STEADY AS THEY GO

Postseason roster gets minor tweak

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Friday, February 15, 2008

Troy Tulowitzki

Matt Holliday led his Rockies teammates to the NL West pennant and spurred renewed interest in the team heading into the 2008 season.

Aaron Cook

Ubaldo Jimenez

Manny Corpas

While the rest of the National League West was busy in the offseason remaking rosters, the Rockies made a couple of minor alterations but nothing serious. They spent five years looking to create roster stability and believe they have found it.

The postseason lineup returns intact, with the exception of second baseman Kazuo Matsui. Josh Fogg is the only pitcher who started a postseason game that won't be back. The only other postseason participants who have moved along are right-handed reliever LaTroy Hawkins, left-handed reliever Jeremy Affeldt and infielder Jamey Carroll.

Luis Vizcaino was signed to replace Hawkins and there will be spring battles to decide the four other openings.

From the battle for second base, where Jayson Nix is the early favorite, will come the replacement for Carroll - it most likely will be Nix or Clint Barmes - although Omar Quintanilla presents an interesting option because he bats left-handed.

A fallout of the battle for the final two spots in the rotation could lead to Franklin Morales or Mark Redman winding up in Affeldt's former role as a second left-hander in the bullpen.

Infield

* Set

Pos. Player Comment

1B Todd Helton Responded in September by hitting .390 with 20 RBI.

3B Garrett Atkins Hit .338 with 22 home runs, 91 RBI in final 105 games.

SS Troy Tulowitzki Broke record for NL rookie shortstops with 24 home runs.

* In the running

Player Comment

Jayson Nix Rockies' top draft pick in 2001, he still hasn't played in majors.

Clint Barmes Opening Day shortstop in 2005 and 2006.

Omar Quintanilla Left-handed bat who provides excellent defense.

Marcus Giles Looking to resurrect career that has gone bad.

Ian Stewart Needs impact year at Colorado Springs; true third baseman.

Jeff Baker Size makes him better suited for corner but needs at-bats.

* On tap

Pos. Player Comment

SS/2B Jonathan Herrera Flashy defense, life in bat, but he's a ways away.

SS/2B Chris Nelson Had breakout second half at Single-A Modesto.

Hurdle's view

Second base is going to be the big decision of the spring. It won't be easy. We have a talent pool that is deep and better than we have had before. Obviously, we need to give Jayson (Nix) a look. He has done everything asked of him and he is at a high point in his career. We have a couple of in-house candidates (Stewart and Baker) who have worked their butts off, but neither has played second base.

The guys with experience, Barmes and Quintanilla, have done nothing to hurt themselves. With Barmes, we need to prioritize whether he is more valuable spinning around the infield or playing one position. With Giles, we will see if we can rekindle some things.

The rest of the infield is pretty set. Helton's baseball card speaks for itself and he showed last September he can meet the challenge. Atkins gets the job done. Tulowitzki is a special player.

Bottom line

The focus is on Nix. He's a prime defensive player with some power in his bat, but he's had an inconsistent offensive history in the minor leagues. He will try to build off earning MVP honors for Team USA in the World Cup tournament in November. Barmes and Quintanilla have utility infielder potential, with Quintanilla also providing a left-handed bat. Stewart remains the top position prospect in the system. Baker is out of options, which is why he was kept on the roster last year despite limited opportunities.

Second thoughts

The Rockies' rank among second basemen offensively in the majors in 2007:

Category Stat Rank

Average .263 21st

On-base pct. .327 19th

Slugging pct. .362 24th

Runs 118 3rd

RBI 55 24th

Outfield

* Set

Pos. Player Comment

LF Matt Holliday Top vote-getter among Rockies players for All-Star team.

CF Willy Taveras Injuries limited him to 97 games.

RF Brad Hawpe Club-record 66 two-out RBI, second in majors to Alex Rodriguez.

* Backing up

Pos. Player Comment

CF Cory Sullivan Best defensive outfielder in camp.

CF Scott Podsednik Hit leadoff for 2005 champion White Sox.

OF Ryan Spilborghs Provides lift in clubhouse as well as on field.

