Purple Row

Spring Training Game #18: Jason Hammel vs. Ryan Rowland-Smith

2010-03-18T17:52:25Z

1 day ago: Colorado Rockies coach Don Baylor, left, talks with Cleveland Indians coach Sandy Alomar Jr. between innings at a Cactus League spring training baseball game in Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Browse more photos »

For the Rockies, expect Hammel to get quite a few innings as the team stretches out its starters more, but Esmil Rogers, Matt Daley, Juan Rincon and Andrew Johnston are also listed in the press pass as scheduled to pitch in Peoria this afternoon. The game's supposed to be available both via MLB.TV and Gameday Audio, although being in Peoria also means we'll likely get live updates with MLB Gameday rather than the inning by inning mode most of the games come in.

I'll be paying attention, but probably won't comment much myself, as it's a rare sunny afternoon in Cincinnati, and I want to take as much advantage of that as possible. Also, I have to finish reading a Dostoevsky story for research, so if I sound glum and misanthropic in my comments, blame the Russians.

Thursday Rockpile: No Irish luck for Rockies, bullpen shenanigans mean Redding likely headed to relief role, Beimel may be back

2010-03-18T13:51:19Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

Given the presence of Miguel Olivo, word is that Chris Iannetta may be moved to the bullpen. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Browse more photos »

Troy Renck let Jim Tracy interview himself about Tim Redding:

"Right now, are there possibilities where he could make this club out of spring training as a bullpen member? Very definitely, that's a possibility," said Tracy. "Is it a guarantee? I didn't tell him it was a guarantee. But by the same token, I also told him that, if all five guys are healthy when we come out, the thought of him coming out as a starter, the chances of that weren't very good at all. No good at all."

In the wake of injuries elsewhere in the bullpen, notably closer Huston Street, Redding will likely be shifted to bullpen work this week. I know some here were probably rather looking for a return of Justin Speier, which I suppose remains a possibility, but it seems to me the Redding scenario is more likely, esecially in the wake of Tracy's commentary.

The Renck post talks about the mounting issues the Rockies are facing in the pen, with left hander Randy Flores being the latest casualty after a line drive hit him on his pitching arm during yesterday's game. The post doesn't really delve into what happens if the injury is not a minor one, but given Jimmy Gobble's already on the shelf, our left handed relief options would basically boil down to Matt Reynolds and pushing Greg Smith into the bullpen as well.

This would be why the Rockies are apparently now finally interested in bringing back Joe Beimel.

Seeing as we're after the midpoint in March with Street's shoulder woes and haven't seen any real improvement, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's time to consider a lost season from him as a strong possibility, if not the most likely outcome at this point (at least in an article recapping all the bullpen news, we learn that Rafael Betancourt appears to be progressing still). This means that those of you with strong anti-Franklin Morales feelings better start reconciling yourselves to the idea that he will be the Rockies closer for most of this year.

In interest of timeliness for this post, I'm not going to delve into the numbers as to why this is the case. For that, you could probably go into one of those more cerebral Rockies sites, like ESPN or the MLB.com message boards. Instead, I'm probably just going to post something that will please our corporate sponsors and make me lots of money. Does anybody have pictures of players' wives they'd like to post?

By the way, I'm kidding. I'm clearly in a touchy mood today. Don't post pictures of players wives, or I'll ban you like all these spammers we've been dealing with lately.

Reporting from Tucson: A photojournal (continued)

2010-03-18T00:46:45Z

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

View full size photo »

We hung out a bit in the back fields this morning for about an hour, but there wasn't a whole lot going on back there. I'll show a bit from that, but first, here's a pic of Jorge de la Rosa pitching from today's game.

It is marginally interesting I suppose. But here's a good sign. This pitch was a fastball. I took two others at the same point of the delivery (one fastball, one curveball), and all three are completely indistinguishable based de la Rosa's delivery. Duplicates.

More to follow.

Seriously, if Hi Corbett Field can be this proud of the Rockies winning the pennant, couldn't we get a bigger representation at Coors?

As we walked passed the minor league fields, it started literally raining balls. Whoever was taking batting practice on the AAA field was launching them over the fence. I retrieved a Sally League ball and mkorpal picked up one from the Pioneer League that had been deposited in the parking lot. I never caught who was hitting, but I did see him hit the top of that tree there (in the purple circle).

Aaron Cook stops to sign a baseball card for a fan.

Cole Garner stands nearby the autograph line, but no one asks for his John Hancock. Poor Cole. I would have asked for one in a second if I had anything with me to sign. Or a pen. Oh well.

Dejectedly, Cole walks off towards Hi Corbett for the game. It ends well though. Four kids stopped him for an autograph not a minute later.

Rockin' the PR shirt. The only person who commented on it today turned out to be the father of our old friend PioneerSkies. Turns out he's rather busy with a 65+ hour job and can't visit the site much anymore. He says hi, and I might meet him for the game tomorrow in Peoria.

Matt Daley makes a kid's dreams come true. Or at least makes his day.

Every time I see Taylor Buchholz, I immediately get very happy. It's almost as if he is a box of kittens.

Taylor is happy to take a picture with a fan. He's so cute.

I really want to see him on the mound again.

Lastly, here's something you rarely see on a major league baseball field:

Follow this link

Rockies 6, Indians 3: Rockies, quiet at first, knock Indians around late in game

2010-03-17T23:09:56Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

Today's hero, Chris Iannetta.

Browse more photos »

After being quieted by Carlos Carrasco for four innings, the Rockies opened up this game in the sixth inning with a barrage of hits. Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton started the inning off with back-to-back singles before Troy Tulowitzki singled in Fowler. After Brad Hawpe's groundout advanced the runners, Chris Iannetta rocked a triple to center field to put the Rockies up 4-2. Ian Stewart followed with an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the eight, Paul Phillips walked with the bases loaded to put the score at 6-3.

