One of the Rockies most glaring holes this season has been a legitimately potent offensive threat off the bench. It's starting to appear that Jeff Baker might have an inside track for filling that position, and yesterday's heroics helped show why. From today's Tracy Ringolsby column in the Rocky Mountain News:
The Rox are looking at Baker as someone who can fill in at all four corners and as Rox Fan in Ny pointed out over the weekend, possibly be a right handed platoon to the struggling Brad Hawpe. This will be one of the positions we'll probably focus on in greater detail here over the offseason, although it's looking like the best and most cost efficient solution (as with center-field in my opinion) might be already in house.
If Baker does prove worthy, that should make four in-house answers to four of the 2006 team's biggest weaknesses. Besides the offensive bench threat, needs at catcher, short and possibly center will have been addressed. There's still a big question about the back end of the rotation, though, and as of right now I think that should be the team's biggest priority for the offseason.