You know the candidates and you know their histories, so there’s no way the Rockies are going to get a big time power surge from anyone in the lineup. The only power threats currently in the lineup include Ian Stewart and Carlos Gonzalez, and both have serious issues in terms of consistency. So is that the best the Rockies could hope for? Consistency from guys who have otherwise been inconsistent? Maybe, but I do hold out hope that 2 other players in particular will really bring up their game to a new level in order to provide the Rox with better offense for the next 6 weeks or so.

Brad Hawpe is hitting the ball very well lately with a .324 average and only 5 strike outs over his last 34 ABs (10 games). The only thing lacking has been the power, and I think that now that he’s in the clean up spot we can expect his average to go down a little but also to see his power numbers go up on all counts. He’s usually a guaranteed 22-29 HRs per season, so with 3 only thus far this season, you have to believe he can bring his game up and provide 10-15 HRs over the next 6-8 weeks. If he does accomplish this, it will take a ton of pressure off the rest of the lineup and allow guys like Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Stewart to swing a little more easily.

The other player I like in terms of hitting for some power now that Tulo is out is Seth Smith, who has a decent 9 HRs in only 160 ABs thus far this season. Smith is very under rated in most fantasy leagues and could be one hell of a player if he was used more regularly. Well, with Tulo out he could be on his way to more playing time and a power burst as a result. Look for him to float around the lineup and to provide the Rox with a good RBI source.

If neither of these players comes out well for the Rox over the next 6 weeks and fail to induce some power in the lineup as a result it’s going to be a long recovery for Troy Tulowitzki and company. There is one other alternative if power is indeed lacking for the long term. The Rockies have one hot 3B in Colorado Springs in Travis Metcalf and Ian Stewart is a more than adequate 2B. Therefore, there is still the possibility of calling on Metcalf and shifting Stwart to 2B in order to induce some power in the lineup. Metcalf has 3 HRs, a .324 avg, a .395 OBP, and 1.101 OPS over his last 10 games. That seems like a reasonable source of good hitting if the Rox do decide to try him out for a short period. If it works, you get some production from somewhere unexpected and can deal with the extra asset when Tulo returns. If it doesn’t well, you’re still in the same place you otherwise would have been.

The Rockies could use a good run in the West in order to go into the All-Star with the knowledge of whether or not they are expecting to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. It will be fun to see who does indeed come through for them after losing their best player. I just hope that someone does come through.

Ryan Spilborghs signed a two-year deal on Monday that buys him out of his final two years of arbitration.

The Colorado Rockies are experiencing a problem for the first time in their history.  They have too much depth.

As they head into the 2010 season looking to make the playoffs for a second straight season, the Rockies have signed outfielder Ryan Spilborghs to a two-year deal worth $3.25 million according to the Denver Post.

Spilborghs was slated to be the Rockies centerfielder heading into the 2009 campaign until the team made the decision to have prized prospect Dexter Fowler make the jump from Double-A to the big leagues.  On top of losing his starting job, Spilborghs struggled through a tough season.  He hit a career low .241 with an on base percentage of just .310.

Spilborghs, however, did have his moment in the spotlight.  On August 24th, with the Rockies battling the Giants for the Wild Card lead, the righty smashed the Rockies first ever walk-off grand slam to seal the victory for the Rockies.

The move provides the Rockies with a solid outfielder who has been able to hit for average as well as power.  More importantly it gives the Rockies the glue that keeps their clubhouse together.  Spilborghs is well known for his antics and his ability to keep the team loose.

The contract buys him out of his final two years of arbitration and gives the Rockies something that they try so often to achieve, cost-certainty.

The Rockies will probably have Spilborghs be the fifth outfielder, getting playing time behind Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Brad Hawpe and Seth Smith.  Having Spilborghs as a fifth outfielder shows the Rockies extreme depth.  The Santa Barbara, CA native would be a starter on at least 10 teams in the league.