Colorado Rockies
I was recently able to ask Russ Oates from Purple Row some questions about the Rockies.
ZA: Coors Field is known as one of the best hitters parks in the game. Would you say management takes advantage of that and tries to build the team more for offense rather than defense and pitching?
RO: Not particularly. Yes, Coors Field is still a good hitters’ park, but since the introduction of the humidor in 2002 pitchers have had more success there. It also helps that current team ace Ubaldo Jimenez is what you call a good pitcher, humidor or no. In the end, what Rockies management is trying to do is build a good team. Not a good offensive team or a good defensive/pitching team. A good overall team.
ZA: Tell me a little about Ubaldo Jimenez. I feel like he’s a guy a lot of people don’t know about, but he really is an impressive pitcher. Recently there was an article about him growing up in the DR. The Mets actually offered him a contract but he declined because his parents wanted him to finish high school. Clearly that decision has worked out for him. Not so much for the Mets though.
RO: In 2008 Ubaldo Jimenez was a fitful starter. He’d demonstrate a great ability to strikeout opposing batters but then also walk four to six batters a game. While he still had several of those game in 2009, U-Ball showed he belonged as the Rockies’ ace, posting a 5.7 WAR. He will be the team’s Opening Day starter this year, his first such appearance.
ZA: Before last season, Chris Iannetta played for Team USA in the WBC. A lot of people were saying he was going to have an All-Star type year, but that didn’t really happen. Why do you think he didn’t live up to expectations? Was it playing in the WBC throwing him off like other players, or was the bar just set too high? He only played 93 games.
RO: Former Rockie Yorvit Torrealba received a lot of grief from a segment of Rockies fans because he took playing time away from Iannetta. It’d been that way for seasons. “Hey, Chris, you’re the starter.” “Cool, I am? But I’m not playing like it.” “You’re right. OK, you’re the starter, but I can’t have you playing the majority of games every week.” “How am I supposed to get in a groove then?” Shrug. Iannetta received a contract extension during the offseason that pays him like a starting catcher, but Jim Tracy has already stated that Miguel Olivo is going to receive extended time behind the plate. But he doesn’t want to call it a platoon.
ZA: Perhaps the best young player on the Rockies is Troy Tulowitzki, another very underrated player. How has he grown as a player since we all saw him for the first time make that great run to the World Series in 2007? That team that won I believe it was 21 of their last 22.
RO: I find it hard to believe that Troy Tulowitzki is underrated, but that perception comes from his being out in the no-man’s land that is the Mountain Time Zone. If Todd Helton is the soul of the Rockies, Troy Tulowitzki is the heart. As he goes, so do the Rockies. He’s gotten off to slow starts in his career, but picked things up later in the season. In 2009, he hit like there was no tomorrow after Clint Hurdle was fired and with the arrival of June. If Tulo can break out of his early season struggles, beware the Rockies.
ZA: What would you say is the state of your minor league system? The Mets right now are right in the middle, kind of at the point now where the top prospects are close enough you can smell them. Is there anyone you say getting called up this year to contribute?
RO: With the graduation of several top prospects over the last few years, the Rockies have few players that could immediately help the team. Eric Young Jr. is the only player who could provide an impact for the team, but that would be from the bench. There certainly is depth down there with pitchers Greg Smith, Samuel Deduno, and Edgmer Escalona. Reliever Matthew Reynolds is a possibility to see time in the majors after a decent spring that left him as a wild card to make the team. 2009 first rounder Rex Brothers could move fast through the system as a reliever. He has the potential to be a strong closer. The Rockies’ first pick in the 2009 draft, Tyler Matzek, has yet to pitch professionally, but given his ability he could move fast and see Colorado in a couple of years.
ZA: Who would you consider the best player in your team’s history? The Rockies have lots of good players sprinkled around through their relatively short lifespan.
RO: Depends on how we’re defining best. Larry Walker had the best talent of anyone on the Rockies, but his injury history didn’t allow him to be the player he should have been. Todd Helton is Rockies baseball. His leadership and on-field performance are unparalleled. However, in a few years Troy Tulowitzki will be in this conversation.
ZA: In the winter of 2008 the Rockies traded away Matt Holliday, and they got Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith back. How have these players contributed to the team? Holliday went on to get that huge contract after being traded again to St. Louis obviously. The Rockies were never going to give him that money.
RO: Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez were both key contributors to the Rockies’ 2009 run to the playoffs. Street took the closer’s job during Spring Training and saved 35 games for the Rockies. He was rewarded with a three-year deal in January, but has yet to pitch this spring due to a sore shoulder. Carlos Gonzalez dominated Triple A for the first two months of 2009 and received a promotion to Colorado. He heated up as the season wore on and became a key component in the Rockies’ second Wild Card berth. Greg Smith missed most of 2009 due to shoulder inflammation, pitched in a few games across three levels of the minors, and doesn’t have a spot in the majors going into 2010.
ZA: The Rockies are somewhat of a hot team going into the season as far division winner picks go. Casual fans assume Los Angeles dominates that division again, but the Rockies have a young nucleus of players ready to compete.
RO: That’s a good assessment of where the Rockies stand right now. It’ll be interesting to see how the Rockies compete in April and May under the management of Jim Tracy. With the pall of Clint Hurdle gone, now is the time for the Rockies to start hot, stay hot, and end hot during a season.
The New York Mets will take on the Florida Marlins today at Digital Domain Park. Game time is set for 1:10 P.M. and the game will be televised on SNY. Weather looks fine, sunny and in the lower 70′s.