My 2008 Forecasts

Everybody's talking about this in every news article and the comment threads, but I figure I'll post a diary to show my predictions on who wears the Purple Pinstripes in 2008. Mind you, these are gonna be half discussion/conjecture, and half who I think should be there.

We'll start with the position players.

C: Chris Iannetta

He showed up pretty big in August/September, batting .320 in 50AB, with an OBP of roughly .403. Small sample size, sure, but he has that incredible eye one way or another and I don't see why they shouldn't start him. If he earns the spot in ST, go for it.

1B: Todd Helton

The man was 2nd in OBP in 2007. Also, monster contract. Also, we love him. Moving on.

2B: Jayson Nix

Kaz is gonna chase money in Chicago, get destroyed by the media, bat .240/.280/.375 and we'll all be laughing. Clint Barmes isn't gonna be starting in the Majors anywhere anytime soon. Quintanilla is at best a bench player. Jamey Carroll just isn't that good. I figure Nix will play 2 years as the starting/platooning 2B, fall apart, and then Eric Young Jr. or Corey Wimberly will be ready to take the REAL reins.

SS: Troy Tulowitzki

What, did you expect me to say Chris Nelson?

3B: Garrett Atkins

He's still relatively cheap, Stewart showed he wasn't ready to take over (see: zero plate discipline. In the 14-inning game against SD where Hawpe hit the winning HR off of Thatcher, Stew came in at 3B as part of a doubleswitch and still managed a hat trick), and O'Dowd has stated they want to keep Atkins around. We won't see him batting .200 again next season. Call it a late sophomore slump. And as long as Carroll can fill in defensively at 3B come the 8th inning, I think we'll be fine.

LF: Matt Holliday

Face it, contract extension or no, he is still our player to control. And at the very least, we'll control him 2 years and then he'll go to FA and we'll get draft picks. Best case, we lock him up. After that, we pull a Jennings-deal and restock the farm even further through a trade.

CF: Ryan Spilborghs

I put Spills there because I like him most. Honestly, assuming no trades are made, Spills, Bunty, and Sully will have a fight to the death over who gets to hold down CF until Dexter Fowler is ready to take over. Willy has the speed, Sully has the defense, and Spills is a pleasant balance of the two. All 3 had good AVGs this season. Spills had a 111 OPS+, Bunty had an 89 (remember, injuries can ruin any sort of consistency...) and Sully brings up the rear with an OPS+ of 81. Honestly, I'd say Sully is out of the running just because Spills and Bunty are better offensively, and Sully will end up PH/CF in the later innings, making spot starts.

RF: Brad Hawpe

No, I'm lying. Larry Walker is gonna come out of retirement.

BENCH:

2B/3B Jamey Carroll. His bat MAY have fallen apart, but that doesn't mean he can't PR/PH/3B in later innings. Plus, having a veteran IF with a rookie starting at 2B and Tulo still a young'un at SS can't be a bad thing.

OF Whatever 2 of the Spills/Bunty/Sully competition don't win. All MLB talent in one form or another.

IF/OF/Whatever Jeff Baker

Bake wasn't anything special this season, but he did come through in some big spots.

C Damian Miller

Solid defensive catcher with a waning bat. Can anyone say Danny Ardoin? Seriously, Miller is gonna come relatively cheap, he calls a good game, and he blocks balls in the dirt better than Iannetta. That could be helpful on this team (see: Jimenez, Ubaldo).

OF Seth Smith

Do I need to point out how good the kid is? We got a VERY small sample size of his bat this September, but he batted .317/.381/.528 in AAA this past season, with 38 EBH and 17 HRs. He plays a solid defense, and I don't see how this club can waste him in the minors. Maybe he'll end up trade bait, maybe he'll end up waiting around for Holliday to get traded. Either way, he's a solid player.

Moving along to the Pitching Staff.

1. Jeff Francis

Those 17 Wins taste so delicious. Add 215IP and a Coors-respectable 4.22 ERA, and I do believe we have Colorado's version of an Ace.

2. Aaron Cook

The injury bug has me a bit concerned, but I think he'll be Juusssst fine. He's still very capable of eating 200+ IP a season, and he posted a team-best 4.12 ERA in the 2007 season. I mean, his K totals aren't getting any worse, but his sinker is getting nastier and more effective. His 116 ERA+ (which accounts for park effects) edged Francis' 114, but Francis, I feel, is simply the better pitcher.

3. Ubaldo Jimenez

We all knew it in our hearts that he'd be ready. Ok that's a complete lie. I thought he was falling apart in AAA and he'd never see the majors before Sept ever again. But he came up huge, as his 112 ERA+ tells us. If he can rein in that curve and his blistering fastball, he'll be a force to be reckoned with.

4. Jason Hirsh

Injuries killed what looked to be a pretty promising season for the new acquisition. He posted a 100 ERA+, putting him smack dab at average. He still has room to get better, controlling and owning that fastball, but he'll be back and dealing in April.

5. Jason Jennings

Oh, I don't know who'll be the #5 pitcher. I'd love to see the Rockies give him a 1-year flier to come back, as I'm still convinced that Jason Jennings is the only pitcher ever to ONLY be able to pitch in Coors Field. Morales, I think, needs to condition in the Springs. Not develop, but fine tune and condition to the thin air in CO. Otherwise, we're looking at a 5-6IP/start pitcher at best. And it could also go to Greg Reynolds (no - needs more minor league time, injuries sidelined him) or maybe to Josh Fogg (no, we can't afford to pay for what he'd be getting) or someone like Matt Clement (hell I don't know).

CL Manny Corpas

Do I really need to delve into why he's so awesome?

SU Brian Fuentes

Now, this could go either way. Once Cordero signs with someone, Fuentes becomes more valuable. Or at the same time, he could be pitching in Coors till July and then potentially shipped to another contender desperate for bullpen arms. Either way, he's NOT a free agent, we still control him, and I think we should retain him, at least for a while.

RP Taylor Buchholz

Such an inconsistent season, it would seem, but once he became a bullpen fixture, he started becoming a pretty reasonable pitcher. I think he'd do alright.

RP Josh Newman

Newman had a pretty decent season in AAA, posting an ERA just over 4, but more importantly, his splits definitely favored beating Lefties. If not meant to be an inning-at-a-time pitcher, he at least would fit in as a LOOGY. Also my girlfriend knows HIS girlfriend, so that's kinda cool.

RP Ramon Ramirez

I just can't see him not rebounding from an injury-plagued/sophomore slump 2007. He's a good pitcher with good stuff and good location. He'll get another shot in 2008.

RP Juan Morillo

Morillo is like Roxgirl said earlier, he's the in-house replacement for Jorge Julio. He throws 98+, a vicious slider, and about as much control as a Corvette on an icy highway.

RP LaTroy Hawkins

Not that Hawk was phenomenal, but he had a pretty decent season considering it's Coors and considering he's what, 35 and more or less washed up? He expressed the desire to return, but if another team offers him the closer's slot, he'll jump at that.

I'd love to see Herg back, but I really expect some team to overpay him on what could've been his dying swan song. He'll make a great pitching coach some day. I'd love to have him back, it'd be nice to have someone manning the pen that's over the age of 27.

Honestly, I don't expect to ever see Denny Bautista see the light of the Majors again. At least not more than a cup of coffee could offer.

ANNNNYHOW that's my rundown. It's looking like the same team, with a few tweaks, somehow even younger than before, and hungry to win again. We'll see how wrong or right I am in 5 months.