The 2009 edition of the Colorado Rockies finished the season in second place in the NL West with a record of 92-70…that was good enough to earn a postseason berth as the NL wild card team.
The 2010 edition of the Rox should be pretty good, but it won’t quite measure up to the performance level of last year’s squad.
The club will have difficulty replacing Jason Marquis, who went 15-13, with a 4.04 ERA, while pitching 216 innings. Marquis fled via free agency to the greener pastures of…drum roll, please…the Washington Nationals.
For a team that made the playoffs predicated on pitching and defense, the departure of Marquis will leave the club one good starting pitcher away from a return engagement to the playoffs.
Key additions: 3B Melvin Mora, C Miguel Olivo, RHP Tim Redding
Key subtractions: 3B Garrett Atkins, RHP Jose Contreras, RHP Matt Herges, RHP Jason Marquis and C Yorvit Torellaba
Key Performer, 2010: Jeff Francis
Starting Rotation
The pitching staff has tons of potential, if they are healthy.
Jason Marquis’ performance last season was unexpected—at least for me—predicated in large part on an eight point increase in his ground ball rate and corresponding decreased in-line drive and fly ball rates.
His free agent departure leaves RHP Ubaldo Jimenez as the No. 1 starter—and a potential “ace.” The 26-year-old has the stuff to be a legitimate staff ace. At times he can make opposing batters look amateurish, going 15-12, 3.57, in 218 IP. The league hit just .229 against him. It remains to be seen whether he’ll repeat that performance now that it will be expected of him.
RHP Jeff Francis, who missed all of last season following shoulder surgery, is the key to how well this staff performs. If he is healthy and returns to form, he could eat up innings and provide the kind of quality pitching the club will need so the bullpen doesn’t get over-worked or over-exposed.
RHP Aaron Cook has been solid over the past two seasons, going a combined 27-15 with a 4.05 ERA.
RHP Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33) and LHP Jorge De La Rosa (16-9, 4.38) fill out the back end of the rotation. If either, or both, of them can elevate their game to the next level then the Rockies will make a run at the playoffs (though I expect they will come up a couple of games short).
De la Rosa is someone to keep your eye on—he led all NL lefties in wins in 2009.
In consideration of the health issues that could continue to afflict the staff, prospect Jhoulys Chacin is someone who could make an impact at some point this season.
Bullpen
The Rockies have a decent group of relievers that could actually develop into a pretty good bullpen.
They have an experienced closer in Huston Street who has performed well since his arrival in Denver; last season he converted 35 save opportunities, including 26 consecutive at one point.
Right-handers Taylor Buchholz and Rafael Betancourt and lefty Franklin Morales give the Rockies an excellent corps of set-up men.
The club would be well served if Manny Corpas finally figures out a way to live up to his potential.
Lineup
The lineup is full of extremes, with high average hitters on one end and low average hitters on the other end—and with very little in between.
So the Rockies lineup has some considerable strengths, as well as some sizeable holes.
First baseman Todd Helton (.325, 15 HR, 86 RBI), SS Troy Tulowitzki (.297, 32 HR, 92 RBI), OF Brad Hawpe (.285, 23 HR, 86 RBI), and OF Carlos Gonzalez (.284, 13 HR, 29 RBI) occupy a spot at one end of the spectrum.
2B Clint Barnes (.245, 23 HR, 76 RBI), 3B Ian Stewart (.228, 25 HR, 70 RBI), and catcher Chris Iannetta (.226, 16 HR, 52 RBI) occupy the other end. Stuck in the middle is OF Dexter Fowler (.266, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 27 SB).
The holes in the lineup are offest to a large extent by the productivity in their bats. They were fourth in the big leagues in OPS (.784), sixth in runs scored (804), and seventh in home runs (190…well over the MLB average of 168).
Outlook
The Rockies should have solid results in the upcoming campaign. Whether they’re able to make the playoffs again appears to be largely dependent on the health and performance of Jeff Francis, and whether 3B Ian Stewart and C Chris Iannetta can improve with the bat in their hands.
SOX1Forecast: 2nd place, 88-74.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments