2015 Outfield predictions

Colorado Rockies: 2015 Projected Outfield

By. Nick Stephens

           

            In 2014, we got a solid look at a group of players who can play a big part in creating a championship caliber team in Denver. With the absence of star players such as Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer, we saw a lot of playing time for Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson, Brandon Barnes, and Drew Stubbs. Below, I will break down each player and project where I see them starting for the 2015 season.

Carlos Gonzalez - During his 6 years in Colorado, Cargo has become one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. His .300/.360/.540 slash line tells you exactly why. He will hit for power, drive in base runners, steal bases, and catch just about every ball hit in his direction in the outfield. He is one of the few players who possess all 5 tools. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the tool necessary to keep himself off of the disabled list. Since 2010, he has missed a total of 223 games, and in 2014 alone, he missed 92 games. He is currently coming off a knee surgery and is hopeful to be ready by Spring Training in 2015. There have been trade rumors about Cargo possibly being traded this offseason, but I fully expect to see Carlos Gonzalez as the starter for the 2015 season in right field.

Charlie Blackmon - Charlie Blackmon didn't have a ton of MLB experience prior to the 2014 season. He had played in just 151 games up until he beat Corey Dickerson for the starting job in the Rockies outfield to begin the year. Blackmon came storming out of the gates hitting .389/.434/.642 in his first full month as a starter and solidified his spot as a first time All Star. He finally came back down to earth and finished his first full season hitting .288 with 19 homers and 72 RBI's and stole 28 bags to go along with his impressive offensive numbers. He was primarily the lead off man for the Rockies and did a great job in that role. While his defense can use some work, I don't think it's enough of an issue for him to not be an everyday player. I believe he has shown he can handle the duties as a leadoff hitter and can patrol the outfield well enough to keep his starting role in the outfield as the Rockies center field in the 2015 season.

Brandon Barnes - 2014 was the first season in Colorado for the 28 year old outfielder who came over from the Houston Astros in a trade involving former center fielder, Dexter Fowler. Brandon Barnes came in as another piece of the puzzle in hopes to configure a solid outfield. Although he never got a starting job, he was a great utility outfielder who provided solid at bat's when called upon. He provided the Rockies with 17 pinch hits throughout the season, which led the league. I don't see Barnes being a starter in the near future, but I do like his spot off the bench and expect him to continue in that role in the 2015 season, assuming he is still with the club.

Drew Stubbs - 1st year as a Rockie alongside Brandon Barnes, there was some uncertainty where he would fit with this team as well. Drew fit in well as a utility outfielder alongside Barnes, making occasional starts to fill in when needed. Stubbs absolutely crushed the ball in Coors Field hitting .356 on the season, as opposed to .211 on the road. Stubbs has blazing speed on the basepaths, successfully stealing 20 times out of 23 attempts. Given his inability to hit on the road, it's tough to see him becoming a starter anytime soon. If Stubbs is still in purple pinstripes next year, expect his role to stay the same in 2015.

Michael Cuddyer - Coming off a season in which he won the 2013 NL batting title, the Rockies expected another great season from the veteran right fielder. While he was healthy, he was great, hitting .332 in 190 at bats, but unfortunately that's all of the at bats he would get during his final year of a three year contract, due to injury. Cuddyer was great in his time in Colorado, but I expect him to sign elsewhere and no longer be a part of the Rockies.

Corey Dickerson - As mentioned earlier, Dickerson was competing with Blackmon for a spot on the team during Spring Training. He was ultimately beat out by Blackmon, but because of injury to Gonzalez and Cuddyer he was called up. Dickerson thrived in his opportunity as a full time player and finished his season hitting .312 with 24 home runs and 76 RBI's over 131 games. His defense needs some work and he doesn't have the arm strength to throw out runners, but with his 2014 performance I project Dickerson being the starting left fielder on Opening Day 2015.

            The Rockies have some great talent in the outfield, and I'm looking forward to seeing them at full force next season.

Injuries ended Rockies rotation hopes

By Paul Meyer.

