Last night's fairly impressive victory over the Diamondbacks aside, the Rockies' big league club hasn't been a whole lot of fun to cover lately. So, we'll switch it up a little bit. With the trade deadline nearing, several pieces in the higher levels of the organization could be moved around, creating space for guys who are performing well in the lower levels to move up. Two such players are featured in today's Rockpile. Without further adieu...
MLB -- Paul Goldschmidt, Yonder Alonso and other prospects who can help soon - ESPN
I'm not so sure that I agree with Keith Law's assessment that all of these players are low-ceiling guys. I certainly call into question that moniker for Wilin Rosario, who made Law's list of prospects who are ready to contribute at the big league level. Considering the recent amount of interest among other teams for incumbent Rockies' backstop Chris Iannetta, we may be seeing Rosario sooner rather than later. Law's take on the young catcher:
The Rockies have never been able to live with what Chris Iannetta can't do (hit for average, control the running game) and focus on what he can (get on base, hit for some power), and they certainly seem to favor Rosario as their catcher of the future. Rosario does two things Iannetta doesn't: He has nailed 40 percent of opposing base-stealers as a pro, and his .256 average in Tulsa this year is his worst since 2007. And Rosario has at least average power right now, with 15 HRs in a half-season as a Double-A repeater. However, Rosario is rocking just a .300 OBP right now, and still has yet to play more than 73 games in a regular season due to injuries, so his long-term projection is pretty cloudy. For this year, I'd expect him to struggle to get on base enough to help the team, but given Jim Tracy's clear dislike for Iannetta's game, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Rosario in the majors.
Let's hope that, whenever his arrival comes, Rosario makes a better first impression on Tracy than Iannetta did. It seems like it's not just us; other people around baseball have noticed Tracy's disdain for CDI.
Moss: Cabrera's K's could be his ticket - The Denver Post
Edwar Cabrera, though not 27 years old as the article suggests (unless there's a birth certificate shenanigan on our hands), is still a tad bit old for his league, being a 23-year-old still in High-A. However, he has pitched lights-out and probably needs to be moved up the ladder immediately. Not only does he execute the organizational philosophy of inducing groundballs regularly (1.6 GO/AO ratio in the Cal League), but he also strikes out batters at an insane right and generally keeps the ball in the strike zone. In 118.1 innings pitched, he has punched out 149 batters and walked just 27 during his time in Asheville and Modesto. On the flip side, his propensity for keeping the ball in the zone has resulted in some pretty hefty HR numbers; he allowed 10 in just 86 innings at Asheville, but has settled down a bit in Modesto, with three round-trippers allowed in 32.1 frames.
Other teams have been calling about Cabrera, according to Rockies director of player development Marc Gustafson. If something is indeed in the works (which, combined with the information above, would suggest the Rockies are buyers AND sellers at the deadline), I'm sure many other clubs wouldn't mind bolstering their depth with a guy like Cabrera, who is probably rising on prospect boards throughout the game.
More to come...