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

Originally Posted by Snapping Turtle

A guy on ESPN today was even saying Garrett deserved it over Wright. Whatever is a popularity contest.


In other news. I feel desperately alone without baseball. I do not know what to do with myself.

It DEFINITELY has to be a popularity contest - the Rockies were the BEST defensive team this year - and not ONE gold glove Figure that WHY even give out awards if they are not given to the most deserving????????

Originally Posted by Snapping Turtle

A guy on ESPN today was even saying Garrett deserved it over Wright. Whatever is a popularity contest.


In other news. I feel desperately alone without baseball. I do not know what to do with myself.

Who said ESPN talking heads were all stupid? Obviously ONE of them has his head on straight.

How in the hell does 0.994 beat 0.999?

Obviously being good enough to have the best defensive record EVAH and making the World Series means sweet FA to the voters.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...745673,00.html


KRIEGER: Voters ignored Tulo’s all-around game

November 12, 2007
On the web site of the Baseball Writers Association of America, they posted a five-paragraph summary of the National League Rookie of the Year balloting Monday.

It contained a lot of numbers. Describing Ryan Braun's narrow victory over Troy Tulowitzki, it mentioned their first-place votes (17-15) and their total points (128-126).

It mentioned Braun's batting average (.324), home runs (34), slugging percentage (.634), extra-base hits (66), RBI (97), runs scored (91), total bases (286), triples (6) and hits (146).

It mentioned Tulowitzki's batting average (.291), RBI (99), runs scored (104), hits (179), total bases (292), doubles (33), walks (57), home runs (24) and triples (5).

As you can see, the baseball writers really like their numbers.

In all, they listed nine performance statistics apiece for the two leading candidates. Eighteen numbers. And every one of them reflected performance at the plate.

Nowhere in those five paragraphs will you find any mention of defense. This from a group devoted to explaining the game of baseball.

And that is why Braun, a wonderful hitter and lousy fielder, beat Tulowitzki, a slightly less wonderful hitter and spectacular fielder at a more difficult position.

Call me a homer. I don't mind. I've been called worse. But the BBWAA might as well give this vote to the fantasy players. This is how they would have voted.

If you asked the NL's 16 general managers - and I haven't, so I'm speculating here - which of these two players they would choose to start a team based on their 2007 performances, I would be shocked if more than one or two took Braun over Tulowitzki.

Nothing against Braun, who seemed like a very nice fellow on the BBWAA's conference call Monday. But it does not take a baseball genius to see that Tulowitzki is the complete player here.

One of these guys led his team to the playoffs. The other did not. Just wondering: Does winning still matter in baseball?

Braun was a classic one-dimensional player - a remarkable hitter who, if he played in the American League, might be a designated hitter.

Perhaps, as he suggested on the call, he will improve as a fielder. But the relevant numbers here, the ones the BBWAA never mentioned, are extraordinary.

Braun handled 246 chances at third base. He made 26 errors. That's a fielding percentage of .895. That's not just bad. That's really bad. Major league ballplayers are supposed to field at least 95 percent of the defensive chances that come their way. Generally speaking, it is a minimal standard of competence.

Tulowitzki handled 834 chances at shortstop, more than three times as many as Braun at a more demanding position. He made 11 errors. That's a fielding percentage of .987. That's not just good. That's really good. It was one point better than Omar Vizquel, the best defensive shortstop of his generation and one of the best of all time.

Granted, Vizquel was 40 this year, but if you saw him, he was still a pleasure to watch. As was Tulo.

In the field, Braun was not. I hope that's not a news flash. He made the Rockies' Garrett Atkins, an adequate defensive third baseman at best, look like Mike Schmidt.

Here's why I think Braun won. The Brewers captured the attention of baseball for the first half of the season. They led the Central Division and were anointed by any number of publications as the NL's most exciting young team.

The Rocks came on late. History will remember them as the better team, but they got the attention of the national press for a shorter period, much of it (the postseason) after voting had closed.

As it turned out, the Rocks were the NL's most exciting young team, making it to the World Series. And their young shortstop was a key ingredient, at the plate, in the field and in the clubhouse.

When I asked Tulowitzki in September about the Rookie of the Year race, he mentioned his respect for a number of the candidates, Braun among them. In fact, he called Braun's offensive numbers "unbelievable." Then he added this:

"The only thing I would say is shortstop's a little different than the positions that they play. That's the only thing. But whatever happens, happens. My main focus is to try to get this team to the playoffs."

In that, he succeeded. That National League pennant will have to be his consolation. Given a choice between the two, I'm guessing Tulo would be OK with this division of hardware.

Still, it's a little disappointing to find the baseball writers, the seamheads, voting as if they were drafting for a fantasy league. This vote represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the game and the importance of various elements in it.

