COLORADO ROCKIES
| The Rockies had an awful year in 1999, and had a massive turnover of personnel during the off-season. Bichette, Castilla and others are gone; Jeff Cirillo and a slew of pitchers have arrived. Some of their additions (Arrojo, Taylor) will likely help; others (Karl, Myers) likely won't. It's hard to imagine all of these new faces jelling together and becoming a good team, but strange things can happen in the thin air. |
| ROLANDO ARROJO (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TAM 14 12 32 32 2 2 0 202 195 65 152 356 1999 TAM 7 12 24 24 2 0 0 141 162 60 107 518 |
| He was hurt, and didn't pitch as well as he did in his fine 1998 season. He has now been traded to Colorado, and I normally don't consider that a good career move for pitchers. But I guess that if anyone can survive in Colorado, Arrojo can. |
| PEDRO ASTACIO (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 LA-COL 12 10 33 31 2 1 0 202 200 61 166 414 1998 COL 13 14 35 34 0 0 0 209 245 74 170 623 1999 COL 17 11 34 34 7 0 0 232 258 75 210 504 |
| A few years ago, the Dodgers had two Pedro's in their farm system, Astacio and Martinez. Believe it or not, Astacio was the more highly regarded of the two; but though things have worked out better for Martinez, Astacio is a pretty good pitcher in his own right. He won 17 games for a bad team, and had a great K/W ratio; his ERA was 7.16 at home, 3.60 on the road. He should continue to pitch well next year, though his chances of prolonged success are much better if he joins another team. |
| MANNY AYBAR (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 10 0 13 13 0 0 0 83 62 17 63 260 |
|
The Cardinals appear to have committed to him as a reliever, though he
still hasn't gotten anybody out in the majors. He is still young, and his K/W
ratio was better than ever before; I also love that 10-0 record at Memphis in
1998. I think he's got a chance to be good next year. ADDENDUM: I changed my mind. He's been traded to Colorado. |
| STAN BELINDA (34, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 CIN 1 5 84 0 0 0 1 99 84 33 114 371 1998 CIN 4 8 40 0 0 0 1 61 46 28 57 323 1999 CIN 3 1 29 0 0 0 2 43 42 18 40 527 |
|
Last year was a struggle for Belinda, and being diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis certainly did not help. That being said, his numbers weren't too
bad, except that he gave up 11 home runs in
only 43 innings pitched. Everything else- strikouts, hits, walks- was okay.
He has been a reliable middle reliever for years, but even if he did not
have MS, his career would be nearing the end. ADDENDUM: Belinda has been traded to Colorado. Good luck to him. |
| RIGO BELTRAN (30, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 STL 1 2 35 4 0 0 1 54 47 17 50 348 1999 NYM-COL 1 1 33 0 0 0 0 42 50 19 50 450 |
| Beltran pitched well for St. Louis in 1997, disappeared for a year, and did a solid job for the Mets last year. He has no star potential, but a left-hander who can strike out 50 batters in 42 innings is always going to get a job somewhere. A decent reliever. |
| BRIAN BOHANON (32, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYM 6 4 19 14 0 0 0 94 95 34 66 382 1998 NYM-LA 7 11 39 18 2 0 0 151 121 57 111 267 1999 COL 12 12 33 33 3 1 0 197 236 92 120 620 |
| I have no idea how good a pitcher this guy is. He was in Toronto a few years back and looked really bad. He was great in 1998 with Los Angeles; he looked bad again last year, but that doesn't mean anything because he pitched in Colorado. I think Bohanan is guy who can only succeed if he has a lot of external factors in his favour, like a good team and a friendly park. If he stays long in Colorado, his career could end quickly. |
| DARREN BRAGG (OF, 31, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 BOS 153 513 132 35 2 9 65 57 61 102 257 337 386 10 6 1998 BOS 129 409 114 29 3 8 51 57 42 99 279 351 423 5 3 1999 STL 93 273 71 12 1 6 38 26 44 67 260 369 377 3 0 |
| Bragg is a decent fourth outfielder, does a solid job of getting on base, hits the occasional home run, can run a little. He's OK in his role. |
| JEFF CIRILLO (3B, 31, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 MIL 154 580 167 46 2 10 74 82 60 74 288 367 426 4 3 1998 MIL 156 604 194 31 1 14 97 68 79 88 321 402 445 10 4 1999 MIL 157 607 198 35 1 15 98 88 75 83 326 401 461 7 4 |
|
If he played in New York, he would be a star. As it is, Cirillo is one
of the best third basemen in baseball, a guy who hits .320 with some walks
and a little power. He is durable and consistent. Whether he will last long
enough to star in the playoffs for the Brewers or another team remains to be seen. ADDENDUM: Cirillo has been traded to Colorado. Oh baby. |
