Five Rockies surprises I would not have predicted in the offseason…
- Brad Hawpe released. During the offseason Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said he was willing to listen to trade offers for Hawpe, but he wasn't shopping the player. Hawpe's playing time dwindled until he was released in mid-August.
- Chris Iannetta's demotion. The Rockies agreed to a three-year deal with Iannetta in December, but signed Miguel Olivo to split time with him the following month. Before the end of April, Iannetta was demoted to Triple A for about a month. Iannetta could be attractive on the trade market this winter, but the Rockies may need him if Olivo's club option turns mutual and he becomes tough to re-sign.
- Huston Street making his season debut on June 23rd. In January, the Rockies were so enamored of Street they extended him through 2012 at a minimal discount even though they already controlled him for '10. Street had a decent-sized injury history, though, so this year's shoulder issue didn't come out of nowhere.
- Jhoulys Chacin's season. Chacin wasn't a household name, though he was ranked fourth among Rockies prospects by Baseball America before the season. He's been a crucial member of the team in 2010, with a 3.79 ERA in 102 innings. Aaron Cook hasn't performed as expected and Jeff Francis and Jorge de la Rosa have dealt with injuries, so Chacin has been a godsend.
- Carlos Gonzalez's season. Given Gonzalez's strong 2009 trial, his performance this year isn't a shock. Still, I didn't expect an MVP-caliber year from the center fielder.
Chacin (if he qualifies) should receive some ROTY votes. That ERA and the K’s in Coors field are pretty fantastic for a Rookie
Olivo needs to start basically every game for the rest of the year for his option to become mutual. So, don’t expect it to happen.
I haven’t seen the specifics of that option, do you have a link?
I don’t have a link, but I asked Renck on Twitter, and he said 110 games, so Olivo would need to be in another 22 games.
Carlos Gonzalez is benefiting a TON from Coors Field. His splits are super drastic
Well then it is a good thing he plays in Coors 81 games a year then
His splits aren’t horribly unusual for any player. Coors gets such a bad rap. Yeah, he is killing it at home. Pujols is a front runner for MVP, and his home/road splits are close to as drastic. At least in BA. And in defense of the Rockies, one thing that I don’t think is considered very often is they play a lot of games at sea level in California in parks that heavily favor the pitcher.
CarGo’s splits are his own faults; some people have always been better at home, and Coor’s Field actually makes it WAY harder to adjust at different stadiums.
Coors is a MLB stadium, the stats count as much as they would at any other stadium.
My big surprise of the year is actually how poorly Jim Tracy manages. I guess his history of being fired from other jobs should have been a signal, but 2nd half of 2009 he was King Midas so just surprised how this year has gone. He’s cost them several games this year by not playing small ball in typical small ball situations.
“Coors is a MLB stadium, the stats count as much as they would at any other stadium.”
THANK YOU.
This is a factor when a player (Matt Holliday) is leaving Coors but when he plays his splits aren’t that important.