Charlie Klein
Key Additions:
Miguel Olivo (C)
Melvin Mora (UTIL)
Key Departures:
Joe Beimel (RP)
Yorvit Torrealba (C)
Adam Eaton (SP)
Jason Marquis (SP)
Josh Fogg (SP)
Garrett Atkins (1B/3B)
One of the more puzzling things to me is just how sure people are about this Colorado Rockies team repeating as division champions. I guess in one of baseballs most competitive (cough worst cough) division, your guess is as good as mine as far as who wins it.
I already want to take back the Diamondbacks pick since no one seems to know when Brandon Webb is going to start throwing from a mound again, but that's what next weekend's for (when I will make my division predictions official).
Right, so I'm supposed to be writing about the Colorado Rockies. Their lineup is pretty great. Todd Helton, one of the most consistently good hitters in the league does not get the credit he deserves for the career he's had in Denver. A career .328 hitter, and at 36 years of age, he is coming off a season in which he hit .325.
Along with Helton, the Rockies have one of the top shortstops in the game in Troy Tulowitzki, who also has one of the best chants.
Tulo witnessed a return to form last season, hitting 32 homeruns, driving in 92 runs, and hitting for a .297 average. Pretty good for a shortstop eh? And then there is Brad Hawpe, who did pretty well himself last season hitting 23 homeruns, driving in 86 runs, and hitting for a .285 average.
The Rockies also have some great young talent in Dexter Fowler, Ian Stewart, and Carlos Gonzalez. In his rookie season for the Rockies Fowler impressed Coors Field crowds with his blazing speed on the base paths and some impressive glove work. I expect the 24 year-old Atlanta native to only improve this season.
Ian Stewart was given the next Chase Utley tag, which I think is slightly unfair to him. I certaintly think that the Rockies are expecting Stewart to produce similar numbers to Utley, and they are banking on him raising his average from .228 in 2009. Stewart's power numbers were not bad, 25 homeruns and 70 runs batted in, but they must improve if the 24 year-old wants to stick around in Denver.
Carlos Gonzalez burst onto the scene last season hitting bomb after bomb and getting the attention of fantasy owners starved of power. In only 278 at bats Gonzalez hit 13 homeruns, drove in 29 runs and hit for a .284 average. I expect those numbers only to increase over the course of a full season.
My issues with the Rockies primarily lie with their rotation. There is not one single outstanding starter within it. I guess there is an argument for consistently average pitching here, but their 1-2-3 does not compare with the Giants or the Diamondbacks (should Brandon Webb ever return from injury...) and that is my reason for slotting them in the fourth spot.
This division is horribly difficult to predict, so I feel really hesitant in definitively saying this team is clearly better than the other. Fourth place in this division could mean four games out of first for all I know. The Rockies have a decent team, but at the moment anyway, I'm not buying them as the division winners.
Projected Starting Nine:
1. Dexter Fowler (CF)
2. Clint Barmes (2B)
3. Todd Helton (1B)
4. Brad Hawpe (RF)
5. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
6. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
7. Ian Stewart (3B)
8. Chris Iannetta (C)
9. Ubaldo Jimenez (P)
Projected Starting Rotation:
1. Ubaldo Jimenez
2. Aaron Cooke
3. Jorge De La Rosa
4. Jason Hammel
5. Jeff Francis
Best Reliever: Franklin Morales
Closer: Huston Street
Predicted Finish: Fourth in the NL West
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