Colorado Rockies: Is it time to worry about Bryan Shaw? | Rox Pile
The Colorado Rockies spent the 2017-18 offseason constructing a “super bullpen” with major expenditures including the signing of closer Wade Davis to a three-year, $52 million deal, and bringing in both Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw on three-year, $27 million deals. McGee had an ugly outing in Monday night’s contest against the San Diego Padres, but his ERA remains a very nice 2.53.
Shaw, on the other hand, has had two outings in which he was given up five runs and three runs, respectively, leading to a bloated ERA of 7.59. With three home runs allowed in 10 2/3 innings, his peripherals don’t offer much optimism, with a FIP sitting at 6.44. Of course, the overall sample size is quite small, and Shaw has appeared in 13 games, with runs given up in only two of them. And as Rox Pile’s Colin Gaiser points out, this would not be the first season in which Shaw began on a sour note. In his first 13 games of 2016, Shaw had an ERA of 8.18, allowing 3 home runs in 11 innings. Sound familiar? He ended the season with a very solid 3.24 ERA.
Ultimately it has reached the point where Adam Ottavino has produced such earth-shattering numbers that he seems to have replaced Shaw in a setup role for the time being, but we probably shouldn’t find ourselves too concerned with Shaw just yet.
Colorado Rockies: Being positive … at least for a few minutes | Rox Pile
Rox Pile’s Aaron Hurt has a positive take on the Rockies’ recent series against the Chicago Cubs— at least for the first part of an article. There were taco’s to be had after Sunday’s game after all, even if the Rox did end up losing the series. And there’s positive thinking to be had about David Dahl’s return to the Major Leagues.
Rockies roster shakeup could help spark team through early season woes | Mile High Sports
Aniello Piro of Mile High Sports has more information about the call-ups of Dahl and Noel Cuevas, and how the fresh blood might inject some energy into the Rockies’ clubhouse and some run-scoring into the Rockies’ lineup. With the brief losses of two struggling outfielders— Carlos Gonzalez (due to injury) and Gerardo Parra (due to suspension)— there will be an extra opportunity for Dahl and Cuevas to shine.
Arenado: ‘It’s just a matter of time,’ but Rockies must have ‘better at-bats and more production’ | Mile High Sports
For his part, Nolan Arenado thinks the team has it in them to get better on offense, but they will need to have better at-bats to optimize their production. When asked if he was concerned, Arenado noted that there’s always some concern when an offense is struggling. Arenado has not been a reason for the offense’s issues, as he hit his fourth home run of the year on Monday night, and is producing a .353/.450/.618 slash on the season.
The Rockies Believe They Have an Unbreakable Code | FanGraphs
The Washington Nationals television broadcast on MASN took notice of a card on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta’s arm in their recent series in the nation’s capital. It turns out to be quite an elaborate process to prevent sign stealing that originated in the mind of bench coach Mike Redmond.
Perhaps Javier Baez and the Cubs could consider a similar system to prevent DJ LeMahieu from sneaking a peak at their signs.
Colorado Rockies exclusive: Charlie Blackmon talks fishing, tells tales | Rox Pile
Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry had a conversation with Charlie Blackmon about the talented center fielder’s passion for fishing. You can listen to the chat by clicking the link above, which also includes a video Blackmon shot with Trouts Fly Fishing, and some images taken of Blackmon’s various journeys into nature.
MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week | MLB.com
Consensus top Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers made the MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week at shortstop. After a slow start, Rodgers is now hitting .300 to begin the season for the Hartford YardGoats, the Double-A affiliate of the Rockies. A three-hit game and a 5-for-5 performance on Sunday (with his third homer of the season) made for a productive week for Rodgers.
Now Batting in Class AA: Biggio, Bichette and Guerrero | The New York Times
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, boast some great baseball names. A 1-2-3 punch in a lineup features Cavan Biggio (son of Craig), Bo Bichette (son of Dante), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr (son of Senior). As Tyler Kepner of The New York Times details, the trio are not taking anything for granted as they advance in their careers.