General observations over the year.

1.  Offensively:

a.  OBP from leadoff.  This year has been really bad.  Lineup needs table setters with good OBP guys in 1 and 2 slots with good speed.  This year it did not happen.

b.  Too many Ks.  This lineup has struck out way too much this year.  There needs to be plate discipline and an aproach beyond swing at everything.  Too often these guys are behind in counts and having to hit pitcher counts is a recipe for failure.

c.  Too much pull hitting focus.  The Rocks have been way too focused on driving balls and pulling balls this year.  So few actually have a solid approach.  It is time to get back to basics.  Opposite field hits are hits too.

d.  Get more men on base.  More walk, more baserunners = more runs.  Run production plummeted this year.  When you have fewer chances you score fewer runs.

2.  Defense

a.  Pitching.  The bottom end of the rotation has lacked depth for several years now.  They need to focus the attantion on getting some production there via some quality arms and stop the retreads.

b.  Strikes.  Too many walks this year and too many deep counts.  Need to focus on getting ahead early next year.  Opponents offense capabilities rapidily diminish when behind in the count.

c.  Bullpen.  Need to get a couple of lefty arms down there and do more switch offs late in the game.  The Rocks used to do this regularly but went away from it this year for whatever reason. 

Overall Approach

a.  Too much love for some minor league prospects can lead to a paralyzed approach.  You build your system for two reasons.  1.  To replenish at the MLB level and 2.  To create trade bait to fill your existing gaps.  The wisdom and foresight needs to be there to evaluate properly the stars from the journeymen from the hangers on.  This needs to be made at the AA and AAA level (I myself was a casualty of this).  There are several positions of depth in the organization, corner OF, 2B, 3B, 1B and the depth must be used to fill pitching gaps.  Koshansky, Nix, Q, Smith, all these guys need to be showcased over the next two weeks to drive market value to others.

b.  An alarming recent activity. It appears that the players have tuned out management post Renck article.  Their approaches have been horrendous in the last week and it appears they have nearly quit.  They need to look long and hard at their culture and perhaps enject a hard nosed skipper into the equation.

c.  Use the recipe that works.  They Rockies have had success in past.  The keys were speed at the top, solid bullpens, productive bats in the middle and solid defense.  This needs to be the focus moving forward. Who fits there is up to management.  Don't be afraid to chase ingredients (and the prerequisite $$) at the expense of minor league prospects.

d.  Insert team first.  Too many tried to do too much and as a result everybody failed.  Team approaches need to come first.  Do not look for the homer at all times when behind, string together hits, and always focus on picking up each other.  This was lost in 2008.  It needs to be re-focused moving forward.  Hit behind runners, hit and run, take the extra base, make the play, etc.

e.  Avoid risk aversion attitudes.  Those that stay there tend to never see the ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admit and will gladly feast crow.  Glad to see the team come of age down the stretch.  I have slammed Hurdle and O'Dowd for years but their formula has began to pay dividends.

My only request is no Ortiz and Julio on the postseason roster and a strong vote for Seth Smith to be on the 25 man.

Here is my take on the 25 man roster:

Pitchers:

Francis
Fogg
Morales
Jimenez
Bucholz
Herges
Hawkins
Fuentes
Corpas
Speier
Affeldt (over Morillo)

Catchers:

Ianetta
Torrelaba

Infielders:

Helton
Matsui
Tulo
Atkins
Carroll
Baker

Outfielders:

Holliday
Spillborghs
Sullivan
Hawpe
Smith
Taveras

as this year is basically running out.  

Things accomplished in 2007:

1. Stayed in race until mid Sept.
2 Added some young arms.

3. Solidified defense
   
4. Began to realize who needs to stay and who needs to go both starters and bench personnel.
   
5.  Emerged with a never quit mentality and winning attitude after years of losing is OK.

Things for future pondering:

1.  Mental toughness increase.  This team needs a Don Baylor/Paul O'Neill/Dusty Baker veteran type former champion in the clubhouse.  This could help when the 1-9 road trips start to happen or the losses to SF on the road.  The Rockies play well against good teams but this season fell out of reach losing 3-4 to the Pirates at home, failing to beat the Giants at better than a 500 clip, etc.
2.  Center Field Needs a better solution:

Willy has been injury prone, suspect defensively, and unrealible day to day.  That is a problem.  They have been able to fill the gaps with Spilly and Sullivan but I would love to see a guy like Aaron Rowland out there.  A winner, a tough guy, a great defensive player with a big stick.  He would cost $10-12M a year but he is an Edmunds type and relatively young entering his prime.