Jorge De La Rosa started this game and experienced a slight hiccup in the first inning by allowing two runs on a double and a single. After that, DLR settled down over the next four innings. He finished with four hits and two runs over five innings. He walked one and struck out six. Matt Reynolds allowed a run in the eighth inning and eventually loaded the bases. He escaped unscathed, but when you're waiting for Gameday to update it can be a little stressful. Matt Belisle and Randy Flores pitched before Reynolds and each had a scoreless and hitless inning with a strikeout. Justin Speier picked up the save.

In case you missed it, most of the Purple Row staff previewed the Rockies for the SB Nation MLB page.

Row Call: Maria M, ShadowPenguin, oo_nrb, SDcat09, phishbate, Russ Oates, Maris6161, RhodeIslandRoxfan, WolfMarauder, Andrew Martin, RoxnSox09, Tom (RFTN), Andrew T. Fisher, Chacinisthefuture, frightenedinmate#2, RdRnnr, ckloewer, Shoemaker, Hizilla, FlyAway, Mondogarage, Muzia, biondino, Silverblood, Kittiesroxursox, controlled_slide, RockiesDave, The Lodo Magic Man, RoxFan1701, Hollidayrain, Charlie77, WalkInRight, airforcefoo
Total Users: 33
Total Posts: 519
Total Threads: 1

Spring Training Game #17: Carlos Carrasco vs. Jorge De La Rosa

2010-03-17T19:00:37Z

More photos » Tony Dejak - AP

Cole Garner deserves some love on the Purple Row front page. No, he isn't playing today.

Browse more photos »

Hey, look, a real lineup:

Rockies
LF Gonzalez
CF Fowler
1B Helton
SS Tulowitzki
RF Hawpe
C Iannetta
3B Stewart
2B Barmes
P Jorge De La Rosa

Indians
CF Michael Brantley
2B Luis Valbuena
3B Andy Marte
1B Shelley Duncan
C Wyatt Toregas
RF Chris Gimenez
SS Carlos Rivera
LF Matthew McBride
RHP Carlos Carrasco

Also scheduled to pitch are Justin Speier, Randy Flores, Matt Reynolds, and Matt Belisle.

GO ROCKIES!

Purple Row's 2010 CBSSports.com Commissioner League Pre-Draft Open Thread

2010-03-17T17:30:20Z

First things first: If you want a discounted CBS Commissioner League, sign up using this link. It's award-winning and I get money if you sign up.

CBSSports.com is an SB Nation partner and paying sponsor of the SB Nation baseball communities. This post is one of a series of sponsor endorsed posts related to the CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Commissioner League.

Here's what's happening with the league. The draft will be 22 March 2010 at 10 ET/8 MT. Draft picks can be traded, so use this thread if you want to discuss trades. The scoring will be a 6x6 roto league, with OPS added to the offensive categories and GO/AO added on the pitching side of things. I added two spots for minor league players.

Russ - The Fighting First
ATF - Big Bat Todd and the Monsters
Andrew/RMN - WAR SABR WOBA LOL
Jeff/Jabbs - Lords of the Diamond
Bryan - The Dudes
Resolution - this.machine.will.destroy.you!!1
arpagamos - Nickerbockers
tulolgit2quit - The A-Stan Bears
NZ314 - Los Pícaros
GoRockies!! - Central Cali Rockies
Muzia - Highway to Helton
Squab - Outcastes
Roxsucca - Rocky Mountain Bombers
Charlie 77 - Segway UZR

Troy Tulowitzki: The Change

2010-03-17T17:01:01Z

Today's Counting Rocks is gonna be a lot of just that: number vomit. But I think everyone will appreciate it because we'll be talking about everybody's favorite shortstop, ~~Omar Qu~~ Troy Tulowitzki.

Now there's a lot to look at here, stuff that we know, stuff that we don't know, things that we may not have recognized as the season wore on. My goal here is to shed a little light on areas where Tulo has grown and areas where he could still stand to improve.

Now there are only 2 areas I can really address for Tulowitzki, given the nature of this column: his offense, and his defense. Now, because I want to leave you all on the more exciting note, I'll start with his defense, because it's not all that exciting. It is more controversial, however. Also, if I end up writing way too much about fielding, we might have to stretch this into two articles.

Let's begin.

Now as per usual, I'm going to cite fielding metrics. If you're not a fan already, you might just want to skip this week's installment. I myself will admit that I'm not a giant fan of defensive metrics (especially in terms of quantifying fielding), there's a lot missing still, but at the very least, they can display trends, so they're worth discussing.

So for starters, let's go with an easy positive. The double play.

After 2007, we thought we'd never see a DP combination like Kazuo Matusi and Tulo. Well, thank our front office for not giving up on Clint Barmes, because offense aside, we didn't miss a step when he took over the ol' 4 spot.

Anyhow, numbers. Sorting the Rockies' UZR metrics by their Double Play range, Tulo and Barmes are both in the black, and they lead the team in that area. Which makes perfect sense, because the 6-4-3/4-6-3 is obviously the most common DP, and Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, and Aaron Cook just kept serving up ground balls for those two to convert into two quick outs. It's obviously biased in that regard, but Tulo was worth 1.1 runs above average and Barmes 0.7 runs. Interestingly enough, Barmes was worth an additional 0.3 runs in his 108 innings at SS.

Moving on. Join past the jump and we'll look at the rest of Tulo's statistical picture.

