2010 Rockies

by FloridaownsFSU on Jan 29, 2010 4:47 PM MST

Hello, Rockies fans. I'm stopping by to inject some thoughts and ask for how you foresee the Rockies and the NL West playing out in 2010.

This might be influenced a bit by the fact that I've been a bit lower on the Dodgers than most since the beginning of 2009, but I really like the Rockies chances in the West for the pure fact that they have a very good rotation and a good lineup as well. But more importantly than that, it's the fact that much of the Rockies talent is young talent. Gonzalez, Fowler, Smith, Tulo, Iannetta, Ubaldo, and Francis, off the top of my head. A healthy Aaron Cook is solid if unspectacular. And De La Rosa/Hammel formed a viable backend last year as well.

The Rockies biggest bane was that they simply didn't matchup well with LA last year. That said, I think when all things are done in 2010, the Rockies will emerge as the West champs.

Thanks for reading.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).

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well thank you for sharing.

I’m somewhat skeptical of the Dodgers myself this year, but I can’t always tell how much of that is my bias against a divisional rival talking.

by Rox Girl on Jan 29, 2010 7:26 PM MST reply actions

This is R year.

Bored. Lazy. Crazy. Screaming. Counting. Another day in the life of a Rockaholic.

by prettyinpurple on Jan 30, 2010 1:58 AM MST reply actions 1 recs

that generation is almost dead

JFK

by jrockies on Jan 30, 2010 8:25 AM MST up reply actions

JFK

by jrockies on Jan 30, 2010 8:25 AM MST up reply actions

I like that...

This is R year!

Making facetious trade rumors since 2012AD

by lizardlad01 on Jan 30, 2010 2:07 PM MST up reply actions

Good work as always prettyinpurple

2009 Colorado Rockies - Greatest comeback in MLB history to win NL WildCard
Brad Hawpe - Will prove the doubters wrong
Troy Tulowitzki - Best SS in the MLB - 2010 MVP
Carmelo Anthony- Smoothest Shotmaker in the NBA - 2010 MVP

PS Let's win the NL West in 2010, shall we?

by SDcat09 on Jan 31, 2010 12:07 PM MST up reply actions

And by the way, anyone could use it, market it or whatever, just remember me when you see it!

This is R year!

by prettyinpurple on Feb 4, 2010 4:51 PM MST up reply actions

Key to 2010

Just my opinion but I think the key to 2010 is something that FloridaownsFSU kind of touched on. This team is a contender, they have a very good balanced team. However, they HAVE to play better in the division than they have historically played, especially against LA. They have made so much progress in the last 5 years, now it is time to address that issue. If they can do that, then yes, 2010 could be the Rox first division title.

What if the hokey pokey is what it is all about after all????

by FlyAway on Jan 31, 2010 10:12 PM MST reply actions

Welcome back

It’s been a while since you posted. I agree, playing well in the division is most definitely the key to winning the west.

JFK

by jrockies on Jan 31, 2010 10:48 PM MST up reply actions

The key is to be as injury-proof as we were in 2009

It's my blog!

by biondino on Feb 1, 2010 6:19 AM MST up reply actions

that too

JFK

by jrockies on Feb 1, 2010 8:01 AM MST up reply actions

Definitely

No Met’s of 09 season wanted here. That being said, I think the FO is really looking to create some insurance with all these minor league contracts they are drawing up. This should help if (God forbid) we do have some injuries.

So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

by bleedspurple on Feb 1, 2010 10:37 AM MST up reply actions

Very True

That is true for every team in baseball.

What if the hokey pokey is what it is all about after all????

by FlyAway on Feb 1, 2010 1:56 PM MST up reply actions

Thanks

I have been reading, but my last two posts were horrible. I got busy and missed something happening and then posted about it. Then I had Giambi batting from the right side of the plate. (OK that was a typo I know he is a lefty hitter). I decided to censor myself in shame.

