Saturday Rockpile: Contreras debuts tonight, Fowler heading to Tulsa, Ortiz released
by Bryan Kilpatrick on Sep 5, 2009 8:45 AM MDT
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PrintContreras takes spot as starter in Cook's absence - The Denver Post
Recently-acquired Jose Contreras will make his Rockies debut tonight. Jose is excited to be pitching for a contender and anxious to right the personal ship that ruptured and began to sink in Chicago. As one of the pessimists regarding this deal, I hope that he proves me wrong. Also in the article, Dexter Fowler rehab assignment has been changed - he'll report to Double-A Tulsa and will play three games for the Drillers this weekend. Let's hope all goes well for Dex.
Key players for Cubs, Rockies, Giants, Braves and more contenders - Cliff Corcoran - SI.com
Aaron Cook is listed as one of the major keys for his respective team, as far as the playoff push goes, in all of baseball according to SI.com's Cliff Corcoran. In a perfect scenario, Aaron Cook could come off the DL sometime next week. However, he has not one but two lingering injuries, and needs both to be fully healed. Otherwise, he'll be at risk of overcompensating even more, and/or being generally ineffective. I'd say Jose Contreras probably has a larger part in determining the Rockies' success/failure than Cook at this point.
Inside the Colorado Rockies " Four Pitchers Going to AFL | Major League Baseball in Denver
Seven Rockies prospects will be heading to the Arizona Fall League after the season. Chaz Roe is one to watch closely; Roe struggled in the AFL last year after wearing down at the end of the season.
Rockies Release Russ Ortiz: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
The Russ Ortiz reclamation project has officially ended, according to Diamond Leung. Ortiz allowed 12 runs in 14 innings and posted a 2.00 WHIP.
Out of thin air the Rockies have become more than a - 10.15.07 - SI Vault
This article appears in the "SI Vault" section of SI.com's MLB page. Good times.
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I Agree
Conteras needs to pitch well tonight and for the next few weeks, as Cook doesn’t seem to be returning anytime soon
"I shoot so many 3's because I can't shoot 4's" -Antoine Walker
Russ Ortiz released
Our long near-national nightmare is over.
Watching the purple row from high atop the big brown monolith on California Ave
I feel for the guy
He’s at the end of his career, and he had nothing in the tank. I’m glad we don’t have to see him, and I wish him luck.
I agree
I am a huge skeptic when it comes to Contreras. But I wish him luck, and hope he proves me wrong. At least it ain’t Ortiz.
this is so true...
I honestly don’t really know what to expect with Contreras, which is why I’ve not said anything about the pickup at all until now. Some players I see clear benefits coming (such as with Giambi) some I see clear pain (such as with Ortiz) but Contreras fits in a category where I see absolutely nothing and that makes me nervous. It could go either way.
Stuff
One thing that Contreras has going for him (in comparison to most similar pickups by the Rockies) is that he still has good stuff.
He may not be able to use it but he still has the physical ability to beat hitters with his pitches rather than having to rely on smoke and mirrors (like Ortiz or Fogg or Livan).
maybe...
what I worry about with him is that when he was good, both his fastball and split fingered pitch were positive pitches for him, but the FB has flipped into deep negative territory the last five years, indicating it’s a lot flatter than it once was, and the splitter has gone negative this season. His only plus pitch statistically this year is the slider, which is why he’s throwing it a lot more and the splitter a lot less.
The good news is that FB/slider pitchers tend to thrive a lot more in the NL than they do in the AL, the bad news is that FB is still unreliable and it would be nice to figure out why the splitter’s lost its effectiveness as a one pitch pitcher won’t cut it in either league. It’s definitely an interesting play by the Rockies, I’m assuming they’ve done their homework on this or we wouldn’t have paid a price like Hynick for him, but we’ll see.
If everyone was healthy, Contreras would be behind Betancourt, Morales, and Street
Unfortunately, that’s not the case
"I shoot so many 3's because I can't shoot 4's" -Antoine Walker
I know you've read this
but maybe it is just the arm slots for both pitches. I doubt he’ll ever regain a legit fastball, but the splitter should work just fine for him, esp with our infield.
Dac’s done some good work with our sinkerballers, I wonder how comfortable he is with splitters.
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
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by Andrew Martin on Sep 5, 2009 12:59 PM MDT up reply actions
Packing today....
Which is a huge hassle, but it’s all good because tomorrow…I’ll be back in NYC!!!! (Hallelujah…)
Carlos Gonzalez is a sexy man
one thing
i don’t think i’m going to look at contreras’ statistics too much to determine if he’s a good fit or not. i’m going to wait to see what apodaca can do with him, and what he can do with a stellar defense. wouldn’t shock me if he ends up with an ERA in the high 3’s or low 4’s by the time the seasons over.
Popcorn chicken...with club sauce...
Thing is, we don't need miracles from him
We just need him to be good ENOUGH. But then we need the bats to regain their life, their crushination. We can’t let every SP we go up against become a 7IP, 2R outing, because Tim Redding and Pat Misch just aren’t those guys.
