How bad are the Rockies?
We know the Rockies are bad, but let's take a look at that roster to currently gage the nature of the badness...
Starters:
Jeff Francis- the one bright spot of the current roster, Francis has been off and on this year, brilliant at Coors, but "rocky" on the road... ha. It seems as if the former #1 pick will turn out to be pretty good.
Jamey Wright- journeyman Rockie.
B.K. Kim- just what he needed, a trip to Denver to fix his career.
Aaron Cook- great story.
Well, if you throw in Jason Jennings, the Rockies' pitching isn't horrid, but it certainly isn't very good at all. In fact, most of these guys have ERAs over 5, so it retains its status of being pretty bad.
Bullpen
Jose Acevado- former Red, will be a future journeyman trying to hang around. He's been OK this year, but not great.
Mike DeJean- former Rockie returns home, horrible with Mets but ok with Colorado.
Dan Miceli- ultimate journeyman
David Cortes- actually had pitched 4 games in '99 and 2 in '03 before getting some time with Colorado this year... let's start a theme.
Marcos Carvajal- rookie, Randy Williams- see Cortes, Aquilino Lopez- showed promise in Toronto before imploding, Brian Fuentes- an actual Rockie product!
*** The common theme here: cheap, adequate, and either inexperienced or journeymen. ***
Now let's look at the roster:
C: J.D. Closser and Danny Ardoin- I don't really need to explain this, but these are two of the worst catchers in baseball. Closser is hitting a paltry .224, and Ardoin is a good defensive catcher who can't hit.
1B: Todd Helton (injured)- Helton is great, but is the only name on this nameless roster. To replace him, the Rockies are playing Ryan Shealy, a rookie who has some power.
2B: Aaron Miles (injured)- Another in the long line of Lansing-type servicable second-basemen, Miles slipped this year. He is being replaced by Luis A. Gonzalez, a decent, light-hitting second baseman.
SS: Clint Barmes (injured)- The odds-on favorite for ROY, Barmes fell down some stairs and is out for the year. He is being replaced by career minor leaguer Eddy Garabito, who has retained the servicability of the roster spot, and recently-acquired Omar Quintanilla, a promising A's prospect who can hit.
3B: Garrett Atkins- Atkins is another young player who has some power and is in the .280 range, but really doesn't have any dominant characteristics. In fact, the lack of power and speed on the Rockies' infield makes it difficult for the team to score runs.
OF (It gets noticably rougher)...
Matt Holliday, Dustan Mohr, and Larry Bigbie- Holliday has been decent this year, as he is another young Rockie who has been given a chance during the struggles. Meanwhile, Bigbie has disappointed in Baltimore, and Dustan Mohr has hit poorly this year in Colorado, only batting .214... not surprising for a career platoon outfielder.
Cory Sullivan has also spot started as a rookie center fielder, and like the others, is hitting about .280. Jorge Piedra is a reserve, and Brad Hawpe started before getting injured.
What's the point? What's the bottom line?
The point is that this is one of the lowest collections of talent in recent memory, and that without Helton, it's very improbable that the Rockies win ever. It's interesting to note that most of the players starting are just promoted minor leaguers who were marginal prospects... a situation that can lead to complete franchise disillusionment. Bottom line... the Rockies need to spend some money and get some talent next year.
Starters:
Jeff Francis- the one bright spot of the current roster, Francis has been off and on this year, brilliant at Coors, but "rocky" on the road... ha. It seems as if the former #1 pick will turn out to be pretty good.
Jamey Wright- journeyman Rockie.
B.K. Kim- just what he needed, a trip to Denver to fix his career.
Aaron Cook- great story.
Well, if you throw in Jason Jennings, the Rockies' pitching isn't horrid, but it certainly isn't very good at all. In fact, most of these guys have ERAs over 5, so it retains its status of being pretty bad.
Bullpen
Jose Acevado- former Red, will be a future journeyman trying to hang around. He's been OK this year, but not great.
Mike DeJean- former Rockie returns home, horrible with Mets but ok with Colorado.
Dan Miceli- ultimate journeyman
David Cortes- actually had pitched 4 games in '99 and 2 in '03 before getting some time with Colorado this year... let's start a theme.
Marcos Carvajal- rookie, Randy Williams- see Cortes, Aquilino Lopez- showed promise in Toronto before imploding, Brian Fuentes- an actual Rockie product!
*** The common theme here: cheap, adequate, and either inexperienced or journeymen. ***
Now let's look at the roster:
C: J.D. Closser and Danny Ardoin- I don't really need to explain this, but these are two of the worst catchers in baseball. Closser is hitting a paltry .224, and Ardoin is a good defensive catcher who can't hit.
1B: Todd Helton (injured)- Helton is great, but is the only name on this nameless roster. To replace him, the Rockies are playing Ryan Shealy, a rookie who has some power.
2B: Aaron Miles (injured)- Another in the long line of Lansing-type servicable second-basemen, Miles slipped this year. He is being replaced by Luis A. Gonzalez, a decent, light-hitting second baseman.
SS: Clint Barmes (injured)- The odds-on favorite for ROY, Barmes fell down some stairs and is out for the year. He is being replaced by career minor leaguer Eddy Garabito, who has retained the servicability of the roster spot, and recently-acquired Omar Quintanilla, a promising A's prospect who can hit.
3B: Garrett Atkins- Atkins is another young player who has some power and is in the .280 range, but really doesn't have any dominant characteristics. In fact, the lack of power and speed on the Rockies' infield makes it difficult for the team to score runs.
OF (It gets noticably rougher)...
Matt Holliday, Dustan Mohr, and Larry Bigbie- Holliday has been decent this year, as he is another young Rockie who has been given a chance during the struggles. Meanwhile, Bigbie has disappointed in Baltimore, and Dustan Mohr has hit poorly this year in Colorado, only batting .214... not surprising for a career platoon outfielder.
Cory Sullivan has also spot started as a rookie center fielder, and like the others, is hitting about .280. Jorge Piedra is a reserve, and Brad Hawpe started before getting injured.
What's the point? What's the bottom line?
The point is that this is one of the lowest collections of talent in recent memory, and that without Helton, it's very improbable that the Rockies win ever. It's interesting to note that most of the players starting are just promoted minor leaguers who were marginal prospects... a situation that can lead to complete franchise disillusionment. Bottom line... the Rockies need to spend some money and get some talent next year.
posted by mike at 11:52 PM
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