This year, the CU Independent has been granted access to the Rockies’ Spring Training camp—the first time in the history of the Rockies organization that the team has allowed a college newspaper to report from inside their facilities. I am extremely excited and eager to get down to Scottsdale and report back to Boulder on interesting happenings.
But, I won’t be going down there until the end of March, so in the time before then I thought it fitting to write some preliminary pieces, starting with this roster analysis. This Spring Training is sure to be chock full of position battles and displays of unproven talents trying to stake their claim with the team.
So, to begin things with a bang, I’d like to start with the state of the Rockies’ pitching in general, followed by a more in-depth look at starters and then the bullpen. To toss everything in a bag with one simple statement, the Rockies’ pitching was atrocious last season. Their combined team ERA of 4.84 was worst in the majors. Opponents hit .276 off Rockies pitchers last year, second only to the Minnesota Twins for worst in the league. I could keep listing stats about the bad state of the 2014 Rockies pitching that would become more and more obscure, but trust me on this one, it was awful last season. The pitching staff this year will be a smorgasbord of veterans, new guys, unproven talent and guys trying to rediscover success.
The Rockies’ starting pitching will be anchored by Jorge de la Rosa, who led the team last year in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The veteran is also three games away from tying Aaron Cook’s franchise wins record of 72. This offseason, the Rockies snagged Kyle Kendrick from the Phillies. They will look to him to provide further stability in a rotation that used 15 starting pitchers last year. Both veterans will likely be helpful to the younger guys who we might see starting this season.
The most promising of those young guns are Tyler Matzek and Jordan Lyles. Interestingly, both players were born on October 19, 1990. Maztek went 6-11 with a 4.05 ERA in his rookie campaign last season. He will look to polish his stuff and lower his walks (44 BB vs 91 K in 2014) in his first full major league season this year. As for Lyles, the 6’4” righty has been in the majors since 2011, but came over to the Rockies last season and started 22 games posting mediocre numbers, including a 7-4 record and a 4.33 ERA. I am hopeful for him mostly because in his first season with the Rockies last year he posted a winning record in the majors for the first time and established a career low ERA.
The final piece of the starting lineup puzzle will probably be the Venezuelan Jhoulys Chacin (Yo-LEASE Sha-SEEN). He has been with Colorado since the 2009 season and has a lifetime ERA of 3.78. However, last season was his worst as a major leaguer. He posted a 1-7 record and a 5.40 ERA. The Rockies will need him to return to form this year.
The biggest problem from 2014 that the Rockies will be looking to rectify this season is the bullpen. As I mentioned, the overall team ERA last year was not pretty. The Rockies’ bullpen went 22-31 with a 4.79 ERA in 2014, which was the second worst in the MLB.
If I had to pinpoint the issue, I’d point to the 6th and 7th inning relievers. Too many games were blown last season during these crucial innings. Reliever Rex Brothers will hopefully bounce back after a disastrous 2014 season. If he can play at a level that he displayed in previous seasons, that will be a start for the Rockies’ middle relief.
That’s not to say that there were not bright spots, though. Reliever Brooks Brown in his rookie campaign posted a 2.77 ERA in 28 games last season. The 29 year-old will likely battle for the 8th inning setup role with Adam Ottavino, who had a good 2014 season himself. Finally, LaTroy Hawkins will be called upon to fill the closer role this season. The veteran will play his 21st major league season in 2015, and even though he is 42 years old, he can be a valuable asset if he plays like he did last season.
As for new help, the team recently signed reliever John Axford to a minor-league contract. Axford was lights out a few seasons ago as Milwaukee’s closer, and management hopes he can return to form. In addition, the Rockies acquired Jairo Diaz and David Hale. Diaz appeared in 5 games for the Angels last season and Hale had been a regular in the Braves’ bullpen for the last two seasons. I think both of them will impress this Spring Training.
In the past few seasons, Rockies’ fans have been accustomed to seeing a laundry list of players on the Disabled List. That’s why I think it’s important to know who will step in if the starters go down with injuries. In other words, it’s good to know your bench players.
At the catching position, the Rockies have two capable backups. Michael McKenry showed some offensive prowess during his time in Pittsburgh in 2013 and last season batted .315 in 57 games with the Rockies. Nick Hundley has never been much of an offensive weapon, but he does boast a career .991 fielding percentage.
As for infielders, the Rockies acquired the free agent utility player Daniel Descalso last December. Descalso played four seasons with the Cardinals and was used at every infield position while there. If Troy Tulowitzki goes down with an injury again this year, we’ll likely see Descalso playing shortstop in his absence. He will also be valuable as a pinch hitter.
Finally, in the outfield, the Rockies look pretty sound, offensively and defensively. However, what if Carlos Gonzalez suffers a mid-season injury? If that happens, either Brandon Barnes or Drew Stubbs will enter the starting lineup. Barnes played in Houston for two years before coming over to the Rockies in 2014 and had rather unimpressive offensive stats as an Astro. However, since 2012, his batting average has gone up every season. As for Stubbs, he posted a career high .289 batting average in his first year in a Rockies uniform last season. He will be a good guy to have on the bench.
The one thing the Rockies excelled at last year was hitting. For a team that only won 66 games last year, the Rockies had a team batting average of .276, which was second in the majors, behind the Detroit Tigers.
The Rockies will look for another productive season from catcher Wilin Rosario who hit 13 home runs last year and batted .267. They sure would love to see him have a season on par with 2012, when he hit 28 home runs and knocked in 71 runs. Also, there are high expectations of Charlie Blackmon and Corey Dickerson. Both outfielders were consistently among the team leaders in most major offensive categories. Dickerson led the team in home runs with 24 and Blackmon jacked up 19.
Perhaps most important are the performances of Tulowitzki and Gonzalez. If they can stay healthy, the rest of the offense will flourish and build off their success. However, Tulo has not played more than 117 games in a season since 2007. As for CarGo, I feel confident that he will return to form. I predict he hits 30+ home runs this year. Lastly, the Rockies would greatly benefit if Justin Morneau has another killer season. The first baseman led the NL with a .319 batting average last year. Having his hot bat in the lineup would be pivotal.
The Rockies have a good amount of weeding out to do this Spring Training. Much will be determined in the following month, especially in terms of who will be on the pitching staff. As for the starting lineup, I think it will be pretty consistent with the one we saw in 2014. Blackmon, Dickerson, and Gonzalez will start in the outfield, Morneau will be at 1B, with DJ LeMahieu at 2B, Tulo at SS, and Nolan Arenado at 3B. Rosario will catch and de la Rosa will likely be the Rockies’ Opening Day starter.
All information can be found at www.rockies.com.
CUI Sports Staff Writer Justin Guerriero will cover the Rockies live during Cactus League play in Scottsdale, AZ from March 23-29. Contact him at justin.guerriero@colorado.edu.
