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Rockies Retro: Colorado's All-Star History

Larry Walker, everybody. (via i.a.cnn.net)

Larry Walker, everybody. (via i.a.cnn.net)

The Colorado Rockies have been represented very well in All-Star Games during their short history, sending 16 different players and a manager to the midsummer classic. Here's a rundown of each game (as well as some Home Run Derbies) and how it related to the Rockies:

1993: Andres Galarraga

As the first All-Star in franchise history, the Big Cat will forever be a part of Rockies' lore. However, he didn't really do anything special in this game, going 0-for-1 (pop out to SS).

1994: Dante Bichette

Bichette was Colorado's first Home Run Derby participant, as he was eliminated in the first round after hitting three home runs - finishing in a tie for fifth overall (with Houston's Jeff Bagwell). In the actual game, Dante only got one AB (as a pinch hitter) but made the most of it, as he led off the fifth inning with a single to left off of Mike Mussina.

1995: Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla

By virtue of an injury to San Francisco's Matt Williams, Vinny Castilla became the first Rockie to ever start an All-Star Game, as the third baseman was written into the eighth slot in the NL's batting order. It wasn't a great day for Colorado's stars; Castilla went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and Bichette K'd in his only at-bat.

1996: Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Eric Young

'96 marked the first season that the Rockies sent three players to the midsummer classic. Burks participated in the Home Run Derby, but hit just one home run - a 405' tater - and was eliminated in the first round. As for the game, Bichette (who started the game in LF) and Burks each had an extra base hit, and Bichette scored a run. EY was 0-for-1 after entering the game as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. At the time, this was probably the best All-Star game in terms of performance by Rockies players. This was also the last time the National League won an All-Star Game.

See what happened during the wild 1997 All-Star festivities, and much more, after the jump.

Star-divide

1997: Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker

The Big Cat made it back to the ASG after a three-year hiatus, but it was Larry Walker who best represented the club at this year's event. Walker participated in the HR Derby and put on a clinic, homering nine times in each of the contest's first two rounds. However, he ran out of gas at the end and ended up finishing as the runner-up to Tino Martinez, despite hitting three more homers overall. The following night, Walker started and went 0-for-1 with a walk, but had a memorable at-bat against Randy Johnson in which he turned his helmet backwards and batted from the right side of the plate after the Big Unit threw a fastball over his head. Galarraga struck out in his only AB.

1998: Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Larry Walker

At Coors Field in Denver, Vinny Castilla finished third in the HR Derby, hitting 12 homers through two rounds. For the fourth straight ASG, the Rockies had a player in the starting lineup. Walker was that man in '98, in front of 51,267 mostly Rockies fans. Walker was 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored, while Bichette and Castilla combined to go 0-for-4 with a K.

1999: Larry Walker

This was the first year the Rox only had one player in the game since 1994. Walker hit just two homers in the Derby and was out in the first round. He started in LF the next night and went 0-for-2 and was one of the five consecutive NL batters who fell victim to Pedro Martinez via the punch out to start the game.

2000: Jeff Cirillo, Jeffery Hammonds, Todd Helton

The new-look Rockies sent three guys to the ASG who had never been there before. They didn't do much, however, as they combined to go 0-for-4 in reserve duty.

2001: Mike Hampton, Todd Helton, Larry Walker

Hampton earned the distinction of being the first Rockies pitcher ever to be named an All-Star. Helton participated in the Derby and hit just two homers - the longest of which was a 425' shot. Both Helton and Walker started in the ASG, but combined to go 0-for-4 with a K. Hampton pitched an inning and gave up a hit and an unearned run.

2002: Todd Helton

Helton was the only Rockies player to make it in '02, but he was voted in as a starter and represented the club well in the game. He hit an RBI single off of Roy Halladay in the third inning that scored Jimmy Rollins, and came around to score a run of his own when Barry Bonds homered in the next at-bat.

2003: Shawn Chacon, Todd Helton, Preston Wilson

Helton was voted in as a starter for the third consecutive season, and responded by hitting a two-run homer in the fifth inning off of Shigetoshi Hasegawa that put the NL up 2-1. Wilson tacked on a single for the NL in two AB's, as well. Chacon was a DNP due to an injury.

2004: Todd Helton

Helton was named to the team for the fifth straight time, but did not play. He has not made it to an All-Star Game since.

