COLORADO ROCKIES
| Juan Acevedo (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 STL 8 3 50 9 0 0 15 98 83 29 56 256 1999 STL 6 8 50 12 0 0 4 102 115 48 52 589 2000 MIL 3 7 62 0 0 0 0 83 77 31 51 381 |
| Acevedo made an early trip to the DL in April with "right shoulder weakness", but recovered to have a good season. He has pitched very well in three of the past four seasons; he could be a good setup man, and might even get another chance to close some games. |
| Pedro Astacio (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 COL 12 9 32 32 3 0 0 196 217 77 193 527 |
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At first glance, Astacio appears to be a brilliant pitcher trapped in the lofty confines of Coors Field. He has excellent control and piles on the strikeouts; he has averaged 14 wins the past three seasons, despite playing for lousy Colorado teams in a terrible park. Surely, if he were to join another team, his career would take off. I'm not so sure. Astacio also appears to be a bit of a complex character; last season he barely avoided being deported from the States. He didn't pitch especially well on the road (4.05 ERA), and early in his career he rarely pitched well for the Dodgers when he had the chance. I think Astacio is a 14-win pitcher, no matter what team he plays for... but at least he appears comfortable in Colorado. |
| Brian Bohanon (33, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 COL 12 10 34 26 2 1 0 177 181 79 98 468 |
| Bohanon has a funky delivery which apparently confuses left-handed batters; they hit just .196 against him last year. I never would have thought that Bohanon would become a good pitcher, but here he is. A word of caution, however: the number of pitchers who have had three good seasons in a row with the Rockies is a really small number. |
| Darren Bragg (OF, 32, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 COL 71 149 33 7 1 3 16 21 17 41 221 296 342 4 1 |
| Bragg had a bad year at Colorado, and was released during the summer. As far as I can tell, no one picked him up. His career is in extreme jeopardy. |
| Bubba Carpenter (OF, 33, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 63 198 45 14 2 7 28 24 36 48 227 349 424 3 2 1999 AAA 101 325 92 20 2 22 78 81 75 68 283 419 560 7 3 2000 AAA 53 157 35 7 2 4 23 19 33 37 223 356 369 3 2 |
| Carpenter hits a few home runs at Colorado Springs, but doesn't do anything else. He has no future. |
| Jeff Cirillo (3B, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 COL 157 598 195 53 2 11 111 115 67 72 326 392 477 3 4 |
Cirillo's first season in Colorado was a bit of a stinker. His home/road breakdown:YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 HOM 81 318 128 36 1 9 81 75 43 33 403 472 607 2 2 2000 ROA 76 280 67 17 1 2 30 40 24 39 239 299 329 1 2 Cirillo's one of the better hitters in the league, and he was supposed to be a guy who could contribute both at Coors Field and on the road. I've read that players in Colorado fall into bad habits at the plate, which is one reason they struggle on the road. I've always liked Cirillo a lot, and I suspect he'll come back with a better season. He's a top candidate to win the batting title. |
| Kane Davis (26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 1 11 18 16 0 0 0 74 102 38 39 924 1999 AA-AAA 7 8 28 25 0 0 0 145 162 58 84 479 2000 AA-AAA 3 2 15 13 0 0 0 70 66 24 44 358 |
| Davis' journey to the major leagues was a long one, with some major bumps along the way, including a disastrous 1-11 season at Carolina only two years ago. Last year he pitched for five teams at three different levels of ball; he performed fairly well in the minors, but was blown out in his few appearances with the Indians, earning him a ticket to Milwaukee. I can't see him having much of a career. His control tends to desert him periodically, and he gets hammered when it does; every time he gets set back, it usually takes a Herculean effort to get back to where he was. |
| Jerry Dipoto (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 COL 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 14 16 5 9 395 |
