***Never got to finishing this blog but I thought it's funny to look back on half way through the season***The Spring sun is shining and it's time for the Rockies prospects to shine themselves. Spring cleaning is in order and Clint Hurdle has some cleaning out to do in the Rockies locker room. Arizona is getting hot and if these young guns don't get hot then they will see themselves back in the Springs. If their bats don't get warm then they will be bench - warmers. Alright, enough of these cheesy play-on-words lines. It's that time of year when we get a good look at all the young players that the Rockies have been developing in their farm systems over the past few years. Let's take a sneak peek of who's doing what lately:
Eric Young - had a solid season in Double A and hit .290/.391/.392 with 46 stolen bases in 403 at-bats. He also walked 61 times (13.1 BB%). That's pretty sweet but that's also in Double A. Anything below .300 versus Double A pitchers is pretty bad but he can steal a lot of bases. I think the only reason we drafted him was because he shared the same name of his father and his father did a lot of great things for us back in the Blake Street Bombers days. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the Monforts still think this Eric Young is the same as Eric Young Sr. The Monforts are very dumb and probably got very excited when they heard Eric Young was coming back to baseball. I bet they think Andres Galarraga, Vinny Castillo, and Daunte Bichette was making a comeback as well...
Omar Quintanilla - This guy just doesn't go away does he? He's like those beaten up, ugly looking slippers that you want to stop wearing but are too comfy to give up. May not have a lot of pop in his bat but he's consistent (hit over.300 last year) and is a great defender. Solid player to have around if Tulo or Barmes start getting dinged up.
Casey Weathers - the eighth overall selection in the 2007 draft. The right-handed closer prospect was having a solid 2008 minor league season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season. He’ll miss all of 2009, but "should" be ready to go in 2010 when he could make his MLB debut. Last season in Double-A, Weathers allowed 34 hits in 44.1 innings and posted rates of 5.68 BB/9 and 10.96 K/9. Obviously the control needs to improve and the time off will not help. Tommy John surgery is one of the worst surgeries that any player in any sport can have. It's death to pitchers. I am optimistic that Weathers can even make a comeback at all. The good thing is that he is still really young but it's going to take at least all of 2010 to get his groove back. Could this be another busted draft pick from the Rockies?? Let's hope not.
Dexter Fowler - the switch hitter had a breakout season in Double-A last year when he hit .335/.431/.515 with 20 stolen bases in 421 at-bats. He also made his MLB debut in 2008 and hit just .154 in 13 games with no extra base hits or walks. Some time in Triple-A will likely do him good. After stealing just 20 bases in each of the past two seasons, he could stand to run more until his power develops further (only nine homers in 2008). I hope he steals more because this kid can flat out fly. I was hoping he could have come in and replace Willy Taveras late last year but he disappointed me with his .154 average. Willy T is gone and now's his chance to show the wheels and make the roster. He's a dark horse to make the opening day lineup but you never know. Unless Podsednik or Gonzalez have a good first half, it's very likely that Fowler will be in a Rockies uniform by mid-season.
Seth Smith - after being the unsung hero in the Rockies 2007 World series run (5-for-8 in seven games) the Rockies outfielder lost his stride when called up last season (.258/.350/.435) in the 108 at-bats he posted. Now, I have never been really high on Seth Smith but he did show some potential at times. Seth Smith is that really unatheltic guy that just seems to make plays. You know that short, fat, balding guy at the gym that hits all the three pointers when you play a game of pickup. Yeah, that's Seth. I think his unathelticism will get overlooked and Hurdle will turn to the athletic studs of Gonzalez, Spilly, Fowler, and Young for opening day but you never know what's going on in the mind of Hurdle.
Carlos Gonzalez - A highly talked about prospect who has been the center peice to a lot of big trades (Holliday and Haren) but has yet to really do much. Supposedly, he can do a bit of everything and could be a 5 - tool star in this league but he looks a bit to raw right now. He has a shot at starting because our center and left field are still technically up for grabs but I don't see him beating out Spilly, Pod or Dex for palying just yet.