Fielding percentage, the classic fielding stat, showed Tulo at .986, missing his 2007 number by .001. UZR tells us that his soft hands were worth another 2.6 runs above average, which is just another nice cherry to put on top of the Tulo Sundae.

Before we go much farther, let's talk about 2007 in the field really quickly here. Tulowitzki was DISGUSTINGLY good at SS. We all saw it, we were blown away by that kid's ferocity. Talking with other bloggers/internet people with no real connection to the Rockies, I've read that Tulo's 2007 was kind of the standard for an excellent fielding season, in this day and age of fielding metrics. While Omar Vizquel and Tony Pena Jr. posted better season (as far as UZR goes), people recognized Tulo as an elite-level glove.

In 2007, according to Fangraphs, Tulo was worth 7 runs in just range alone, 5.8 runs as far as his error rate goes, and 2.1 runs on the double play. The Hardball Times rated Tulo as a .861 RZR fielder with 87 out-of-zone plays. That's 11 more than Jack Wilson, notorious gloveman at the shortest of stops. Sean Smith (of CHONE fame) and his Total Runs metric rated Tulo as being 19.7 runs above average. Baseball Prospectus' FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) put him at 36 runs above average. 36. That's unreal.

Oh, and that .987 FP%? Led the majors.

Wow. We certainly knew that we had a gem on our hands going forward.

So let's pretend 2008 never happened and move on to 2009. How elite is Tulo?

Well, there's some good news and bad news. As we saw above, his FP% is still great, the DP is still awesome, and he's still snapping Helton's glove on the 6-3. But what about the rest?

Well, this is where it gets a little dicey. According to UZR, Tulo's range dropped from that 7 run figure to -4.8. Yes, 4.8 runs BELOW average. Overall, Tulo's fielding was worth -1.2 runs. Out of qualifying shortstops, that put Tulo at 13^th.

But then again, that's just UZR. We don't like UZR, right? We know better, right? They're just wrong, right?

Well, let's check the other metrics.

Based on just RZR, Tulo was a .800 SS, 16^th out of 22. He made 42 out of zone plays, which is 1 less than Nationals SS Christian Guzman made in 300 fewer innings.

THT? Balderdash, right?

Baseball Prospectus puts him at 2 runs above average. That's getting better, right?

Well, Total Runs (available on Baseball Reference) put Tulo's 2009 at 14.6 runs, 3^rd in the majors.

Yeah, we can all get on board that!

It's tough to say. Part of me wants to say that they're all bunk, that they don't know what's up, that our eyes, that the other fielders KNOW that Tulo is still an elite shortstop, while the numbers say he's anywhere from sub-par to magnificent. There's also a lot of bias in play there.

Part of these metrics is how they're actually formulated. RZR and UZR are attempting to rate a fielder based on what you'd expect their zone of coverage to be, and then further rewarding as they venture out of said zone to make spectacular plays. FRAA and TotalZone (now, correct me if I'm mistaken on this) use more play-by-play data, crediting runs to the fielders who make the plays. So while one is based on more "who did what", the other is far more subjective to the eye and evaluation of the scorekeeper. There's more to it than that, but again, unless I'm just hopelessly wrong, we can at least get an idea of what's going on with Tulo's fielding.

My concern isn't so much with what the overall numbers tell us, whether he's worth a win in the field alone or he's average or whatever. My concern is with the trends that UZR and RZR (OOZ) are showing me: Tulo may still have absolutely deft hands, is still a smart fielder, and still a leader on the field, but his range seems to have dropped off pretty powerfully since he tore his quad. While I'm willing to write off any and everything about 2008 as a growing year, as a maturing step, as injury plagued, 2009 should've showed us some strong steps in the right direction. Instead, it looks like it's on the downslope already.

So let's think about reasons why. What caused this decline in fielding range? Well, maybe some of it came from that maturation process, based on the fact that Tulo got his big shiny new contract (and Maserati) and perhaps he thought he could coast, and got himself into some bad habits. Maybe his 2009 fielding took a dip because he opted to focus on his bat (yeah, we're gonna have to get to that next week). I just can't believe that he got lazy.

People on the inside (or at least close to the team) don't believe that Tulo's really down for the count. Troy Renck of the Denver Post sees Tulowitzki's 2009 in the field as being reminiscent of 2007, citing good range to the left and great range to the right. This more or less follows up with what we're seeing, too.

So, I guess it's kind of hard to pinpoint something that may cause this statistical decline. Is it real? Is it just the perception of those gathering the data? So what if the individual numbers don't match up? Why are they so different than what we're observing? Is it really that big of a deal?

Well, there's two big things to take into consideration, both from opposite ends. First, the Rockies just posted the lowest team ERA in Rockies history. Second, the Rockies were below average as far as DPs turned would tell us this season. Take those as you will.

So, conclusions? Well, it'd be sad to really say that Tulo's on the fielding decline, it just doesn't make sense. But I'd posit that once Tulo balances his offensive game, his new role as a Team Leader, and general awesomeitude out, his fielding will spring back to where we know it should be. But for now, there's apparently room for our boy to improve... or rebound... or however we want to phrase it, if only to shut the metrics up.

Join us next week as get really excited at how well Tulo batted in 2009.

Update: Huston Street to open the season on the DL

2010-03-17T15:46:26Z

More photos » David Zalubowski - AP

Browse more photos »

Troy Renck of the Denver post is reporting on the All Things Rockies blog that Closer Huston Street is experiencing the same shoulder tightness that shut him down earlier in the spring. The Rockies are preparing to start the season without him.

