Saturday Morning Rockpile:

by Rox Girl on May 17, 2008 9:24 AM MDT in Rockpile

The day that somebody like Bill Baer writes an article explaining how underrated Aaron Cook is because he pitches in Coors Field is the day I will take stuff like this seriously. Otherwise it just irritates me as that ship has long since sailed. Matt Holliday's numbers are inflated by Coors, but to use the word "overrated" implies that there are teams that aren't taking that into account already, which I just don't believe to be true until I see it. I mean, reporters like Ken Rosenthal, maybe are, but I haven't heard of teams lining up their young players to impress the Rox into trading Matt. What's more, Holliday's not nearly as hapless as the graceless blunt instrument of straight home/road OPS splits would indicate, which is the primary base for Baer's argument here.

That aside, Matt's home-run power on the road has gone missing since right around the All-Star game last season, with his only HR not at CBP, Chase or Coors coming at PETCO of all places off of the Padres Glendon Rusch last week. HA! Padres have Glendon Rusch... oh, wait... crap.

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I think you know where I stand

I would absolutely deal Holliday in the offseason. His value will never be higher than this offseason.

He had no business being in that MVP discussion last year (though he deserved it more than Rollins). I’m very pleased with the performance he’s given the Rockies in the past two or three years, but he’s not worth $100 million.

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 12:04 PM MDT reply actions

I'm on board with that

but only so long as we really make the near-perfect. Dealing Holliday isn’t just a yes/no question, its a question of making sure we absolutely maximize the return. This deal could make or break the future of the franchise, and it has to be the right deal.

by Teekalong on May 17, 2008 12:25 PM MDT up reply actions

Teixeira

I would gladly accept a Teixeira type deal. ;)

by MADness on May 17, 2008 12:29 PM MDT up reply actions

WHERE WOULD YOU PLAY TEIXEIRA????

Same old problem.

by 91 wins in 08 on May 17, 2008 1:20 PM MDT up reply actions

He means a four/five A/B prospects deal

by David OhNo on May 17, 2008 3:44 PM MDT up reply actions

Wait

He had no business being in MVP discussions, yet he was more deserving than the MVP…I’m so confused. Who was your 2007 NL MVP?

by oo_nrb on May 17, 2008 1:29 PM MDT up reply actions

n/t

David Wright.

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 1:41 PM MDT up reply actions

Uhhh

So the insane hot streak Holliday was on during 21 Days, and the tiebreaker, didn’t make him qualified to be in MVP discussions?? While Wright, who had a great September, nonetheless was hurt by the Mets’ collapse?

We're all going to die!

by Silverblood on May 17, 2008 2:13 PM MDT up reply actions

162>21

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 3:59 PM MDT up reply actions

I'll add to that

I realize you are a homer, so there isn’t an awful lot I can do to convince you otherwise. Combined with the fact that the MVP is a completely useless award and over a year ago, I’m not going to spend time re-researching the numbers.

But…

1. Wright had largely similar numbers to Holliday.
2. Wright doesn’t have the benefit of playing in Coors Field 81 games a year.
3. Wright played very, very well down the stretch. It was certainly not his fault the Mets lost one game more than they could afford anymore than it was Holliday’s performance that caused the Rockies to win all those games.
4. Wright is better defensively than Holliday.

Wright should have finished first. I believe Hanley Ramirez could have been considered if he wasn’t so awful defensively.

But Holliday didn’t deserve it.

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 4:05 PM MDT up reply actions

Hey, I like the Mets

I am going to fess up right now and admit that living in New York has made the Metropolitans my (very distant) second team. I agree that Wright unfairly took the fall for the Mets’ team-wide choke. But I can’t see how you can say that Holliday didn’t deserve it at all.

We're all going to die!

by Silverblood on May 17, 2008 4:52 PM MDT up reply actions

Only one person deserves it

Someone either deserves the award, or he does not. There is no middle. Holliday should have finished third, fourth if Utley hadn’t been hurt.

He didn’t deserve it. He should have finished in front of Rollins (if Holliday had half a brain, he would act like Rollins does. He would make more money, earn more endorsements and win more awards. Alas, he’s a normal human being).

But he didn’t deserve it. The way I see it, Wright should have gotten every single first-place vote because he was very clearly the best player int he NL last year.

