Wednesday Rockpile: World Series starts tonight, Rockies talent drain starting in front office

by Rox Girl on Oct 28, 2009 9:36 AM MDT in Rockpile Comment 77 comments

Still little to report as far as the Rockies go, although assistant to the GM Kasey McKeon, son of the former Marlins manager, has jumped ship to join the Nationals front office as director of player procurement. I've always seen these front office departures as a mixed bag. First of all, it reflects well on the Dan O'Dowd's ability to hire the kind of people that other organizations covet.

One way to evaluate GM's would seem to be to look at their lineage, as often the best will push forward the careers of the people in their hire, so you end up seeing these sort of family trees. O'Dowd's primarily descended from former Indians GM John Hart, for instance, who also sired Mark Shapiro and Jon Daniels and others, meanwhile, O'Dowd's at least partly responsible for the advancement of Josh Byrnes and Jerry DiPoto (both currently with the Diamondbacks) and if McKeon continues to rise, then it could add another notch to his belt. Of course, Theo Epstein can also claim some credit for Byrnes, and Jed Hoyer's hiring already gives the wunderkind two GM descendants.

The other side of the coin is that McKeon's departure does leave the Rockies lacking some scouting help (I'm assuming that's what McKeon did for the Rockies given his new job title) and filling that void with an equal talent could be difficult.

*****

That last link to the Boston.com article about Hoyer's hiring also touches on the news that Adrian Gonzalez will likely be traded from San Diego. The Padres are going to have a payroll about half the size of Colorado's for some time, it appears, which would leave them an unlikely challenger for the division until the revenue situation down there gets fixed. Arizona will have to reboot soon too, given a deteriorating fan base and an escalating payroll*, and the news that top prospect Jarrod Parker will have Tommy John surgery and miss all of 2010 doesn't help them, either, as it leaves them one less internal option to fill a sizable rotation void.

In short, the bleak news for those two teams leaves the 2010 picture in the NL West much the same as it ended up looking in 2009, with the Dodgers, Rockies and Giants duking it out for the top spot and the second place team being in solid contention for the wild card.

The Giants are making it a priority to address their glaring offensive weakness this offseason, so we can't expect them to fade away like the other two teams.

******

In case you missed this in the comments to yesterday's Rockpile, former Rockies top prospect Chin-Hui Tsao has been caught up in a Taiwanese match-fixing probe. Between this and Shawn Chacon's gambling issues, it seems like it's not a good month for pitchers who were once our most promising hopes early this decade. Jason Young, you better keep your nose clean, wherever you are.

******

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The way

you word that thing about Jason Young, I could start an internet rumor.

NEVER SURRENDER DREAMS

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!

by Russ Oates on Oct 28, 2009 9:41 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

World Series tonight

Should be great. Aside from Rockies-anybody, Yankees-Phillies is about as good as it gets. Wonderful pitching matchups and intrigue, lots of offense, two huge hitters parks; I’m very excited for this. Lee-Sabathia has a chance to be epic.

by controlled_slide on Oct 28, 2009 10:37 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Yankees being in the world series =/= good.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 10:50 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

in principle, yes

but a Phillies/Angels series would be boring as hell, and a Dodgers/Yankees series would be worse than Phills/Yankees.

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 10:51 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree heavily on both counts.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:18 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dodgers/Angels would have been ideal.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:19 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

How?

The Angels showed they had no business being where they were, and despite making it interesting, basically bumbled their way out of the postseason. The dodgers just chokity choke choked and were just spanked senseless by the Phillies.

Seriously, Yankees/Phillies is the matchup of the two best teams.

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:23 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Simply because I like both teams significantly better.

Plus, I’d actually have been able to attend. :-p

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:25 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

ahh, fair enough

coming from the middle of relative nowhere, I just want to watch the best possible baseball.

Your bias is totally acceptable :-)

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:27 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd still consider it better baseball as well.

That’s a subjective assessment in just about every way possible. I find the players on the Dodgers far more entertaining to watch than those on the Phillies, and I find the players on the Angles to be far more entertaining to watch than those on the Yankees. So I don’t even consider it a locational bias. It is simply the two teams I find more enjoyable. That would be the same were I in Denver at the moment.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:29 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know about this

The Phillies lineup is incredable to watch; the way they work the count and make a pitcjer’s life miserable. The Dodgers lineup has Manny and Either but as a whole it’s nothing like the Phils lineup. On the pitching side, the Dodgers don’t have anyone as entertaining to watch as Lee or Pedro.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 11:50 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

in Game 5 of the NLCS

I saw that the Phillies had 9 runs

on 6 hits.

now THERE’S an offense.

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:52 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Howard's homeruns are so prodigious...

…that he gets to score two runs on a solo dinger.

Watching the purple row from high atop the big brown monolith on California Ave

by Mondogarage on Oct 28, 2009 1:11 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did you say Ding-Dong???

by Muzia on Oct 28, 2009 1:22 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't find Lee or Pedro just by themselves particularly entertaining to watch.

But some of their performances certainly can be entertaining.

