Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Cummings

Colorado Rockies: Don't Panic, They Struggled Early Last Year Too

Ben Cummings — Sat, 17 May 2008 05:43:40 -0400

Rockies fans have no reason to worry!

I know it has been hard to swallow the Rockies's poor performance through the first quarter of the 162-game MLB season. The good news is that there is still 120 games to go. Even better news, anyone that has followed the Rockies knows that this poor performance is no shock. Last year, at the present spot in the season, the Rockies had 17 wins. That is two more than they have this year.

TWO WINS, THAT'S ALL!

Many major sporting-networks such as ESPN and Fox Sports have analysts that predicted the Rockies to win the West at the beginning of the season.

Two things are wrong with this.

1) Why should we even listen to anyone predicting how a team is going to finish before the season starts? The game isn't played on paper. Who expected the Rays to be leading the division? The divisions and championships can belong to any given team.

and

2) The analysts also said the Cubs were going to be in the World Series, and some believed they were going to win it all. We all know how that goes.

As a quarter of the season has passed, it is not fair to say a team is a disappointment. Like stated above, there is still 120 games left in the season. Teams can start to lose and teams can start to win. As it is with all sports, injuries can drastically affect a team. The Rockies have lost second-year phenom Troy Tulowitzki to a leg injury. Starting pitcher Jason Hirsh is also sidelined.

Having said this, the Rockies still need to figure some things out and quick. Rockies' ace Jeff Francis is yet to get a win. His ERA is higher than the altitude at which he pitches. The only starting pitcher that is putting up respectable numbers is Aaron Cook.

The bullpen is not nearly as solid as it was last year, and Manny Corpas is far from clutch. Brian Fuentes is now the closer again, and even he is having mild problems. In Fuentes's defense, it is hard to go into a game in which you are losing and have a quality outing. Fuentes is good when the game is on the line. When he is in a save situation, Fuentes is one of the best in the business in slamming the door shut. Corpas is still trying to find his role.

As I did with Fuentes, I will defend Corpas as well. He has been put in situations lately in which he did not have the lead, much less a close game. Hurdle is putting in Corpas and Fuentes during the late innings of a game to get their work in, because the offense isn't providing them with a quality chance to show their work in the clutch situations. The Rockies total staff ERA is far from spectacular. However, once Francis gets his first win, watch out opposing batters. Francis will go on a tear and win 15 games this year.

The Rockies high-power offense is far from high power. As of late, Garrett Atkins is the only bat in the lineup that has any consistancy. Chris Ianetta went on a streak of hitting the cover off the ball before striking out three times in a game. The numbers in the Rockies' lineup are not anything to turn on the TV for. The lineup's runs are way down from last year, as are the hits and extra-base hits.

The lack of offense is the reason for the Rockies' struggles. It is hard to win a game when the bats only provide two or three runs. The pitching staff has been allowing runs, but these runs are not extremely high. The Rockies are losing because of a lack of offense.

As it was last year, the Rockies defense has been very solid early on.

Rockies fans have no reason to worry. With 120 games left in the season, we should not be disappointed with the Rockies' effort. This is the team we have loved over the years. The Rockies will start to hit more and pitch better. However, we the fans need to keep faith, because the world is not ready for what the Rockies are capable of doing.

Colorado Rockies: 2B or Not 2B...Who? Is the Question

Ben Cummings — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:08:28 -0400

Kaz Matsui was a very important player in the Colorado Rockies' Cinderella fun in 2007.

Matsui, as a free agent, signed with the Houston Astros and is no longer part of the Rockies organization.

The question that is now on the minds of all Rockies fans is:

Now what?

The Rockies pride themselves on having a roster consisting of many homegrown players. To the outside world, many of these players have never been heard of.

The Rockies have three choices for second base: Jayson Nix, Clint Barmes, and Ian Stewart.

Jayson Nix (Colorado Springs Sky Sox)

Nix has been very impressive this spring so far.

He even impressed many scouts last spring, but due to Kaz Matsui, he was left off the Opening Day roster and designated for assignment in Colorado Springs where he spent the entire season.

Nix has a better bat than Matsui, in terms of power. Nix could potentially be a 20-home run hitter. His speed is above average, but is not considered to be a dangerous base stealer.

It would not be probable to see Nix hitting in the two-hole as Matsui did.

Look to see Nix hitting in the seven-hole behind Hawpe.

Defensively, Nix is solid. He had a great year defensively in Colorado Springs. His only trouble on defense would be his quickness and range. He will not be able to get the ball deep into the hole and still make a play on the ball to get the out.

Clint Barmes (Colorado Springs Sky Sox)

Clint Barmes is no stranger to the pressure of the big leagues.

He was the starting shortstop for the Rockies in his rookie season.

He was sent down to Colorado Springs after he broke his collarbone while carrying deer meat to his apartment.

He has bounced back and forth between AAA and the big leagues, mainly used as a utility player or to give Clint Hurdle an extra bat off of the bench.

In his rookie year, Barmes was an early candidate for Rookie of the Year.

He has a powerful swing and, like Nix, could hit 20-30 home runs.

Barmes has the ability to steal bases and is a skilled bunter, which will be a big asset if Willy Taveras can get on base.

Defensively, Barmes can easily get to the ball in the hole. He proved that when he was playing shortstop before he got injured. However, it appears that he is a natural shortstop and the transition to second base may have a mental effect on his play.

