Colorado Rockies 2008 Preview

Thanks to an improbable surge, the Rockies now have expectations to meet. That’s much better than being a perennial afterthought, the Rockies’ lot in life before last season. Victories in 21 of 22 games — no team had ever ridden such a wave into October — carried the Rockies to their first pennant before getting swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Regardless, the Rockies are again relevant to what had become an increasingly disgruntled fan base. The key this year is to contend and prove the memorable run that began in mid-September can be sustained.

Rotation 
The starters are solid despite the lack of a true No. 1. The Rockies reached the postseason because Ubaldo Jimenez and lefthander Franklin Morales made second-half contributions, following injuries to Rodrigo Lopez, Aaron Cook and Jason Hirsh. Jimenez, 24, and Morales, 22, are special arms with huge upsides. Jimenez is a bit more polished, but both are key to the Rockies’ success. Lefthander Jeff Francis, who went 16–5 with a 3.82 ERA over his final 28 starts in the regular season, is a proven winner who succeeds with average stuff by outthinking hitters. He heads the rotation, along with Cook, who has a dominant sinker and the secondary pitches that should translate into increased success in the near future. The Rockies can expect Hirsh to progress in his second full season in the majors and will welcome any contributions from Kip Wells or Mark Redman.

Statistician
68	Errors by the Rockies, matching the fewest ever in a season by an NL team.
504	Walks issued by the Rockies, the third-fewest in the league and the lowest walk total in franchise history for a full season.
24	Home runs by Troy Tulowitzki, the most ever by a National League rookie shortstop.
2.08	ERA for closer Manny Corpas, the lowest in franchise history by a relief pitcher with a minimum of 50 innings pitched.
44	Wins by Jeff Francis the past three seasons, which is tied for the fourth-highest total in the National League in that period.
0	Errors by first baseman Todd Helton in his final 91 games.

Bullpen 
Manny Corpas took over the closer’s role and flourished after lefthander Brian Fuentes faltered in late June and then went on the disabled list. Corpas relies on a sinker and slider, both plus pitches, and averaged 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Fuentes and newcomer Luis Vizcaino are solid setup men, both capable of getting strikeouts. In the past six years, the durable Vizcaino has averaged 72.7 appearances per season and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Veteran Matt Herges, signed just before spring training last year to a minor league contract, was brought up in July and became a vital middle reliever in the second half. Ryan Speier offers a different look with his almost-sidearm delivery. Taylor Buchholz can provide solid innings.

Middle Infield 
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who will bat second with the departure of Kazuo Matsui, made only 11 errors as a rookie and led all qualifying major league shortstops with a .987 fielding percentage. He has quickly become a significant contributor on both sides of the ball as well as a team leader. In addition to possessing an extremely strong arm and very good range, Tulowitzki drove in 50 runs in his final 52 games last year, showing the ability to deliver in vital late-inning situations. Rookie Jayson Nix has claimed the second base job with a good spring. After three disappointing seasons in a row, he improved offensively in Triple-A last year and then went to Taiwan and helped Team USA win the World Cup by earning the Most Outstanding Player award. He is outstanding defensively.

Corners 
Third baseman Garrett Atkins has below-average range and uncorks more than his share of poor throws, but he has worked hard and has improved defensively. Once again, Atkins rebounded from a slow start offensively, hitting .340 beginning June 13 with 21 homers and 88 RBIs in his final 97 games and .371 over his final 62 games to finish at .301. Moved from third to fifth in the order after one month, Atkins provided ample protection for Todd Helton, the veteran first baseman. Helton’s power numbers have been down three straight years, and at 34, it’s unlikely his production will ever return to the 30 HR/100 RBI level. But Helton cranks out 40 or more doubles yearly, draws over 100 walks and last year led all qualifying hitters in the NL with a .434 on-base percentage. Helton is a superb defender who made only two errors all season.

Outfield 
Left fielder Matt Holliday, who finished second in the MVP voting, and right fielder Brad Hawpe provide plenty of power and run production at the corner spots. As a bonus, they both hit for average. Holliday, in particular, has become one of the better offensive players in the league. Both Holliday and Hawpe have improved defensively, particularly Holliday, but neither is above average. Hawpe has a very strong arm, but his range and jump on balls are suspect. Center fielder Willy Taveras’ speed enables him to compensate for some of the poor routes he often takes to balls. His arm and range are decent.