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 5, 2009 1:11 PM MDT up reply actions
For me, the big question is....
…when Dex comes back will Tracy have the guts to bench Hawpe and go with a CarGo/Dex/Smith outfield.
I can live with Barmes’ non-production, because he still gives you outstanding D at a key position. But Hawpe? He’s gotta be sitting right now, yes?
what would you consider to be the offensive cutoff for Starting Hawpe vs Benching Hawpe?
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 5, 2009 1:57 PM MDT up reply actions
I think....
we’ve officially passed that cutoff as of last night. He’s struggling just to get the ball in play right now. Fact is, if we didn’t have Smith raking (and producing) as he is, I could live with waiting around to see if Brad gets hot again. But it’s hard not to that a Smith/CarGo/Fowler OF wouldn’t be the superior way to go.
Hawpe in July (.250/.370/.393/.334) was my tipping point.
From then on he ceased to be worth having in the lineup regularly over Smith. Though we should have gotten rid of him when he had a ton of value in late May/early June.
Eschew Obfuscation!
he did bump it to a .258/.339/.474/.350 line in August
but he sacrificed selectivity for power. Point is he’s slowly picking it up….oh wait he has a .151 wOBA in 13 Sept PA
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 5, 2009 3:13 PM MDT up reply actions
Next year's bullpen
As I watch Morales develop into a stud late inning guy (last night I felt like I was watching the birth of a soon to be dominating closer), my mind wanders to next year’s pen.
Street
Corpas
Morales
Bucholz
Betancourt
Beimel
Daley
Whoa — that’s one hell of a pen right there. Now, I expect one or two of these guys will be moved for other pieces, but that’s a collection of some real arms right there.
hahaha I hate it when I overuse a phrase
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dicBb4t07io
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 5, 2009 3:14 PM MDT up reply actions
Hi! About Morales.
I’m Venezuelan, is the plan with Morales sticking him to the pen? I’m sure he can turn an “ace reliever” rather easily but It would disappoint me to not see him get another chance to start.
Welcome!
Morales obviously won’t be starting again this season for Colorado, but I’m sure he will be part of the 2010 rotation competition in Spring Training.
My personal stance on Morales is that he’s not much more than a 5 inning pitcher from the rotation, and when he does make a start, he waters down his stuff so he can stretch it over many innings. When he’s pitching from the pen, he can fire in at 97 if he needs to, and doesn’t need to worry about tiring himself out 3 innings down the line. I feel he can be a more dominant reliever than he can as a starter.
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 5, 2009 3:18 PM MDT up reply actions
You are wrong, wrong, wrong,
And you couldn’t be more wrong if you tried.
Kidding, sort of.
His stuff isn’t quite as nasty starting, but it’s still dominant, and a #2 starter beats an ace reliever in value every day of the week and twice on Tuesday. He’s shown enough out of the rotation already and is just 23, that I don’t think capping his value in the bullpen like that is the way to go. He’s good out of the pen, maybe even special, but you’ll be turning him into a one or two win player rather than a four or more win player.
I should add though, that I think the Rockies may find more value with
Frankie in the pen again in 2010 just because of the starter logjam. If JDLR and Hammel are sparkling and Francis is back and Chacin and Friedrich are both knocking on the door, it might be more beneficial to the team to have a couple of those guys biding their time in relief rather than the minors and Morales would be #1 on that list.
That would be the rosiest of possible outcomes however, so the reality will probably head another direction.
thats how i see it
In terms of value, morales starter> morales reliever, but morales reliever+whoever else starting>morales starting+whoever else relieving. We can find solid starting pitching in the org, but morales fills a difficult niche of dominant lefty reliever
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein
by Andrew T. Fisher on Sep 5, 2009 4:22 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Equations
Morales as 15 game winner > Morales as lefty late inning guy
Morales as dominant set up paired w/dominant closer = 15 game winner
Morales as dominant closer > Morales as 15 game winner
Morales as 20 game winner > all the above
WINS
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 6, 2009 8:37 AM MDT up reply actions
I don't disagree that a #2 beats a bullpen ace
but does Morales really have the mental makeup to really be a #2 starter? It’s kind of a stupid question, because we can’t really answer it, but if we want to put Morales in the rotation, we’re gonna have to make some tough decisions this offseason.
Honestly I wouldn’t cry at a Jimenez-Cook-DLR-Hammel-Morales rotation. Really, I wouldn’t. I’m just hoping that Morales’ 2nd stint with the Rockies this season kind of screws his head back on straight and he regains the confidence to retire MLB hitters by mowing them down from the pen.
Morales is just a nice long maturation process it seems, and I just don’t see him making it as a starter (with absolutely nothing to back that up, it’s just one of those gut feelings, so I won’t stand on it as factual truth) and I’d hate to have his confidence blown again and watch him end up being a DLR type reclamation case or something.
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 6, 2009 8:46 AM MDT up reply actions
I hpe he's given a chance to start next season too.