What if the hokey pokey is what it is all about after all????

by FlyAway on Feb 1, 2010 2:00 PM MST up reply actions

not only that

but I trusted you on the Giambi thing.

As I was typing, I thought to myself “I swear he is a lefty…” but I typed RH anyway.

But I talk too much to censor myself. It just wouldn’t work.

Attention Whore.

by Muzia on Feb 1, 2010 2:55 PM MST up reply actions

I was just testing you Muzia

Yea, that’s it….

What if the hokey pokey is what it is all about after all????

by FlyAway on Feb 1, 2010 4:18 PM MST up reply actions

I am little more bullish about '10 Myself

I think the Dodgers will be worse and we will be competing with SF for the division. I still think we would be better off moving Hawpe and get right handed hitting 1B/3B (I have no faith in Mora).

by Bobbagwell on Feb 1, 2010 1:44 PM MST reply actions

As a matter of interest, why SF?

It's my blog!

by biondino on Feb 1, 2010 2:20 PM MST up reply actions

Welcome to Purple Row

Mora is a solid backup who, until last year, was an above average 3B. He can play just about any position on the field and I haven’t heard anything bad about him in the clubhouse. While moving Hawpe is a good idea I do not think it will happen because the FO does not want to move him unless we get a good deal. Our team is almost completely set (ST aside) and I can’t wait to get going.

Welcome again.

JFK

by jrockies on Feb 1, 2010 6:36 PM MST up reply actions

Its hard to tell

SF has great pitching, LA has great hitting. In the MLB you never know, its such a long season. I do think the Rox will make a run at the west title, I do think Ubaldo will make a run at 20 wins and a cy young award and I do think Tulo will have a shot for MVP if he can manage to start off right (which he struggles to do). However, its just as easy for one of these guys to go down, or for something unforseen to happen and we could miss the playoffs entirely.

by Zachm219 on Feb 2, 2010 8:25 PM MST reply actions

The thing with SF and LA is while LA has great hitting, they also have good pitching. The Rockies have both pretty good pitching and hitting. SF has great pitching… but barely better than no hitting. That’s why I struggle to take SF seriously for the NL West title, and if they keep signing aging players with under .300 OBP, that won’t help!

I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.

Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.

by UZ on Feb 3, 2010 4:09 AM MST up reply actions

I think the Rockies have a very viable chance of snagging the NL West crown this season, all they need is some consistency. Hell, had the Rockies had been even 4 games better last season in the first half they would have an NL West title already!

And De La Rosa/Hammel formed a viable backend last year as well.

I’ll just restrain myself here… :)

I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.

Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.

by UZ on Feb 3, 2010 4:07 AM MST reply actions

probably for the best.

But yeah, we need to emerge from April at at least .500, and actually beat our division opponents a bit.

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Learn about Batting Metrics
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by Andrew Martin on Feb 4, 2010 4:59 PM MST up reply actions

We don't need to get off to a good start.

Take a look at the standings at the end of April last season. Five of the eight teams to make the playoffs were not in playoff spots at that point.

It would be nice to get off to good start but I’m not gonna be too worried if we don’t.

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 4, 2010 7:08 PM MST up reply actions

Maybe the "need" was referring to his sanity, not playoff chances :)

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Feb 4, 2010 7:51 PM MST up reply actions

But falling 12 games under .500 and making a huge second half comeback is so much more fun than leading wire to wire :-)

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 4, 2010 8:18 PM MST up reply actions

I kind of want to know what it feels like to dominate an entire season

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Feb 4, 2010 8:44 PM MST up reply actions

I think we're gonna find out soon.

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 4, 2010 8:51 PM MST up reply actions

I’m not too much of a fan of heart attacks though.

I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.

Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.

by UZ on Feb 5, 2010 12:30 AM MST up reply actions

Yeah

had we played .500 ball in April we’d have a division championship under our belt.