| Dipoto is a decent pitcher, but he missed almost all of last season with a bulging disc in his neck. His future is in a great deal of doubt. |
| Ron Gant (OF, 36, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 STL 121 383 92 17 1 26 60 67 51 92 240 331 493 8 0 1999 PHI 138 516 134 27 5 17 107 77 85 112 260 364 430 13 3 2000 PHI-ANA 123 425 106 19 3 26 69 54 56 91 249 335 492 6 6 |
| He got some of his power back, and managed to have a half-decent season. Gant's not one of the better outfielders in the league, and is barely acceptable as a regular. He's also 36. But he's signed to play in Colorado, and anything can happen there. |
| Mike Hampton (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 HOU 11 7 32 32 1 1 0 211 227 81 137 336 1999 HOU 22 4 34 34 3 2 0 239 206 101 177 290 2000 NYM 15 10 33 33 3 1 0 218 194 99 151 314 |
| Hampton has pitched his entire career in the best pitchers' parks in the league, the Astrodome and Shea Stadium. Now he's moving to the best hitters' park in baseball history. He obviously thinks he can succeed in the think air... but then, Darryl Kile thought the same thing. He's a good pitcher, and a staff leader, but he's always pitched much better at home than on the road. Last year, he was 11-4 at Shea with a 2.05 ERA. And he ain't gonna do that at Coors... |
| Todd Helton (1B, 28, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 COL 160 580 216 59 2 42 138 147 103 61 372 463 698 5 3 |
In the past, Helton had been a Coors Field hitter, a guy who posted big numbers in the thin air, but was extremely mediocre when he reached sea level. Last year it was a different story:YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 HOM 81 302 118 28 1 27 92 88 58 30 391 484 758 3 1 2000 ROA 79 278 98 31 1 15 46 59 45 31 353 441 633 2 2 I tip my cap to Helton, who had a legitimately great year. It was only the second time a Colorado player had posted MVP-type numbers both at home and on the road (Larry Walker's great road performance in 1997 helped him win the MVP Award). Whether he can consistently perform at that level on the road is a good question, because so far no other Rockie has been able to. |
| Todd Hollandsworth (OF, 28, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 LA 55 175 47 6 4 3 23 20 9 42 269 308 400 4 3 1999 LA 92 261 74 12 2 9 39 32 24 61 284 345 448 5 2 2000 LA-COL 137 428 115 20 0 19 81 47 41 99 269 333 449 18 7 |
| He underachieved with the Dodgers after winning the Rookie Of The Year Award in 1996. He was dealt to the Rockies in July; after arriving in Colorado, he hit .323 with a .569 slugging percentage. More of the same this year. |
| Craig House (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 A 2 1 26 0 0 0 11 35 28 14 58 208 2000 A 2 0 13 0 0 0 8 16 7 10 24 225 2000 AA-AAA 0 2 26 0 0 0 13 30 20 17 36 364 |
| House has overpowered hitters at three minor league levels. He appears to have talent, but don't expect much this year; he has thrown very few innings in professional ball, and he's pitching for the Rockies, a fate I wouldn't wish on any young pitcher. |
| Butch Huskey (OF/1B, 29, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 NYM 113 369 93 18 0 13 43 59 26 66 252 300 407 7 6 1999 SEA-BOS 119 386 109 15 0 22 62 77 34 65 282 338 492 3 1 2000 MIN-COL 109 307 80 21 0 9 40 45 41 63 261 346 417 1 3 |
| He began the year playing for Minnesota, and playing very badly. His career might have been in danger, but he had the good fortune to be dealt to Colorado. With the Rockies he (surprise) crushed the ball, and saved his season numbers. If he stays in Colorado, Huskey has a chance to be the new Dante Bichette; if not, well, I guess he'll go back to being Butch Huskey. |
| Kevin Jarvis (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 AAA 10 2 17 16 2 1 0 103 110 26 64 358 |
| Jarvis is a veteran control pitcher who managed to survive in Colorado's starting rotation until slowed down by back spasms in July. In over 400 major league innings, his career ERA is 6.43. |