Catching 
Yorvit Torrealba set career-highs in almost every offensive category as he became the starter when rookie Chris Iannetta faltered. Torrealba does a good job of calling games and blocking balls but doesn’t throw that well. He’s a glorified backup pressed into the starter’s job. Iannetta played with less anxiety after spending three weeks in August at Triple-A and remains the catcher of the future.

Bench 
There’s no real power threat on the bench other than Jeff Baker, who struggled when pinch hitting last year. Ryan Spilborghs showed gap power and the ability to make steady contact. He can also play all three outfield positions. Seth Smith has shown the knack to come off the bench and hit, a skill that might enable him to make the team as an extra outfielder. Outfielder Cory Sullivan is a very capable defender who can be used to pinch run but doesn’t provide much offense. Neither does versatile Clint Barmes, who can play all over the infield and in the outfield.

Statline Most Players Used in 2007
1.	Rockies	53
2.	Reds	51
3t.	Braves	50
3t.	Marlins	50
5t.	Mets	49
5t.	Padres	49

Management 
In the face of mounting criticism, owners Charlie and Dick Monfort showed continued patience with general manager Dan O’Dowd and manager Clint Hurdle and were finally rewarded. It took time, but the commitment the Rockies made in 2004 to develop players from within and build a strong core group that can win paid off.

Final Analysis 
The Rockies have loads of talent in the majors, much of it young and low cost, and a very deep farm system. The likes of Corpas, Jimenez and Morales have come from a vastly improved Latin American program that now includes some position players and not just pitchers among its prospects. The Rockies will face a major financial decision when Holliday, who is represented by Scott Boras, becomes a free agent, but that won’t happen until after 2009, allowing the Rockies to keep their nucleus intact through that year.

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Difference Maker

Aaron Cook strained his left oblique muscle Aug. 10 and didn’t pitch again until Oct. 28 when he started Game 4 of the World Series and pitched six effective innings. He went 8–7 last year and has yet to win 10 games in a season, but he has a daunting sinker and enough overall stuff to be a consistent winner. The Rockies don’t think Cook, 29, has reached his ceiling, as evidenced by the three-year, $30 million contract they gave him in the offseason. If he stays healthy, there’s no reason Cook can’t regularly win 15 or more games.

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Beyond the Box Score

Milestones The Rockies played four postseason games and won one in their first 14 seasons. Last year, they played 11 postseason games and won seven. During the regular season, the Rockies won a club-record 90 games, easily surpassing the previous record of 83 victories set in 1996 and matched in 1997. Colorado’s .552 winning percentage (90–73) was the best in franchise history, topping the strike-shortened 1995 season, when they had a .535 mark (77–67).

Home sweet home The Rockies re-established their dominance at Coors Field last year with a 51–31 home record. Moreover, their 39–15 (.722) record at home beginning June 2 was the best in the majors, slightly ahead of the New York Yankees’ 40–16 (.714). The only other time in franchise history the Rockies surpassed 50 home wins was in 1996 (55–26).

Quality staff The Rockies’ 4.32 ERA was the lowest in team history and ranked eighth in the league. The starters went 55–47 and ranked ninth in the league with a club-record 4.58 ERA, breaking the previous mark of 4.72 set in 2006. The bullpen went 35–26 with a 3.85 ERA that was sixth-best in the league and second-lowest in club history.

Red hot Rocks After never winning more than nine consecutive games in their first 14 seasons — and that nine-game streak was in 1997 and by no means recent — the Rockies ran off a club-record 11-game winning streak Sept. 16-27. That streak was the longest in the majors last year. The Rockies had been the only team in the majors without a winning streak of at least five games in 2005 and 2006 but had three such streaks last year. The Rockies also won seven straight May 22-29 and won five in a row July 2-7.

Key rookie Troy Tulowitzki enabled the Rockies to become only the fifth team in major league history to qualify for the postseason with a rookie shortstop who played a minimum of 150 games. The others were the 1909 Tigers (Donie Bush), 1915 Phillies (Dave Bancroft), 1971 Giants (Chris Speier) and 1996 Yankees (Derek Jeter).

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