BaseBald

Much like a clammy, adolescent male with weak wrists and confidence issues; the Rockies haven't found the right match for their second base experience. The second base position has always been a question mark for the Rockies since the departure of the original Eric Young in 1997. The Rockies were spoiled with EY. He was a speedy player with smooth hands and a solid bat, and he did it all with a child-like enthusiasm. Since then, the Rockies have gone through so many second baseman that they could fill a 40-person theater, because that's exactly how many players who have played second base for the Rockies since 1993. The Rockies had seven players alone in 2011 play second base, but not one of them is projected to be the starter in 2012 at the position. That's because the Rockies traded for Marco Scutaro, who has filled the holes at second base and the number two spot in the batting order. I feel like he's a great acquisition for the Rockies and he will fit in perfect...

The Rockies wanted to add some veteran presence to their team during the off-season, and by the looks of things, I'd say mission accomplished! With the addition of Marco Scutaro, the Rockies now have five players that are projected opening-day starters over the age of 33: Todd Helton (38), Casey Blake (38), Marco Scutaro (36), Ramon Hernandez (35), and Michael Cuddyer (33). Last season, the Rockies had two opening-day starters over the age of 33: Todd Helton (37) and Ty Wigginton (33). The Rockies have gotten older, but hopefully not so old that they can't succeed. The Rockies' average age of opening-day position starters in 2011 was 28.5, whereas the projected average age of opening-day position starters in 2012 is 32.4. That's an increase of 3.9 years. The 3.9 years that they added to the team are referred to in baseball as a player's prime or peak years. Generally, the prime or peak of a player's career has been described as their age 27-32 years. This is ...

It was reported today that Ryan Spilborghs signed a minor league contract to play for the Cleveland Indians. To say that this is a sad day for Rockies' fans would be putting it lightly. It's mortifying. It was apparent that Spilly wasn't going back to the Rockies, but I didn't want it to be true. As long as he was a free agent that meant there was still a very, very, very small chance that he could be back in purple. Now, there's no chance at all. Spilly was the most entertaining player the Rockies have ever had on their team. Yes, even more entertaining than Dante Bichette. He might not have put up tremendous numbers, but he always played hard and he always had a good time. There's a lot to be said about a player that sparks team chemistry. Instead of being sad about this, I'm going to find the silver lining...much like the glittery lining found on the Rockies' black vest jerseys. Let's take a look back at the man they call Spilly... We undoubte...

It's always nice to get to know the new guys, so each week I'm going to introduce one of the Rockies' newest additions. This week, I'll focus on the Colorado Rockies' new catcher, Ramon Hernandez. Hernandez was signed by the Oakland Athletics as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela on February 18, 1994. He played his first big league game with the Oakland Athletics in June 1999 as a backup catcher to A.J. Hinch. The Athletics traded A.J. Hinch before the 2000 season and gave the starting catcher job to Hernandez. In the 2000 season, Hernandez set an Oakland record with the most games caught in a single season with 142 games. Hernandez's best season came in 2003 when he hit .273 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI. This landed him on his first and only All-Star team. The Athletics made the playoffs every season (200-2003) with Hernandez as their starting catcher. Hernandez has played on three teams since parting ways with the Oakland Athletics; the San Diego Padre...

Dexter Fowler and the Rockies agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.35 million to avoid arbitration. Don't worry, this isn't anything like the one-year deal that was given to Seth Smith which ended with him being traded to the Oakland Athletics within 12 hours. Nope, the Rockies plan to keep Fowler for at least one more season. The Rockies expect a breakout season from Dexter in 2012, and I agree, but there are a few things that Dexter needs to work on for his 2012 breakout season to become a reality. I'm a huge fan of Dexter's defense, and I believe he's one of top defensive outfielders in the game, but his offense needs a little work. I'm not completely sold on Dexter Fowler as a switch hitter. I'd prefer if he'd hit strictly from the left side of the plate to get that quicker first step out of the box so he can utilize his speed. His average from the right side of the plate is twenty points lower than from the left and his BAbip (Batting average on ...

The Colorado Rockies are overloaded on pitchers that could potentially fill their rotation in 2012. During the off-season, the Rockies acquired Kevin Slowey, Tyler Chatwood, Josh Outman, Guillermo Moscoso, and Jamie Moyer to compete for major league spots. They'll be joining Jhoulys Chacin, Juan Nicasio, Jason Hammel, Alex White, Drew Pomeranz, Esmil Rogers, and Clayton Mortensen in the DMV line of starters the Rockies already have on their team. The only player listed above that I believe is guaranteed a spot is Chacin. The rest can battle it out during spring training. However, I'd like to see who'd be the best options for the Rockies based off of their previous statistics. Some of them will only have small sample sizes, and some of them have sample sizes so large that you'd think it was a joke...Jamie Moyer. The three main stats that need to be decent for a pitcher to have success in Coors Field are WHIP (Walks plus Hits per inning pitched), SO/9 (Average Strikeout...

Seth Smith signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies worth approximately $2.4 million. This allowed the Rockies and Smith to avoid arbitration, hence making Smith look more appealing on the trade market. Some people believe this move will keep Smith a Rockie for at least another season, but I believe they did this to make him more appetizing to teams that didn't want to deal with his arbitration case. It's time to cut ties with Seth Smith. Smith was one of the best hitters on the team last season, and he's always been a fan favorite, but I don't believe his talents are being utilized in Colorado. Smith worked extremely hard last season on hitting left handed pitching, and he proved to the Rockies that he is capable of being the everyday right fielder. He's not going to put up monster power numbers, but he will get the clutch hits and he will be productive. Smith had the past three seasons to win the starting job in right field, and he finally proved worthy ...

The Colorado Rockies' 2012 opening day lineup is going to look a little different from last year's lineup. The Rockies will have a different catcher, second baseman, third baseman, and starting pitcher when they take the field for their first game in 2012. Chris Iannetta, who was the Rockies' starting catcher for opening day in 2011, is now playing for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Iannetta was drafted in the fourth round in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies. He spent all of his big league seasons with the Rockies with very moderate success. His best season for the Rockies came in 2008 when he played in 104 games and had a .264/.390/.505 line with 18 home runs and 64 RBI. His offensive production struggled the following two seasons which resulted in him losing his starting job to Yorvit Torrealba in 2009, and to Miguel Olivo in 2010. Iannetta wouldn't have played in as many games as he did last season if it weren't for an injury t...

It's always nice to get to know the new guys, so each week I'm going to introduce one of the Rockies' newest additions. This week, I'll focus on the newly acquired outfielder/utility man, Michael Cuddyer. Michael Cuddyer was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 1997 draft. Cuddyer played his entire career in the Twins' organization up until he signed a 3-year, $31.5 million contract this off-season to play for the Rockies. His only All-Star appearance was last season at the age of 31. Cuddyer has been a decent hitter throughout his career, but has yet to hit over .285 during a season. He's also known as a player that can play almost anywhere on the field, but his defense is only average everywhere on the field. It's nice to have him on the team due to his ability to play first base, second base, third base, and the corner outfield positions. These are all positions that the Rockies seem to have trouble filling or keeping healthy. Spea...