2005: Brian Fuentes

In '05, the Rox were one of those dreadful teams whose only All-Star is a relief pitcher. On top of that, Fuentes did not even pitch in the game, which has to be one of the only occasions in recent memory that a team went two straight ASG's without seeing any of its players appear in the game.

2006: Brian Fuentes, Matt Holliday

Holliday went 0-for-3 in his first ASG appearance, but Fuentes represented the Rox well as he pitched a scoreless inning and struck out Grady Sizemore.

2007: Brian Fuentes, Matt Holliday

Holliday fared well in the Home Run Derby, hitting 5 bombs in the first round and 8 in the second, and finished in a tie for third overall (with Albert Pujols) with 13 total homers - one of which traveled 475'. He proceeded to go 0-for-2 with a strike out in the game. Fuentes did not play due to injury.

2008: Aaron Cook, Matt Holliday, Clint Hurdle (manager)

Holliday got the NL on the board with a fifth inning home run off of Ervin Santana. He finished 1-for-3. Meanwhile, Aaron Cook threw THREE innings - an ASG rarity these days - of shutout ball despite having A LOT of traffic on the base paths (some the fault of his own - 4 hits and 3 walks, and some the fault of Dan Uggla, who committed 3 errors). Although the NL lost, the members of the Rockies organization fared extremely well in this contest.

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Hmmm....

1993-2000 No pitchers as All-Stars
2001-2009 Seven pitchers as All-Stars

I think the humidor can take some of the credit for that. Wasn’t it built in 2002?

by jcd823 on Jul 14, 2009 12:32 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

And also the fact I think its easier to get the one player from the sub-par teams, (which the Rox were there for a while) to take a pitcher than a position player that fits the squads relative needs

by El Paso Jeff on Jul 14, 2009 1:23 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

yes

Chris Iannetta status: DOOM
Seth Smith status: FREE SETH SMITH
Matt Murton status: Prisoner Exchanged for CarGon
Mike McCoy status: FREE MIKE MCCOY

by Andrew Martin on Jul 14, 2009 1:53 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Will it be up soon?

Sorry, it’s been a long day. I’m ready to talk some baseball!!

by Rockie4Ever on Jul 14, 2009 6:38 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

lmao i just got in

turned on ESPN and there’s this new show called the “scott van pelt show” and some guy he has on with him was listing teams that are done and the Rockies were on that list lmao what a doucher.

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

by TuLoRocks2008 on Jul 14, 2009 1:39 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

and yet the Mets are alive and well to him

i hate ESPN i don’t know why i even turn it on anymore

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

by TuLoRocks2008 on Jul 14, 2009 1:39 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

i just don't

unless I have to.

Yesterday evening might have been the first time in months i willingly watched ESPN.

Then they snubbed Helton and Kendall’s milestones.

Yep, back to not watching ESPN.

Chris Iannetta status: DOOM
Seth Smith status: FREE SETH SMITH
Matt Murton status: Prisoner Exchanged for CarGon
Mike McCoy status: FREE MIKE MCCOY

by Andrew Martin on Jul 14, 2009 1:55 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Good choice!

Check out my Rockies comic strip at:
Rock Drive 1.4

by Charlie77 on Jul 15, 2009 11:38 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Don't be knockin on my boy SVP

Gotta represent the Terps well.

And the Mets aren’t done, but if they’re this far back on August 1 and haven’t bought anyone at the trade deadline, then yes, they’re done.

And I think we all hate ESPN.

Is Clint Hurdle fired yet? YES
Is John Paxson fired yet?
Is Ralph Friedgen fired yet?
Is Vinny Del Negro fired yet?
Is Dan O' Dowd fired yet?
Is Jerry Angelo fired yet?

by ES46NE10 on Jul 14, 2009 1:50 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

lol i like SVP

it was the guy that was on the show with him that sounded stupid and yes the Mets aren’t officially done yet to me either once they get everybody back and if they make a deal or 2 they may get back in it

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

by TuLoRocks2008 on Jul 14, 2009 1:53 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Van Pelt

deserved kudos for ripping Bud Selig for his absurd salary and earning a suspension from ESPN for it.