I’m certainly not trying to make the claim that the Phillies have a worse lineup than the Dodgers. I’m just pointing out that to me, the Dodgers are a more interesting team.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:57 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wish I knew what to do

I’m not going to be up beyond 1am over the next 4-7 games. I might, I guess, get to watch the first half hour of a game or two. It’s going to be impossible not to find out the result (well, over here, it’s not impossible, but the odds of me not absent-mindedly clicking on PR or SI or MLB or some such site are about zero).

And I am excited about this match-up. In soccer terms, I love watching, say, Manchester United vs Arsenal, because they’re entertaining teams of the highest quality, and watching them in a major final just takes the cake. So I’m gutted to have to miss them.

by biondino on Oct 28, 2009 12:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I've come around on the Phillies

They way they beat the Rox, and their pounding of the Dodgers, I just gotta tip my hat.

And I’m absolutely fine with Arod never winning a championship.

"I clearly miscalculated how popular it would be to show Calvin urinating on a Ford logo"--Bill Watterson

by frightenedinmate#2 on Oct 28, 2009 12:41 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

yep and yep.

by Muzia on Oct 28, 2009 1:06 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

How do you not find Pedro entertaining to watch?

by Muzia on Oct 28, 2009 1:23 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 1:28 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even Ol' Zim watches that footage and smiles

by Muzia on Oct 28, 2009 1:31 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is a really bad picture of him, by the way

by Muzia on Oct 28, 2009 1:32 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry, flattering Don Zimmer isn't really my priority

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 1:33 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

For shame.

by Muzia on Oct 28, 2009 1:36 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

/punch

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 1:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh barf

I wouldn’t be able to watch ESPN for about 2 years if there were a Dodgers/Yankees series.

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:22 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why do you watch ESPN in the first place?

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:25 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

i actually don't

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:27 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbktkagCX6c

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 10:56 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLyIPjaZ8FA

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 10:58 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

there's never a mention of the rockies in these commercials

Winners never quit, and quitters never win. But if you never quit *and* never win, you are an idiot

by squalene203 on Oct 28, 2009 11:30 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

well it was 2006

I wouldn’t mention us either

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:36 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whoa,

hey guy, we had like Choo Freeman and Danny Ardoin. We were just too good to be mentioned with those scrub teams.

"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker

by Resolution on Oct 28, 2009 11:41 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 11:55 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't tell

who is on the right. I want to say cirillo but I’m not 100%.

JFK

by jrockies on Oct 28, 2009 12:44 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cirillo was gone before 06.

Is that Ryan Shealy?

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 12:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

nope

the player on the left is kind of a massive clue

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 12:56 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

That can't be Eli Marrero can it?

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 1:05 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

it can and is

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 1:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

For some reason I remember him looking a lot thicker.

In that picture he looks rather lanky, almost Jason Hammelish.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 1:17 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha. Awesome.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 11:19 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look what I stumbled across

Dark Days that provide an lol now.

"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker

by Resolution on Oct 28, 2009 10:58 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I guess you just can't predict baseball

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 11:46 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

It says in the notes that it's not a prediction

just a reflection of how teams had played up to that point. For some reason I’m more amused by the Mets playing at a 90 win pace up to that point than I am with the Rockies score.

by Rox Girl on Oct 28, 2009 12:48 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well at that point in the season

I don’t think the Mets had formally decided how they were going to screw up ’09.

"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker

by Resolution on Oct 28, 2009 12:52 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

"formally decided"

this is pretty funny, I won’t lie

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 12:56 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right I didn't read it close enough

Aftter looking at it closer, it really does’t say much beyond the actual standings on that date. The only team it has passing a divsion leader based on the standings at that time were those Mets.

The other thing that’s funny is the Pirates winning 76 games.

Here are the actual standings on June 8th

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp?ymd=20090608

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 2:07 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ugh, Blue Jays 7th and Reds 13th (shudders)

How on Earth did that happen?

Impossible not to have positive thoughts.

I want Sam Deduno to pitch already.

by bballrox4717 on Oct 28, 2009 9:05 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rockies 2009 draft is #1 according to Baseball America

as reported by Tracy Ringolsby at http://www.insidetherockies.com/2009/10/27/rockies-draft-ranked-no-1/

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart." - A. Bartlett Giamatti

by Rawktober on Oct 28, 2009 2:08 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

The cupboards appear to be stocked

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 2:16 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's hot

Hope got in my eyes

by Andrew Martin on Oct 28, 2009 3:14 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right now the Giants scare me next year for the reason RoxGirl mentioned

If they add a bat or two to that lineup, and there are plenty available, they will be impossible to deal with. Aquiring the pitching is the hard part and they have pitching in spades. If they can add two bats to complement Sandoval they are the favorite to win the division in my opinion.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 2:16 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

we can only hope that their record of poor FA decisionmaking and inconsequential trades is not over. But you have to think eventually they’ll stumble into some offense.

by Teekalong on Oct 28, 2009 2:25 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Looking at the Rockies/Giants games this year and the young talent they both have going forward.

