Sunday Rockpile: Random thoughts about the Rockies offense...

Rockies show some signs of breaking offensive slump - The Denver Post - Uhm, yeah.., something tells me those signs don't include the 20+ strikeouts the team has racked up in the last two days. Let me just repeat something important because with our pitching being so good it's easy to forget: Coors Field is still a hitters park. Signs of breaking out of the offensive slump are going to have to be much stronger than what we've seen so far. 

Rockies fall to Angels after allowing first-inning grand slam - The Denver Post - And this would be an example of the lack of offense. I know we're all on board with the Miguel Olivo for the ASG campaign for his great first couple of months, but he has been slumping (.182/.182/.364) pretty badly over the last couple of weeks, while Chris Iannetta (.167/.412/.500) appears to be heating up.  This is where two quality catchers could come in handy, and I think seeing more of Iannetta until Olivo breaks out of his slump could do us some good. Jim Tracy actually seems somewhat aware of this already, as Iannetta has been getting more PA's over the last week or so. 

Renck: Rockies must beat the "bad" teams - The Denver Post - It's a very good point, but good luck finding one on the schedule for the next month.

Rockies' Mora provides versatility - The Denver Post - Alright, I'm just going to let this one be. Sure, Mora's versatile. And let's just keep on trying to prove it by playing him where he doesn't belong. Just go ahead, have it your way. I'm done.

Herrera's single extends his hitting streak to eight games - The Denver Post - Let me just be very clear to everybody, who's trying to make the comparison Jonathan Herrera is a lot closer to Willy Taveras offensively than he is to Juan Pierre, and while he has neither of their abilities to steal a base, but he's better for us than both Pierre and Taveras on the defensive side of the ball. I'm definitely not complaining about this nice stretch and I'd love for it to continue, but as was the case with Taveras, I know it's too good to be true. Let's not anoint Herrera the new 2B and leadoff hitter, please.

Links about Kyle Parker, MC Hammer, and the Rockies wisely ending a war vs new mothers before it began after the bump: 

Rockies' Fans In Omaha Want Parker To Sign wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, Weather and Sports | - Rockies first round draft pick Kyle Parker met some of our fans while in Omaha who encouraged him to make the right decision and join the organization. Parker's Clemson team was eliminated from the CWS by in state rival South Carolina yesterday, but as the first linked article indicates, it seems that Parker has backed away from his earlier "make a quick decision" to not leave his football teammates hanging stance. I think this is a negotiating tactic, and as was the case with Tyler Matzek last season, well within the player's rights to try and maximize their signing bonus. We'll see how this works out, but I'm still very confident that Parker will ultimately sign.

 

U can't touch the Reds, MC Hammer to perform before game - Daily Pitch - USATODAY.com - I haven't checked the schedule yet, but this would be awesome if that night coincided with Stop, Hammel-time. Either way, I'll try and find some sparkly purple parachute pants to wear to the game that night.

Breastfeeding mea culpa from Colorado Rockies - Denver News - The Latest Word - The Rockies avoided a nurse-in after apologizing to a breastfeeding mom for an incident of poor customer relations earlier in the season.

I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to comment in the Pebble Report, but the Rockies had two catching prospects, Michael McKenry and Wilin Rosario with two HR nights yesterday. For Rosario, it was his tenth HR of the season already (50 games) as a 21 year old. In the Texas League, it's very rare to see this kind of power that young, for instance Troy Tulowitzki had only 13 in 104 games in 2006, Ian Stewart had ten that same year, both at the same age that Rosario is now. It's looking a lot more like Rosario's going to be a 25+ HR threat over a full MLB season, which is obviously outstanding for a good defensive catcher. His K rate has also declined against the more advanced AA pitching, showing he's progressing pretty fast in the right direction as far as his contact ability is concerned.