Editor's Note: The following post is a part of the 2013 Purple Row Writer Search -- our quest to find some great new contributors to Purple Row.

Faith is a loaded word. Recently, in a comment related to the lack of player movement this off season, and after the dismal 2012 season, the Rockies general manager, Dan O'Dowd, indicated that he had "faith" in his roster. Looking at the many definitions of faith in the dictionary I am struck by this one definition, "firm belief in something for which there is no proof." It is honorable that our general manager has faith in the players he drafts and in the team he fields. It is another thing to put blind trust into something because you think your underlying belief leads to a better ball club.

The Colorado Rockies have a strong religious undertone. It has been well documented (here, here, here) that the team places religion at the forefront in deciding how the major league roster is constructed. Having a foundation of morally astute ball players is a fine way to construct a ballclub. With today's athletes in the news for felonies, misdeamors, and drug problems, it is a relief not to see our Rockies in the newspaper for the wrong reasons. This belief then must start in the front office. In the linked articles, it starts at the top with the Monforts. While this post is not meant to denigrate anyone's belief, I do have issue with a baseball team believing that "God" will make them successful. First off, I love my Rockies, but I honestly hope "God" has better things to do then steer a baseball team to success. Additionally, to place faith in this "God" to make your team more successful over opposing teams is both pompous and disingenuous.

As a sport's fan I continuously cringe when player's put forth their talents and wins as a direct result of God's blessing. I would hope God would bless all the player's on the field, not just the one who hit the homer or scored the winning touchdown. Religious fervor on the playing field should be an athlete's personal matter and not thrust upon the fans. This should then carry over to any organization. The fact that Rockies field a "Faith Day" each year (doing so twice in 2013) should indicate the level of hypocrisy the team wishes to display.

I, for one, would hope that instead of having "faith," the Rockies would take a more scientific approach to fielding a ball club. This winter's quiet off season should concern many Rockies's faithful. In November 2012, Rockies traded an effective left handed reliever, Matt Reynolds, to a team within their own division, the Diamondbacks. They then traded a key component of the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, Alex White, to the Astros for a potential injured reliever in Wilton Lopez. In addition, they brought back head case Manuel Corpas and signed a couple of scrap heap starting pitchers in Batista and Volstad. Finally, this past weekend, they brought in Yorvit Torrealba even though they already have three catcher's on the MLB roster in Rosario, Hernandez, and Pacheco. With moves like these, one has to wonder why Colorado fans have so much "faith" in this organization.

When we look back at the 2012 season, we can only have "faith" that the 49 different players the Rockies trotted out onto the field last year will have grown and matured during the off season. Specifically - Josh Rutledge, Christian Friedrich, and Rob Scahill, who will be entering their Sophomore seasons. In addition, some players will be taking to their third season including Rex Brothers, Jordan Pacheco, Wilin Rosario, Juan Nicasio, Drew Pomeranz, and Adam Ottavino. The Rockies 25 man roster will have 9 players that Dan O'Dowd is staking his "faith" on that they will improve. For a team with only 64 wins last year, O'Dowd's "faith" is enormous. The table below shows, historically, the jump player's make from their freshmen year (at least 90 at bats or 35 innings) to their second season in WAR values. Note: Some data below is taken from player's second season to their third season if their first season did not meet the defined criteria.

Based on the above analysis, science would suggest reliance on sophomores is not an effective plan to get better. The jump in contribution averages 0.5 for non pitchers and 0.1 for pitchers. Fundamentally, the Rockies should be better, assuming the injured Tulo comes back and Cuddyer and Helton can scrape together decent seasons. If O'Dowd "faith" in his team works, baseball experts suggest the Rockies will still only finish with approximately 68 wins (two early predictions have 66 and 71 wins). At this point it would appear his "faith" and the Rockies reliance on such a "faith" management style might have it limits. This Rockies fan is tired of the same tried and true excuses. The organization's inability to understand the market and how to win is tiresome. I applaud the Rockies for wanting a team with integrity but when will Rockies fan's "faith" finally send a message that we want a winner too.

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