The Rockies lead the National League in runs scored, but they've allowed more runs than any NL team and they have a disappointing 25-40 record. Rockies starters have combined for a 6.28 ERA and have allowed a .319/.384/.532 slash line this year. Or to put it another way, facing the Rockies’ rotation turns an ordinary hitter into Matt Holliday (career .313/.386/.538 line). Here are some notes on the Rockies…
- A Jason Giambi trade can't be ruled out even though the veteran slugger likes playing in Denver and has become a clubhouse leader, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes.
- Renck notes that it may be time for the Rockies to start thinking of creative ways of preventing runs at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Perhaps an expanded pitching staff for homestands would help the team limit scoring, Renck writes.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes that Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd has "wasted ownership's money on a horrendous team" this year. Jeremy Guthrie needs to go and signing Michael Cuddyer "was a totally unnecessary move," Kiszla writes.
- Click here for the latest Guthrie rumors.
Wasn’t their rotation good a few years ago? I don’t know what went completely wrong here. Back when Ubaldo was pitching like an ace, they also had other guys who seemingly knew how to pitch in their field. Guthrie was a bad fit from the start.
In 2009 and 2010, their pitching staff led the league in WAR.
Where has Jhoulys Chacin gone? Is he going to come back and turn into a top of the rotation arm?
Chacin has nerve damage in the pectoral muscle used by his throwing arm.
Trade Giambi for whom? I doubt there’s a huge line for 41 year olds who can’t field a position and have shown no power when that was their only remaining commodity. Also Cuddyer has hit fairly well so I don’t see why Kiszla is hating on that move. Guthrie didn’t work out but that seems to be a common occurrence when it comes to the Rockies acquiring pitching.
Wondered the same thing with regards to Giambi.. Didn’t realize there was a hot market for PH and supposed 1b who can only move half a step in either direction.
Think the knock on Cuddyer is that a better bat like Willingham went back to the Twins as his replacement on the same 3 year deal for 10m less total and since neither is looked at as any kind of defensive asset.. The bat is what you are paying for and both are doing nicely in that regard.
The Reds.
Toothpick Baker wants a Left Handed bat off the bench (and Willie Harris isn’t cutting it) so Giambi fits three of the four criteria the Baker (and the Reds) are looking for:
1) He bats Left Handed
2) He has power
3) he is OLD (can’t have too much veteran presence even if that means the player is washed up).
The only thing Giambi is missing is that he isn’t a former Cardinals player.
Have the Rox trade him to the Cardinals, then they can flip him to the Reds. And now he’s a former Cardinal.
At some point, don’t the writers in Denver just have to acknowledge that playing professional baseball outdoors a mile or more above sea level is just a really awful and terrible idea? Putting a dome around the stadium and pressurizing the air inside it would be expensive but it’s pretty much the only hope for that franchise ever putting together a sustained run of success.
Maybe the Rockies need to turn over their front office and get some people that have some actual baseball knowledge running this team. The downfall of the Rockies is concurrent with the death of their former president Keli McGregor.
You can’t pressurized the stadium unless you keep it airtight. You’d need some sort of decompression chamber at every door.
And it isn’t even that bad anymore. The humidor changed a lot of that. The problem is the reputation. They can never bring a free agent ace to tow, so they put out a bunch of bums who subsequently give up a crap load of runs. It’s a vicious circle. But I’d put a lot of blame on the pitching coaches if they haven’t been able to grow the young talent.
O’Dowd should have traded for Halladay from Toronto years ago. He’s a Colorado native and they’ve always had enough of a farm system to trade for one ace.
Kizla is a hack. But IMO he’s right about Cuddyer. “Bad move”? No. But completely unnecessary? BINGO.
They are stacked in the OF with prospects that need to play soon. Blackmon, Wheeler, Colvin at the top of the list. Unfortunately they are all LH, but aside from that paying $10m a year for an OF not named Cargo is a bad move.
When your top need is starting pitching, and you sign a right fielder for $31 million, who hasn’t played a season in the National League, then you made a bad move.
Like Barry Pepper says in Saving Private Ryan, it’s “an entire misallocation of valubale resources.”
The Rockies need to have an entire staff of knuckle ball pitchers.
This is actually a good idea.
Other than Coors eats knuckleball pitchers alive and spits them out.
File that under new creative ways to win. I like it!
I really don’t understand why Giambi isn’t one of the most coveted DH names available. Will come a lot cheaper than Soriano and other names being thrown around and the production will probably be better as well.
He’s old and not that good now.
Anyone who signs a 46 year old non-knuckleball throwing pitcher to be their No.2 Starting Pitcher on opening day seriously needs to update their resume.
Why are some owners just too trustworthy?
49
Yes?
– T. Epstein
Love the avatar dude
Yours is exceptional as well. 😀