Rockies, Matt Belisle Agree To Two-Year Deal: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
The Rockies have continued with their efforts to lock up key players, as they've now signed reliever Matt Belisle to a two year deal - worth in excess of $6 million. The deal will buy out one year of free agency. Belisle was absolutely nothing short of an elite-level pitcher in 2010, unintentionally walking just 11 batters while punching out 91 and shouldering a heavy workload.
According to FanGraphs, Belisle's 2.2 WAR made him worth almost $9 million last season. So, the Rox are obviously getting a huge bargain if Belisle can even come close to repeating his 2010 performance for the next couple of seasons. Be sure to check out our review on Belisle's season, courtesy of Andrew T. Fisher.
All systems go for Gomez…for now | Inside the Colorado Rockies
ITR's Jack Etkin has a nice piece about Rockies' prospect Hector Gomez. According to Marc Gustafson, Gomez is 100% healthy and is able to do things on the field that he hasn't been able to do in a while, such as diving for batted balls on defense and and swinging the bat well. The Rockies want Hector to prove he can play a full, healthy season - after which they'll consider him for a position change, as the young shortstop is currently blocked by some dude named Tulo.
More links after the jump...
Caution on mound first rule of spring - The Denver Post
The Rockies have changed their philosophy a bit this season on early-Spring Training workouts for pitchers, as Jim Tracy and Bob Apodaca have elected to start very slowly in getting pitchers ready for the season. Tracy's certainly doing his part:
"I didn't spend any time over in the bullpen area. Not because of veteran guys, but because of the kids. I didn't want to be walking through there and have a young kid see me and say, 'Hey, here's my opportunity to make a statement for myself.' Then, the next thing you know, (trainer Keith Dugger) comes in here to tell me about the kid who has a little tightness in his shoulder."
Rockies' Jose Lopez getting his mojo back - The Denver Post
Jim Armstrong profiles Rockies' infielder Jose Lopez, who is looking to bounce back from an all-around bad season. Lopez thought he would be going to Denver a few months before he actually did, but the would-be deadline deal fell through. However, it certainly sounds as if he's happy to have finally arrived in the Mile High City.
Ryan Spilborghs arrives (Twitter / @TroyRenck)
Minutes ago, Troy Renck tweeted that Ryan Spilborghs has arrived at Spring Training - the father of a brand new baby boy. Congrats to Ryan and his family.