| Jose Jimenez (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA 15 6 26 26 1 1 0 180 156 68 88 311 |
| I don't think you can say enough good things about the Rockies' bullpen in 2000. The trio of Jimenez, White and Myers helped to disguise how dreadful the rest of the team was. Jimenez blew only 6 save opportunities, and posted a 1.80 ERA on the road. His career has been a strange one to this point; he had a 5-14 record in a year in which he threw a no-hitter. I was impressed by his season, but as a rule I don't expect anyone to pitch well in Colorado. |
| Roberto Kelly (OF, 36, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TEX 75 257 83 7 3 16 48 46 8 46 323 349 560 0 2 1999 TEX 87 290 87 17 1 8 41 37 21 57 300 355 448 6 1 2000 NYY 10 25 3 1 0 1 4 1 1 6 120 185 280 0 0 |
| Kelly was acquired by his former team (but then, isn't everybody his former team?), but didn't do much. He went on the DL in April with a "partial strain of his right elbow", and didn't return the rest of the season. He's a terrific player, and moving to Colorado won't hurt his career. |
| Brent Mayne (CA, 33, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 COL 117 335 101 21 0 6 36 64 47 48 301 381 418 1 3 |
| A wonderful player, a solid catcher who contributes in several different ways at the plate, and is ridiculously consistent. He's not a star, but every good team needs guys like Mayne playing for them. |
| Mike Myers (32, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 COL 0 1 78 0 0 0 1 45 24 24 41 199 |
| I would not have considered Myers a good candidate to pitch well in Colorado, but he was spectacular, holding left-handed batters to a .121 average. Myers has never pitched consistently well anywhere, so I certainly will not expect another big season from him in the thin air. |
| Denny Neagle (33, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL 16 11 32 31 5 2 0 210 196 60 165 355 1999 CIN 9 5 20 19 0 0 0 112 95 40 76 427 2000 CIN-NYY 15 9 32 31 1 0 0 209 210 81 146 452 |
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Neagle had a terrific start to the season, then was acquired by the Yankees in July. He didn't pitch very well for the Bombers, and won't be remembered for the contributions he made to their championship season. Still, Neagle's one of the better pitchers in the league, and should continue to pitch well in 2001... oh, wait, he just signed a massive $50 million contract with the Rockies. As we all know, pitching in Coors Field is a recipe for disaster, for any pitcher. I predict that Neagle will be a lot wealthier in 2001; but unless he knows something we don't, he won't have a very good year on the mound. |
| Greg Norton (3B, 29, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 29 97 28 4 0 5 18 17 24 23 289 435 485 1 0 |
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Norton's career is in some trouble. He lost the third base job in Chicago to Herbert Perry, then was sent down to Charlotte during the summer. After five seasons with the Sox he is a career .247 hitter who doesn't offer much else with the bat. At his age, I find it hard to believe that he will be able to re-eastablish himself. ADDENDUM: Norton has signed to play with Colorado. Lucky dog. |
| Neifi Perez (SS, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 COL 162 651 187 39 11 10 92 71 30 63 287 314 427 3 6 |
| Perez is an awful hitter. Playing in Coors Field has masked this weakness to some extent, but he averages 650 at bats a year for the Rockies and puts very few runs up on the board. He doesn't do anything well at the plate... but he did win a Gold Glove Award. An average shortstop. |
| Ben Petrick (CA, 24, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 AAA 63 248 78 22 3 9 38 47 32 40 315 390 536 7 2 |
| I have no idea how good a hitter Petrick is. He struggled in the lower minors, but began putting up big numbers in the rarified air, both at Colorado Springs and with the Rockies. He's only 24, so he's probably made some improvements of his own, with more to come. At the moment, I think he has an excellent chance of having a big year with Colorado, if they give him the catching job. |
| Juan Pierre (CF, 24, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 64 264 93 9 2 0 55 30 19 11 352 399 402 38 9 1999 A 140 585 187 28 5 1 93 55 38 37 320 366 390 66 19 2000 AA 107 439 143 16 4 0 63 32 33 26 326 376 380 46 12 |
| Pierre is a young, fast outfielder with the Rockies who has no power. It's almost possible to believe, but Pierre had only two extra-base hits in 200 at bats with Colorado. He may very well be able to hit .320 consistently for the Rockies, but he'll have to maximize his ability to get on base and run to make up for his total lack of power. |
| Brian Rose (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 BOS 1 4 8 8 0 0 0 38 43 14 18 693 1999 BOS 7 6 22 18 0 0 0 98 112 29 51 487 2000 BOS-COL 7 10 27 24 0 0 0 117 130 51 64 579 |
| Rose was a hot prospect with the Red Sox three years ago, but his career has been a rocky ride so far. The Sox dealt him to Colorado last summer; obviously, he's not going to get much of a chance to develop with the Rockies. The name of the game in Coors Field is survival; the best thing you can say about Rose is that he has good control, and that will help every time the ball flies out of the ballpark. |
| Terry Shumpert (IF/OF, 35, R/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 2000 COL 115 263 68 11 7 9 52 40 28 40 259 340 456 8 4 |
| Shumpert didn't hit so well last year. He's a valuable utility man, a veteran who can play all the positions, and he had a great year in 1999. He has at least one life left as a major leaguer. |
| Ron Villone (31, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CLE 0 0 25 0 0 0 0 27 30 22 15 600 1999 CIN 9 7 29 22 0 0 2 143 114 73 97 423 2000 CIN 10 10 35 23 2 0 0 141 154 78 77 543 |
| I wasn't a big fan of Ron Villone in Cincinnati, and I certainly am not expecting him to thrive in Colorado. He's not going to have much success unless he throws more strikes... and even then, he may not survive the season. |
| Larry Walker (RF, 35, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 COL 87 314 97 21 7 9 64 51 46 40 309 409 506 5 5 |
| Walker made three trips to the DL because of a bad right elbow, and missed half the season. He's an excellent player, a legitimate .300 hitter with power whose numbers get an extra kick from playing in Coors Field. He's also getting more fragile as he ages. |
| Todd Walker (2B, 28, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 MIN 143 528 167 41 3 12 85 62 47 65 316 372 473 19 7 1999 MIN 143 531 148 37 4 6 62 46 52 83 279 343 397 18 10 2000 MIN-COL 80 248 72 11 4 9 42 44 27 29 290 355 476 7 1 |
| Walker struggled early on the with the Twins, and was exiled to Salt Lake City in May. After two months in the minors, he was given a reprieve, in the form of a trade to Colorado. He is a talented hitter who, if he knows what's good for him, will post some big numbers with the Rockies. He could win a batting title, if one of his teammates doesn't. |
| Gabe White (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CIN 5 5 69 3 0 0 9 98 86 27 83 401 1999 CIN 1 2 50 0 0 0 0 61 68 14 61 443 2000 COL 11 2 68 0 0 0 5 84 64 15 84 236 |
| He quietly had a spectacular season, and may have been the best reliever in baseball; he was certainly the best among the non-closers. He was 10-2 with a 3.13 ERA in Colorado; on the road he was only 1-0 (I guess the Rockies' hitters didn't mount many comebacks on the road), but had a 1.42 ERA and held batters to a .135 average. I was extraordinarily impressed by his season, and I think he's a fantastic pitcher... but I usually don't predict success for pitchers in Colorado. |
| Masato Yoshii (36, 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 2000 COL 6 15 29 29 0 0 0 167 201 53 88 586 |
| Yoshii didn't get too many people out in 2000. He posted a 5.85 ERA in Colorado, which isn't all that bad, but his ERA on the road was 5.87. When the Rockies acquired Hampton and Neagle, I assume that they were planning on replacing Yoshii. |