:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/31362771/483299119.0.jpg)
Links and notes for you in advance of today's day game...
Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki starts despite "slight pull" of quadriceps - The Denver Post
Patrick Saunders provides a little color around the news that made everybody more than a little nervous last night that Tulo has a slight pull of his quadriceps. It's definitely a situation that Rockies fans everywhere will be monitoring closely over the next few days. Despite the injury, Tulo played last night, going 1-3 with two RBI.
Chatwood aces rehab start, appears ready to return | Rockies.com: News
Per Thomas Harding, Rockies right-handed pitcher Tyler Chatwood dominated in an injury rehab start for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday night, and should be on schedule to return to the starting rotation against the Giants on Sunday. The question at this point becomes who Chatwood will replace on the roster, something I'll touch on a little later this morning. Harding's article also contains some good information on the Tulo quad situation, CarGo's day off, a clubhouse recognition board, and Trevor Story's cycle in High A Modesto.
The Toolsiest Player of Them All | FiveThirtyEight
Jeff Sullivan of SB Nation and FanGraphs fame writes for Five Thirty Eight that there are only four players in MLB that are true "five tool" players - and that the Rockies have two of those players in Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. He defines a five tool player as someone who has can hit for average, hit for power, field, throw, and run at a level that is greater than one standard deviation above the major league average. You can read more about his methodology in the article, but it's very nice to see the elite talent of Tulo and CarGo recognized by a national writer.
Around the league
How the Best Pitching Tools Translate to the Majors | FanGraphs Baseball
Speaking of measuring players by their tools, Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs looks at how successful certain prospects have been who have been rated as having superlative individual pitches. His analysis includes several Rockies farmhands, including Ubaldo Jimenez, Jeff Francis, and Juan Morillo. This is germane to Jon Gray, who has been rated by some to have both the best fastball and the best slider in the minors.
The U.S. through presidential first pitches - SBNation.com
Steven Goldman at the mothership writes about how Presidential first pitches revealed the personality of the chief executive and the problems the nation was facing at the given moment. In this installment, he looks at 1910-1945.
The case for Jose Fernandez - Beyond the Box Score
Just 21, Jose Fernandez is carving up major league lineups like a young Doc Gooden. Is the Marlins hurler the best pitcher in baseball? Given the results of his last 20 or so starts, it's not absolutely crazy.