Baseball and fantasy baseball are two different games. If the baseball writers don't know this, they should give up deciding these awards. Make them a popularity contest. Put them on the internet. This one might have come out the same, but at least they could have sold advertising.

kriegerd@RockyMountainNews.com

JUST TOTALLY RIDICULOUS - TULO SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE NL ROY

Call the cops, Tulo has been robbed twice!

Snapp will be seriously pissed off!

Originally Posted by Kapaibro

Call the cops, Tulo has been robbed twice!

Snapp will be seriously pissed off!

AND, with the way things have gone, or not gone, I am sure Matt will also be robbed.

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

AND, with the way things have gone, or not gone, I am sure Matt will also be robbed.

Probably. Apparently being the best just isn't enough.

Originally Posted by Kapaibro

Probably. Apparently being the best just isn't enough.

From Kreiger's article above in regards to Tulo, AND so true:::::::

Still, it's a little disappointing to find the baseball writers, the seamheads, voting as if they were drafting for a fantasy league. This vote represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the game and the importance of various elements in it.

Baseball and fantasy baseball are two different games. If the baseball writers don't know this, they should give up deciding these awards. Make them a popularity contest. Put them on the internet. This one might have come out the same, but at least they could have sold advertising.

Im pretty shocked Tulo didn't win...but right now I don't care too much...if this would have been released a week ago you know I'd be throwing one heck of a fit. Give me a couple months and I'll be fired up about it, but right now I must admit, not even Troy Tulowitzki is my top priority.

Hooray for Ryan Braun!! It was pretty close vote though 128-126 or something like that.

Not enough voters stay up late enough to watch Tulowitzki play.

Free-agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba will agree to a three-year contract with the New York Mets on Thursday, according to Torrealba's agent, Melvin Roman.


Yorvit Torrealba

Catcher
Colorado Rockies

Profile

2007 Season Stats GM HR RBI R OBP AVG
113 8 47 47 .323 .255

Roman told 1050 ESPN New York that he expects to formalize the agreement with the Mets this afternoon. Roman declined to reveal how much the contract would be worth. GM Omar Minaya did not immediately return a message seeking comment.


If Torrealba passes a physical, an announcement is expected in the next day or two.

Torrealba, 29, is expected to be the starter. Ramon Castro will remain the backup but will receive more playing time than he did when Paul Lo Duca was the Mets' starting catcher. Lo Duca is also a free agent.

Last season, Torrealba hit .255 with eight homers and 47 RBIs for the NL champion Colorado Rockies. As a hitter, he showed a large disparity on the road as compared to Coors Field. Torrealba hit .296 with six homers and 34 RBIs in Denver, while he batted just .212 with two homers and 13 RBIs on the road.

The Mets, though, are signing Torrealba mainly for his defense. Rockies pitchers gave Torrealba a lot of credit for how he called a game, though he did not have a high success rate when trying to throw runners out.

Torrealba only caught 13-of-74 base-stealers, while the man he replaces, Lo Duca, nailed 17-of-89.

Torrealba played in 113 games lasts season, by far his most as a major-leaguer. In his previous seven seasons, Torrealba had only topped 60 games three times, peaking a 66 in 2003 with the San Francisco Giants.

The Rockies and Florida Marlins were believed to be the other two teams interested in Torrealba.

The Mets' first choice to replace Lo Duca was Jorge Posada, but the New York Yankees never gave the Mets a chance to offer Posada any money. Just before open free agency began this week, the Yankees extended Posada a four-year, $52.4 million offer that he accepted.

Andrew Marchand is the managing editor of 1050 ESPN Radio in New York.

Looks like Iannetta gets anotehr shot at catcher. Barrett would not be bad in my mind. Have been going over a lot of baseball, Rockies related stuff at the other place, got to bring some of it over here.

I just hope this is NOT the beginning of the parade out of Denver

Originally Posted by BroncoAV06

Looks like Iannetta gets anotehr shot at catcher. Barrett would not be bad in my mind. Have been going over a lot of baseball, Rockies related stuff at the other place, got to bring some of it over here.

I really hope for the sake of Rockies fans that Michael Barrett doesnt become a Rockie. Im a Cubs fan, btw. So Im very familiar with his strengths and weaknesses. He can swing the bat but everything else leaves A LOT to be desired. He is a complete liability behind the plate and on the bases. This dude really belongs in the American League.

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

I just hope this is NOT the beginning of the parade out of Denver

Michael Silver of Yahoo was writing today about how the Rockies may need to trade Holliday the way the Rangers had to trade Texiera. Please tell me thats not true.

Originally Posted by lex

Michael Silver of Yahoo was writing today about how the Rockies may need to trade Holliday the way the Rangers had to trade Texiera. Please tell me thats not true.

Rockies ownership made a ton of money this year, and said they would spend it to keep players - guess we will see - they already let one get away. They keep that up, and there are going to be a ton of people VERY unhappy with the ownership.