Tuesday Rockpile: CHONE is back in town (not Figgins)

The 2010 CHONE Projections have been posted.  I recommend switching to wide view  to see the table.

In case you're curious what would happen if Colorado opened the season with Jeff Kindel, Rex Rundgren, Daniel Mayora and Darin Holcomb in the infield, their projections (among others) are in the link.  However, I filtered out the minor leaguers, and here are the projected main contributors for 2010.

Note CHONE tempers its expectations on Tulo and Cargo, which is typical for a projection system for young players. Exceeding those expectations would give the Rockies not only on-field success but offensive starpower the team lacked.

Should we be surprised few outside of Colorado expected the Rockies to make the playoffs down the stretch?  The Rockies won with depth, which just isn't sexy.  They are projected to have great depth again in 2010, with only Clint Barmes having a below average wOBA.  Their third "most valuable" hitter in 2009 came off the bench in a third of his games.  The 3-4 hitters combined for 15 HR in 2008.  The team's two All-Stars combined for just eight AB's in the playoffs.  Th top three hitters were only 15th in WAR in MLB, behind the Padres, Nats and Mariners as well as every playoff team/contender sans Atlanta and the Giants.  In addition to the team's history, is it any wonder the Rockies weren't viewed as legitimate?

The idea that Rockies pitching can be good has yet to truly sink in among casual fans, and Joe Fan/John Kruk don't have the time/desire to evaluate depths of teams.  They look for starpower, and admittedly, the Rockies were a little shy in that department last season.  Should we see a repeat performance from Cargo and Tulo in 2010, there may be some recognition of the mountain time zone, although truly, it was a joy to expect and then see the Rockies defy expectations down the stretch.

Links

The Rockies and Diamondbacks officially broke ground on their spring training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona yesterday.  It is set to be completed approximately 435 days from now, just in time for use for the 2011 season.

As linked in the Rockpile yesterday, Juan Morillo is headed to Japan.  Remember when Dan O'Dowd replaced him on the roster in April with some dude from Tampa Bay?  Good move.

Patrick Saunders opines that Dexter Fowler deserved better than eighth place in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.  I would disagree with his assessment that this is a "banner year for rookies," but I am a bit surprised he got no more love than Gerardo Parra or Everth Cabrera.

Fangraphs awarded their 2009 Carter-Batista Award, an award given to a player whose perceived value is most inflated by RBI.  The winner was rumored to be acquired by the Rockies before the season, while Bengie Molina tops the three-year leaderboard.

The Hardball Times compares Jonathan Sanchez and Clayton Kershaw, noting both electric young NL West southpaws have something else in common - traffic on the basepaths.  Who would you rather have on your team in 2010?  Troy Patterson's answer may surprise you.