Szymborski: The Rockies are wasting their stars

Coors Field provides some unique challenges for a franchise to deal with. The difficulty of playing in Coors, however, should be a reason for a front office to be more creative, bring in more people with outside-the-box ideas. Not only do the Rockies not think outside the box, they’re run like an ultra-conventional team from 1988, not like a franchise that absorbed lessons from baseball’s advances in the last 30 years. Teams care about things like getting on-base, and now have a better understanding of sunk costs, meaning that players at the bottom of the league don’t typically retain starting jobs for three years straight.

...I’m far from the only one to have noticed this; I’ve had discussions about this inside baseball on more than one occasion. And Ken Rosenthal got a pretty choice quote in his column today at The Athletic.

  “The well-run teams are realistic and have a good feel for their talent and how it stacks up to their competitors,” one executive said. “The poorly-run teams do not.

  “The Rockies are a great example. They thought they were building off a 91-win team (last season) without appreciating how fortunate they were and that their true talent was well below that.”

Rockies call up Alonso after hot stretch in minors

WASHINGTON—Yonder Alonso has been brought up to the Colorado Rockies from Triple-A Albuquerque.

The 32-year-old was signed to a minor league contract on July 10, a week after he was released by the Chicago White Sox from a contract he signed with Cleveland. That deal guaranteed $9 million this season and included a $1 million buyout of a 2020 option.

Does this make him no longer as Yonder as he used to be?

Rockies trade offers Charlie Blackmon | Colorado Rockies

Still, sources say that the Rockies would listen to offers for Blackmon, even though the chances of a trade before next Wednesday’s Deadline are remote.

Blackmon, who turned 33 this month, has a 15-team no-trade clause, which would complicate any trade negotiations. Colorado would need to consider the reaction—inside and outside its clubhouse—to trading a cornerstone player so soon after signing Nolan Arenado to an eight-year, $260 million extension through 2026.

Rockies’ Freeland looks to regain ace form of last season

DENVER (AP) — On the eve of his next start, Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland was looking to regain his past form.

Freeland (2-5) was slated to start for Colorado on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants after coming off a tough outing last Saturday in which he went six innings against Arizona. He allowed a career-high eight runs on nine hits, including three home runs, the most he had allowed in a game. He has lost five of six outings since winning the team’s season opener in Miami.

The rough start is in sharp contrast to the year he fashioned last season, when he went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA.

Rockies manager Bud Black said before Wednesday’s rainout of Game 2 in the Giants-Rockies series that Freeland’s problems this season stem primarily from location issues and difficulty finding the proper release point to keep his pitches in the low zone.

So, any guesses as for what could be the issue, or if there are any actual issues in play?

Arenado homers for 1,000th hit, Rockies rally past Nats 7-5

DENVER (AP) — No. 1,000 was nothing new for Nolan Arenado.

Arenado hit a tiebreaking homer for his 1,000th career hit and the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 7-5 Monday night.

Arenado also doubled twice and drove in two to help the Rockies win for the seventh time in eight games. He is the ninth Rockies player to reach 1,000 hits, getting there with a solo shot off Wander Suero (1-2) in the seventh to make it 6-5.

Wondering who the other eight Rockies in question are…

Giants slide past Rockies in 18th inning

Brandon Belt opened the 18th inning with a double, and he slid home on Erik Kratz’s bases-loaded ground ball one out later, giving the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies in a game that started on Friday night and ended on Saturday morning.

The win was the Giants’ second in two games in the four-game series and gave them their first winning streak of the season.

Colorado, which led 2-0 but did not score in the final 14 innings, dropped its seventh straight.

The sort of thing that makes you wish the Croix de Candlestick could have survived Candlestick Park somehow.

Braves and Rockies snowed out in Colorado

Today’s scheduled game between the Braves and Rockies at Coors Field has been postponed due to a blizzard warning in Denver. It will be made up on August 26 when, presumably, there will be less of a chance of snow.

What, no moving the game to a neutral site?

German Márquez, Rockies agree to $43M, five-year contract

DENVER — Hard-throwing righty German Márquez and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a $43 million, five-year contract.

