New poster, lifelong Rockies fan with plenty of spare time to write an offseason recap, enjoy!

It’s tough to see the Rockies season end the way it did. Thankfully, I was on a plane back to New York when Huston Street blew Game 4 and ended the Rockies season. But as soon as I landed, my Dad, an Englishman still in the process of learning baseball, breathlessly narrated the 9th inning collapse as I taxied to my gate at LaGuardia Airport. My mom would go on to tell me that my Dad was sprinting up and down the stairs just to catch updates on the Rockies game, while spending time with my Mom to keep her happy too.

Strangely, though, I really wasn’t that upset when I found out the Rockies lost. In fact, I felt pretty good about my Rockies, even though they should’ve forced a game 5 that they probably would’ve won.

Sure, I was upset the Rockies lost, but it’s hard to be upset about a season that began so miserably (20-32 in early June) and ended with a franchise-record 92 wins. Every Rockies fan should feel way more confident than ever about the Rockies’ future, even more so than after the miracle run in 2007, since the Rockies don’t have a looming superstar free agent like they had then in Matt Holliday.

As it stands, I think the Rockies are a very good team- not a great one yet- with great potential. They play hard, they play great defense, they’re gritty, and they know how to win, a surprising characteristic considering the team’s youth. They don’t give you games. Most of these players came up in the farm system together and even those that didn’t, like Yorvit Torrealba, Jason Giambi and Rafael Betancourt, have said they love their teammates, and despite the lure of heftier contracts from free-spending East coast teams, players like Torrealba are reluctant to leave. A tip of the cap to the Rockies organization- it sure looks like a culture of winning has arrived at Coors Field.

Offseason

Torrealba’s and All-Star Jason Marquis’ free agencies along with the mild need for starting pitching (goodbye Brad Hawpe?) will dominate the Rockies’ offseason headlines. The nice thing, though, is that star players like Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton and the laundry list of youngsters are not going to be offseason issues for a while. Scott Boras is someone else’s problem- for now.

But even though the big guys don’t appear to be going anywhere, it’s the little guys that helped fuel the team’s postseason berth. This isn’t a team chock full of big names and $20 million-a-year megastars, so everyone on the roster needs to contribute more than most other contending teams. Even though Marquis stunk down the stretch, where would the Rockies have been without him during the season’s first four months? Marquis appears to be a lock to be gone unfortunately, and assuming they don’t bring him back the Rockies are going to need to find a Marquis clone, a solid #3-type veteran to stabilize a young rotation that could be in a flux next season even with Jeff Francis returning from a year-long layoff. 

Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins could be goners too, and they may make way for that veteran starter. Atkins, entering his final year of arbitration, is the more likely candidate, and he very well may be non-tendered. I’m fine with the Rockies letting Hawpe go (hopefully they can nab a good 3 starter and a mid-level prospect in return), but Atkins, despite his sub-par last 2+ years, is the type of player the team needs right now.

The Rockies’ biggest problem was their boom-or-bust offense; lots of power but lots of strikeouts. Atkins is traditionally more of a line drive hitter who won’t strike out as much like many of his teammates; the man promoted at his expense, Ian Stewart, hit 25 homers but struck out 138 times in just 425 at bats. Let’s not forget that Atkins has been the ultimate professional despite his mid-season demotion, and I think the Rockies would be wise to keep him for one more year; let him walk and take the draft picks after the season if he can’t turn things around in 2010. If Atkins can put up a solid year, say, .285, 20, 90 with few strikeouts, it’ll be a worthy investment, and those numbers are very realistic considering he hit .286, 21 and 99 in a ‘down’ 2008.

Start Stewart against some righties and move him around to 2nd base as well to get him some at bats; sure, everyone wants to see him starting, but if there’s a better option available, play it. The Rockies are finally focused on the present rather than the future, and Atkins is a better player right now that Stewart.

I don’t see the urgency to get another starter; most followers of the team seem to think the team is way short on starting pitching. The Rockies smashed their starting pitching team ERA record (4.10) last season despite having journeymen filling out 40% of their staff, Francis’ injury and Aaron Cook landing on the DL for a month. Part of that was luck, but most of it was shrewd decision making at the top, especially for keeping the faith in Jorge De La Rosa and picking up Jason Hammel from Tampa during the spring.

Right now, the rotation shakes out like this: Jimenez, Cook, De la Rosa (assuming he re-signs, as expected), Francis and Hammel. Nothing changes from this year’s staff except Marquis leaves with Francis coming back to hopefully add the strong veteran presence that Marquis provided in 2009. The Rockies definitely need some insurance, with Greg Smith the only current alternative with starting experience in the bigs. Some affordable options could be to bring back Jose Contreras or look at guys like Miguel Batista and Mark Hendrickson, nothing fancy, but a few veterans who could offer solid insurance. Let’s not forget that Christian Friedrich and Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado’s top two pitching prospects, will be in AAA Colorado Springs to start the year and should be ready to contribute to the Rockies this season. So with the rotation basically the same and two promising youngsters almost certain to get a shot with the big league staff next season, I fail to see why the Rockies desperately need starters like everyone seems to be saying. Sure, a few veterans are needed to help solidify the back end of the rotation, but nothing more than that. The rotation is going to be nearly the same as last year’s. Jimenez is emerging as a true ace, Cook is a solid #2 and De La Rosa won 16 games last year, Francis is a former ace himself, and Hammel had a more than solid 2009. If they can land a good starter for Hawpe, do it, but otherwise I’d be inclined to stick with the current staff.

