Less than four weeks (February 19) until pitchers and catchers report to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Twenty-seven days to familiarize yourself with the new and improved(?) Colorado Rockies. Dealin' Dan O'Dowd has been a busy beaver this off-season. Gone from the 2011 Opening Day lineup are:
OF Seth Smith (traded to Oakland for two pitchers),
UTIL Ty Wigginton (traded to Philadelphia for nothing definite, yet),
INF Jose Lopez (cut on June 7, signed by Florida, released in July, signed with Cleveland) and,
C Chris Iannetta (traded to Anaheim for a pitcher).
Still with the Rox from that Opening Day lineup are Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton.
On the bench for the Rockies last April were: C Jose Morales, 3B Ian Stewart and OF Ryan Spilborghs (all gone), with Jonathan Herrera and Jason Giambi still in purple pinstripes.
The starting pitchers: Ubaldo Jimenez (traded to Cleveland for three arms and a backup infielder), Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge DeLa Rosa, Jason Hammel* and Esmil Rogers. Chacin is the early favorite to be the Opening Day starter, DLR is recuperating from Tommy John surgery, Hammel is still in the rotation (for now) and Rogers is destined to be a reliever or starter at Colorado Springs with the AAA Sky Sox.
The 2011 Opening Day bullpen: closer Huston Street (traded to San Diego for a LHP), setup man Rafael Betancourt (now the closer), the three Matts, Belisle, Lindstrom* and Reynolds (all three remain), Felipe Paulino (sold to the KC Royals) and Franklin Morales (traded to the Red Sux for undetermined player or cash). Aaron Cook, the all-time Rockies franchise winner (72 career wins), started the 2011 season on the injured list, was released after the 2011 season, and signed a deal with the Red Sux for the 2012 season.
I anticipate the starting lineup this year to be:
CF Dexter Fowler (needs to be a threat to steal more and improve OBP)
2B Marco Scutaro (stay healthy and play sound 2B)
LF Carlos Gonzalez (stay away from the wall and improve plate discipline)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (just be Tulo, a healthy Tulo)
RF Michael Cuddyer (bang those gaps and make consistent contact)
1B Todd Helton (#3 active player in OPS, behind only Pujols and Ramirez)
3B Casey Blake (please strike out less than one in four ABs)
C Ramon Hernandez (solid professional, bring along Rosario)
DO'D has accummulated a boatload of arms to compete for pitching spots on this year's roster, and the competition during Spring Training, hopefully, will determine who stays, and who goes down to the minors for seasoning. There are a whole bunch of question marks, and not too many positive exclamation points with this roster entering in to Spring Training.
Juan Nicasio appears to be fully recovered from a horrific injury incurred on August 5th, when he was hit flush on the head by a line drive off the bat of Washington Nationals SS Ian Desmond. The combination of the blow to the head and the subsequent fall to the mound fractured Nicasio's C-1 verterbra. After life-saving treatment on the field by Rockies training and medical staff, he underwent emergency surgery at Denver Health Medical Center. After near-miraculous rehab and determination by the 25-year-old right-hander from the Domenican Republic, he is poised to compete for a spot in the 2012 Rockies starting rotation. At the time of his injury, he was the owner of a 4-0 record and a 1.58 ERA in 4 decisions at Coors Field before being felled in the second inning in that fateful game against the Nationals. IF Nicasio can prove he's fully recovered and pick up where he left off before the injury, it would qualify as a minor miracle. IF Jorge DeLa Rosa is fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery and capable enough to resume his career with his pre-surgical quality stuff by May or June, that would qualify as minor miracle #2. IF Jason Hammel can harness his grade-A repertoire and pitch with a bit more consistency, and IF Drew Pomeranz and Alex White can live up to their so-called potential, maybe, just maybe, the Rockies can survive in the upper half of the NL West. And, just what do we have in Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman and Zach Putnam? Chatwood came from the Angels in exchange for Chris Iannetta. Moscoso and Outman came from The A's for Seth Smith. And Putnam came to the Rockies from Cleveland for Kevin Slowey who came from the Twins.
Will Eric Young, Jr, Chris Nelson, Charlie Blackmon, Jonny Herrera, Wilin Rosario, Nolan Arenado, Jordan Pacheco, DJ LaMahieu, Tommy Field, Tyler Colvin or Jamie Hoffman hold the surprise keys to a muddled puzzle that Dan O'Dowd has assembled? Or, is there more conjumbling that DO'D has in store? That's what is great about Spring Training. Everybody thinks their team has hope. As I wrote last year, Eternal Hope and Spring are as timeless as Man and Baseball. So far, manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Bob Apodaca haven't fucked anything up, and the Rockies are still undefeated for the 2012 season.
Get the goddam Super Bowl over with, so we can get on with the real reason that a real sports fan can get back in the saddle. YANKEES and ROCKIES in the 2012 World Series! Why not? Check back with me in June. As long as the Red Sux and Giants fall on their asses......................and DUCK the FODGERS!
*An update: Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom were traded to Baltimore on February 6th for a proven Major League starter, RHP Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie had started opening day for the Orioles three out of the last four years, and has averaged nearly 200 innings each season as a regular in the majors. Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd is unhappy with Jhoulys Chacin's off-season conditioning, so Guthrie becomes the odds-on favorite to begin the regular season as the Rockies' Opening Day starter.
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