| EDGARD CLEMENTE (CF, 24, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 120 438 123 24 10 17 70 73 34 119 281 340 498 6 3 1998 AAA 135 493 124 21 7 22 79 82 40 117 252 310 456 5 5 1999 AAA 75 276 84 24 1 17 46 60 20 55 304 355 583 5 5 |
| A young outfielder who doesn't impress me right now. Clemente played for three years at Colorado Springs, and didn't start to hit until last year. He was promoted by the Rockies, but didn't hit well with them. He is very young and has some power, but his K/BB ratios are dreadful. He's a mediocre young player, but Coors Field will help his stats a great deal. |
| RICK CROUSHORE (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA-AAA 8 7 31 22 1 0 1 136 148 50 108 363 |
| He limited left-handed batters to a .207 batting average, which would be an asset if he was left-handed... a late bloomer, Croushore has pitched reasonably well the past two years in the slipshod St. Louis bullpen. He shouldn't be anything more than a middle reliever, but he can eat up innings and not embarrass himself. |
| MIKE DEJEAN (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 COL 5 0 55 0 0 0 2 68 74 24 38 399 1998 COL 3 1 58 1 0 0 2 74 78 24 27 303 1999 COL 2 4 56 0 0 0 0 61 83 32 31 841 |
| Is there a Third-Year Curse in Colorado? It seems that whenever a Rockie pitcher is able to string up two good years in a row, the third one is a stinker. Maybe I'm just generalizing... the best thing that can happen to DeJean is for him to get a spring training invitation to a team that needs relievers. He can pitch a little. |
| JERRY DIPOTO (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 COL 5 3 74 0 0 0 16 96 108 33 74 470 1998 COL 3 4 68 0 0 0 19 71 61 25 49 353 1999 COL 4 5 63 0 0 0 1 87 91 44 69 426 |
| Dipoto has pitched well three years in a row for the Rockies, which I think is an upset. His control was much worse than in previous years, and I wouldn't count on his success to continue for much longer... but it's not as if the Rockies have any better options. |
| ANDY ECHEVARRIA (1B/OF, 29, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 15 20 5 2 0 0 4 0 2 5 250 318 350 0 0 1998 COL 19 29 11 3 0 1 7 9 2 3 379 455 586 0 0 1999 COL 102 191 56 7 0 11 28 35 17 34 293 360 503 1 3 |
| Echevarria is a minor league veteran who got a few at bats with the Rockies last year, many of them as a pinch hitter. He is a big guy, and can hit home runs in the thin air; I can't see him moving into another role and having much success. |
| DERRICK GIBSON (OF, 25, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 119 461 146 24 2 23 91 75 36 100 317 377 527 20 13 1998 AAA 126 497 145 20 3 14 84 81 35 110 292 341 429 14 6 1999 AAA 110 385 106 19 6 17 68 67 30 82 275 336 488 12 6 |
| Gibson is an outfield prospect with the Rockies. He has spent the past two years at Colorado Springs, and to be honest he hasn't hit that well. He can hit some home runs in the thin air, but I don't think he is a very good prospect. |
| TOM GOODWIN (CF, 32, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 KC-TEX 150 574 149 26 6 2 90 39 44 88 260 314 336 50 18 1998 TEX 154 520 151 13 3 2 102 33 73 90 290 378 338 38 20 1999 TEX 109 405 105 12 6 3 63 33 40 61 259 324 341 39 11 |
|
Goodwin had injury problems, and didn't play as well as he did in 1998. Even
if he does play at the top of his game, I'm not sure I would want him as a
regular. He has no power, and his base stealing is nothing special. My guess
is he will continue to get lots of at bats in 2000, but there are lots of
guys in the minors who can provide the same skills. ADDENDUM: Goodwin is now in Colorado. He may hit .350, but I still don't think he is all that good. |
| JEFFREY HAMMONDS (OF, 29, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 BAL 118 397 105 19 3 21 71 55 32 73 264 323 486 15 1 1998 BAL-CIN 89 257 72 16 2 6 50 39 39 56 280 375 428 8 3 1999 CIN 123 262 73 13 0 17 43 41 27 64 279 347 523 3 6 |
|
For a while, he was a hot outfield prospect in Baltimore. Unfortunately,
I don't think the Orioles have produced a good young player of their own since
Cal Ripken was a rookie, and Hammonds' career sputtered for several years. Last
year, Hammonds was about as good as a fourth outfielder can be. He has played
well now for three straight years, and will continue to; he may even get a
few more at bats. ADDENDUM: Hammonds has been traded to Colorado, which seems like a good career move to me. |
| TODD HELTON (1B, 27, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 35 93 26 2 1 5 13 11 8 11 280 337 484 0 1 1998 COL 152 530 167 37 1 25 78 97 53 54 315 380 530 3 3 1999 COL 159 578 185 39 5 35 114 113 68 77 320 395 587 7 6 |