Colorado unilaterally renewed Márquez last month for a one-year deal paying $565,000 — $10,000 above the minimum — while in the major leagues and $275,000 while in the minors.

His new contract calls for a $1.5 million signing bonus, payable within 30 days of the deal’s approval by the commissioner’s office, and salaries of $1 million this year, $4.5 million in 2020, $7.5 million in 2021, $11 million in 2022 and $15 million in 2023. Colorado has a $16 million option for 2024 with a $2.5 million buyout.

Any thoughts concerning this contract?

Todd Helton cited on DUI charge, enters treatment center

Former All-Star first baseman Todd Helton has received a misdemeanor citation on a charge of driving under the influence after getting involved in a one-car accident.

Helton’s lawyer says the former Colorado Rockies star has entered a residential treatment program.

“He realizes there are parts of his behavior that need to change, and he is focused on doing just that,” Stephen Ross Johnson said in a statement.

According to a Knox County sheriff’s report, Helton’s car struck a telephone pole March 18 before 6 p.m. Officers said Helton indicated he had taken an Ambien at about 2 p.m. One officer saw a cup in Helton’s car that “had the odor of an alcoholic beverage.”

Officers said they were unable to conduct field sobriety tests or interview Helton in depth on the scene because he was being transported to a hospital for further evaluation. They said that “due to the totality of the circumstances, and due to the arrestee needing immediate medical treatment away from the scene,” Helton was given a misdemeanor citation “in lieu of custodial arrest.”

Is Rockies’ David Dahl on the brink of stardom? His teammates sure think so

Star or just a very good player?

Nolan Arenado agrees to eight-year, $260 million contract to stay with Rockies

1.  Congrats to a great player. 

2.  I’ve never enjoyed Nightengale’s takes, but this is just sloppy/ignorant:

Coors Field may no longer be the hitters’ paradise of Cincinnati or Philadelphia now that they are sorting baseballs in a humidor, but he won’t deny it’s a fabulous place to hit.

Batting park factors, 3/1 year:

PHI 102/102
CIN 103/105
COL 117/119

Colorado has never not had the best hitters park in MLB.

Rockies, manager Bud Black agree to 3-year extension

The Colorado Rockies are big believers in the Buddy system.

Manager Bud Black’s easygoing demeanor strikes just the right chord with an up-and-coming Rockies team that’s made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.

His success was rewarded Monday with a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2022 season, the team announced from spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Buddy up for safety!

Deal revived, Rockies acquire 2B Marco Scutaro from Red Sox

Il Milione Man March heads west…

The Rockies have agreed in principle on a deal to acquire Boston infielder Marco Scutaro for pitcher Clayton Mortensen, according to a source with direct knowledge of the talks.

The Rockies’ earmarked Scutaro as a target when the offseason began, seeing him as a starting second baseman and potential No. 2 hitter in the lineup. The deal went on life support Friday, but was revived today when the Rockies were able to work through some financial issues to take on Scutaro’s $6 million contract.

It will become official shortly as the players involved are notified.

...Mortensen is an extreme groundball pitcher, relying heavily on a sinker. He went 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA, splitting between between the bullpen and rotation.

With Scutaro in the fold, the Rockies will enter spring training with one of their deepest lineups in franchise history. He will join outfielder Michael Cuddyer and catcher Ramon Hernandez as key acquisitions, completely reshaping the lineup around Carlos Gonzalez and all-star cleanup hitter Troy Tulowitzki.

Plain Dealer | Cleveland Indians acquire Kevin Slowey

The Indians acquired Slowey and a reported $1.25 million from the Rockies for right-hander Zach Putnam.

SI.com: Economic considerations at heart of Carmona’s decision

An interesting analysis of signing ages, signing bonuses, and success rates in the Dominican Republic, by Melissa Segura of Sports Illustrated ...

Teams pay premiums for 16-year-olds for two primary reasons: One, because teams often want to be the first to sign a promising player and, thus, avoid bidding wars with other teams; and two, clubs prefer to develop their players’ skills under the watchful eyes of their own club personnel rather than under those of unqualified and unaffiliated coaches or trainers.