* On tap

Pos. Player Comment

OF Seth Smith Earned postseason roster spot with ability to pinch hit.

Hurdle's view

This is an area that is solid. The starting three is set with Holliday, Taveras and Hawpe. Taveras does have a challenge of staying on the field.

He knows how to bunt, takes his infield hits. He is an exciting player but could help himself if he would learn to steal third. The last month Hawpe stepped up, particularly against left-handers. Holliday is special. It's as simple as that.

With Cory Sullivan and Ryan Spilborghs, we have a left-right backup setup for all three outfield spots, and Baker gives us a power bat in the corners. Podsednik could give us a different look than the others. He is a speed guy, and if something happened to Taveras, it would be nice to have another option. Podsednik, however, is going to have to win a spot. He has to beat out someone to get a roster spot. There are no guarantees.

Smith is really interesting. We're going to take a look at him in center field, too. The minor league people say he could surprise us.

Bottom line

The key to the outfield and lineup is the health of Taveras' legs. He's the only speed threat in the lineup. The Rockies need him to play 120-plus games.

The lack of another speed player led to a spring training invitation for Podsednik, who turns 32 on March 18 and battled injuries last year. Holliday and Hawpe are two of the premier run producers in the game. Spilborghs showed he can provide a brief lift but has to be spotted to stay strong. Sullivan is fundamentally sound and has the best arm of the possibilities in center field.

On the offensive

The Rockies' rank among NL outfielders offensively in 2007:

Category Stat Rank

Average .309 1st

Runs 330 1st

On-base pct. .379 1st

Slugging .508 1st

Home runs 81 2nd

Catcher

* He's No. 1

Player Comment

Yorvit Torrealba Appeared in career-high 113 games in 2007.

* Bidding for No. 2

Player Comment

Chris Iannetta Could wind up at Triple-A so he can play every day.

Edwin Bellorin First two major league at-bats in 2007, ninth pro season.

* On tap

Player Comment

Mike McKenry Strong defensive ability, showed offensive signs at Low Single-A.

Hurdle's view

With the development of Torrealba, this has become a solid area. He has made adjustments along the way and gotten better each year he has been with us. He has become a conduit for our pitching staff, for all the pitchers. His knowledge and awareness has been a big, big asset. He has room to improve his throwing. Offensively, he has delivered clutch hits. He can improve his average and on-base percentage.

Chris Iannetta remains a key part of our long-range plans. He has a desire to be better than last year. Sometimes a challenging experience helps you grow more. I need to see more of Edwin Bellorin. Our minor league development people have good things to say about him.

Bottom line

The Rockies re-signed Torrealba for two years after his three-year deal with the Mets fell through. The plan is to get a strong season out of him this year while Iannetta gets back into the development program and prepares himself to be ready to take over everyday duties a year from now. Bellorin is a solid backup who can fill in for a game or two a week. If Torrealba gets hurt, Iannetta would be recalled quickly.

On the run

The five worst percentage rates for throwing out runners by NL teams in 2007:

Team Pct.

Padres 10

Cubs 17

Brewers 20

Rockies 21

Mets 22

Rotation

* Set

Pitcher Comment

RHP Aaron Cook Has worked 200 innings only once in five full seasons.

LHP Jeff Francis Rockies were 22-12 in his starts in 2007.

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez Allowed major league hitters .228 average in 15 starts.

* Making a bid

Pitcher Comment

RHP Jason Hirsh Had only two starts after the All-Star break because of rib cage pull and fractured right fibula.

LHP Franklin Morales Spent final six weeks in rotation.

LHP Mark Redman Spent time in Braves, Blue Jays, Rangers and Rockies organizations in 2007.

RHP Kip Wells Also could be a factor in bullpen.

RHP Josh Towers Most likely will provide insurance at Triple-A.

* On tap

Player Comment

RHP Greg Reynolds Coming off minor shoulder surgery; could be ready by July.

RHP Brandon Hynick Making jump from Single-A; has excellent command.

Hurdle's view

With the way Ubaldo pitched in the final months of last year, we're pretty set in the top three spots with Cook, Francis and Ubaldo.