Injuries Ended Rockies Rotation Hopes

 The Rockies rotation will probably want to forget 2014. It was a season full of disappointment amd injures, especially for an underwhelming rotation.

Rockies had to use 15 starting pitchers this season, including guys that were pitching in Double-A Tulsa to start the season. Rockies started the season with Brett Anderson, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Chatwood, Jhoulys Chacin, and Jorge De La Rosa in their rotation going into Spring Training.

The Rockies also used Yohan Flande, Christian Friedrich, Christian Bergman, Jair Jurrjens, Pedro Hernandez, Matt Belisle, Juan Nicasio, Eddie Butler, Tyler Matzek, and Franklin Morales in their rotation.

Chacin had problems with his shoulder and had to wait until May before he could pitch. Anderson, acquired from Oakland in the off season, in April, suffered a broken finger on a swing during a game in late April in San Francisco. He was able to come back but then suffered a back injury that required him to miss the rest of the season. This was the guy the Rockies had hoped a change of scenery would do him good, especially since he suffered many injuries with the Athletics. Chatwood had elbow problems and was only able to make four starts before being shut down with Tommy John Surgery. Lyles, acquired from Houston in the off season, suffered a broken left hand after trying to cover home on a play at the plate.

Chacin finished the season 1-7 with a 5.40 ERA. Anderson finished the season 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA. Chatwood went 1-0 with 4.50 ERA in only 4 starts. Lyles finished the season 7-4 with a 4.33 ERA. Lyles was basically the Rockies best starter.

Even the replacement starters had injuries. Bergman, who was Lyles replacement in the rotation, suffered a broken left hand as well. Butler had shoulder inflammation problems after his Major League Debut. Bergman finished the season 3-5 with a 5.93 ERA. Butler finished the season 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Other guys were just simply ineffective. Flande and Friedrich both not only struggled in the MLB level, they struggled with Triple-A Colorado Springs. They didn’t win a game in the Majors combined to go 0-10 this season. Flande went 0-6 with a 5.19 ERA. Friedrich finished with an 0-4 record and a 5.92 ERA.

Morales was Morales as his second stint with the Rockies resulted in him having command issues again. Morales finished the season 6-9 and had a 5.37 ERA. Nicasio struggled to the point where he had to be sent to Colorado Springs. He finished the season 6-6 with a 5.38 ERA. Jurrjens was okay but just couldn’t find that once All Star form and was outrighted to the minors. Jurrjens finished the season with a 0-1 record and a 10.61 ERA. Hernandez and Belisle each only mad one start this season. Hernandez was outrighted to the minors and Belisle went back into the bullpen. Hernandez finished the season with a 0-1 record and 4.76 ERA in his only Major League start. Belisle finished the season 4-7 with 4.87 ERA. It was Belisle’s first start since he was with the Reds.

Matzek and De La Rosa were basically the only guys that were able to stay healthy and did decent. De La Rosa finished the year 14-11 with a 4.10 ERA. Matzek finished 6-11 with a 4.05 ERA.

The question now is with the offense the Rockies have, can their rotation stay healthy in 2015?

We’ll definitely see what might happen when Spring Training starts.

Same team different results?

By Nick Stephens

Colorado Rockies 2014 season

 The 2014 season for the Rockies has been one to forget. Blame it on injuries, front office issues, misspelled jerseys, or the killer "B's" in the bullpen (Brothers, Belisle, Boone) the result is going to be the same. Although this has been one of the worst seasons in Colorado baseball history, there have been a few bright spots as well. In this article I will point out the obvious in what went wrong, and why we should look forward to a contending 2015 team.

 Through the first 52 games of the season, the Rockies had a record of 28-24, which exceeded most fans expectations. It was still early, but Rockies fans were optimistic. Tulo was healthy, pitching had been solid, Arenado and Blackmon were having All Star years, and just about everything was clicking. Unfortunately, as always, the Rockies plummeted in the standings come June.

