and respected his approach to the game, but his production is right around average or below it. For most teams, second base is not a position that sticks out as an especially productive one, unless your second baseman is Robinson Cano or Chase Utley. So it’s been okay for Herrera to hang out in the middle ground. However, there have been any number of others just as average as he is, and Jim Tracy thought the best way to handle that situation was to interchange them as much as possible. Therefore, none of them ever became accustomed to playing the position every day and they all continued to underachieve.

With Scutaro, that’s likely to change. So where does that leave Herrera and his .242 average? On the bench, and potentially not for very long. Herrera is a good baseball player with a strong work ethic and solid defensive skills, but he’s hit his ceiling. He’s never going to be amazing. So as long as someone who is amazing, or at least could be, is available, he probably won’t get much of a look. It’s really too bad, because he does bring some consistency to the table. But I’m afraid there won’t be much of a place for it in 2012.

After the Rockies finished up divisional road trip from hell, they headed, not home, but to the Astrodome, a place that sounds like a space-themed amusement park but was in fact a regulation Major League baseball park. In their first game against the Astros, the Rockies faced a lineup containing the likes of Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Ken Caminiti. Given their dismal performance in the previous week, we can only assume that they melted at the very sight of these players, right?

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Good baseball reads from around the web.

• Scott Allen of Venom Strikes looks at how the National League West has fared this offseason and has good things to say about the moves the Rockies have made.

It’s been a twilight zone-ish offseason for the Rockies’ front office, as they’ve shipped first-round draft picks off to other teams and padded their lineup with big-name players. Well, “big” for the Rockies, which can mean quite small for other teams. But in any event, I think we can all agree that the shakeup has been much greater than any of us anticipated. The opening day roster in 2012 may look more different from the preceding year than any in recent memory.

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