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 5:00 PM MDT up reply actions

I just watched 21 Days for the first time

And while I would have done the documentary a lot differently, I feel almost totally rejuvinated. Its easy to get caught up in the misery of this year and forget how unreal that ride was last year. Of course, it also led to the expectations that make this year particularly miserable, but whatever. Today I’m choosing to walk on the sunny side.

One thing I found interesting from the documentary is how may of the ancillary characters, no longer with the team, were such crucial components of last year’s run. I’m certainly not suggesting guys like Carroll, Fogg, and Sullivan should have been kept around just out of loyalty (particulary since my biggest gripe this year is that we didn’t do enough in the offseason to improve) but it really reminded me how much “intangibles” can matter in a sport and how a certain magic or chemistry was such a big part of that run.

Oh yeah, for a moment of negativity: not a single frame of WIlly Taveras in that documentary, several notable shots of Kaz Matsui. Couldn’t help but notice.

by Teekalong on May 17, 2008 3:55 PM MDT reply actions

Well, you have to remember that

Taveras was out until the NLCS. I think they did have the one highlight of him making that amazing catch in Game 1 or 2 (I can’t remember) but that was it.

Thank god for baseball season.

by jcd823 on May 17, 2008 4:55 PM MDT up reply actions

MVP

Matt did deserve consideration for MVP, if not him Chase Utley.

by roxtalk on May 17, 2008 4:00 PM MDT reply actions

See above

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 4:06 PM MDT up reply actions

I agree with Utley

The actual award went to the wrong guy on that team. Wright should have been in the discussion, Chipper probably should have too. I think Holliday and Rollins were given a bit too much of a leadership bounce for their teams making the playoffs, but that’s the way the award goes, everybody knows it, so there isn’t much use complaining about it.

2007’s ROY, on the other hand…

by Rox Girl on May 17, 2008 4:16 PM MDT up reply actions

n/t

Utley missed too much time, in my opinion. Plus, his absence hurt my fantasy team last year. And for that, I cannot forgive him.

Since I devalue defense more than just about everyone in the world, I would have still given the award to Braun. But anyone who voted for Braun over Tulo and still thinks defense is more important, well…. they voted for the wrong person.

by rosenthal on May 17, 2008 4:19 PM MDT up reply actions

Speaking of Tulo

anyone heard any updates? Is there a more definite timetable of when he might be back? I would imagine its probably killing him not to be playing when the team is going so badly. Also I wish he was around to deliver one of the those “pep talks” that he gave last year around this time.

by moomacher on May 17, 2008 4:36 PM MDT reply actions

This is what yahoo says

May 17 Updating previous reports, Colorado Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (quadriceps) is playing light catch and hit off the tee this week, according to the Associated Press. His return is still undetermined. KFFL

May 17 SS Troy Tulowitzki (torn tendon, left quadriceps) is “improving every day,” trainer Keith Dugger said. Dugger said Tulowitzki has begun light jogging and playing catch. He is doing upper body strength work and exercises for his legs. He also has hit off a tee. “We won’t have any type of timetable until he gets into baseball activities,” said Dugger.

by moomacher on May 17, 2008 4:47 PM MDT up reply actions

Totally off topic, but

I have been doing a lot of reading to keep my mind off of the Rockies right now. Maybe in a few weeks I will come to accept what has happened this season, but right now I just check the box scores and the game thread on here to see what is being said at different moments of the game. My pace has increased from a couple of books a month to about 3 in 2 weeks.
Anyway, someone (I think it was Rox Girl) mentioned Richard Price and Lush Life a little while back. I just finshed it…. and it is amazing!!!! That is the only word I can think of to describe it. Just thought I would recommed it to everyone that can’t bring themself to watch the games right now, and suddenly has a whole lot of free evenings.

Thank god for baseball season.

by jcd823 on May 17, 2008 5:16 PM MDT reply actions

Rockies dream

So, I had a totally bizarre dream last night in which I had been away from home during one of the Rockies games and had no information about how the game had gone. When I got home, I had turned on ESPN right in the middle of some discussion about the Rockies game, and it took me a couple minutes to figure out that Jeff Francis had pitched a no hitter. Which is bizarre for a number of reasons. Oh, and apparently it took him something like 170 pitches.

by holly96 on May 17, 2008 5:24 PM MDT reply actions