When it comes to turning two, Barmes is one of the best in the business.

Ian Stewart (Minor Leagues)

Ian Stewart has tremendous power.

His natural position is third base.

The only reason he is not on the roster is Garrett Atkins. Stewart and Atkins both have power but Atkins will get the job without question.

Stewart is trying to make the roster as a second baseman.

The problem with Stewart is going to be the transition for the hot corner to a position that has to turn two. Stewart is not used to the art of double plays up the middle.

Stewart also has limited range, but is very athletic. He is also a smart kid and is very coachable.

It would be a huge mistake to keep Stewart off of the Opening Day roster.

As we Rockies fans know, Hurdle has done stupid stuff before, this wouldn't surprise any of us. Even if Stewart doesn't get the second base job, he will be very productive as a pinch hitter and a utility player.

Opening Day second baseman for the Rockies will be Jayson Nix.

NL West: A Battle of Attrition

Ben Cummings — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:03:04 -0400

After a very exciting end to the 2007 season, the West is looking to bring much of the same this season. Arizona and Colorado are looking to duplicate the results of last season, while San Diego is vying to get a playoff spot in which they were robbed of when Colorado beat them in thirteen innings in a one-game playoff to the NL Wild Card.

The Dodgers are now a contender after signing Andruw Jones and making Joe Torre their new Commander in Chief. One shouldn't have to worry too much about the Giants this year. They will most likely finish at the bottom of the division unless they can pick up some key players before the trade deadline.

The West is going to be very exciting once again. It is going to be battles of attrition and preserverance that is going to win the West. What team has the heart to accomplish this?

Arizona is still a very young team. However, they have a key loss in Jose Valverde. Valverde was arguably one of the best, if not the best, closer in the National League last year. Arizona also lost Tony Clark who played a pivotal role in helping the Diamondbacks into the playoffs and sweep the Cubs in the Division Series. The key for Arizona is going to be pitching. Last season Arizona had an above average rotation and a rock solid bullpen. If Randy Johnson can stay healthy this year, he will add intimidation and a smoking fast ball to the arsenal of the rotation. Once the young talent that Arizona has develops, they will be a threat once again to lead the division and fight Colorado for the division title.

Just like last year, San Diego is going to put up a fight in the division but is going to come up just a bit short of the division. However, don't rule out San Diego for the playoffs. They are going to make a strong campaign for the Wild Card spot under the leadership of ace Jake Peavey. Peavey will win twenty games this. San Diego's bullpen is going to need to rebound from last year. Hoffman blew a huge save against Colorado to keep the Padres from going to the playoffs. Hoffman, who is arguably the best closer of the modern era, will once again lead the west, and possibly the National League, in saves. Don't rule out San Diego. They may be a sleeper team and do what Colorado did last year.

The team to watch in the West is going to be Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see how Joe Torre approaches his new team and his new league. Managing in the National League is quite a bit different from the American League. He will not have a DH to depend on. Torre has worked his magic in New York. It would not be unheard of to see him turn the Dodgers into a tremendous threat in the West and possibly the National League. The Dodgers will need to be more solid on defense and out of the bullpen. Their bullpen really struggled down the stretch and for most of the season. The Dodgers may start off the season slow, but as they get used to the Joe Torre way of baseball, they will turn into a well-oiled machine.

San Francisco residents may not want to place any money on the Giants making it to the playoffs this year. They have many kinks they need to work out still. They won't be a playoff team. With Bonds not on the team, they will have much less media attention and less stress. The combination of these two will allow the Giants to relax and play better baseball. For the sake of baseball, the Giants need to do better than they did last year. Unfortunately, the likely hood of this happening is not very good.

The Colorado Rockies are going to be back in the playoffs this year. After being hosed by baseball writers for awards that, in the opinion of the entire baseball world minus the people that matter, should have been awarded to Holliday and Tulowitzki, the Rockies are going to have a very hot fire under their butt. Holliday is going to explode again for another 130+ RBI season and Tulowitzki looks even better this spring. Tulowitzki lead all National League shortstops in all major categories last season getting beaten out by Braun for Rookie of the Year and outplaying NL MVP Jimmy Rollins on defense. Tulo has lost ten pounds bringing Clint Hurdle more speed to the top of the lineup along with Willy Taveras. Todd Helton will look to improve his numbers from last year as well.

The key to the Rockies this year will be defense. The unanswered question in Colorado is who his going to play second base. Home-grown player Jason Nix appears to be the choice. However, don't rule out Clint Barmes, the former starting shortstop two years ago before breaking his collar bone carrying deer meat to his apartment. The Rockies set a MLB record for fielding percentage last year. They are the only team in the MLB that believe defense can win games. Colorado proved last year that they have the heart to keep fighting even when there seems to be no end in sight. Colorado's weakness is going to be Clint Hurdle. The baseball writers did the only thing right by not giving Hurdle Manager of the Year. Hopefully Colorado can overcome most of Hurdle's many managing errors and use grunt work to be a contender.

The West will be exciting to watch again this year. Expect Colorado, Arizona, and San Diego to be in the top three. However, once again, it should not shock anyone to see the Dodgers give those teams a run for their money. Division Champions: Colorado Rockies. Wild Card: San Diego Padres