Purple Row Awards: Best Rockies Performance of the Year

by Russ Oates on Oct 11, 2010 11:00 AM MDT in Purple Row Awards

During the last week of the season, seven of us conducted our voting for various team- and league-wide awards here on Purple Row. This week we will unveil our Rockies awards, starting today with Best Performance of the Year (Defensive Player of the Year Award later today).

This year's winner for Performance of the Year is Ubaldo Jimenez and his no-hitter thrown on 17 April 2010. Here's what Jeff wrote that night on Jimenez's no-hitter:

Ubaldo Jimenez is obviously a member of a superior alien race come to dominate the baseball galaxy. I for one welcome our new overlords.

Jimenez shut down the Atlanta Braves on a windy Saturday night, striking out seven and walking six (all in the first five innings). And oh yeah, no hits allowed. Only the first time that's happened in Rockies history (or by a pitcher with a name starting with U). No big deal or anything. Jimenez went to the stretch for all hitters after the fifth inning and retired every hitter he faced thereafter, throwing a career high 128 pitches in all. And he was throwing 98 on those last few pitches. Ubaldo may be a freak of nature, but he's our freak of nature.

Jimenez entered the national scene that night and became the darling of pitchers for the next few weeks. Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay upstaged him in May by throwing perfect games (and well, Halladay threw that no-hitter in the playoffs recently). Still, the media kept asking how Ubaldo would finish the season. Will he challenge 30 wins? How long can he keep an ERA under one? We know how all that ended. While Jimenez didn't quite reach such lofty heights at the end of the season, he certainly pitched the Rockies away from that exclusive NL club that that Mets and Padres are part of: teams without no-hitters.

Full results after the jump.

Here are the voting results:

Russ	Jeff	Fish	A-Mart	Bryan	Silverblood	WM
No-hitter	No-hitter	No-hitter	No-hitter	No-hitter	No-hitter	No-hitter
CarGo Cycle	CarGo cycle	CarGo Cycle	CarGo Cycle	CarGo Cycle	CarGo Cycle	9-run ninth
9-run ninth	Tulo's 7 RBI	9-run ninth	Tulo 9/25	Smith W/O 9th	9-run ninth	CarGo Cycle

The final tally:

No-hitter	21
CarGo cycle	13
9-run 9th	5
Tulo 7 RBI	1
Tulo 9/25	1
Smith W/O Cards	1

This is the first of three awards we unanimously agreed upon for first place. Greg thought the nine-run ninth eclipsed Carlos Gonzalez's cycle, breaking the unanimity for second place. Troy Tulowitzki received a smattering of support for his efforts.

For more on the Rockies' top performances this past season, you can always read my SB Nation Denver article if you haven't already.

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Comments

I thought that "Smith W/O Cards" is the same as the "9-run 9th"

http://twitter.com/blakebomber

by BlakeBomber on Oct 11, 2010 12:30 PM MDT reply actions

Whoops,

must’ve been confused.

"No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great—Duty First" - 1st Infantry Division Motto

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!
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by Russ Oates on Oct 11, 2010 12:40 PM MDT up reply actions

Not necessarily

Andrew and I mentioned on the podcast when discussing the results that the Smith walkoff, while PART of the 9th inning comeback, can be interpreted as a separate performance/play.

PROJECT LIBRA: Depth / Transactions
"The highest form of human excellence is to question oneself and others." - Socrates

by Greg Stanwood on Oct 11, 2010 12:54 PM MDT up reply actions

Well, then

I need clarification from Bryan.

"No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great—Duty First" - 1st Infantry Division Motto

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!
SB Nation Denver - The regional hub for Denver sports!
Diplomatic and Military History Book Review - My other blog where I go all historical on you.

by Russ Oates on Oct 11, 2010 12:59 PM MDT up reply actions

I'm assuming he voted for the 9 run 9th but was confused about what you were asking for.

I thought it was for individual performance, not team performance. Otherwise I’d have the 9 run 9th, 9 run comeback, and 13 straight hits in consideration.

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

by Jeff Aberle on Oct 11, 2010 1:37 PM MDT up reply actions

Yeah,

I failed to make that distinction.