| At home, he hits like Lou Gehrig. On the road, he hits like Greg Norton. Helton has talent, and could probably have a good year with another team, but at this time I have trouble seeing him as a superstar. He is probably due to have his best season in 2000, assuming that he remains in Colorado. |
| JOSE JIMENEZ (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 9 7 24 24 2 0 0 146 128 42 81 309 1998 AA 15 6 26 26 1 1 0 180 156 68 88 311 |
| Gee, throw a no-hitter, and then they trade you to Colorado. Jimenez' chances of developing into a good pitcher were limited at best; now that he is pitching in the thin air, I think his chances of a long career are very small. I hope he saves his money while he gets it. |
| SCOTT KARL (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 MIL 10 13 32 32 1 0 0 193 212 67 119 447 1998 MIL 10 11 33 33 0 0 0 192 219 66 102 440 1999 MIL 11 11 33 33 0 0 0 198 246 69 74 478 |
|
He was just okay, again; for three straight years, the hits have been
going up, and the strikeouts have been going down. Karl is pitching on the
edge of a cliff, and soon enough will fall off. ADDENDUM: Karl has been dealt to Colorado. This does not bode well. |
| MIKE LANSING (2B, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 MON 144 572 161 45 2 20 86 70 45 92 281 338 472 11 5 1998 COL 153 584 161 39 2 12 73 66 39 88 276 325 411 10 3 1999 COL 35 145 45 9 0 4 24 15 7 22 310 344 455 2 0 |
| His tenure in Colorado has been disappointing thus far. In 1998, he didn't hit; last year he was injured. Though it is easy to forget about Lansing, remember that he is not old, and has had a good health record in the past. If he is healthy and still playing in Colorado, I would expect him to have a good year; he could hit 40 home runs. |
| CHRIS LATHAM (OF, 27, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 118 492 152 22 5 8 78 58 58 110 309 386 423 21 19 1998 AAA 97 377 122 21 4 11 81 51 56 99 324 412 488 29 5 1999 AAA 94 382 123 24 8 15 93 51 54 95 322 405 545 18 13 /pre> |
| Latham has now spent four seasons at Salt Lake City, and has pounded the ball the past two years. He doesn't appear to fit in with the Twins' plans, but his power and speed should make him a valuable spare outfielder with someone, if he gets the chance. |
| AARON LEDESMA (IF, 29, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 BAL 43 88 31 5 1 2 24 11 13 9 352 437 500 1 0 1998 TAM 95 299 97 16 3 0 30 29 9 51 324 344 398 9 7 1999 TAM 93 294 78 15 0 0 32 30 14 35 265 305 316 1 1 |
| Ledesma is a super utility player who had a bit of an off-year in 1999. He has no power, and doesn't steal bases, but he can play all over the field, and his lifetime batting average is .300. A quality player. |
| DAVID LEE (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 4 8 51 0 0 0 22 49 61 23 59 408 1998 A 3 5 54 0 0 0 25 52 57 15 54 377 1999 AA-AAA 0 0 22 0 0 0 13 23 8 4 23 078 |
| Lee's career was going nowhere in the lower minors, until he had a hot streak and fast-tracked to the majors. He pitched very well with Colorado, and will play a significant role in their bullpen this season. It appears that he can pitch, but I don't predict long-term success for any pitcher in Colorado. |
| BRENT MAYNE (CA, 32, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 OAK 85 256 74 12 0 6 29 22 18 33 289 343 406 1 0 1998 SF 94 275 75 15 0 3 26 32 37 47 273 359 360 2 1 1999 SF 117 322 97 32 0 2 39 39 43 65 301 389 419 2 2 |
| He's a manager's dream, a guy who quietly wins games without anyone noticing. He is a fine defensive catcher who hits for average, draws walks, and has doubles power. He's not Pudge Rodriguez, but then, he doesn't cost the big bucks, either. |
| MIKE MYERS (31, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 DET 0 4 88 0 0 0 2 54 58 25 50 570 1998 MIL 2 2 70 0 0 0 1 50 44 22 40 270 1999 MIL 2 1 71 0 0 0 0 41 46 13 35 523 |
| Myers has averaged 78 games pitched over the past four seasons, though he has had only one good season. Lefties hit .188 off him, right-handers hit .397. Throws sidearm, needs to be spotted very carefully. He is now in Colorado, and is not someone I would expect to thrive there. |
| NEIFI PEREZ (SS, 25, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 83 313 91 13 10 5 46 31 21 43 291 333 444 4 3 1998 COL 162 647 177 25 9 9 80 59 38 70 274 313 382 5 6 1999 COL 157 690 193 27 11 12 108 70 28 54 280 307 403 13 5 |
| Perez is the Rockies' regular shortstop, a young, durable player who is a good defensive player. He is a terrible hitter; after three seasons in Colorado, he has still yet to hit .300. A decent player, Ozzie Guillen-type though probably not as good defensively as Ozzie once was. As long as he is in Colorado he could hit .320 in any season. |