At this point the locks for starting next year are Jimenez and Cook, the other three slots seem at least a little flexible depending on what direction the team decides to go. I think Jorge de la Rosa comes back, but I don’t know if he’ll be guaranteed a spot in the rotation, and the same goes for Jason Hammel. If Morales proves himself likely to be more valuable than either of those, and I think he could, then their roles could flip.
We'd....
have to be looking at some major offseason upgrades for DLR not be considered a de facto starter from day one. Really, what more does the guy have to prove? He’s, what, 13-3 since June? I love me a lefty in the rotation who goes mid-90’s (and yeah, Frankie is that guy too).
Hammel is a perfect #5 on a good team. I’l be happy to go into next season with Ubaldo/Cook/Francis/DLR/Hammel. When healthy, that’s winning rotation.
As for Morales, sure let’s take another look at him in the rotation. But, I’m telling you, that kid has the potential to be an unhittable closer sometime soon.
The problem with JDLR is mostly weighing the financial risk of a mental meltdown
As his contract is going to get pretty bulky fairly fast as he gets deep into arbitration. These last two seasons he’s done tremendous work from June on, but there’s still a sense of walking on eggshells with him. I agree with you that this is probably the rotation we wind up with, but I’m aware that there are unknown factors at play. I probably shouldn’t have put Cook in the “lock” category either, now that I think about it, because his shoulder ailment could get season ending ugly really fast. I just don’t like counting on any chickens when it comes to the rotation in particular.
I feel as if the walking on eggshells is a thing of the past
not 100%, but the “OH DEAR GOD JORGE GAVE UP A HIT IS IT BAD JORGE GO HOME BAD JORGE WE WANT TACOS BAD JORGE IS BAD” mentality has mostly drifted away.
And if it hasn’t it should because it’s stupidest chicken-littlest thing ever.
Mike McCoy Status: BETTER BE A SEPT CALLUP
Seth Smith Status: Part of a Good Problem
Chris Iannetta Status: OH MY GOD GET SOME HITS YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOK LIKE AN ASS
Check out the most recent MLB Transactions on MLB Daily Dish
by Andrew Martin on Sep 6, 2009 8:39 AM MDT up reply actions
i think the bullpen has potential next year...
but is very cloudy. i’d like to see morales get a chance to start next season. i see the starters being jimenez, cook, morales, de la rosa, francis, with chacin waiting in the wings in AAA with rogers and deduno. i think we’ll see christian friedrich make the AA to AAA jump sometime next season, although I doubt we see him in the majors right away especially with our pitching depth. anyways, for the rest of the bullpen. street is our closer. we’re going to need a set up man if morales move to the rotation, but buccholz isn’t going to be make until midseason. if weathers is ready to take that spot then give it to him, he’s got the explosive two pitch combo a set up man needs. i’d be surprised if betancourt was back and i wouldn’t put money on daley making the squad. beimel is iffy to me. i think the only three spots that are guaranteed right now are street, corpas, and weathers. four if you count buccholz when he returns, and five if morales is in the pen. it’s got potential but i think we have more questions than answers at this point.
Popcorn chicken...with club sauce...
and i completely forgot hammel
next year’s rotation depth is going to be insane. personally i’d like to see hammel over francis for that fifth spot.
Popcorn chicken...with club sauce...
Remember we had huge rotation depth this year
But of course the talent level was lower overall.
by KindredSprites on Sep 5, 2009 4:07 PM MDT up reply actions
Out of sight....
out of mind, eh? Let’s give Francis the love he deserves. When healthy, he’s a rock solid middle of the rotation guy. And, finally, he’ll have the chance to be just that — not have to keep matching up with other team’s aces. That’s what Ubaldo is now for :)
I think Jose Contreras would be a lot more successful
if he stopped dropping down.
"There are only two important things in life: baseball and breathing. But at least you can survive without breathing for 3 minutes."
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News re Torrealba and Hawpe
http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/2009/09/05/slumping-hawpe-rests-torrealba-officially-starting-catcher/
Proudly SPILLYing all teams Colorado whilst residing in Sunny San Diego!
(the Broncos are sorely testing my Spillage)
Morales should continue in relief, for now
With Franklin Morales getting some closer work this week for Huston Street, maybe it will be beneficial for him as possibly as a left-handed specialist, similar to Beimel’s role. And if Street experiences injuries in 2010, he could be used as a short term closer until Casey Weathers is ready down the road. Weathers will likely need some time at Triple-A, just to get some innings in after Tommy John surgery.
As for Chacin and Rogers, maybe some more at Triple-A will work for them until they can maintain control of their pitches. Their stints in Colorado Springs have been irratic at times, until their most recent start.
I thought the Giants weren't supposed to be good at Miller Park
Unfortunately Giants in command this afternoon.
Carlos Gonzalez is a sexy man
That's the beauty of great starting pitching
Their rotation is carrying that team right now. If the Giants do get into the playoffs, they’ll be tough to deal with in a short series because of it,
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