Colorado Rockies infield nickname contest generates big league buzz

When our Drew Creasman ran a poll earlier this week to figure out a nickname for the Colorado Rockies' defensively stellar infield, we had no idea the end result would be an on-air debate during a Rockies game and an official poll conducted by the Rockies' Twitter account.

The poll, which had finalists such as Coors Shield (the eventual winner in both our poll and the Rockies' poll) and Leather Daddies, became arguably the most talked-about Rockies subject of all. That wasn't an easy accomplishment given the Rockies' on-field success, which includes a pair of road sweeps, in the early part of the season.

Drew joined 850 KOA yesterday in one of his several radio spots to talk about the silly thing that spiraled out of control. You can listen to the interview here:

Sincere thanks to everyone who voted, tweeted, linked, etc. We do this sort of stuff for your enjoyment, and we are happy to see that this particular endeavor resulted in just that.

Links

Baseball Prospectus | Going Yard: Quick Hits: Forrest Wall
Ryan Parker breaks down Wall's swing, calling it one of his favorites in the minors. The way Wall manipulates his hands to beat good velocity on inside pitches draws a comparison to perhaps the best hitter alive. Very good and highly encouraged read.

Prospect Hot Sheet: The Prequel - BaseballAmerica.com
Jon Gray's troublesome start to 2015 has landed him on BA's "Not-So Hot" list, but much like me, they're not too concerned:

Poor Gray. Not only did the affiliation shuffle uproot the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate to the hitter’s haven that is Albuquerque, but the 2013 first-rounder had to make his first two starts of 2015 at home. So don’t get too worked up purely based on Gray’s early results, which include 10 runs and 17 baserunners allowed in nine innings.

Prospect Hot Sheet (April 17): Seager Picks Up Where He Left Off - BaseballAmerica.com
On BA's actual hot sheet, two New Britain Rock Cats make the top 10. Trevor Story (No. 4) and Tommy Murphy (No. 6) are both mashing in the early going. Murphy hit his third homer of the season on Thursday and Story doubled for the fourth time in 2015 in addition to knocking in a run.

Arenado's Art to Aggression | Rockies Zingers Colorado Rockies Baseball
Sarah Ford, our tremendous copy editor who also writes for Zingers, has a great piece on Nolan Arenado's success with an aggressive approach at the plate.

Colorado Rockies Fans, Which NL West Team Do You Hate? - Rox Pile
For me, there's only one answer. Only one of those teams has publicly accused the Rockies of cheating and, in my mind, is responsible for the demise of the 2010 season.

What’s behind the fast start of the 2015 Colorado Rockies?
BSN Denver/Rockies Review's David Martin says what we're all thinking: Be skeptical of the Rockies' fast start. However, this isn't a typical doom-and-gloom piece from Martin; he makes a good point in his positive assessments of the bullpen and rotation depth.

Effort of Rockies relievers couldn't be scripted much better - The Denver Post
Patrick Saunders profiles that improved bullpen, which is currently one of the most dominant relief units in all of baseball. The 'pen has a combination of talent and proven big league history for that success to hold up through the entirety of the season. It wasn't a bold prediction for the many people who said the unit would be vastly improved over last season, but I don't think anybody thought it would be this good.

New Rox catcher Hundley's leadership skills paying off | rockies.com
Nick Hundley has helped guide young Rockies starters through turbulent outings while also providing positive contributions at the plate, writes Thomas Harding.