Rockies report: Fuentes watch
By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News
Published July 22, 2008 at 12:14 a.m.
Video: After Kip Wells' disastrous start in the first game of the series against the Dodgers, the Rockies turn to Ubaldo Jimenez, who was been one of two reliable starters for the Rockies. Watch »
The Yankees and Tampa Bay have scouts in town for the Dodgers series, wanting to get another look at left-handed closer Brian Fuentes.
During the weekend, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Arizona and the Angels all had scouts checking out Fuentes. So far, no concrete offers have been made.
There were online reports of a Rockies-Phillies deal that would have sent Fuentes and left fielder Matt Holliday to the Phillies that fell through; however, sources close to both teams say that while the Phillies have interest in both players no offer was made by either team.
DONE DEAL
Rockies scouting director Bill Schmidt each year looks for a highly rated player who slips in the draft and gambles on the possibility of eventually signing the player. It worked in 2004 when the Rockies selected Dexter Fowler in the 14th round.
Can history repeat itself? Outfielder Tyler Massey of The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Rockies' 14th-round selection this year, has agreed to terms, according to sources close to the situation, and could sign as early as today.
Massey is expected to receive a $400,000 signing bonus. A natural power hitter with a short left-handed stroke, he is expected to play left field or right field.
ROSTER MOVES
Right-hander Kip Wells and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki came off the disabled list and started Monday night. First baseman Joe Koshansky and right-hander Juan Morillo were sent out to make room.
Wells is auditioning for the rotation after missing 74 games, and he didn't do much for his cause, allowing eight runs and getting only one out against the Dodgers.
Morillo was up for only three games and pitched a shutout inning on Sunday.
"One of the mysteries for me is (Morillo) throws a handful of pitches 100 miles per hour and doesn't get a swing and miss," manager Clint Hurdle said.
ETC.
Left-hander Jeff Francis worked 32/3 innings, giving up one hit and striking out two for Double-A Tulsa in his first medical rehab assignment. Francis threw 51 pitches, 39 for strikes. . . . Todd Helton was on the field during batting practice playing catch on Monday, his first baseball-related activity since being placed on the disabled list with lower back inflammation. . . . The Dodgers changed their starting pitcher for tonight four times in the last week. Originally Stults was listed, but he started Monday instead. Then Chan Ho Park was listed, but he was moved to the bullpen. Then Jason Johnson was announced but he was also put in the bullpen. Now the Dodgers are recalling lefty Clayton Kershaw, their No. 1 draft pick in 2006. . . . In addition to Wells retiring only one batter on Monday, Julian Tavarez retired one batter and gave up five runs at San Diego on Sept. 11, 2000 before he was pulled from a start, and Bret Saberhagen allowed seven runs on five hits and two walks while retiring one batter in an Aug. 18, 1995 start against the Cubs. . . . Closer Brian Fuentes has retired 21 consecutive batters in his last seven appearances, one batter shy of the club record for consecutive outs.
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July 22, 2008
10:19 a.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
"Closer Brian Fuentes has retired 21 consecutive batters in his last seven appearances, one batter shy of the club record for consecutive outs."
Yeah, let's drop this guy, he's worthless. He's done nothing for this franchise, ever. If we just trade everybody to the Yankees, I can go buy a Yankees hat & root for our former selves. At least winning doesn't make them queezy.
July 22, 2008
10:56 a.m.
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mevantin writes:
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Fuentes.
July 22, 2008
10:58 a.m.
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buffsblg writes:
arvada, bad news, it is really hard to trade bad players. Other teams really only want good players. No one is looking to trade fuentes because he is bad, they are looking to trade him, because he will be a free agent and one of the teams you dislike will simply buy him and the Rockies will get NADA. Bad teams (and make no mistake, right now that includes the Rockies) need to make moves to get better. That may mean trading players now to get something rather than letting them leave in free agency and getting nothing. There is no salary cap and our owners do not have unlimited money. Those are the unpleasant realities of MLB in 2008. Ignoring those is living in a fantasy world.
July 22, 2008
11:34 a.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
I hope to your god that nobody wants B-Fuent. Baseball is a game of numbers, & Fuentes is the best we've ever had. Not even a question. Show me the numbers that prove otherwise, if you still think your opinion is worthy that is. He was our closer when we went to the Series for Christ's sake. The only way he won't be our all time saves leader is if he's traded this week, not next, this week. He doesn't let management's indicisiveness about everyhting having to do with baseball mess with his head, al a Chacon & Corpas. He doesn't let a baserunner or two change his approach. He is what baseball people would call a bulldog. He's also one of the top two or three south paws out of the bullpen in the NL.
"Teams only want good players.." That's a laugher. You must not know how to read because half the article was discussing how a half a dozen teams (playoff teams...the Angels have the best record in baseball you nay-sayer)are in town scouting the very guy you want to ship away. Why, because they want to win. You know, that which is only done here upon convinience. I think for now on, you should have a clue before you can have an opinion.
July 22, 2008
11:36 a.m.
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P_Denver writes:
buffsblg
Unfortunately, you are correct. And, that's why the Rockies will NEVER get a quality team ... last year's team included.
Last year was a fluke. Even mediocre teams occasionally get hot, and the Rockies managed to do so exactly when all the good teams went cold ... and ended up in the World Series against a good team that was still hot, with predictable results.
We will always have one or two decent pitchers, which is two or three short of what is needed to win. We will always score a lot of runs at Coors Field, and have a batting average 100 points lower on the road. And continue to lose.
So, if you are a baseball fan in Denver, you will have to settle for a few really good, exciting games in amongst a whole bunch of stuff like you saw last night. It's still baseball.
July 22, 2008
11:50 a.m.
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Armchair_Pundit writes:
Arvada_mark- I think you're the one with reading comprehension issues. He was saying that Fuentes IS good, that's why he's being shopped.
July 22, 2008
11:55 a.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
"arvada, bad news, it is really hard to trade bad players." I win again. Am I the only one who is not smoking crack this morning?
July 22, 2008
12:09 p.m.
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buffsblg writes:
My point Arvada (and I will try to do this in small words) is that other teams want Fuentes BECAUSE he is good. That point was clear to anyone else who read my post. I do not know what you are smoking, but try reading before you shoot off your small caliber brain. Yes Fuentes is good, and that is why the Rockies might get something for him. They are unlikely to get anything for, say, Kip Wells, so trading him would not help. The Rockies need to get better, and having a good (not great but good) closer for the rest of the year is not enough. I note that you do not even try to deal with the point that he will leave in free agency, likely because that kind of detailed analysis is not within your capacity.
July 22, 2008
12:37 p.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
So now he's good? Not once did you say he is good. No where. Where is this? Give me some quotes, or something more than your word, because, well, I don't think you are all there.
What does this mean? "No one is looking to trade fuentes because he is bad..." Poor grammer, poor punctuation, & an overall poor use of the english language aside, how does this insinuate that B-Fuent is, as I had previously stated, the best pitcher in Rockies history. Is this one of the things where "bad" is really good? And why wouldn't other teams want him if he was good, as you now agree with me? We're going to start calling you Obama (or any politition for that matter), with all of your flip-flopping.
Who ever said anything about trading Wells? I read the article again, & you are the only one talking about trading Wells; & that wasn't even until your most recent post. I mean, where did you get the Wells thing? And what about the "good players" comment? All you said was negative, hater BS. Very typical of a Raiders fan. I don't know if you are, but you do have those traits.
July 22, 2008
12:42 p.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
This is your post:
"arvada, bad news, it is really hard to trade bad players. Other teams really only want good players. No one is looking to trade fuentes because he is bad, they are looking to trade him, because he will be a free agent and one of the teams you dislike will simply buy him and the Rockies will get NADA. Bad teams (and make no mistake, right now that includes the Rockies) need to make moves to get better. That may mean trading players now to get something rather than letting them leave in free agency and getting nothing. There is no salary cap and our owners do not have unlimited money. Those are the unpleasant realities of MLB in 2008. Ignoring those is living in a fantasy world."
The word "good" is used only once, & it was done in a negative connotation, as it would apply to B-Fuent.
July 22, 2008
12:43 p.m.
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shimjhawk writes:
"He was our closer when we went to the Series for Christ's sake."
Before you claim to be a Rockies expert and start lashing out you might want to check your facts. Corpas was our closer throughout the end of the season and playoffs because Fuentes got demoted from the closer role earlier in the season. Could Fuentes be playing so well for a contract? He's sure been inconsistent throughout his career until recently.
July 22, 2008
12:56 p.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
You're right, I forgot how Hurdle likes to mess with guys confidence. Fuentes lost his job due to an injury. But it was obvious, to me at least, Manny (he was bound to fail) was only keeping the seat warm. Either way, nobody has said anything to prove me wrong about B-Fuent being the best we've ever had. That's the truth, & if they don't want to pay Holliday $25mil a year for the next 10, well, that's mildly understandable, but $7-$8mil for a bonafide stopper is well worth the price of admission. Teams that plan on winning surely don't have a problem with that. That is what it costs to own a baseball team. This isn't the Dollar General of professional sports leagues. It costs a lot of money to compete, & that is what the Brothers Monfort have promised us...a competitive team. 11-0 in the 3rd inning is not being competitive. Being 18 games under .500 at the break is not being competitve. Having all of our talent in Tulsa (which is what we have been asking for in return for Holliday & Fuentes) is not being competitive.
July 22, 2008
2:32 p.m.
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buffsblg writes:
Why is this so hard? The team is not good and must get better. One way to do it is by trade. I am not advocating trading Fuentes because I have no idea what is being offered. Given the history of this front office, they could well make a terrible trade that would deserve all of your criticism.
On the other hand, given that Corpas pitched well last season and was the closer through the playoffs, it may well be that trading Fuentes before he becomes a free agent is a smart move, given the prevailing financial circumstances. Fuentes is clearly better this year, but last year Corpas had an ERA a full point lower and only 3 blown saves to Fuentes' 7. Even this year Fuentes has an ERA of 3.23 and is 14th in the league in saves, which is hardly "bonafide stopper" material. As I said, good but not great.
If they sell Fuentes cheap in a salary dump, I will support you in your hostility. However, to say that he is somehow a sacred cow and should never be traded makes no sense to me. There are other players I believe are more important to the long term health of this team (Atkins, Hawp Tulo, Ianetta) One thing good small market teams do is trade players when they are at their most valuable and right now Fuentes appears to the best closer potentially available for trade. Selling into a hot market makes sense for a team that is going nowhere this year. I like Fuentes but this team needs rebuilding elsewhere and if he can get us a young starter with potential, then the time has come.
July 22, 2008
3:16 p.m.
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arvada_mark writes:
Fine...I obviously don't agree with you on everything (I think Fuentes is one of our 2 or 3 most valuable players), but thanks for claifying. If it's not B-Fuent closing, then we will have to go out of house to fill the role (if there are any games that will need saving). Manny is not right in the head due him losing the job that he probably should never have had to begin with. I just want what's best for the club, & I'm not seeing that as the underlying theme of these potential roster moves. Maybe if I went to 30 Drillers games every year, I'd probably love all the prospects. But I don't, so I could care less about the Ramon Ramirez' of the world who have all this talent, but none of whatever it is that keeps guys in the bigs.
I will be the guy in the stands cheering the Rockies all while booing the Brothers Monfort. Good day, sir.
July 22, 2008
3:21 p.m.
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buffsblg writes:
I never meant to "dis" Fuentes. Just trying to be realistic 9as I see it) about this team this year and the next. If it is any consolation, most reports I see indicate that the Rockies are asking for alot in any Fuentes deal, maybe more than anyone will give. It does not look like they will just give him away. And I will be there with you booing the Monforts.
July 22, 2008
3:57 p.m.
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YourNeilness writes:
"Left-hander Jeff Francis worked 32/3 innings".
How many innings is that? Thirty-two thirds? So he pitched ten and two-thirds innings? In one outing? And he only threw 51 pitches? WOW!
Nice editing, RMN
Oh, and Fuentes is the best Rockies pitcher of all time? Come on!
July 22, 2008
4:01 p.m.
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P_Denver writes:
buffsblg
I had agreed with everything you said today (saved me a lot of typing) until you included Tulo in the "high importance" catagory. Please reconsider. While he was out the first time, we won a lot. When he came back, we started losing. He's back, and we're back -- to losing, no matter if he went 5 for 5 last night.
He's too inconsistent to be really important right now. I'd leave him on the bench as a role player for a while. Statistically, we are doing better without him than with him this year.
I wish we could keep both Ianettea and Yorbe. I like them both. Can someone explain why catchers can't alternate series all year? It seems it would keep them fresher.
July 22, 2008
4:11 p.m.
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YourNeilness writes:
OMG. I just checked out the all-time stats and I couldn't find anybody who I could make a decent arguement for being a better Rockies pitcher than Fuentes. Man, I knew the Rockies have had some bad pitching, but when this guy is the best you've ever had in 13 years, that's disgusting. But I stand corrected. Fuentes is about to be the all-time saves leader, passing Jimenez. But Fuentes' 3.47 ERA is the best, and his 429 K's is way better than Jiminez' 173. Way to go Fuentes. Like Buffsblog said, good, but not great.
July 22, 2008
9:04 p.m.
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Hazardous_T writes:
My thought is that the club should pony up the cash to keep Fuentes.
Despite the hiccup last year he has pitched well at Coors, which has destroyed a lot of other pitchers. It seems that the Rox always trade the guys that aren't afraid of the home park.