Troy Tulowitzki

So far this year, Troy Tulowitzki has gotten off to a hot start, batting .323/.442/.742 with seven HR and 14 RBI.

After he hit .315 with 27 HR and 95 RBI last year, the expectations are through the roof. Tulo is expected to be better than Hanley Ramirez and many think he already is. I disagree with that belief, but that’s another story for another day.

For the past decade, the All-Star teams have been highlighted by the same players year after year. Players like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Ichiro, Albert Pujols, and Chipper Jones have appeared in the starting lineups every year and it's starting to get old. Between now and 2014, a new generation of faces will emerge as baseball's best and brightest and the old ones will begin to fade.

We are close to three weeks into the season, and few things are going as expected. Some teams have players that are surprising, and other teams are simply outperforming their expectations.

Its a long season, and things change, but some of these surprises are legitimate, and have some staying power. Cleveland may not necessarily be in for a major losing streak, and the Red Sox may not be the 100-win team people were expecting.

You know what I did yesterday? I wasted seven hours and a day off watching Mets baseball at Citi Field. That's right. I woke up early and took two trains just so I can sit and watch the Colorado Rockies pound the Mets into the ground in both games of a doubleheader.

Waste of money? Only $20.

Waste of time? Absolutely.

View From the Rockpile: Musings From a Mile High Along the Journey to Rocktober

There’s no bigger stage for a middle-market club than the sparkling new sandlot just a skip, hop and a seven-train jump from Broadway.  Do it here, and media, critics and fans will take notice. 

America, meet the 2011 Colorado Rockies.

Another day, another one-run road win.

What was the Achilles' heel of the Colorado Rockies in 2010 has turned into one of their biggest strengths thus far in 2011. 

The Rockies swept the New York Mets on Thursday, taking both games of the doubleheader 6-5 and 9-4. This marks the first time the Rockies have swept the Mets since 1994, and just their third series win ever against the Mets in New York.

View From the Rockpile: Musings from a Mile High along the Journey to Rocktober

Although Rocktober magic has made the club's recent slow starts a distant memory, the Rockies entered 2011 determined to get off on a better foot than in previous seasons.

Coming off of a less than stellar 7-11 2010 record against the divisional rivals, the Los Angeles, Dodgers, the Rockies welcomed an early season opportunity to make a statement that they are a force to be reckoned with in the 2011 Wild Wild NL West.

Although baseball's dark days of syringes and suspicious trainers seem to be behind us, the long ball is still alive and well. There are plenty of guys who make their living going yard and spend their afternoons trotting. 

But if we had to build a team of the league's best sluggers, what would it look like? We wouldn't look solely at a player who's a feast-or-famine hitter, would we? 

You want a guy who can take it deep but isn't always looking for the long ball, even at the expense of his own team. 

Colorado Rockies (2010 record: 83-79)

Notable additions: RHP Matt Lindstrom, INF Jose Lopez, C Jose Morales, INF/OF Ty Wiggington

Notable subtractions: 2B Clint Barmes, RHP Octavio Dotel, SP Jeff Francis, 3B Melvin Mora, C Miguel Olivo

The offense:

Hanley Ramirez: When he has played in at least 140 games in a season, Ramirez has averaged a .313 AVG, .385 OBP, .520 SLG, .906 OPS, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 112 R, 187 H, 39 SB and 108 SO.

Troy Tulowitzki: When he has played in at least 120 games in a season, Tulo has averaged a .301 AVG, .372 OBP, .533 SLG, .906 OPS, 28 HR, 95 RBI, 98 R, 162 H, 13 SB and 107 SO.