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You know Chris Nelson. He’s the guy that stole home in that amazing 4-game sweep of the Reds in September 2010, when it really seemed like the Rockies had a shot at the postseason. It was only Nelson’s 7th game in a Rockies uniform, and he made sure he left a mark.

Since then, Nelson has shown a few flashes of brilliance but many more flashes of still needing some development. His defense at third base is stellar, but at second and short he’s below average. That’s unsettling since he was scouted as a middle infielder, but at least he’s great somewhere. There’s a chance he still might develop as a second baseman, since his errors are less of the untalented variety and more of the I-still-don’t-know-how-to-be-a-big-league-ballplayer variety.

Offensively, Nelson still hasn’t hit his stride. He has the potential to hit for a high average, but needs to improve his plate discipline. He spent quite a bit of time in Colorado Springs last season and still doesn’t seem quite ready to play every day in the show. His speed makes him well-suited for a top of the order hitter, so ideally he would hit there and play 2nd or 3rd some time in the near future. The Rockies have had some unfortunate luck with first-round picks lately, so we really need Nelson to get better and earn his keep.

So where does he fit for next season? He’s in the mix with a handful of other utility infielders mostly competing for time at 3rd. He could also spot Marco Scutaro at 2nd in case of injury. He’s out of options, so look for him to mostly ride the bench at Coors Field, hoping for a chance to shine.

Welcome to February, we are now roughly one month away from real fake baseball being played, and two months away from actual games that mean something. For most teams pitchers and catchers will report in around two weeks giving us our first glimpses of new players in their new uniforms with the warm backdrops of Arizona and Florida, reminding us in colder climates that winter does actually end. We will also have some actual baseball information to digest other than rumors about the few remaining free agents and roster fodder minor league signings. Continue reading this post »

On the Tuesday of Super Bowl week, the NFL holds its now infamous media day. In recent years it gets most of its attention for antics, nonsense, and questions that have nothing to do with the actual football game. As reporters from non-sports outlets such as TMZ have inserted themselves and sparked a number of non-football topics and sound bites, players and coaches are forced to prepare for questions that have nothing to do with their professions (and also people in wedding dresses and other costumes).

The Colorado Rockies will find themselves in a similar situation as their season gets started. They will not have to deal with non-sports media outlets, but they will face questions that have nothing to do with baseball. Why? Because at this moment the team finds itself with connections to the two most-over-hyped stories on the NFL landscape.

Continue reading this post »

I’m not going to lie to you, I really can’t name all the pitchers on the Rockies’ roster right now. There are just too damn many, and a whole lot of them are new. A girl only has so many memory devices to call on. One I haven’t given a whole lot of thought to yet is Guillermo Moscoso, one of the guys who came over from the A’s in exchange for Seth Smith. I guess part of me just doesn’t want to get too attached. After all, Kevin Slowey was gone almost as soon as he arrived. Can my heart stand to lose another? Perhaps not.   Continue reading this post »

It’s hard to know just which game to single out as the biggest nightmare in the Rockies’ Memorial Day series with the Phillies in 1993. In the series as a whole, the Phillies outscored the Rockies 39-10. They pitched two complete games out of three total. There was no Mitch Williams in sight. It was an unmitigated disaster of a series.

Just for kicks, let’s take a look at the final game of the series, on May 30th. The Phils were going for the sweep; the Rox were just trying to keep the hometown crowd from switching loyalties. Their record was 14-36 and they were 18 1/2 games out of first place in the National League West.   Continue reading this post »

Stuff to read.

• Purple Row’s Rox Girl really likes the Marco Scutaro trade. I don’t know if I’m quite as giddy as she is, especially considering how old some of these guys are, but it’s true that things are looking much brighter than they did in October.

A slightly belated wrap-up of all the goodies we published here on Rox Pile this week. Check it out – there are three of us now!

Monday

I continued the Rockies Retread series with a look at the Rockies first game against the Astros in 1993. You might be surprised at who came out on top in that one.

Tuesday

In my never-ending quest to untangle the mess that is the Rockies’ utility infielder situation, I considered the worth of Jonathan Herrera and whether he’ll be necessary to the team in 2012.

Wednesday

In the latest installment of our Conversations With the Enemy series, Hayden and I grilled and were grilled by Bryan Rosa of Around the Foghorn. It was pretty brutal, but we came out with some answers.

Hayden unpacked Dan O’Dowd’s assertion that the Rockies will have better teamwork in 2012, and wondered just how the guys plan to accomplish that.

Thursday

Drumroll please! Rox Pile is pleased to introduce our newest staff writer, Curtis Seidle! Curtis made his debut with a post that examines the Rockies’ current roster and which spots will still be up for grabs come spring training. You can follow Curtis on Twitter here.

I took a good look at what Matt Lindstrom brings to the Rockies and assert that the bullpen is in pretty good shape for 2012.

Friday

As part of the Homegrown Homecoming series, I gave a shout out to Eric Young, whose pants I just took a picture of in Cooperstown.

Hayden warned us against panicking at the state of our 2012 starting rotation, considering how poorly our opinion of past rotations has predicted their success.

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While reading Troy Renck’s article on the next Rockies player to receive a long term deal, I noticed the mention of the decision to not install a humidor in Security Service Field, home of the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. In October of this past season it seemed like it was decided that they would in fact install a humidor in Colorado Springs to mimic the conditions of pitching in Denver. I am not sure what happened between October and today to change the minds of Dan O’Dowd and company, but I seriously hope they reconsider. Continue reading this post »

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 »