This could become one of the better rivalries in MLB over the mext five or six years. Those wild games in 09 might just be chapter 1 of something much bigger.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 3:12 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

A lot probably also depends on

How well Buster Posey transitions. With like Randy Winn, Sandoval, maybe a resurgent Freddy Sanchez, they might not need too much.

"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker

by Resolution on Oct 28, 2009 3:00 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Freddy Sanchez is an interesting decision for them.

He has an $8million club option for 2010. If they activate that they will be limited elsewhere.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 3:08 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

randy winn and freddy sanchez

are terrible. and posey isn’t even a highly rated prospect, despite what MCC would have you believe. the giants as currently constructed are not scary at all, obviously that could change.

by Jim Jiminez on Oct 28, 2009 4:04 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Posey is a highly rated prospect everywhere I've read that monitors them

and folks I know who know their scouting and have seen him like him too, if you’ve got a different opinion that’s based on something substantial, I would really be interested in reading it, though. Scouting’s obviously still far from an exact science, but the consensus on Posey seems to be positive.

I do think his college numbers were inflated and he’s not going to be Joe Mauer or anything, but he should be a solid hitting catcher and a definite upgrade on Molina.

by Rox Girl on Oct 28, 2009 4:43 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just to add on here

A little offense goes a long way at catcher. There are so few good offensive catchers that even if Posey becomes a decent hitter, the Giants have an advantage there on offense.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 5:03 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Randy Winn is headed for free agency.

And so will Freddy Sanchez if they turn his $8 million option down.

by WolfMarauder on Oct 28, 2009 4:11 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

woot

Their offense wasn’t going to be sexy but it might have been sneaky good. Barring any sort of major FA move I’m not sure they’ll be too serious then.

"These are thin mints. I put them in the freezer. My favorites. So good."
--Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, on the girl scout cookies he keeps in his locker

by Resolution on Oct 28, 2009 5:17 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm definitely leery of them, but their pitching is actually pretty shallow

I don’t believe they can weather a serious blow to their rotation (Lincecum or Cain), and even something like Jonathan Sanchez going down for an extended period of time looks like it could hurt their chances significantly. I think they’ve got a foundation for a terrific short season team, but they don’t seem built for a 162 game season just yet.

by Rox Girl on Oct 28, 2009 3:12 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

What scares me about their rotation though is that Zito seems to have come around

(After the All Star break he had an ERA of 2.83)

While I never loved Zito as a top of the rotation pitcher I think he’s dangerous as a mid to bottom of the rotation guy. He’s still only 31 and if he even pitches decent the Giants rotation is really tough.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 3:33 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's almost all because of one great month of August. In September, his ERA was 4.55 with a FIP of 4.82

I really don’t put too much stock in a pitcher turning a corner until they can repeat their success a little more consistently, and one month of old dominant Zito isn’t enough to convince me that he’s back. He’s a solid #4 or #5, but I don’t think he’s more dangerous than JDLR and Hammel, for instance.

by Rox Girl on Oct 28, 2009 3:51 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

He did regress in September but that August shows you that he might not be done yet.

That 4.53 and 5.15 ERA he put up during his first two years in San Fransisco were the highest of his career. If the Giants get the 4.03 ERA he put up this year again next year they will be sitting pretty. (Even that is higher than his career 3.84 ERA) The Giants have a high ceiling guy in Zito and I think a lot of people forget that.

I'm still hoping to wake up from that nightmare I had about the 9th inning of Game 4.

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 28, 2009 5:19 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I take this to mean

You don’t have much in terms of expectations for Bumgarner?
Also read somewhere that they weren’t going to be able to afford a Holliday or Bay type, that they were going to have to shoot lower. Like a Bobby Abreu or a Adam Laroche type. Both of which would be pretty solid upgrades for them.

by Hizilla on Oct 28, 2009 4:01 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bumgarner's not as good as advertised.

His one major league out pitch was his fastball, and it was a really good one, but if he’s losing velocity on that, which by all accounts I’ve read he is, what’s he left with? He doesn’t have a bender like Friedrich and his changeup only seemed to work against SAL hitters. My own personal assumption is that the velocity doesn’t come back as a starter and the Giants end up moving him to the bullpen where he could possibly get it back and be a dominant force again. This won’t help their rotation, and I wouldn’t expect him to be ready to help much at the MLB level in 2010 as a starter even if he does get the velocity back just because he’d still be a rookie with one good pitch that MLB hitters could sit on.

Posey worries me as a bat that could cause damage next year, but I think their minor league pitching has taken a significant step back through trades and Bumgarner’s downgrade.

by Rox Girl on Oct 28, 2009 4:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm still

baffled that they traded Alderson for 3 months of Sanchez and an overpriced option on him. I’m kind of curious why MadBum’s velocity dropped, if he’s hurt or not or changed his mechanics somehow. As far as their rotation. I personally expect them to take a step back. Timmah will be Timmah. I kind of expect both Cain and Zito to regress. Cain’s ERA was nowhere near in line with his FIP or tRA this year, his K/9 dipped again and his strand rate was pretty high too.

by Hizilla on Oct 28, 2009 5:12 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs