I readily admit I don’t understand why any team would have so much purple in their uniforms on purpose. This year’s question is will this team get hot at some odd point of the season and ruin some post-season ratings?
Manager: Jim Tracy is a great guy I’m sure. All of the magazines say so, but I confess I’m not convinced that last year’s run had all that much to do with Tracy’s ability to coach. I do think they may have the best team in the NL West.
Key Departures: Jason Marquis leaving could be a big deal only because everywhere he has gone the team has won. I don’t think he’s necessarily headed to the Hall but he is a proven winner that brings an attitude to a team. As an Italian American I am saddened to see Sal Fasano leave.
Key Pick-ups: This team did a good job keeping their arbitration eligible players. Chris Ianetta is a solid catcher and one of my favorite characters from the book The Last Best League. They didn’t really have any “big” off-season pickups.
Outfield: Dexter Fowler lived up to the hype last year as a rookie, which begs the question will he have the much-hyped “sophomore slump”? Brad Hawpe led the team in doubles last year. He doesn’t seem to pass the “eye test” when I watch him but I can’t deny he gets the job done. This is one of the top two outfields in the National League defensively. Grade: Offense B; Defense A+
Infield: Troy Tulowitzki has firmly established himself as un upper tier shortstop. He’s their clean up hitter for crying out loud! Last year he led the Rockies in practically everything. 101 runs, 32 homers, 92 RBI’s and a healthy OPS of .930 showed that he deserved to be in that spot. Although be warned he’s on one of my fantasy rosters this year so it is entirely reasonable to expect his production to fall off significantly. Clint Barmes needs to learn to not swing like he’s playing a video game and his K’s (121 a year ago) should go down. Ian Stewart needs to get on base more, which should happen if he continues to mature. Grade: Offense B; Defense B-
Catcher: Iannetta hit a paltry .228 last year and lost the position to Yorvit Torrealba. YT’s gone now so Iannetta needs to step and live up to the potential that everyone raves about. If he can’t put it together this year, the Rockies will need to figure something out having just signed him to a substantive deal. Grade C+
Starting Pitchers: The loss of Marquis is a large hole they need to fill. Jeff Francis, who missed much of last year with injury would seem to be the most likely to make that replacement. He’s shown flashes of brilliance over his three seasons in the league but certainly brings more questions than answers at this point. Ubaldo Jimenez could have a fantastic year if all of his stuff comes together. Grade B-
Bullpen: Huston Street has a cool name and some filthy stuff. He only blew 2 saves last year and his ERA was 3.06. He also led the team in appearances with 64, which makes me wonder about his arm. Still this is a top bullpen. Grade A-
Key To Winning in 2010: Figure the starting rotation out, slow the strikeouts down and avoid the abysmal start from last year, which facilitated the need for the furious run at the end of the season. If they start out strong, they will compete for the division title.
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