Colorado Rockies Preview

Colorado Rockies baseball preview

by Steve

The question is, was 2007 the aberration or the norm? Other than getting hotter than shit for 25+ games, the Colorado Rockies were mostly an average team for all of last season. Can Clint Hurdle, Matt Holliday, and co. play consistently well and be a force in the NL West and the National League in general? Most signs point to yes. Having a beast like Holliday's in the four hole and veteran leadership splashed with youthful exuberance, the Rockies may just prove they weren't a one hit wonder.

Outfield

Willy Taveras in centerfield is a prototypical lead off man, and if he can duplicate or even come close to his .320 average and .367 OBP, he will become one of the most underrated CFs in the game. I say he will have a down year, we'll see. Another unsung hero is Rox right fielder Brad Hawpe. At 28, Hawpe is still getting better. He is a dangerous 5 spot in the order who can give you 30 HRs and 130 RBIs, especially in the thin air of Denver. Matt Holiday, needs no insight or explanation, he is a perennial all-star and MVP candidate each year. Colorado's outfield is good if not great and with Ryan Spillborghs as the 4th guy, they are extremely dangerous in any park.

Infield

Does Todd Helton age? True his power numbers are down the past few years, 20 home runs or less the past 3 seasons, but he still hits for average, drives in runs, and gets on base as well as anyone in the majors. Maybe 35 is the year he slows down but I doubt it. Troy Tulowitzki at SS is a rising star in this league, and if Ryan Braun didn't set records in 2007 TT would have walked away with the ROY award. Sophomore slumps are always a possibility but don't expect it out of this guy. Who the hell is Garrett Atkins? Wow, he has hit 25+ HRs, 110+ RBIs and hit over .300 in 2006 and 2007. Is he getting better as well? Yorvit Torrealba is a solid catcher who is less on offense and more on defense, but this is the NL after all. The final starting spot appears to be going to Jayson Nix at second base. In his minor league career he hasn't shown a propensity to hit for power or average although he has 3 dingers in 28 spring training ABs. A potential weakness at second base is meaningless at this point with all of the power and batting average on this squad.

==Pitching==[1] Jeff Francis isn't an upper echelon ace but he is an ace on this squad. He cleared 215 innings pitched in 2007 and flat out won ball games. He is going to get better. Aaron Cook is a 3 or 4 on most rosters but with young Ubaldo Jimenez with only 17 career starts, why push this young stud when you probably don't have too. Franklin Morales is another young arm who showed potential in 2007. With only 8 career starts the jury is still in the early stages of deliberation with this young lefty however. The bottom of the rotation is pretty clouded but with a mix of young players like Morales and Jason Hirsh as well as whiley "vets" in Kip Wells and Mark Redman the cupboards aren't completely bare. All in all the staff is average with high potential.

Prognostication

The youth of the pitching staff is a bit nerve racking, but with the potential offensive output, the Rockies will be in most games regardless of the first six innings. The playoff experience Hurtle and the rest received in 2007 could go along way for this squad in 2008. Denver baseball is back if it was ever around to begin with.

Record 90-72

Cougar2000All-American

598 days ago

Score 1

If the pitching stays healthy, given the conditions in Denver, the Rockies could go back to the postseason. But they have to stay healthy, bottom line.

Permalink | Reply

RomiezzoLegend

598 days ago

Score 2

They have the best offense in the National League, their pitching is developing, and everything seems to be working in their favor. I say that the Rockies are in the playoffs again this year.

Permalink | Reply

Tmil42AAA-er

598 days ago

Score 1

I disagree that they have the best offense in the NL, Romi. They do have some nice pieces, but their biggest offensive threats (Holliday, Helton, Hawpe, and Tulowitzki) have gigantic differences in their home/road numbers (one of the main reasons I didn't think Holliday deserved to be in the 2007 MVP discussion).

The Phillies, with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, could make a case for it. The Braves have Larry Jones, Teixeira, Kelly Johnson, and McCann, and the Mets have Beltran, Reyes, Wright, Delgado (if he can rebound) and Alou part-time.

I'd put the Cubs up there too (Fudokome, Lee, and Soriano are studs) as well as the Brewers (Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, Rickie Weekes).

That being said, I think they have enough pitching and their offense is above average, so they'll contend all year in the NL West (the most competitive division in baseball in 2008).

Permalink

RomiezzoLegend

598 days ago

Score 1

OK. I'll rephrase what I said, Tmil.

I predict that the Rockies will have the best offense in the National League. They hit in a hitter's ballpark, and they have an all around great offense. Kaz Matsui, Willy Taveras, Matt Holliday, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Troy Tulowitzki, Yorvit Torrealba... I don't think you can beat that, to be honest.

Sure, the Phillies have the Big 3 in the MLB: Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard. But other than that, there's no one that really stands out other than those three. Sure, there's Victorino, and Pat Burrell (?), and sure, the Braves have Chipper, Teixeira, McCann, and Johnson, and sure, the Mets have Reyes, Beltran, and Wright (Delgado's days are done IMO), but they don't have the well-rounded all-hitting team that the Rockies have. If Todd Helton can hit like he did last year, and Tulowitzki proves that his rookie years aren't a fluke, they're just going to do better than they did last year. They're very talented, and they're young (which is key because with 2 or 3 years of MLB experience, they're only going to get better; you can't say the same about the other teams you mentioned).

Permalink

Tmil42AAA-er

598 days ago

Score 0

I can't possibly fit all my thoughts on NL offenses into a single comment (I'd need a whole article for that, and maybe I'll write one), but suffice it to say that you make a couple of good points here, especially about youth and park effects. But there's one other thing...Kaz Matsui signed with the Astros in the offseason. The Astros will have some good offensive pieces too, with Berkman, Lee, Pence, and Tejada (he can still produce offensively). Of course, they still have a shortstop and catcher who can't hit (at all).

Permalink

RomiezzoLegend

598 days ago

Score 1

Oh yeah. That's right. How could I have forgotten about Kaz signing with the Astros. *slaps head*

The Astros have lots of power in their lineup. Matsui seems to be an all right replacement for Craig Biggio. And yes, I believe that the Astros will do some damage in the NL Central.. maybe even get 3rd place because it's... you know... the NL Central. And with an offense like that, there's now way their going to be battling with the Reds and Pirates for 4th or 5th place. They'll definitely be battling with the Cards (Oswalt vs. Carpenter, Berkman vs. an injured Pujols). Every team has their weakness, and the Astros' weakness is the fact that they can't drive in runs when they need to, and that's why they lost so many games last year.

But yeah, getting back on subject, the NL offenses... I'd love to see an article by you on that. I'd probably write more than you will in your article in comments. ;)

Permalink