| BEN PETRICK (CA, 23, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 121 412 102 23 3 15 68 56 62 100 248 347 427 30 11 1998 AA 106 349 83 21 3 18 52 50 56 89 238 345 470 7 7 1999 AAA 84 282 88 16 5 19 56 64 44 58 312 403 606 9 6 |
| Petrick is a very young catcher with power, and more speed than the average backstop. His numbers last year were dramatically better than ever before, both at Colorado Springs and Denver. This could be the thin air or his own improvement, or more likely a combination of both. It's anyone's guess how good he really is right now, but at the very least he should be a heck of a lot better than Kirt Manwaring. |
| TERRY SHUMPERT (IF, 34, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 COL 92 262 91 26 3 10 58 37 31 41 347 413 584 14 0 |
| Shumpert got a dream opportunity with the Rockies last season, and didn't blow it. He is a veteran, and plays almost any position. He is also an exceptional base stealer. As long as he plays in Colorado, Shumpert will likely continue to get at bats and put up some nice numbers. |
| JUAN SOSA (IF/OF, 25, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 133 529 147 20 12 8 88 47 43 83 278 334 406 64 16 1999 AA 125 490 135 22 5 7 70 42 31 65 276 318 384 38 15 |
| An odd talent, Sosa is a Colorado prospect who can run like the wind, and also plays both centre field and shortstop. At the moment, he is not a good hitter; his numbers will make a sharp jump upwards this season, when he plays at either Colorado Springs or Denver. There are worse players who have had good careers with the Rockies. |
| JULIAN TAVAREZ (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 SF 6 4 89 0 0 0 0 88 91 34 38 387 1998 SF 5 3 60 0 0 0 1 85 96 36 52 380 1999 SF 2 0 47 0 0 0 0 55 65 25 33 593 |
| Tavarez had a rough season, and his future is in doubt. He has never really been right since his wonderful 1995 season, but has managed to pitch well the last two seasons. Still, there isn't much room for optimism in his record; he is now pitching for Colorado, and I wouldn't have expected him to pitch well with even the Braves. Has one career save, in 15 lifetime opportunities. |
| BILLY TAYLOR (38, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 OAK 3 4 72 0 0 0 23 73 70 36 66 382 1998 OAK 4 9 70 0 0 0 33 73 71 22 58 358 1999 OAK-NYM 1 6 61 0 0 0 26 56 68 23 52 495 |
|
Taylor had a bit of an off-year, got hit especially hard after he was
dealt to the Mets. Still, he wasn't too bad, and his strikeout rate was
still impressive, control was good. I wouldn't want him to close games
for my team, but he can be a valuable pitcher in middle relief. ADDENDUM: Taylor is now in Colorado. If anyone can pitch well there, he might. |
| JOHN THOMSON (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 COL 7 9 27 27 2 1 0 166 193 51 106 471 1998 COL 8 11 26 26 2 0 0 161 174 49 106 481 1999 COL 1 10 14 13 1 0 0 63 85 36 34 804 |
| Another Rockies pitcher who had two good seasons, then imploded on himself. With any luck, Thomson will get traded to another team. I think he can pitch, but he also had surgery during the winter, and isn't expected to be ready to start the season. |
| LARRY WALKER (RF, 33, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 153 568 208 46 4 49 143 130 78 90 366 452 720 33 8 1998 COL 130 454 165 46 3 23 113 67 64 61 363 445 630 14 4 1999 COL 127 438 166 26 4 37 108 115 57 52 379 458 710 11 4 |
|
Late in the year, Walker admitted that the notion of him as a
batting champion is a little silly. His numbers are very inflated
by playing in Coors Field; last year he hit .461 at home, .286 on the
road. None of this disqualifies Walker from being one of the best players in the league. He might not hit .360 in another park, but he could hit .320, and that's still great. His MVP season in 1997 contained one of the great road seasons in baseball history, including 29 home runs away from home. Tremendous power, outstanding baserunner and fielder... has pretty much locked up the title of greatest position player ever born in Canada, which before had been held by Tip O'Neill and Jeff Heath. |
| MASATO YOSHII (35, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 NYM 6 8 29 29 1 0 0 171 166 53 117 393 1999 NYM 12 8 31 29 1 0 0 174 168 58 105 440 |
| Yoshii had another solid season in the Mets' rotation; he's a decent pitcher, and is not going to get any better. In view of his age, and the fact that he has been traded to Colorado, I suspect that his career won't last too much longer. |