This is just another setback in the Rockies' bullpen, as setup man Rafael Betancourt has been fighting to get himself back to pitching shape after an offseason plagued with sickness, former closer Manuel Corpas has been challenged by fitness issues and lack of pitch command, and Franklin Morales has been hit around pretty hard this spring.

Street expressed pretty strong frustration, saying that "It would be the first time in six years I would not be ready to go [on Opening Day]." It seems like this new shoulder tightness really caught him off guard as well.

While we on the Row may not see Morales' spring as a positive thing, Renck feels that Franklin is "really starting to find his groove again". Morales filled in for Street, and I know that if Morales isn't in the mix for starting anymore, it's Closing or Bust! Morales was effective closing for Street in 2009. Heartstopping at times, but overall effective. Opponents posted a mere .580 OPS on Morales in the 9th inning, and Morales complemented that with a 2.60 K/BB.

Wednesday Rockpile: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T13:13:14Z

More photos » Tony Dejak - AP

"You see that? That's the Rockies winning the NL West this year, buddy." "So you didn't come out here to argue a call with me?"

Browse more photos »

Top of the mornin' to everyone! Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's the day when everyone is just a wee bit Irish.

Honoring the Irish Ball-Players on St. Patrick's Day - Royals Review
Honoring the Irish-born players on St. Patrick's Day.

Tracy: Iannetta, Olivo to share time at catcher - The Denver Post
Didn't Tracy say that Iannetta and Olivo would both play a couple of weeks ago? I remember reading the "I am not using the word 'platoon'" line already.

Stewart finds swing, confidence | ColoradoRockies.com: News
Ian Stewart in the swing of spring - The Denver Post
Ian Stewart won't have a split-time role with the Rockies now that the dead weight of Garrett Atkins has been gone for months. He's hitting and he's looking to do it all season long.

Rockies Mailbag: Colorado can't fool around in April - The Denver Post
Troy Renck answers a bevy of questions in the newest edition of his mailbag. Renck tackles questions on a fast start for the Rockies in April, the possibility of the team making a blockbuster deal come the end of July, moving Todd Helton down in the lineup against lefties, and a possible surge in the number of bilingual lip readers in baseball.

BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects: Ask BA
Jim Callis believes Tyler Matzek is one of six prospects with a legitimate prospect to be a No. 1 starter.

SB Nation's 2010 MLB Previews: San Francisco Giants, No Thunder In The Lumber - SB Nation
The conclusion here is that the Giants are like Wiley E. Coyote when using an Acme tool. It could work, but . . . nah.

Westmoreland surgery 'successful'
Following up yesterday's report on Ryan Westmoreland, the surgery was successful.

White Sox 6, Rockies 1: Boring slopfest ends in defeat for Colorado

2010-03-16T23:23:56Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

"The veteran" EY Jr. had a decent day at the dish today.

Browse more photos »

You can put (another error) on the boooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaarrrrd, eeeeeeeeeeeeeyesss!

Aaron Cook suffered his second straight loss, mostly due to poor control and numerous errors (a few of which were caused by himself, although he wasn't credited with any), as the Rockies fell to the Pale Hose 6-1 at Camelback Ranch.

Cook allowed 6 runs on 6 hits (and 3 walks) in 3 innings, raising his Spring Training ERA to 11.42. Perhaps even worse was the fact that he made a bad throws on a pick off attempt and a possible double play, and also hit a batter and threw an EXTREMELY wild pitch that allowed a run to score. The defense behind him wasn't anything to write home about either, as Eric Young Jr. made an error that probably should have been credited to Omar Quintanilla, and Ian Stewart had a throwing error. The good news from a pitching standpoint is that the bullpen performed relatively well, allowing no runs in five innings. Manuel Corpas and Franklin Morales were pretty lucky to get out of their innings unscathed, but Randy Flores and Samuel Deduno had some fairly legitimate success. Flores allowed a couple of two-out hits, but was able to keep his composure and get out of the inning. That was followed by two innings of great work by Deduno, who allowed a hit and plunked a batter in two innings, but struck out two.

Offensively, the Rockies had little success. They were led by Young, who had a double, a walk and a run scored; and Dexter ~~Flowers~~ Fowler, who got on base a couple of times and drove in the aforementioned Young with a base hit in the third inning.

Continue after the jump for Rowcall and tomorrow's schedule...

Tomorrow, the 8-8 Rockies will take on the Cleveland Indians (who will be playing with a split squad) at Hi Corbett Field. The scheduled starters are Jorge De La Rosa and Carlos Carrasco. First pitch is at 2:10 PM MT.

Rowcall: phishbate, Bryan Kilpatrick, ckloewer, BlakeBomber, fiberindenver, controlled_slide, Rosenort, Andrew T. Fisher, Andrew Martin, djmbluemoon, BringItHome, frightenedinmate#2, WolfMarauder, Maria M, SDcat09, Rawktober, Radjoshcon, Hollidayrain, WalkInRight, squalene203, holliday5, arpagamos, realmenwearpurple, Sandlotkid8, Roxfan24, ddavis539, Kittiesroxursox, RoxFan1701, Maris6161, prettyinpurple, ZTC_87, moomacher, The Lodo Magic Man, ShadowPenguin
Total Users: 34
Total Posts: 992
Total Threads: 2

Spring Training Game #16: Aaron Cook vs. Freddy Garcia

2010-03-16T19:01:04Z

Let's hope Cookie finds a bit more success today than he did in his last start, in which he was shelled for nine runs in two and two-thirds against the Rangers.

Aaron Cook

#28 / Pitcher / Colorado Rockies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 08, 1979

VS.

