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I'm fully aware that baseball can't entirely be judged on statistics. That's why, as I've mentioned many times, I fall somewhere in the middle of the seemingly endless -- and certainly intolerable -- sabermetrics debate. While statistical analysis does work pretty well when evaluating regular-season performance, it's probably not the best way to figure out how players are doing in spring training.
But, I'm going to do that anyway, since I've had the opportunity to watch only one Rockies game (thanks, MLB/MLB.tv/Rockies/whoever else is responsible!) and haven't been able to get a good grasp on how the players actually look.
There are a few positional battles that still need to be settled in Scottsdale -- namely, the fifth starter, second base and center field spots. There are also decisions to be made in the bullpen and at some of the backup spots. Here's a look at how those candidates have performed thus far, purely from a statistical standpoint:
No. 5 starter
*To me, it was pretty overblown to say that this was actually going to be a competition entering the spring, as it seemed unlikely that anyone but Juan Nicasio would end up in this spot. However, with the injury to Jhoulys Chacin and somewhat disturbing lack of news on that front as of late, this has become a legitimate battle.
| IP | ER | H | BB | K | |
| Christian Friedrich | 3⅔ | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Jordan Lyles | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Franklin Morales | 7⅓ | 3 | 9 | 2 | 9 |
| Juan Nicasio | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Second base
*This has become less of a battle after Josh Rutledge missed the first week of action with an injury. But still ...
| PA | AB | H | XBH | HR | BB | K | |
| DJ LeMahieu | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Josh Rutledge | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Center field
| PA | AB | H | XBH | HR | BB | K | |
| Charlie Blackmon | 23 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Corey Dickerson | 23 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Drew Stubbs | 16 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Bullpen
*Boone Logan's status has a lot to do with how many of these guys will wind up making the Opening Day roster, as well as a reason for why I included a couple of these guys.
| IP | ER | H | BB | K | |
| Chad Bettis | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Tommy Kahnle | 3⅓ | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Chris Martin | 3⅓ | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Nick Masset | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Tyler Matzek | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Rob Scahill | 3⅔ | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Bench
*There could be two or three spots available, depending on how many outfielders the Rockies decide to carry. It's arguable that Jackson Williams could be included on this list due to Jordan Pacheco's health issues, but I've left him off in favor of Matt McBride for now.
| PA | AB | H | XBH | HR | BB | K | |
| Brandon Barnes | 22 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Charlie Culberson | 22 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Paul Janish | 20 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Matt McBride | 20 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Michael McKenry | 11 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jordan Pacheco | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Wheeler | 23 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
This, of course, doesn't include defense for the position players or velocity and pitch repertoire for the pitchers, but it at least provides a snapshot of which players are where in each of these battles.
What do you think? Who has the upper hand in each category so far?