The Rockies look certain to re-sign Clint Barmes and will probably also bring Torrealba back. Utility man Omar Quintanilla’s days in purple are probably over as he’s a strong candidate to be non-tendered. Eric Young Jr. will take over Quintanilla’s role as infield super-sub next season. I’d love to see him win the starting job at 2nd over Barmes; Barmes is a strikeout machine who still hasn’t figured out how to hit a pitch that’s not a middle-in fastball and is another boom-or-bust (Boom-or-Barmes? Anyone?) player that the Rockies have too many of. Barmes is better suited as a utility guy, coming off the bench as an above-average defensive replacement with some pop later on in games. But I think he’s too much of an offensive liability to be an everyday player.

The Rockies’ outfield is the brightest prospect on the team. Two young five-tool guys, Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez, proved themselves down the stretch and in the playoffs for the Rockies, and Seth Smith is a Garrett Atkins-type player who hits for average and good power. Gonzalez was a hitting machine in the 2009 postseason, hitting a cool .588, and Fowler came through with big hits and several key RBIs in the postseason as well, including the game-winning sac fly in Game 2. Both are superior defenders and are capable of stealing at least 30 bases a year (Fowler might steal 50), and both, especially Gonzalez, have and will hit for power. As Tim Legler would say, they both have tremendous upside potential, and both could be perennial all-star candidates.

Smith is a vastly underrated guy who was stuck on the bench for most of 2009, simply because he was too good at pinch-hitting. He hit .293 with 15 homers in only 335 at bats, which translates to about 23 homers in a full season. FYI, Hawpe hit .285 with 23 homers in ’09 in over 500 plate appearances. Smith’s stats just about match up with Hawpe’s, if not slightly surpass the Rockies’ current right fielder, without the gaudy strikeout numbers or soul-crushing slumps.

Colorado’s bullpen is going to be a major asset in 2010, assuming Street and Betancourt come back as widely expected. Taylor Buchholz, one of the few bright spots in an ugly 2008 season (he might not be ready at the start of next season), and Manny Corpas, the original Rocktober’s late-inning hero, come back from extended injury layoffs. Betancourt and Street were monsters in the back of the Rockies’ pen despite Street’s Game 4 collapse. Franklin Morales revived his career in the bullpen and could be a power closer one day if he cuts down on his walks, and Matt Daley was solid and dependable in his first big league season.

Of course, the big question is whether or not Buchholz and Corpas can return to their pre-injury forms. If they can, the Rockies could have one of the top two or three bullpens in baseball, with three top set-up men in Betancourt, Buchholz (2.17 ERA in 63 games in 2008) and Corpas (2.08 ERA with 19 saves in 2007) and a dominant closer in Street (3.06 ERA, 35 of 37 in save opportunities in 2009) If not, though, the Rockies stand to bring back just about everyone, save lefty Joe Beimel, from their 2009 bullpen, which was well good enough to get them into the postseason. Regardless, the bullpen looks to be a major asset for the Rockies in 2010.

The infield looks to hold serve, with Tulowitzki and Helton obviously sure locks to come back at shortstop and first base. Barmes and Young will be at 2nd and Stewart will probably man 3rd, ideally with Atkins coming back to spell him. It’s an elite defensive infield, great for sinker pitchers like Cook and Jimenez.

The catching situation is probably the most interesting of the potential position battles. The Rockies desperately want Chris Iannetta to win the starting job there; he’s got power potential and is overall an above-average hitting catcher with a good glove. But Torrealba was smoking hot down the stretch, spearheading several key August and September Rockie victories and hitting a huge homer in Game 2 against Philadelphia. Manager Jim Tracy will probably give Iannetta the first crack at the starting gig, but should he slip up at all expect Torrealba, again assuming he comes back, which is not a certainty, to come in.

Wrapping up

I’ve never felt so good about a Rockies team in all my generally agonizing years as a Rockies fan. The only changes I’d like to see to the 2009 team would be to give Atkins another chance at third, give Young the starting job at second (how much fun would a Young-Fowler-Gonzalez top of the order be?), and trade Hawpe for a good veteran pitcher and a prospect.

I think one of the only things the Rockies really lack at this point is another legitimate middle-of-the-order hitter. Hopefully, Carlos Gonzalez or someone else can become a .300, 30, 100 guy, but until then the middle of the order is Helton, Tulo and Hawpe, a pedestrian 3-4-5 as it stands. The Rockies lack that big uh-oh guy, what Matt Holliday used to be and what most top teams have. It’s a little nit-picky to be sure, but it could be a concern.

Still, the lineup’s deep and solid from top-to-bottom, and here’s how I’d like to see it next April:

CF Fowler

RF Gonzalez

1B Helton

SS Tulowitzki

3B Atkins

LF Smith

2B Young

C Iannetta

The starting staff is pretty set already, but the Rockies will at the bare minimum need to add some insurance and more than likely will bring in a cheaper Marquis-type veteran to add competition. Keep in mind Friedrich, Chacin and Esmil Rogers are big prospects at AAA, and I really hope one of them will contribute significantly at the major league level this season.

RHP Jimenez

RHP Cook

LHP De la Rosa

LHP Francis

RHP Hammel

And the bullpen looks solid, but again, depending on how effectively Corpas and Buchholz return from injury. Either way, it’s probably the strength of the Rockies heading into the offseason.

LHP Flores

RHP Daley

LHP Morales

RHP Corpas

RHP Buchholz

RHP Betancourt (set-up man)

RHP Street (closer)

It’s an exciting time to be a Colorado Rockies fan, with some of baseball’s brightest young guns at the major league level and more waiting in the minors. The Rockies have a budding ace (Jimenez), and a very solid top-to-bottom lineup, a very good defense and a very good bullpen, and a are quickly developing a strong knack for winning.  This team should be a lot of fun to watch again in 2010, and they’re more than capable of winning their first NL West crown and earning another trip to the World Series.