After creating some buzz of late that the Rockies might attempt to acquire a starting pitcher, Troy Renck has backtracked a bit, intimating that the Rockies would try to upgrade second base, with Jamey Carroll and Orlando Cabrera. I'll throw Mark Ellis on the pile as well.
Before you convulse at those lack of "difference-makers" in that list, first recognize just how terrible the Rockies keystone situation is. Whereas third base was once a black hole of incredible ineptitude, Ty Wigginton's surge has stabilized the position. Second base....not so much.
The in house candidates of Jonathan Herrera, Eric Young Jr and Chris Nelson have stalled. Young appears to be out of the rotaton at second base already, Herrera is hitting .105 in June, and Nelson is on a 1-for-19 streak.
For now, the Rockies are going to play the "hot hand" at second. That might just mean playing Nelson at Coors Field and Herrera on the road. It is not a surprise that 16 of those 19 at-bats in Nelson's streak have come on the road. His hot streak completely coincided with the last homestand.
Nelson's home/road splits are hardly surprising for a young Rockies player. In fact, they tend to be the norm as hitters adjust to the different movement of pitches home and road. While it is definitely small sample size now, there is something legitimately driving the splits, and it will improve with time, as it did with Matt Holliday, and now a bit, with Carlos Gonzalez.
Whether it will be enough to make Nelson a viable starter at the position this year remains the question, and I am dubious. In the meantime, a home/road platoon of Nelson and Herrera might make the most sense. And oh-by-the-way, Nelson isn't the only fan favorite with scary home/road splits. Charlie Blackmon arrived a week later and has been doing the same dance, on hyperspeed.
Tulowitzki maintains narrow lead in All-Star voting | Inside the Colorado Rockies You only have until Thursday to vote for Tulo. He might not deserve the starting nod on 2011 statistics alone, but you can atone for all those snubs of years past by pushing Tulo through. That's how it works, right?
Rockies’ Tulowitzki: Don’t worry about Starlin Notice: Tulo is not only the go-to person for quotes by Rockies writers - he's the go-to person for quotes in the Rockies' organization period. Here, Tulo calms Cubs fans that Starlin Castro will indeed improve some.
Rockies minor-leaguer Wilson leaves to play football at Wisconsin - Denver Post The Rockies' 4th round pick in 2010 had just a .230/.336/.377 (107 OPS+) line in short season A-ball Tri City last year, and he wasn't any better in Asheville this year (.230/.364/.346 witha 97 OPS+). The former North Carolina St quarterback will go to Wisconsin to try to build up his NFL resume as a Badger. Wilson has been placed on the Rockies restricted list, meaning they maintain his baseball rights should he desire to return to the superior sport. Kevin Goldstein listed Wilson as the Rockies #17 overall prospect in January on the basis of exceptional, yet raw, tools.
Hurdle Instills a Winning Mindset - They love Clint Hurdle in Pittsburgh, as he is such a presence in the clubhouse. Remember that? Yeah...