But are 18-year-old Latin American players really worth 70 percent less than their 16-year-old counterparts? Here’s another data analysis that calls into question the industry practice of placing a premium on youth. Let’s assume the most basic marker of a successful signing is making it to the majors. We’ll make it simple and look at the 79 players who have made their major league debuts from 2008-2011 from Carmona’s Dominican Republic. Of those 79, only six were signed as 16-year-olds. The debuts suggest older players were more likely to advance to the majors. ...

[...]

What’s more, SI tracked down the bonus data for 60 of the 79 players. Fernando Martinez, signed by the Mets in 2005 for $1.3 million, was the only one to receive a seven-figure bonus. Only nine others signed for six figures and one — the Rockies’ Juan Nicasio — received nada to sign, according to the data obtained by SI. The median signing bonus among them tallied a paltry $35,000.

Q&A: Larry Walker on his Hall of Fame snub

“Mr. Walker is not a suspect…We don’t know if the person was killed at the site or if his body was dumped there.”

CBCSports.ca: Who’s more upset about your low vote total in the second year of your 15 years of eligibility: you or your family, friends and former teammates with Colorado and Montreal?

LW: I don’t think it bothers me a lot. Why am I going to get my feathers all ruffled over something that’s out of my control? Obviously, it would be an amazing honour.

Some people have pointed some things out to me that made me wonder. [Designated hitter] Edgar Martinez [only played 592 of his 2,055 career games in the field] and he’s getting twice as many votes as me [36.5 per cent to Walker’s 22.9 per cent]. Is Edgar Martinez twice the better player than me?

Not to pat myself on the back but I think I was as good as Edgar Martinez.

But I’m not going to rack my brain. I’m sure there’s people that are in the Hall of Fame that a lot people think shouldn’t be there or some that should be there and aren’t.

CBCSports.ca: The knock against you when people say Larry Walker shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame is that you played 10 of your 17 seasons at hitter-friendly Coors Field in Colorado. But a lot of times players can’t control where they play, right?

LW: I was in the big leagues, man. Are you she—-in me? You can’t always pick where you go or what happens. You just roll with the friggin’ punches. I was in the dugout trying to beat the other 25 guys in the dugout beside us. That’s all I tried to do. I can’t control where I’m at and the numbers that go up. Every ballpark has its quirks.

If you read something in the paper or a magazine or hear something on TV, whether it’s negative or positive, people tend to want to go that way with it. If what was being printed all this time was ‘Walker deserves the [Hall of Fame nod], he’s going to make it,’ I bet my percentage would be a lot higher. But all you hear about is Coors Field. That’s all I’ve heard since my first game in Denver [in 1995].

Rox sign Jaime Moyer to Minor League deal

Fun fact: When the Rockies came into existence, Jaime Moyer was in his eighth Major League season.

The Rockies’ search for a veteran for the starting rotation could take them to the ultimate veteran, 49-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer.

Colorado and Moyer have agreed to a Minor League deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the club announced on Wednesday. The agreement is pending a physical.

Moyer underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in 2010 and didn’t pitch last season. The lefty worked as an analyst for ESPN in 2011 but stated that he intended to try to pitch again in ‘12.

Moyer went 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA for the Phillies in 2010.

L.A. Times: The Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Tebow and Jesus Christ

Kershaw is a devout Christian, though unlike Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, he is hardly in your face about it. Kershaw and Tebow are two highly famous young professional athletes who outwardly approach their strong faith in markedly different ways.

If there is a showy, look-at-me aspect to Tebow and his kneeling in prayer on the football field and near zeal off it, Kershaw is more understated in his approach, if no less sincere.

I’ve never heard him bring up God in postgame interviews or seen him point to the sky after a big strikeout. Yet, I still have a clear understanding of his commitment.

“I think everybody has different approaches to it,” Kershaw said. “For me, everything I do has a purpose to it beyond what’s in this lifetime. At the same time, on the field I have a job to do and that’s what I’m focused on.

