A couple of former Rockies (as well as former Padres) are either moved or are on the move, as Jorge Cantu signed a minor league deal with the Angels yesterday, and it looks like Brad Hawpe could be doing the same with the Rangers. While Cantu didn't actually play for the Rockies (only in Colorado Springs), Hawpe was obviously a key cog in two playoff teams and was one of the rare sluggers in the history of the franchise that did not have severe home/road splits. During Hawpe's tenure in Colorado, he posted four straight seasons (2006-09) of an OPS+ north of 100, peaking at 130 in 2007. In 2006, his OPS was 144 points HIGHER on the road. While he was better at home for the remainder of his time with the Rockies, he still never OPS'd below .800 away from Coors Field.
Obviously, we wish Hawpe the best of luck with the Rangers (although I'm still peeved about that homer that he blasted off of Huston Street last season at Coors Field). He could find himself playing a larger role than planned if Mitch Moreland's wrist does not heal as expected.
ESPN - OTL: Strength from Weakness - E-Ticket
Steve Wulf wrote a brilliant piece (which was also in the most recent edition of ESPN: The Magazine) on former Rockies top prospect Ben Petrick and his battle with Parkinson's disease. Truly a great read. Whenever I come across Petrick's story, I am reminded that I shouldn't be so quick to judge when athletes seemingly fail at the highest level. There is almost always something happening that we don't know about - maybe not as extreme as was the case with Petrick, but still...
Thomas Harding put up a feature piece on 22-year-old Tyler Chatwood, who pitched to an 80 ERA+ for the Angels last season. Chatwood is obviously very, very green and was likely thrust into a big league role well before he was ready. However, the walks have to be remedied. They just do. Otherwise, there's simply no way he'll make it - in Denver or in Colorado Springs.