If there was a separate game of the year award, would that have changed the voting much?

"No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great—Duty First" - 1st Infantry Division Motto

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!
SB Nation Denver - The regional hub for Denver sports!
Diplomatic and Military History Book Review - My other blog where I go all historical on you.

by Russ Oates on Oct 11, 2010 1:47 PM MDT up reply actions

No, not really.

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

by Jeff Aberle on Oct 11, 2010 3:56 PM MDT up reply actions

It really should be,

but it’s my fault for not putting it that way during the voting.

Just an average guy with exceptional hair. Nothing more, nothing less.
Bear Naked - My thoughts on sports, music, and life.

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Oct 11, 2010 2:14 PM MDT up reply actions

No Rox Girl vote?

This only fuels the theory that RoxGirl and Russ are the same person

2010 Colorado Zombies--It ain't over til it's over, or Tulo stabs homeplate with the shards of a broken season.

Brad Hawpe - Thanks Brad, you were a class act.Good luck with the Rays!
QPU #4, YHEG #4, Proud Member PR Gynocracy

by SDcat09 on Oct 11, 2010 12:53 PM MDT reply actions

she abstained from voting last season as well

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

by Andrew T. Fisher on Oct 11, 2010 1:04 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions

mmm hmmm :)

2010 Colorado Zombies--It ain't over til it's over, or Tulo stabs homeplate with the shards of a broken season.

Brad Hawpe - Thanks Brad, you were a class act.Good luck with the Rays!
QPU #4, YHEG #4, Proud Member PR Gynocracy

by SDcat09 on Oct 11, 2010 1:06 PM MDT up reply actions

She's a practicer of abstinence.

@charliedrysdale

by Charlie77 on Oct 11, 2010 6:38 PM MDT up reply actions

When

I was my Rox Girl persona I was too busy reading the latest issue of Ladies’ Home Journal to send in a ballot.

"No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great—Duty First" - 1st Infantry Division Motto

Purple Row - Covering all your Rockies needs!
SB Nation Denver - The regional hub for Denver sports!
Diplomatic and Military History Book Review - My other blog where I go all historical on you.

by Russ Oates on Oct 11, 2010 1:08 PM MDT up reply actions

I'll bet you voted in their recipe contest, though

Rux Girl has prioritization issues…

We're trying to win a (#)(*@$%#)@#&$#)^ argument here!!!!

Bazinga!!

SD Cat 09 is still awesome

by Junction Rox on Oct 11, 2010 2:04 PM MDT up reply actions

In honor of Ubaldo's achievement..

Here are some of my favorite Ubaldo pics this season:

The leader.

The handshake of god.

He got a little ‘distracted’ at the end of the season.

@charliedrysdale

by Charlie77 on Oct 11, 2010 6:37 PM MDT reply actions

If we're including team performances like the 9 run 9th

in this performance of the year voting then I think it should be #1. Nine runs in the bottom of the 9th to win a game is much, much, rarer than a no hitter. (It only happened twice before in baseball history and is something we may never see again in our lives)

The individual vs. team performance issue with this voting makes it tricky but I think 13 straight batters reaching in the Cubs game should get some attention as well if team performanves are allowed.

Yankee Haters Encouragement Group Member #1

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 11, 2010 9:47 PM MDT reply actions

Maybe much rarer in the context of the history of baseball,

but who honestly thought the Rockies would have a pitcher throw a no-hitter anytime soon? Not me, that’s for sure, and I’ve been an avid follower of this team since its inception.

Just an average guy with exceptional hair. Nothing more, nothing less.
Bear Naked - My thoughts on sports, music, and life.

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Oct 12, 2010 6:55 AM MDT up reply actions

Obviously nobody goes into a season (much less a game)

thinking there is going to be a no hitter. The issue I have here is that I think scoring nine runs to win a game in the 9th is a better performance than a no hitter. I’d be willing to bet you or anyone else here that we see another no hitter thrown by a Rockie before we see any team come back and score nine or more runs in to 9th to win a game.

Yankee Haters Encouragement Group Member #1

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Oct 12, 2010 9:27 AM MDT up reply actions