 While it seems the front office uses the "injury" excuse year after year, it's hard to argue that the injury excuse isn't valid for 2014. Rockies players were going down left and right. The injury bug took down just about every pitcher that came to the mound. Tulo and Cargo both went down with season ending injuries. Jhoulys Chacin and Tyler Chatwood only made a few starts before hitting the DL, while Chatwood is expected to miss all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery. After winning the NL batting title in 2013, Michael Cuddyer spent the majority of the season on the DL nursing multiple injuries. With just about every Rockies fan upset about how the season was playing out, it was casting a shadow on the bright spots on this team, specifically Corey Dickerson and Tyler Matzek, who give us a reason to believe in 2015.

 With Cuddyer and CarGo spending the season on the DL, it gave Corey Dickerson a chance to prove himself in the Majors. Corey Dickerson has exploded offensively while playing full time. He finished the season with a slash line of .312/.364/.567. He crushed 24 home runs while driving in 76 runners in 131 games. With all the trade rumors surrounding Carlos Gonzalez, Dickerson definitely provides some comfort knowing he's ready to fill those shoes if needed.

 Pitching has always been an issue for a pitcher who calls Coors Field his home park. While we saw 10+ different starters take the mound, we got a chance to see some of the young talent in our farm system. Tyler Matzek didn't seem phased by the hype surrounding the thin Colorado air. He was called up midseason from Colorado Springs, made 19 starts and solidified his spot in the 2015 rotation. While he was a little shaky at first, he settled in and provided a solid 4.05 ERA (3.61 ERA at Coors) over 117.2 innings pitched.

 The front office is a disaster. We all know that. We also know we have talent on this team, and if they can stay healthy, this team is without a doubt a contender in the NL West.

Ace in the hole?

By Jeramiah Penaflor

You know your team is having a bad year when your ERA. Is comparable to a good interest rate on a home loan.  The Rockies are at the bottom of the barrel in every major category this year.  Every year Rockies fans are left to wonder, what if we had some pitching.  This year is no different, so what’s missing? How do they fix it?  Blow up the entire staff?  Revamp the bullpen?  I don’t believe the bullpen is as bad as numbers show, to be successful they need to be put in a position that allows that.  The best way for that to happen is for the starters to eat more innings, and have more quality starts.  As of July 4, 2014 the Rockies are second to last in NL quality starts with 35.  Going into the All-Star break the rotation will look like this. De La Rosa, Anderson, Matzek, Jurjjens, Morales or Flande.  How would this staff look with a real ace?  Right now we don’t have a guy that can dominate the game; we don’t have a skid stopper.  An ace always keeps his team in the game, or to be fair has a quality start 85% of the time.  We need a guy that inspires the rest of the staff to elevate their game.  De La Rosa is a nice piece but he isn’t a top of the line ace, he sure would look great as a number two.  The NL West of full of great pitching.  If the boys on Blake ever think of contending they need a top of the line ace.  David Price is out there, but the front office on 20th and Blake give us reminders that he won’t be wearing purple pin stripes.  Maybe Gray or Butler will become that ace they so desperately need.  One thing is certain; they don’t have an ace in the hole. Penaflor

Eddie Butler the answer?

    By Jeramiah Penaflor

  

           Finally the management has made a move.  The much anticipated major league debut of Eddie Butler will take place tonight on 20^th and Blake, the Rockies are cured right?  In Double A Tulsa, Butler was 4-4 with a 2.49 ERA.  Weiss has been quoted in saying Butler doesn’t have much development left, he just needs more experience.  So now that the blue chip prospect is here, he should lead the way in righting this ship. Wrong, here’s why.  Butler comes to a team that is missing its All Star left fielder, it’s gold glove third baseman, it’s 16 million dollar left hand bullpen specialist; oh yea, and it just lost arguably their most consistent starter this year, Lyles. They do however, still have Tulo.  Let’s hope Butler can come in and be effective, give the Rocks quality starts, as well as produce a ton of ground balls.  One thing is for sure though, Friday night on 20^th and Blake should be full of excitement.