Freddy Garcia

#43 / Pitcher / Chicago White Sox

Height: 6-4

Weight: 260

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 10, 1976

In addition to Cook, the Rockies have scheduled Manny Corpas, Randy Flores, and Franklin Morales to receive work this afternoon.

Rockies lineup:

2B Eric Young Jr.
DH Dexter Fowler
RF Seth Smith
LF Ryan Spilborghs
3B Ian Stewart
CF Melvin Mora
1B Michael Paulk
C Paul Phillips
SS Omar Quintanilla

VIDEO LINK (courtesy of the White Sox)

GAMEDAY LINK

GO ROCKIES!

OVERFLOW THREAD

Tuesday Rockpile: Ubaldo Jimenez dispenses fastballs like he would have medicine (fast and furious)

2010-03-16T14:00:30Z

Ed Andrieski - AP

3 days ago: Colorado Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez covers his head with a towel as he watches a spring baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in the dugout in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, March 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

View full size photo »

Rockies could feast with table setters CarGo and Dex - The Denver Post
Will the Rockies have the same 1-2 hitters in 2011 as they will this year. With CarGo and Dex, it's almost 100% a certainty.

Rockies' bullpen shaping up - The Denver Post
This article has updates on Huston Street, Rafael Betancourt, and Manny Corpas, all making steps forward yesterday. Also mentioned is that Christian Friedrich, WIlin Rosario, and Chris Frey were sent to minor-league camp.

Jimenez gave up medicine to dispense pills - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
Dr. Jimenez teaches the National League to sit down and rest, because he's gonna put you there with his fastball. H/T to Hollidayrain for the FanShot on this.

Baseball America Prospects Blog | Out Of Options, But Out Of Luck?
Matt Eddy looks at the different development paths high school draftees, college picks, and international signees should take to the majors. The Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez serves as the international player.

Dear Baseball: Stop Trading Players, You're Confusing Topps - SB Nation
Here are two reasons why Photoshop shouldn't be used on baseball cards.

Top Sox Prospect Ryan Westmoreland Scheduled For Brain Surgery - SB Nation
All the best to Ryan Westmoreland.

One-for-One Swaps at the Same Position | FanGraphs Baseball
After all that talk about the Howard-for-Pujols deal, Joe Pawlikowski looks at other one-for-one, same position trades.

BaseballAmerica.com: Lasorda Brings Baseball Prospective To Bull Riding
"Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda has found a new hobby in bringing his baseball prospective to bull riding."

Reporting from Tucson: A photojournal

2010-03-16T00:13:43Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

Okay, I didn't take this photo, but I couldn't resist including a picture of Francis trying to appear intimidating. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Browse more photos »

It was the best day of the spring. Not just because it was the best of the three days I have been in Arizona, but the affirmative chorus from coaches confirmed it to be true. About seventy degrees, a slight breeze, warm sun. Perfect. Plus, Jeff Francis looked better than a solid fifth starter.

He did get hit hard a little in the first two innings. Our old friend below is less than a second away from lining a pitch to the wall in left field. However, Francis retired the final seven he faced.

There is much more to come after the jump.

Practice Fields

I arrived with mkorpal at Hi Corbett Field just after 10am local time, giving us three hours to spare before game time. We headed over to the practice fields, while I saw the following vehicle in the parking lot for the second year in a row.

I'm guessing our 2008 1st round pick owns a Chevy Avalanche.

At the minor league fields, I stumbled across jrockies. Former Rockie and current coach Trenidad Hubbard was giving infield fielding practice.

I didn't really see anyone I could immediately recognize. Soon, dozens of players in white pants cut across the minor league outfield. We soon realized practically the entire 40-man roster was heading to one practice field, quite a rarity.

Their apparent disregard for disrupting the minor league practice in favor of avoiding signature barrages(?) led one coach to yell something to the effect of "Hey you in the white pants! Get off our field! Half of you will be back on the minor league fields next week anyway!"

We followed the white pants.

Bullpen Sessions

There, I got an up close look at a bullpen session for Juan Nicasio and Jason Hammel, below.

Apparently, Jason Hammel doesn't like the Spring Training hats.

Bob Apodaca kept a close eye on Hammel's delivery despite his strong spring thus far.

Jim Wright, who seems to know a fair amount of Spanish, just finished trying to teach Nicasio a cut-fastball grip.

Nicasio threw the pitch wildly in the dirt, prompting him to say "No bueno. No mah cuttah. No mah." Or something to that effect. I guess Nicasio won't be the second coming of Mariano Rivera. Sigh. The fastball he feels comfortable with certainly does have some zip to it though.

After Nicasio and Hammel, Craig Baker (left) and Matt Reynolds (right) took their turns in front of Apodaca and Wright.

At one point, Baker asked Phillips if his fastball was sinking. After hearing an affirmative muffle through the facemask, Baker mumbled "Huh. That's weird" and got a different baseball. So wait....you're a Rockies pitcher and you are dismayed at a sinking fastball? I'm curious to know the thinking there...

Signatures

It must be tough being a professional athlete trying to get anything done. You have to balance having an effective practice and getting things done with maintaining a positive rapport with fans. Even when you leave the ballpark to take a ...break...kids might want your autograph.

I did not stop Huston Street, though I did get a few autographs today. Below: (from left to right) Chris Iannetta, Dexter Fowler, Todd Helton, Carlos Gonzalez and Jorge de la Rosa.

Good thing I got those five. My girlfriend wasn't going to let me come home if I didn't get specifically those five for her. Plus the Tulo scribble on her T-shirt.

Warm-up and Stretch

Jeff Francis and Todd Helton speak before working with their elastic bands. The ominous Jason Giambi approaches, perhaps to remove Francis' man card for being goofy, perhaps to beat the ever living daylights out of someone. Giambi scares me.

