BaseBald

Jim Tracy has set the 25-man roster, and Houston, I don't think we have a problem...do we? Let's take a brief look at the 25 guys who will be on the 2012 Opening Day roster. C. Ramon Hernandez Hernandez had a dismal spring offensively, but he caught 85 innings and only made one error while throwing out 66% of the base stealers. He'll be solid defensively and undeniably crucial to the young pitching staff, but his age will limit his innings. C. Wilin Rosario Rosario had a very impressive spring, leading the Rockies with four home runs, eight doubles, 43 total bases, and a 1.213 OPS. Rosario is currently ranked as the Rockies' number three prospect in their system, and should establish himself as the Rockies main back-stop this season. 1B. Todd Helton Helton returns for his 15th season as the Rockies' opening day first-baseman. Helton crushed the ball this spring, with eight doubles, two home runs, ten runs scored, nine RBI, and an OPS of 1.179. It see...

The grass is fresh, the sun is out, and purple pinstripes are back to being acceptable on clothing. All of the Rockies' players have reported to camp, and the first Spring Training game is this Saturday, March 3, against the Diamondbacks. Another season of Rockies baseball is upon us, and my expectations are deservingly high for a revamped Rockies team. I have extremely high expectations for the Rockies this season because the Rockies made numerous moves and non-moves that sent away a slew of fan favorites. Don't get me wrong, I understand that sometimes there needs to be change for a team to grow, but I need these changes to leave no doubt in my mind that these were the right moves for the team. I need to trust and believe that the Rockies feel like a team of older, hard-nosed veterans will be able to constantly defeat younger, more athletic teams such as the Diamondbacks, Giants, Padres, and Dodgers. My doubts are there, but I will continue to root for my home team, because t...

It's that time of year again. It's time to play GM. It's time to prove to all of your friends and a few strangers that you're better than them at filling out an MLB roster. And what wins leagues? Sleepers. Both Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez will go within the first 15 picks, but who are the guys on the Rockies that are flying under the radar that might be beneficial to your team? Here's a list of a few names that can be great bench additions, or even starters come opening day. Michael Cuddyer Ranked: 73 Average pick in mock drafts: 81.4 Cuddyer has eligibility at first base, second base, and the outfield. This makes him a wonderful option as your utility player or even your second base option due to the lack of depth at the position. He's going later than expected and that might be due to his age and change of scenery, but Coors Field should bump up his stats. Expect about the same production from Cuddyer in 2012 that he had in 2011. He's a ...

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 ...