Thread: The Official Colorado Rockies thread--Now with extra awesome!!

That's great. Buster Olney's column yesterday was one reason every team should be optimistic.

And I LOVE the "[insert player who had bad season or injury] is in the best shape of their life" stories. Read one on the Royals Danny Duffy last night. It's just hilarious because they are literally stretching, running and throwing all of 20 pitches a day and maybe some long toss right now, so there's really no logical way to even know that.

Jonah Keri released his preseason power rankings and we're #23. I am encouraged by the fact that he likes our newest pitching prospects.

23. Colorado Rockies

Rockies starters posted a 4.57 ERA in 2013, which looks horrendous. But consider the circumstances: Coors Field is the most hitter-friendly park in baseball, and is so damaging to pitchers’ stats that the 4.57 mark was actually the third-best ever for Colorado starters. Plus, the Rockies were a mediocre defensive team last year, canceling out stellar glove work from Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado with leaky results from Todd Helton (since retired) and Michael Cuddyer (a nuclear disaster patrolling the vast expanses of the Coors Field outfield). And that staff ERA suffered because of a complete void at the back of the rotation, with Drew Pomeranz, Jeff Manship, Collin McHugh, Chad Bettis, Jeff Francis, Jon Garland, and a depleted Roy Oswalt combining for 50 miserable starts.

The good news is that the Rockies acquired Brett Anderson from Oakland this winter, and will soon get a gigantic boost from two of the best pitching prospects in the game: fireballing right-handers Jonathan Gray and Eddie Butler. Gray, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, made just five starts at Class A in 2013, but he’s a 6-foot-4, 255-pound pitching machine, with high-level collegiate experience at Oklahoma and the kind of build, delivery, and raw stuff to suggest he could surge through the minors and crack the big-league roster as soon as this summer. Butler, a supplemental first-round pick in 2012, also boasts a high-90s fastball, along with a terrific changeup. Though he might be half a tick behind Gray in terms of scouting accolades, Butler has also advanced further in the minors; he reached Double-A last year and is a surer bet to make the big leagues this season. The possibility of these two power righties coming up and pitching well is what makes the Rockies a bit of a sleeper this season. And even if it doesn’t all come together this year, the 2015 club could be pretty damn exciting.

http://grantland.com/features/mlb-of...ays-cardinals/

I'll be curious to see how they handle Gray. The kid could probably pitch 300 innings if he had to, but I know the Rox like to put limits on that stuff. Even more than most teams.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jhoulys Chacin, the Rockies' No. 1 right-handed starting pitcher, has been shut down because of right shoulder inflammation.

"I think it's minor," Chacin told The Denver Post. "I wasn't that bad. I was throwing good when I was throwing easy. But when I try to throw hard is when it gets me."

Rockies head trainer Keith Dugger said Chacin will undergo an MRI on Monday to evaluate the shoulder. Dugger said Chacin will be out at least a week.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci...houlder-injury

Carlos Gonzalez will remain the center of attention for the Rockies, but not in center field. After talking with Gonzalez on Saturday, manager Walt Weiss said he will keep Gonzalez in left, where he has played the last two seasons, leaving Drew Stubbs, Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson and Brandon Barnes vying for the center-field job.

It’s possible it will be a platoon given Stubbs’ numbers against left-handers and the fact that Blackmon and Dickerson both have enjoyed success against righties. Gonzalez said he was open to moving to center field following the Dexter Fowler trade. However when the Rockies acquired Stubbs, a true center fielder, CarGo’s move became less necessary.

“We are feeling comfortable with the alternatives, watching these guys run around. The big thing is we want to keep CarGo on the field. Risk and reward has kind of swung the other way,” Weiss said. “We are in a different place than we were in the fall. That’s what it comes down to.”

rest - http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/...-center/16443/

Ellis Burks, Pedro Astacio in camp: Ellis Burks jogged down the stairs into a team meeting. He’s the latest ex-Rockie to attend spring training as a guest instructor. Manager Walt Weiss has encouraged their involvement. Burks is planning on moving to Denver, and is hopeful he can secure a more permanent role with the club down the road. Former pitcher Pedro Astacio is also in camp for the second straight season.

more in article than this
http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/...tructor/16470/

Pedro Astacio - The Greatest Pitcher in Colorado Rockies History


...


Wish I was kidding.

Pedro was a BAMF in Colorado. No one knows it because it was pre-humidor, but he was sick.

Armando Reynoso?

Why is Lopez still on this team? He is absolutely terrible.

I love the Rockies but it's opening day and I feel like we're already out of it. I'll still watch parts of at least 80 games, I always do.

Cargo with the first bomb of the season.

Originally Posted by chazoe60

Cargo with the first bomb of the season.

Got all of it too... Fernandez is just too good. I've had us at 0-1 in my head for a couple weeks now.

Originally Posted by Buff

Got all of it too... Fernandez is just too good. I've had us at 0-1 in my head for a couple weeks now.

Yeah me too. Kid is a stud. I just got frustrated when I saw Lopez come out. Seriously, how could we not have replaced him?

Originally Posted by chazoe60

Yeah me too. Kid is a stud. I just got frustrated when I saw Lopez come out. Seriously, how could we not have replaced him?

Stubborn front office. No other explanation, he was a complete failure last season.

Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 11m

Lopez's inability to douse rallies is deflating.. Began last year on opening day. Bigger the moment the worse he has done