Okay, so Jason Giambi isn't a bad guy. Carlos Gonzalez came over to see what was up.

Then came time to play catch. Apparently, Todd Helton forgot his glove, so he began trying to bum one off of someone else on the forty man roster. He shouted for Hawpe to no avail. I believe a coach tossed him a glove from his bag, telling Todd to be careful, as it had only been used once. Even potential Hall-of-Famers space a pivotal piece of equipment for work. This makes me feel better.

Todd Helton's toss partner was Giambi (I'm sensing a theme here). That's 734 HR and 4005 hits playing catch right there.

It's All Fun and Games

As has been publicized, the team plays games and contests to make work fun. Here, the whole roster gathers around for a bunting drill.

Troy Tulowitzki was winning for quite a while until Taylor Buchholz (yes, really!) took the lead that lasted until the very end, when Chris Frey took home the bunt accuracy crown.

A couple high-profile Rockies pitchers watch the drill from the comfort of a bucket. I say Rafael Betancourt is unofficially heavier than Ubaldo Jimenez.

Lastly, during stretches, the team played "Duck, Duck, Goose." Seriously, I haven't played that since elementary school. No fair.

Todd Helton has no interest in chasing Chris Frey. Fortunately , Frey was smart enough to duck past Francis and Helton, "goosing" Jonathan Herrera, whom he soundly beat around the circle. The only high profile player picked was Huston Street, who didn't even bother to run after his prey.

I have some hilarious video footage of this game, including Michael McKenry lumbering away from Jhoulys Chacin and Alberto Alburquerque finding a way to cheat. Unfortunately, I didn't bring the right cable to Tucson, so I can't get the video off of my video camera, so you all will have to wait until I get back home and find (hopefully) that cable.

fiberindenver was there as well (though I didn't notice). He filled in some gaps via this comment, or he, mkorpal or jrockies are welcome to add anything as well.

Rockies 5, Cubs 2: Rockies score late to grasp victory from the Cubs

2010-03-15T22:36:20Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

Browse more photos »

Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Rockies were down 1-2. By the end of the inning, the Rockies led 3-2 as a result of Troy Tulowitzki's two-run homer, his first of Spring Training. A couple more runs for the Rockies came in the bottom of the seventh to put them ahead 5-2.

Jeff Francis allowed a run in the first and second innings, but had clean frames in the third and fourth. He also struck out two. Manny Corpas and Matt Daley each pitched one inning of relief, and in between the two of them Jhoulys Chacin went two innings, struck out two, and surrendered one hit. Franklin Morales closed out the game and struck out one.

Row Call: SDcat09, WolfMarauder, Andrew Martin, phishbate, Maria M, controlled_slide, Muzia, RhodeIslandRoxfan, GoRockies!!, Andrew T. Fisher, Russ Oates, biondino, squalene203, BringItHome, Maris6161, ZTC_87, Hizilla, fiberindenver, RdRnnr, RoxFan1701, TripleT-Rox, Kittiesroxursox, Shoemaker
Total Users: 23
Total Posts: 349
Total Threads: 1

Spring Training Game #15: Carlos Zambrano vs. Jeff Francis

2010-03-15T19:00:54Z

This is a matchup I wish we had some sort of coverage, either audio or video, but we'll need to settle for Gameday.

Carlos Zambrano

#38 / Pitcher / Chicago Cubs

Height: 6-5

Weight: 255

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Jun 01, 1981

Jeff Francis

#26 / Pitcher / Colorado Rockies

Height: 6-5

Weight: 205

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jan 08, 1981

GO ROCKIES!

Monday Rockpile: Buchholz, Helton, and ..... Pujols?

2010-03-15T14:14:52Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

Guys, what's shaking? Tracy, baby, good to see you. Dinger! You behave you muppet, you! Hey, where can a veteran get a few fingers of whiskey around here? Someone call my agent.

Browse more photos »

Not much happening out there today, Rowbots, but I'll do my best now that I've finished burning and eating my green chile, cheese, and bacon omelet. Much as I'm running late this morning (not for publishing, but just more in a general morning sense), it's better that I'm writing now than when I first woke up as you'd be getting paragraphs about how pissed off I am that it's still dark outside and that I was awake in general.

But I digress.

All Things Rockies: Buchholz inches his way back to the big leagues || Troy Renck

Now, this is actually from Saturday, but I didn't A. see it explicitly mentioned or B. look very hard, so we're seeing it again. Bottom line of the article for you skimmers out there is that Taylor Buchholz is more or less on time for June. Wheee! The more expanded news from this lovely piece is that he's throwing from the mound, he's working on maintaining his delivery, he has incredible work ethic, and his breaking stuff is apparently being thrown pretty well too. When he shortens his stride, his curveball gets even better. Again, on pace for June, and this will be the equivalent of a big midseason acquisition.

Inside the Rockies: Helton should be Rockies first honoree || Tracy Ringolsby

Ringolsby posts a very short blurb in order to spark some user discussion regarding the Rockies Hall of Fame. His suggestion is for them to get moving on it, but rather than get it done ASAP, kind of just dink around with it and have it ready to open the year after Todd Helton retires. Retire his number at the same time. Induct Vinny, Dante, Walker, El Gato Grande, make everyone feel all special.

Click past the jump, because there's a doozy waiting down there.