3. Look for an innings eater somewhere.

Need more innings from the starters.  Need a Pedro Astacio type to eat innings and save the bullpen.  The late season collapse of the pen is simply too many 4-5 innning nights all the time.  Need a low end guy who can give up 3-5 runs and get you to at least the sixth or seventh every night out.  They ran out of pitching seeking the internal organization solutions.  

4.  Welcome to the Monfort O'Dowd Postseason Cheap Report. (Should be the FSN annoucement after the Rockies are eliminated officially from contention).

The interesting que this post season for players that may be looking long term here will be if the Rocks spend money in some fashion. Will it be a Kaz for Stewart, Stewart for Atkins salary dump type offseason or will it be adding some payroll and quality (as described above)to make this team a championship level contender.  I have never respected the Monfort's and most media in this town do not either.  They seem to make every move on the cheap.  Will they show commitment to winning?  

The Matsui resigning is tied to Willy's future, Atkins, Helton, Stewart, all of them.  Maybe Stewart needs a season of spot starting bench work before making this decision.  His at bats lately have been pretty woeful but he has not gotten enough of them.  Not sure if he is  ready to be just handed the 3rd base job after a so so Springs defensive performance and an incumbant who has knocked in 300 runs and hit 290-310 for three years running with 25 plus homers. Helton will now never be moved so this whole Stewart, Kaz, Atkins triangle is something to look forward during the Stove league.  Can Stewart play 2nd?  

Do you trade some offense for pitching?   (Atkins or Hawpe).  Since you are fearful of losing Holliday after next year (big payday coming there), do you trade him ala Jennings to a Red Sox/Yankees for multiple players and pitching help.

5. Catching Position:  

Rocks have some serious production issues.  Iannetta although hitting better upon his return is still a question.  Yorvit wears down after 90-100 games.  Need to come up with a workable platoon next year to keep both sharp and possibly bring in someone who can play there on an emergency basis to give you some options in late innings. We have had many rallies killed by a DP from the eight spot this year.  Then the pitcher leads off the next inning.  

Overall there are not as many holes as in the past.  The big issue this off-season is will the Rocks stay put or try to take the next step.  Time will tell.  The past two years they have done very little in season to upgrade the team (other than dispose of their own garbage).  Where will they go now and from here?

Last night highlighted the never-ending saga of the Clint Hurdle tenure.  His decision to remove Francis was one for the ages.  One has to question the reasoning.  Lifting Francis after two batters and one out in the eight and allowing him to hit with two runners on in the bottom of the seventh defies explanation.  If he was going to lift him in the eight, why hit him in the seventh with a potential game breaking situation at the plate.  The potential to send up Hawpe and orchestrate a double switch was in order.  As it was it played out in the worst case scenario.

This shows in my mind an inability or gut feeling regarding certain game nuances.  I would have thought that given only 79 pitches (the number on the Coors Field pitch tracker) and a shutout he would have allowed Francis to face at least the on deck righthanded hitting Grudz.  

The next few days may see the end of the Hurdle era.  It was pretty ugly in the stands last night following the debacle.

Sure Hurdle stepped up and faced the music as he always does.  The question remains is to how long will Rockies management accept his apologies.  The man has a very losing record as a manager.  Was a bust as a player.  He has shown no inclination or flashes or brillance as a manager.

Joe Girardi looms as a strong candidate.  Given the situation in NY and the potential for an implosion there any day, how long will Rockies management wait to make a move?  Or do they have no interest in Girardi given his management struggles last year in Florida?

Girardi has proven he can produce maximum results with minimum talent.  He would seem tailor-made for the Rockies situation.

Was last night the straw that broke the camels back?  Or yet another bad decision, by a bad organization that seems to accept losing and poor performance as the rule rather than the exception.

Is this a watershed moment or just another day at the office for an organization that cannot produce results?