Jorge De La Rosa - Much like Morales, DLR has some flat filthy pitches. But can he put it together? Just like a box of chocolates, you jsut never know what your going to get. One night Jorge is throwing a gem with 10 strikeouts a no runs given up and then the next night Jorge is giving up 10 runs with no strike outs. The talent is clearly there but he needs to prove consistent.
Some intriguing prospects, none the less, but let's take a look on some players that can either make it or break it for the Rockies season:
Jason Marquis - A journey man pitcher who has had some nice years with the Cardinals and Cubs but never got passed the 3rd starter in the rotation. Looks like that's where he will slotted out this year which is fine considering we don't have much after Cookie and U-Ball. Apparently, his fast ball is sinking harder than the Titanic which would be a really nice surprised considering out Bull Pen is spotty yet again this year.
Ian Stewart - The kid can swing the bat. No doubt, but it's his defense that might merit him more playing time this year. As big as Stewart is, he can move like a short stop - big arm, quick feet, cat like instincts. The Rockies might have the most athletic infielders for their size in the league. Sure, Stewart is the future but Atkins is too consistent to bench and on a Holliday-less team, you can't afford to sit a player that has a .300+ career average and has averaged over 100 RBI's the past 4 seasons. Unless, Atkins gets traded than I see Stewart getting a number of reps at second as well.
Manny Corpas - Will he ever return to his magical '07 form? The guy went to lights out to syke out in the past year. He's just mentally not where he once was. His confidence is shot and acquiring Huston Street to be this years closer probably doesn't help him out either. The movements and velocity seems to still be there at times but he needs to prove he can stay consistent this season.
Huston Street - If his health was as consistent as his slider than he could be an All Star. He's got some filthy pitches and he has always had a low ERA but his only problem is whether the Rockies are riding him to finish games or if he is riding the pine while watching the Rockies finish games. Let's hope he can stay healthy because he would bring a much needed boost to the beatin' up bullpen.
Ryan Spilbourghs - It's time for Spilly to put down the jokes and put up some numbers. He's a good, athletic defender and a reliable hitter but I would like to see him take the next step in his hitting. Given some consistent time and a lack of true cleanup hitters, Spilly has the opportunity to break out and drive in some runs.
Clint Barmes - Much like Spilbourghs, Barmes is going to start and have a shot at proving why he deserves every day playing time. Clint isn't sexy but he's a damn good ballplayer. Very underrated defensive second baseman and a consistent hitter with a little bit of pop. Not gonna drive in 100 rune or jack 30 long balls but he can be a realiable 2-hole hitter and help out the guys who hit behind him. Clint was playing All Star caliber baseball before he got injured last year and he's going to need to revive that mentality if he doesn't want to split time with Stewart.
Brad Hawpe - What's Hawpe doing on this list? Well, he's not on this list because his playing time in in jeopardy, he's on this list because it could be a make it or break it season for Hawpe. He showed last year that he actually CAN hit against lefties and he finished the season really strong. So now with Holliday gone, he becomes the power bat in the lineup and our go to guy. I have never felt Helton or Atkins should be the 3-4 hitters and I hope Hawpe can break through because if he doesn't than our hitting might be really, really bad.
U-Ball - I think he will turn into our Ace by the end of the year. He's having a great offseason and looks to breakout. Want more? Click to the right where I already blogged about him :)
Thoughts going into the season:
The Rockies have a lot of young guys that are looking to prove themselves. The loss of Holliday hurts real bad but from the lead off to the 8th hole, the Rockies have guys that can swing the bat. Unfortunetly, their pitching is probably the worst in the division so another long season is ahead of us. Good thing Colorado has some warm summer nights in store at Coors because the wins column will be pretty cold. Let's hope I'm wrong.