And finally because there doesn't seem to be much more going on in the world of news today, I bring you this masterpiece:

ESPN: Sources: Phillies discuss Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols deal || Buster Olney

Wow, guys, did you know that you could just MAKE STUFF UP and then pass it along as a "rumor"? Buster Olney tries to spin up some interesting something or other by bringing up the Albert Pujols situation, and the possibility that the Cardinals will be unable to work out an extension, putting him in a similar situation as the Twins were with Johan Santana and may be with Joe Mauer. Superstar trades, let's see, Pujols may not be signable...Oh that's right, I am aware that the Phillies exist, and Ryan DINGERS N RIBBIES Howard plays the same position as Pujols! Let's make a rumor! Why not cite Prince Fielder? Or Miguel Cabrera? To top it off, Pat Gillick, currently serving as an advisor to Ol' Rube, apparently made a blockbuster with Toronto, so WOW, this suddely is lent credence, right?!

I'm sorry. You don't get to just pick a big name at the same position and call it a trade rumor.

But this almost happened once before!!!1 Yeah, apparently way back in the day when baseball was still played with dinosaur bones, there was almost a Ted Williams for Joe DiMaggio swap, but apparently Boston wanted Yogi Berra in the trade as well, so they called it off. It sounded an awful lot like some drunken weekend between Tom Yawkey and Jacob Ruppert, and apparently this deal was only signed on a napkin or something like that. Amusingly enough, had that trade happened, it might've helped even further increase the career numbers of both of these great players, thanks to the Monster and the former RF short porch.

ANYHOW, back to the topic at hand. First, I continue to express my disgust with just pulling this article out from nowhere, citing "sources", and passing it off as news, but for the sake of discussion, what's at stake here?

Well, for starters, Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball. He was worth nearly DOUBLE that of Ryan Howard, if you believe WAR. If he finished his career today, he'd the be the 8th best batter of all time, at least as far as wRC+ is concerned. The downside is that he might rival ARod's contract if he were to hit free agency. There have been indications that he might give the Cardinals some sort of a break if the Cards proved that they were dedicated to winning, which they may have just done with Matt Holliday's contract. However, that same contract may have made it difficult to really throw a solid chunk at Pujols.

But Ryan Howard? As a replacement? I mean, you could certainly do worse, but why Ryan Howard? The closest thing that Olney suggests to a legitimate connection is the fact that Howard is from St. Louis, and thereby the "hometown boy" card has been played, and that's really about it.

Ruben Amaro, Jr. flat out denies it, saying there's no truth to it, it's false, quit stirring up nonsense, Olney (OK, I added that last part in), and basically dispells any rumors that this might actually be, you know, true.

But seeing how we're a bit slow on breaking news today, what do you think about this trade? I may not have stated my flat out opinion in so many words, but I'm pretty sure I made my stance clear. How about you?

Rowbot Radio - Episode 6

2010-03-15T10:00:44Z

Rowbot Radio

View full size photo »

Welcome to another episode of Rowbot Radio! On this edition, Andrew and I discuss Todd Helton's new contract, some impressive performances from the Rockies in the Cactus League so far, the scary condition of our injured bullpen, and more.

As always, please reply in the comments section with any comments or questions you'd like us to address next week.

Without any further ado, here you are. Enjoy!

Rowbot Radio - Episode 6

Rockies Review: Okay, enough fake baseball already, when does the real thing start?

2010-03-15T00:09:33Z

More photos » Ed Andrieski - AP

U-ball is feeling in game form, in regards to both pitching and funny face-making.

Browse more photos »

Well, we're certainly an insatiable bunch. Just after we've finally been granted our wish and have something resembling the game of baseball being played on a semi-daily basis by something that appears to be our favorite team, we've already gotten bored with the spring-training shuffles and are ready to move onto the main event. Sadly, by my calculations, that still appears to be another three-odd weeks distant. In the meantime, we can just complain at the deleterious turn our fortunes have taken; even if it's spring, we don't like losing. After starting out 5-2, the Rockies neatly reversed that mark last week and went 2-5 instead, leading to a 7-7 overall Cactus League tally. OMG WE R GOIN 2 LOOZ TEH WEST.

Overreactions aside, we are still ready for real baseball, not just real fake baseball. And prognosticating. We definitely have time to do a lot of that. This will be a short edition since I've got to be up bright and early tomorrow for my first step on the way to Life After College, but I'll get you started after the jump.

If you ask me what the most fun part of the last week was, I'll tell you it's an easy choice: the 12-0 pasting the Rox inflicted on the Dodgers on Tuesday. Temporarily stirring purple temperaments to a very high pitch indeed as proof positive of our Unquestioned Dominance in the West, it was just a terrific way to spend an afternoon; the contest was helpfully televised, so we got to enjoy Dodgers FAIL in all its Technicolor glory. There is never a bad time to school the Dodgers, and it's practice that I would love to see carried over to the regular season.

Of course, you can't open that big of a can of whoopass without the universe attempting to get its own back, and the karma check arrived on Thursday, as Clint Hurdle's new club, the Texas Rangers, unloaded a dump truck of 16 runs upon our heads. But if there is a good time to lose by 11 runs, then it had to be that day. Todd Helton, Mr. Rockie, Face of the Franchise, and still the only Rockie (aside from perhaps Tulo) that sportswriters east of the Mississippi can reliably cite, signed a two-year extension that will keep him in purple pinstripes for the rest of his career, and, by restructuring his contract, allows the club almost $8.5 million in payroll flexibility. If you don't love Todd, you're not a Rockies fan, but the albatross contract was reliably whined about as too much to pay for an aging first baseman with declining power. Ballocks, I say sir, ballocks. Obviously the contract was a problem, and I'm thrilled that it was deferred, but you can't replace Todd. He's still is a clubhouse leader and OBP machine who's good for 30 doubles a year, and will save Barmes, Stewart, and Tulowitzki countless throwing errors by his picking ability at first. Aside from being our Bearded Leader, Todd has announced that he never wants to play anywhere else and would have retired sooner than having to test the free agent market. Hallelujah that we don't have to worry about that. When Todd goes into Cooperstown, it will be a proud day indeed.