It is time for Cook to put it together, a strong first half and second half. He's pitched everywhere in the rotation. He's been dominant. The stuff is there. Now it is time to be consistent with it.

Francis has a great ability to evaluate himself and stay on an even keel. He pushes himself hard every time out there to be the best he can be.

The No. 1 focus for Jimenez will be getting deeper into games, which means limiting his pitch count and not walking batters. When he came up, we weren't sure what we were getting, but he took the challenge and showed up well.

We have a host of guys for the back-end spots in the rotation. Hirsh has an inside track for one spot if he can pitch the way he has to pitch to be successful. We saw him do that before he was hurt (fractured right fibula). He has to establish his fastball and be aggressive in the zone.

Morales has all the skills you want for a front-of-the-rotation guy, but he also has the skill set to be a power arm in the bullpen. We have to decide what is the best fit. Redman is your blue-collar guy who showed he could help in multiple roles. Wells has the power arm. He is at a point where he has to find a way to put his foot down and live up to expectations. There's no question about the arm strength.

Bottom line

Francis and Cook give the Rockies a quality left-right 1-2 tandem for a rotation that figures to include Hirsh and Jimenez, as long as Hirsh regains the approach he had when he was injured. Morales has the best raw stuff of other candidates, but Redman and Wells have experience. Morales could learn out of the bullpen, where his emergence could open the door for a trade of Brian Fuentes.

Late surge

The five lowest second-half ERAs in the National League in 2007:

Team ERA

Rockies 3.86

Braves 3.93

Cubs 4.16

Diamondbacks 4.31

Dodgers 4.38

Bullpen

* Set

Pitcher Comment

RHP Manny Corpas 2.08 ERA was lowest ever for a Rockies reliever.

LHP Brian Fuentes Three-time All-Star has dropped into setup role.

RHP Luis Vizcaino At least 65 appearances in each of the past six seasons.

RHP Matt Herges Allowed .198 average; .216 by left-handed hitters.

* Inside track

Pitcher Comment

RHP Taylor Buchholz 3.21 ERA in final four months after settling in bullpen.

RHP Jose Capellan Would be fourth team in five major league seasons.

RHP Ramon Ramirez Sidelined in 2007 with right-elbow inflammation.

RHP Ryan Speier Had four stints with Rockies in 2007.

* Left on

Pitcher Comment

LHP Micah Bowie Missed three months in 2007 with hip injury.

LHP Chris George Converted to bullpen in Mexico this winter (1.14 ERA).

LHP John Koronka Excellent changeup is swing-and-miss pitch.

* On tap

Pitcher Comment

RHP Casey Weathers First-round pick in June from Vanderbilt.

RHP Pedro Strop Converted outfielder with strong arm.

RHP Juan Morillo Consistently hits the century mark on radar gun.

LHP Josh Newman Left-hander with an idea of how to set up hitters.

RHP Darren Clarke Health concerns have held him back.

Hurdle's view

The bullpen is a strength. We not only have depth, but we have options in different roles. Corpas will be the closer, but we also know that Fuentes can handle the role when we need someone else to step in. That makes us as strong as anybody. We know Fuentes wants to be what he has been, a closer, but we also know he will do what is in the best interest of the team.

Vizcaino gives us versatility. He has a live arm, an ability to pitch back-to-back innings and an ability to pitch at different times in the game. Herges is the only guy who is set. He can pitch early or late, come in to get a batter or work innings.

Bottom line

Corpas took advantage of Fuentes being lost to the disabled list in July and took over as the closer, dominating hitters. Fuentes would like to close again, but with the Rockies, he will share setup duties with the durable Vizcaino, giving the Rockies a dominating left-right combo to get the game to Corpas in the ninth. There is right-handed depth with Herges, Ramirez, Buchholz, Speier and Capellan and reinforcements on the way with Weathers, Morillo and Strop. Left-handed depth remains a concern. In addition to nonroster invitees Koronka, Bowie and George, the Rockies could slip Morales or Redman into a bullpen role.

Strong arms

The five lowest ERAs for a Rockies bullpen in franchise history:

Year ERA

1998 3.61

2007 3.85

2006 4.52

2003 4.59

2005 4.62