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Eddie Butler to be called up to Rockies; Franklin Morales to bullpen - The Denver Post
Pitching prospect Eddie Butler, ranked among the top 25 prospects in baseball by most observers, will most likely get the call to the big leagues to make his major league debut on Friday night against the Dodgers. Butler will replace Franklin Morales, who moves to the bullpen in response to the news. No roster move has been announced. I'll have more on Butler's impending call-up later Wednesday.
Carlos Gonzalez talks about DL after another finger injury for Rockies
In a season that has been full of struggles, pain, and disappointment, Carlos Gonzalez may have hit his nadir Tuesday night after leaving the game in the sixth inning with a finger injury. From Nick Groke's article linked above, here's what CarGo had to say:
I try to stay in there, but it gets to the point where I can't grip a bat. It gets so big, I can't fit into a batting glove.
It certainly doesn't sound promising at this point for CarGo, who has also struggled with tendinitis in his knee all year. CarGo's quotes in Thomas Harding's article paint a similar picture:
"They've said [rest] might not help," Gonzalez said, who felt pain from the first pitch in his first at-bat. "I really don't know what to do right now at this point. It's just really hard. It's even harder for me to come out of the game over and over again."
The Rockies were counting on CarGo to be a star this year, but every indication he's shown in 2014 has pointed toward that not being the case. It's fortunate, therefore, that the team has assembled some good outfield depth this year -- including offensive dynamo Corey Dickerson.
Ken Rosenthal does not buy the Rockies as contenders this year. He doesn't just advocate trading the struggling, ailing CarGo: he also wants Colorado to shop Jhoulys Chacin. Chacin is a player Rosenthal believes is a non-tender candidate this offseason, which seems patently ridiculous to me considering he was a six-win player for Colorado last year.
The point I think Rosenthal is trying to make is that the Rockies aren't World Series contenders so they should trade away two of their best players for ... what? It's more than a little confusing to me.
Troy Tulowitzki leads voting for All-Star Game | MLB.com: News
Tulo leads all of baseball in All-Star votes so far, with an advantage of nearly a million votes over the next highest vote getter at shortstop. He'll be there. Nolan Arenado clings to a 25,000-vote advantage at third base over David Wright, but that will most likely erode due to his finger injury.
Charlie Blackmon is second in NL outfield voting, about 50,000 votes shy of Yasiel Puig and 60,000 ahead of Andrew McCutcheon. I don't think that Blackmon will hold on either unless his June more closely resembles his April. Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Gonzalez are 12th and 13th respectively in outfield voting to date. Meanwhile, Justin Morneau moved up to second place in first base voting, about 125,000 votes behind leader Adrian Gonzalez. Given the depth at first base in the NL, Morneau will probably be out of luck unless he's voted in.
MLB Rule 4 Draft
The time is nigh: the Rule 4 draft commences tomorrow night with the first two rounds, in which the Rockies will have four picks to find new players. Check out Purple Row's full draft coverage and join us on draft day!
Mock Draft: Brady Aiken remains No. 1 choice for Astros | MLB.com: News
This mock draft, from MLB.com's Jim Callis, has the Rockies taking University of Evansville left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland, a Denver native, with the eighth pick of the first round. Freeland profiles well for Coors Field and has the experience pitching at altitude that might serve him well.
A fan post from SB Nation' Minor League Ball offers statistical looks at a number of pitching prospects that the Rockies could be looking at for their first few picks Thursday. Freeland is given a major league comp of Mike Minor, a pitcher I would very much like to have throwing for the Rockies.
Rockies likely to draft a pitcher (or two) in first round Thursday - The Denver Post
Nick Groke writes about some of the options for Colorado's first pick tomorrow night.
Baseball Prospectus | The Lineup Card: 10 Draft Day What-Ifs
I'll give you three guesses as to which Rockies-related draft what-if is in the above link, and the first two don't count.
The Road to the Draft | FanGraphs Baseball
Tony Blengino of FanGraphs writes about how teams prepare for the Rule 4 draft -- particularly how they go about scouring the country every year for draftable talent. A highly recommended read.
And now, for something completely different...
Watch the most transcendent eephus pitch of the year - SBNation.com
It's truly mesmerizing.