Other exciting eventualities included strong performances by Ubaldo Jimenez (4 scoreless today) Jorge de la Rosa (4 innings, 2 runs) Jason Hammel (4 innings, 2 runs against the Brewers) and Jeff Francis (3 scoreless innings against the Royals, in a matchup that the Rockies lost because it's the Royals, and therefore they must lose on principle. Having to face the reigning AL Cy Young winner had nothing to do with it, really). Even dark horse Greg Smith has looked very strong, in his attempt to rebound from the wasted season of last year, and in fact, the only starter to miss the boat was Aaron Cook, who was the pitcher of record in the unfortunate shellacking that the Rangers applied. But we'll charitably chalk that up to the fact that Hurdle, who is now the Rangers' hitting coach, was just sharing secrets with the opposition. Julius Rosenberg, amirite.

On a less enjoyable side, the defense has looked somewhat shaky the past week, with Ian Stewart in particular looking like he needs to shake the rust off. And the losing was annoying. But there you have it.

The other thing you must attend to this week, on the off-chance that you have not seen them already, are the 2010 Rockies commercials. They're pretty good. Highlights include the Toddfather finding a way to erase the famous DexSmile, EY1 presenting EY2 with steak-cutting advice and a stuffed rabbit called Wooby, Chris Iannetta announcing his pregnancy, Wyatt Barmes topping his list of Things He Will Really Regret In 20 Years by being toilet-trained by a cardboard Jim Tracy, and Ian Stewart failing to appreciate the importance of Show and Tell. Go check them out.

If there's anything else that you'd like to discuss, have at it below. I'm signing off for now; I am on my way to Asheville, North Carolina, tomorrow, in my continuing quest to get my Post-College Life (scary prospect) in order. Squeaky and I will be down there for three days, and then I'm heading back to Colorado for a week (something I wasn't expecting to do, but which will be fun). I'm hoping to pay one last visit to Coors while I'm home, so next week's Rockies Review will be written in the 303. A Review on March 28 may be a chancy prospect, as I'll be travelling all day and not be back in New York until late. But I shall do my best to serve.

By March 28, it will be only 8 days until real baseball. I for one can't wait.

GO ROCKIES!

Poll

This year, Ubaldo Jimenez will:

Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 7: Maybe games in Mexico don't count in the Spring standings...

2010-03-15T00:32:50Z

The Rockies kept reserved most of their players for their home game this afternoon, with only two starters (Ian Stewart and Carlos Gonzalez) and two bench players (Miguel Olivo and Ryan Spilborghs) making the trip to Hermosillo, Mexico. Still, the lineup rapped out 13 hits and seven runs, highlighted by two singles from Ian Stewart, a single and triple from Jeff Kindel and a home run from Brad Eldred.

The offensive burst would not be enough, as Esmil Rogers got rocked for four runs (three earned) in two innings of work. Greg Smith got touched for time this spring, allowing two runs on seven hits in four innings. The mediocre outing does nothing to remove him as a favorite for the sixth starter in my opinion, especially with Tim Redding's outing stateside.

One particular note: Eric Young Jr went 0-for-4, dropping his spring average to .103. Even though he feels like his swing is improving, he'll be hard-pressed to supplant Melvin Mora on the bench come April.

Box Score

Rockies 5, Mariners 4: Ubaldo Jimenez comes up aces again

2010-03-15T00:13:33Z

Ubaldo Jimenez is such a stud

View full size photo »

Ubaldo Jimenez was stellar through four shutout innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit. He even scoredColorado's first run in the game after singling in the bottom of the fourth. While Troy Tulowitzki gets all the pub and forum fodder as a slow starter, Ubaldo Jimenez has had similar tendencies (5.90 April ERA in 2008, 7.58 in 2009). If Spring Training is any indication (which it really isn't), Ubaldo is in great shape.

Colorado's offensive star of the game was Ryan Harvey, who unloaded a Brandon League offering for a three-run home run in the seventh. The ball cleared the 15-foot fence by at least twenty feet in the deepest part of the ballpark, the 410' alley in left-center. An absolute blast. The dude was #99 and was brought up from minor league camp, but he is neither an obscure talent nor an up-and-coming one.

Harvey was drafted sixth overall by the Cubs out of high school in 2003, four slots ahead of one Ian Stewart. After being a top ten prospect the next four seasons, he was released last March after failing to achieve an OBP higher than .314 on any stop. The Rockies picked him up, and he had 23 HR and 82 RBI playing right-field for Double-A Tulsa last season. He's only 25, so I suppose the prospect of him being the second coming of Garrett Jones isn't altogether ridiculous, but he's pretty off the radar as far as prospects go. There's your lesson on Harvey.

Mike Paulk singled and doubled, driving in one and scoring one for the ~~Drillers~~ Rockies. Tim Redding doubled and singled, but he also got knocked around for three runs on six hits and two walks in 3.1 IP. Juan Rincon came in and stopped the bleeding for a save. JUAN RINCON FOR CLOSER. Matt Belisle also pitched a perfect inning in his attempt to fit into the bullpen.

Box Score

Row Call

WolfMarauder, BringItHome, Andrew T. Fisher, RdRnnr, SDcat09, biondino, RhodeIslandRoxfan, controlled_slide, squalene203, GoRockies!!, Hollidayrain, Shoemaker, ckloewer, fiberindenver, djmbluemoon, Maris6161
Total Users: 16
Total Posts: 388
Total Threads: 1