Know thy Enemy: Colorado Rockies

2007 Record: 90-73

KEY ADDITIONS: Luis Vizcaino (RP)
KEY SUBTRACTIONS: Kaz Matsui (2B), Josh Fogg (RHP), LaTroy Hawkins (RP)

Really, like a hibernating bear, they didn't do much this winter. 

PROJECTED LINEUP:

Willy Taveras (CF)
Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
Todd Helton (1B)
Matt Holliday (LF)
Garrett Atkins (3B)
Brad Hawpe (RF)
Jayson Nix (2B)
Yorvit Torrealba (C)

These guys can hit.  Taveras is an up and coming table setter in center, and if he can maintain or improve last year's .367 OBP will score a ton of runs in front of a lineup that includes mashers who can all hit for average, too.  Until opposing pitchers get to Nix in the seven spot, they'll contend with Tulowitzki (.291/24/99), Helton (.320 BA, .434 OBP, 19/91), MVP runner up and batting champ Holliday (.340/36/136), Atkins (.301/25/111, despite a horrible start to the year), and Hawpe (.291/29/116... good enough to hit sixth in this group.  Yikes).  None had an OBP lower than Tulowitzki's .359 and all save perhaps Helton could still be getting better.  Maybe, maybe not, but those Rockies hitters are certainly unlikely to get worse this year.   There's no doubt they'll pile up runs, a huge help to a questionable staff.

PROJECTED ROTATION:

Jeff Francis (L)
Aaron Cook (R)
Ubaldo Jimenez (R)
Franklin Morales (L)
Mark Redman (R), or perhaps Jason Hirsh when he's healthy

Here's where things get a little dicey.  Francis and Cook are reasonably solid at the top of the rotation- not dominating, but solid- but behind them just about everyone is a question mark.  Morales and Jimenez are both highly touted but extremely inexperienced, having barely tossed a combined 120 innings in the bigs.  Young pitchers are notoriously inconsistent, and if they're not good, there isn't much behind them.  Hirsh came to Colorado in the Jason Jennings deal (that also netted the Rockies Taveras and reliever Taylor Buchholz) and has potential, but also shoulder problems that have shelved him for most of Spring Training.  Redman is extremely ordinary, and if the Rockies have to rely on Kip Wells, signed in the offseason, Lord help them.

In the pen, Colorado has Manny Corpas slated to close.  Corpas took the gig away from Brian Fuentes last season, but the lefty remains as his setup man.  Together, they performed admirably for the Rockies post-switch, and should be pretty good again this year... and I'm not just saying that because I have Corpas on two fantasy teams.  They swapped out Hawkins with Vizcaino, basically a wash, and will rely on Matt Herges to pitch as well as he did last year, when he experienced a major resurgence in effectiveness.   

That's a decent pen.  Not great, not the worst around, but just like the rotation, could be the division's weakest.

It's worth nothing, though, that the Colorado arms get a lot of help from the Colorado gloves.  Helton made a grand total of two errors in '07, Tulowitzki is one of the game's best defensive shortstops (many think he was robbed of a Gold Glove last year), Atkins is solid at third, and all three outfielders field their positions.  Put it all together and you get a .989 team fielding percentage, the best MLB had to offer.  They don't make mistakes or put any extra pressure on the staff.  That's a huge bonus, but any slippage will likely be reflected in the team's ERA.

FINAL VERDICT: The miracle run to the World Series was fun to watch, but like many miracles, won't be easy to replicate.  If the pitching is better than average, the bats could carry the Rockies to the NL West title.  Anything less, though, and they'll struggle to make it happen.  I see them being very close to the team they were last year, still very much a contender.

PROJECTED RECORD: 89-73. 

BK