(ignoring causality involving Hurdle and Tracy.)

Purple Row: Take this personally
http://www.youtube.com/user/rockiesmagicnumber
Learn about Batting Metrics
Learn about Pitching Metrics

by Andrew Martin on Feb 5, 2010 9:00 AM MST up reply actions

We still got in though

For me as long as they get in, it doesn’t matters if it’s through the division or the Wild Card.

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 5, 2010 9:26 AM MST up reply actions

Which baseball team has the best 5 man rotation?

Personally, I think it’s the Giants followed by the Braves. Also, crazy prediction…the Rockies will placed at least in the top five out of 30 clubs with the best rotation.

There has been too much change at the top for many of these teams to repeat their performance in 2009.

Last but not least…do the Rockies ever lead MLB in the lowest ERA for a team?

Making facetious trade rumors since 2012AD

by lizardlad01 on Feb 5, 2010 1:42 PM MST reply actions

Depends on what criteria you use

If you use WAR, then the Rockies had the best rotation last year.

by controlled_slide on Feb 5, 2010 2:13 PM MST up reply actions

Ranking rotations by ERA is silly

Padres pitchers will always have a distinct advantage over Rockies pitchers (notice how terrible the Padres were, yet they were middle of the pack in ERA). Unless you include park factors, you aren’t comparing apples to apples.

The Rockies would have to have a really magical season to ever be tops in ERA, like – having four Ubaldo’s. Top 5 would even be difficult. Same for the Padres in HR leaders

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Feb 5, 2010 3:20 PM MST up reply actions

By the way, the stats you linked were for overall pitching staffs.

The Rockies actually had the 7th best ERA among MLB starting pitchers in 2009.

For the SABR heards, the 6th best FIP and 4th best xFIP. That even surprised me.

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Feb 5, 2010 3:23 PM MST up reply actions

FYI, Andrew...

you are still RMN to me :)

I think the stats that composes team ERAs are randomized enough to make park effects negligible over a whole season because of home-away, weather and line-up changes, making peripheral statistics redundant. (Insert foot into mouth here when you remember Coors pre-humidor.) Now I am thinking about the co-relation of team ERA in regards to the park effect.

Anyway, I want baseball to start up again. I can’t take this off season….!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to see Matzek throw. I want Friedrich to be in the Majors. Francis to pitch a shutout in his first game back. I want Barmes to be the the winning pitcher on record without throwing a pitch…ala Alan Embree.

Making facetious trade rumors since 2012AD

by lizardlad01 on Feb 5, 2010 3:51 PM MST up reply actions

Actually, he's PF to you.

The writer formerly known as Jabberwocky
READ and LEARN about the business of baseball at Purple Row Academy
Eschew Obfuscation!

by Jeff Aberle on Feb 5, 2010 4:59 PM MST up reply actions

Just remember, it rhymes with Jeff, which is also not RMN

Foxes are naughties

by crazedjohn on Feb 5, 2010 5:41 PM MST up reply actions

Actually, park effects do drastically affect things

They aren’t negligible. The biggest offensive park may add 9% more offense, while the lowest can take away up to 12%. If a pitcher has a 4.50 ERA in a neutral park, that a swing from 4.01 ERA in the pitcher’s park to 4.91 in the hitter’s park. That’s almost an entire run due solely to park effects for the pitcher’s home games. If you assume the pitchers have equal road environments, it’s still a swing of 0.45 in ERA.

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Feb 5, 2010 8:51 PM MST up reply actions

Keyword here is negligible...

The Rockies though have evidence of a strong rotation though whatever statistical method you use.

Anyway, here is to hopping that Ubaldo, Cook, Francis, Hammel & JDLR finish in the top 5 of voting for the Cy Young and hopefully a World Series ring in 2010.

Making facetious trade rumors since 2012AD

by lizardlad01 on Feb 5, 2010 10:57 PM MST up reply actions