And, ladies, if you don’t have a club foot or Bells Palsy, he’s happy to talk to you.

by J. Henry Waugh on Jul 14, 2009 4:48 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I love SVP

He once read an e-mail I sent him on his radio show. I felt all special.

by holly96 on Jul 14, 2009 5:09 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

That Larry Walker AB

is one of my favorite AS game moments ever!

by ShadowPenguin on Jul 14, 2009 1:52 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Who's Missing?

A lot of people seemed to have reacted in other threads as if the Rockies are snubbed in all star games. This list looks pretty good—there’s plenty of years where more than one player went, and players tended to get to the game in their good years. The years Walker missed where mostly years where injuries sapped his first half.

The two I see that could be snubs are:

Walker in 2002
(But the NL was loaded that year, and it’s hard to argue with the stats/stature at the time of starters Bonds, Sosa and Guerrero, and of reserves Shawn Green (yes, once good!), Berkman, Adam Dunn (fast start, team’s lone rep, and ostensibly a bit faster in the field in his rookie year than he is now), Andruw Jones, and ah yes, the WS manager’s choice, Luis Gonzalez (the yr after the WS win and his 57 HR season).

Jose Jimenez in 2000
(If someone wanted a slightly off-the-wall choice. “Only” 15 1st half saves, but with a league ERA that year of 5.02 and a Coors park factor of 125-129 or so, his first half ERA of 3.02 was over a 200 ERA+)

Maybe Helton in 2005, though he had a weak first half and missed the team in favor of Pujols and Derrek Lee’s career year.

Whereas you had a Cirillo and Hammonds make it on the strength of good first halves, and Bichette seems to have made it more often than his non-RBI stats would have dictated.

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Jul 14, 2009 2:14 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Still can't believe Cirillo was an all-star...

But you’re right, I can’t really think of any major snubs, especially considering that the Rox historically have weak first halves of the season. A lot of their impressive performances have come after the break.

by ShadowPenguin on Jul 14, 2009 2:32 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I looked at some first half/second half splits

Cirillo hit .330 in the 1st half with 28 2B’s (.402 OBP, .527 SLG). With the Coors park factors of the time, those are good/not great numbers. At least he didn’t tail off too bad in the 2nd half, though.

Hammonds, OTOH:

1st half: .357, 14 HR, 65 RBI, .426 OBP, .621 SLG
2nd half: .313, 6 HR, 41 RBI, .364 OBP, .439 SLG

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Jul 14, 2009 2:55 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

why can i not remember who jeffery hammonds is?

i just looked him up. he was only here for that one season but damn i dont remember him at all

by purplesocks on Jul 14, 2009 4:01 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

former brewer as well

he was always very injury prone

we seem to have gotten over that HURDLE

by TuLoRocks2008 on Jul 14, 2009 4:12 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yup, #4 overall pick to Baltimore

Injuries really derailed his career. Milwaukee got to reap the “benefits” from that All star year.

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Jul 14, 2009 4:19 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hammonds' performance with the Brewers

was so bad, they released him early in ’03 and ate the $8 million left on his contract.

I remember him well. He falls in the category of “Guys Who Had 1 Good Year with Colorado and Were Never Heard of Again.” He shares that distinction with guys like Preston Wilson & Jeromy Burnitz.

by J. Henry Waugh on Jul 14, 2009 4:56 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

at least those guys had careers before Colorado

Hammonds was already having trouble w/Baltimore.

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Jul 14, 2009 5:08 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

wow Wilson had 141 RBIs in 03

i knew he had an absurd year when he was here but damn he must have been top 10 in fantasy drafts the following year

by purplesocks on Jul 14, 2009 5:26 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I wonder how many of those were Todd

He was on base at least 289 times (209 hits, 111 walks, 2 HBP, 33 HR). Wow.

More wow: it looks like Wilson batted with a total of 520 runners on, including 271 in scoring position.

Leave Dexter alone! You're lucky he even performs for you!

by FooMan on Jul 14, 2009 6:37 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

i remember hammonds well

He hit three homers in a game for the reds against us the year before he was a rockie.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 15, 2009 12:57 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions   0 recs

The Home Run Derby and All Star Game were my first Coors field experiences...

definitely an experience I’ll never forget. I’d probably even rank it on par with my next trip to Denver- game 3 of the 2007 NLDS. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it back a lot sooner this time…

by dederk16 on Jul 14, 2009 4:52 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

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