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KRIEGER: Rockies' need for starting pitcher was glaring in '08

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 12, 2008 at 8:07 p.m.

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Wanted: A starting pitcher.

No, seriously. This time they mean it.

In other words, Josh Towers won't qualify. Nothing personal. Mark Redman, either. Nor, for sure, Kip Wells.

You may recall this was the emergency corps back in the innocent spring, when recent history told the Rockies that, even if none of those guys worked out, there would always be somebody hiding out in Korea or Japan capable of getting a key win in September.

After all, they had won the National League pennant after watching three-fifths of their starting rotation go down right in the middle of the season. Dan Serafini took a shot. Tim Harikkala. The immortal Elmer Dessens. The Zelig-like Redman, of course.

At one point, Josh Fogg was their No. 2 starter. And they still ended up in the World Series. So, honestly, how important could starting pitching be?

As it turns out, unless you're in a Disney movie, as the Rocks unwittingly were a year ago, it's pretty important. They learned this the hard way.

"If we went out and actually acquired a go-to guy in the winter, then we pretty much would have been saying to Franklin Morales, 'You're going to Triple-A at the start of the year,' " general manager Dan O'Dowd says, explaining last winter's inactivity.

"Now, obviously, in hindsight, that was a bad decision-making process because it didn't work. Everything in this game that doesn't work obviously was a bad thought process."

In fact, sending Morales to Colorado Springs to start the season would have been a smart move whether they got a go-to guy or not, but that, too, is hindsight. Morales had been good enough down the stretch for a pennant winner the year before.

O'Dowd did dip his toe into the Dan Haren trade talks last winter but decided the price in prospects was too high. He does not regret failing to wade in deeper.

"I look at the Diamondbacks and what they've gone through with their lack of depth this year, and I think we would have been in the same exact position," he says. "Maybe we would have been a little better off than we are right now, but I don't think dramatically.

"I don't think we'll ever be able to give up five, six players in one deal for a particular player and still sustain our depth for the season. I think our system is very good, but I don't think it's that good. And I don't think there's any in the game that's that good."

Besides, O'Dowd figured he already had five starters. The usual suspects - Towers, Redman and Wells - were supposed to pitch out of the bullpen or Colorado Springs. He was counting on three rookies in '07 - Jason Hirsh, Ubaldo Jimenez and Morales - to step into the '08 starting rotation behind Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook.

It was a serious miscalculation, as O'Dowd now admits. The kids blew up, and then the usual suspects blew up. Even Francis blew up. In fact, everyone but Cook blew up in apparent karmic compensation for the good fortune of '07. That, as they say, is baseball.

A sub-.500 season later, the club's assessment of its young pitchers - with the exception of Jimenez, who righted himself after a miserable start - has changed.

Of Hirsh, O'Dowd says: "I don't think we're going to know until spring training next year."

Of Morales: "I would think, if you look at it now, Morales would be a kid that would have to start at Triple-A next year unless he comes into spring training through hard work this winter - and he'll pitch down in winter ball - and earns a spot."

Of 2006 top draft pick Greg Reynolds: "Obviously, Greg is still a guy we're very high on, but I don't know how you could count on him at this point in time, either."

Jorge De La Rosa was the last suspect standing after Cook, Francis and Jimenez, so he'll get a look in the spring for the No. 5 spot. But that still leaves the Rocks one solid starter short of a rotation. And that's at the top of their shopping list this winter.

"One of the bigger holes we still have is a pure No. 1," O'Dowd says. "Whether that can ever be accomplished without developing it ourselves, I still have doubts about. But in light of not having that, I think we obviously need to have another quality pitcher in our rotation, and not somebody that's a bottom-of-the-rotation guy.

"Now whether that comes through trade, free agents or somebody internally stepping up, I don't know that, but it's an obvious need. We didn't get enough quality starting pitching this year to be competitive on a day-in and day-out basis, we didn't get anywhere near the number of innings we needed to get out of our rotation and we didn't get anywhere near the number of quality strikes we needed to get out of our rotation. So that is certainly going to be an area of focus, as we go into the winter."

Sounds like he means it. Let's hope so. The Rocks have plenty of issues coming off this year's disappointment, but that's the one they can't blow off this time.

Comments

  • September 12, 2008

    11:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    RockiesWin writes:

    What a fool O'dud is. Pitching, pitching, and more pitching!!! You can never have enough QUALITY pitchers. Danny boy got wrapped up in the success of the team last year and completely missed the mark during the winter. The Rock need not one, but TWO quality starting pitchers to go along with Cook, Frances, and Jimenez. They need to strengthen the bullpen by dumping Vizciano and finding quality with the impending loss of Fuentes. Hate to say it but I don't see this getting done without trading Holliday and Atkins. Taveras and Torrealba should/will be gone too. Stewart is proving his worth. Todd will be back to provide gold glove defense at first (sorely missed in his absence). Fowler takes over center and Spilly mans left field. This team neads a good shakeup. The were aweful this year. Poor fielding, no timely hitting, and of course miserable pitching.

    The ball is just been given to you Dan, what are you going to bring in from the bullpen? Answer, sign QUALITY PITCHERS!!!!!!

  • September 13, 2008

    7:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    1somelikeithot writes:

    It won't get done without freeing up money, and that means Holliday and maybe Atkins will be gone. Helton is here to stay. I was happy to see him in the game, and the fans gave him a standing ovation when he came on the field, and when he was leaving the field. His contract is an albatross, but the fans absolutely love him. Hope he can stay healthy, his glove is most definitely missed.

  • September 13, 2008

    11:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    joered writes:

    Starting pitching is vital of course. Fortunately Rox have such 'solid relief pitchers'...they only gave up 18 runs in last 15 innings. Most of the relief corps shouldn't be in the major leagues and are a prime cause of the September total collapse. But also the team generally has no heart, no spark and collectively chokes at every chance offensively and defensively. From Dan O'dowd to Hurdle in manaement to lowest rung on player list, the team is seriously flawed. To sum up the Rockies for the year: Rockie base runner on third, no outs, next three batters strike out. The whole team, the whole season has struck out.

  • September 13, 2008

    11:06 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    cj1030lee writes:

    trade Holliday and Atkins for a #1.

  • September 13, 2008

    12:57 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    flybys writes:

    Hate to say this but it doesn't sound like O'Dowd gets it at all. He's definitely handcuffed by ownership but that doesn't entirely excuse his mindset.

    You do whatever is necessary to find a no. 1 starter and you quit insulting your fan base by trying to pass off fringe major leaguers as acceptable bottom-of-the-rotation starters.

    Dan Haren may not be a true no. 1 but he's definitely a high-quality no. 2 and better than anyone currently on the Rockies roster. Only Ubaldo Jimenez can hope to develop into a better starter than Haren.

    I understand the Rockies are fearful over overspending and getting drilled like they did in the woeful Hampton & Neagle robberies but you have to keep trying to make things happen.

    Morales is no longer a stud prospect. He's highly questionable. Reynolds showed some talent but he's a bust if you expect him to be a quality middle-of-the-rotation starter. How about putting him the bullpen and develop him into an 8th or 9th inning guy?

    Cook could be having a fluke season, Francis likely just had a terrible season.

    A lack of significant improvement in pitching means another losing season in 2009.

  • September 13, 2008

    6:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LockeRobster writes:

    Everyone is still banging away on the pitchers this season and giving the everday players almost a total pass. Not me.

    The Rockies are going to score right at 100 fewer runs this year than last year. The team batting average and average with runners in scoring position are both down about 20 points from 2007. How many more wins would they have if they had matched last season's output? They'd be right at the top of the division.

    And here they are, talking about trading away Atkins and possibly losing Holliday, which I think WILL happen if they let Atkins go, because Matt would likely take that sort of move as them shifting into a rebuilding mode, and he wants to win.

    The only way to fix this is to belly up to the bar and eat whatever portion of Helton's contract (50% ought to do it) they have to in order to trade him. That would leave Atkins at 1B and Stewart at 3B, and that is far preferrable to having Helton and his now Punch-and-Judy bat in the lineup. You don't pay a 1B $17 million per season for a good glove, high average, and leadership. All of those things are important, but that type of money is for people who drive in and score tons of runs as well.

    People like Matt Holliday, who, if they lose him, will set this franchise back for years trying to find someone who can even remotely replace that bat. Take him out of the middle of that lineup, and you'll be looking at a team that will lose another 50 or so runs next season from this season.

    Figure out what it's going to take, and move Helton! It's the only prayer of keeping Holliday and Atkins.