“I guess you could say I’m a little more understated than Tim is. Not to say either one is wrong, that’s just kind of my personality a little bit.”

Indeed, even if it’s not exactly his way, Kershaw admires Tebow for using his high-profile platform to bring attention to his faith.

“I have a lot of respect for Tim,” Kershaw said. “I don’t know him personally, but I think what he’s doing is special. I think what he’s trying to do should be recognized, in whatever way that you try to do it. He’s playing football but I think there’s more to it than that.

A’s trade Moscoso, Outman for Seth Smith

#### THE GOLDEN GLOBES!

Billy Beane’s Oakland A’s continued their extreme offseason makeover Monday with yet another trade. This time Beane shipped pitchers Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso to the Rockies for outfielder Seth Smith—who has been involved in trade rumors throughout the offseason.

Smith, 29, has served mostly as a fourth outfielder type for the Rockies since 2008, but he got a career high 533 plate appearances last season. He hit .284/.347/.483 with 15 homers, 32 doubles and 10 stolen bases. He hasn’t played center field since 2008, so he’s best used as a corner outfielder. He’ll likely be the starter in left field with Coco Crisp in center and Josh Reddick in right. Of course, prospect Michael Taylor is going to figure in the mix at some point.

One item of note: Smith’s career splits indicate he was hugely helped by Coors Field. He’s hit .296/.366/.559 at home and .257/.332/.418 on the road. And Oakland plays in one of the worst hitters’ parks in the majors.

Moscoso, 28, was 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 128 innings last season. Outman, 27, was 3-5 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. And, again, we’ll note that these two pitchers are going from having a very pitcher-friendly home park to one of the most hitter-friendly yards in the bigs.

MLB.com: Wainwright expresses admiration for Tebow

ST. LOUIS—Hours before taking the field against the New England Patriots on Saturday night, Tim Tebow found himself the center of discussion in the Cardinals’ interview room. Yes, these days it seems as if there is no setting that the Broncos quarterback can’t effectively infiltrate.

Putting his Southeastern Conference allegiance aside, Adam Wainwright spent several minutes expressing his admiration for Tebow, particularly for the fearless the University of Florida product shows in expressing his religious faith in a public forum.

“I am obsessed with Tim Tebow,” Wainwright said. “I’m not afraid to say it. It’s almost embarrassing to us athletes that this much emphasis is put on Tim Tebow because that means we aren’t living our lives as we should. If we did that more often, the way he is living wouldn’t be as big a story. I’m so proud of him for living out his faith.”

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

ESPN’s OTL: Strength from Weakness (Ben Petrick profile)

Who could have known? Who could have known that a player some considered a potential Hall of Fame catcher [...] would have his future stolen from him by an incurable disease that rarely afflicts people as young as 22?

How good was Petrick? Go back and look at his stats. In those 240 games for the Rockies and Tigers, he hit .257 with 27 home runs and 94 RBIs while trying to control the symptoms of Parkinson’s, which include tremors, rigidity and slow movements. He was not only tough enough to be a catcher, the most demanding position on the field, but also athletic enough to play centerfield when he wasn’t behind the plate.

“Looking back, I am amazed at what he accomplished,” says Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, who was Colorado’s first pick in the 1995 draft, the year Petrick was taken in the second round. “It’s hard enough performing at the highest level of this game, which he did. On top of that, he had to fight off a disease that robbed him of his physical ability. And on top of that, he had to play under the tremendous pressure of hiding the effects of that disease.”

Helton pauses. “You know what, though?” he says. “I’m more impressed by what he’s done with his life since.”

Derrick Goold: The Ballad of a Fallen Newspaper Box

When I was a kid…we had a daffy WWII vet who sold the “number”-fueled Daily News outside a wonderfully filthy go-go bar. One night a drunk cabbie ran him over flatline. He was never replaced.

As a kid one of my daily destinations was the entry into our subdivision at the corner of Hoover Avenue and whatever that length of Cherry Street was called that week (Bella Vista?). There, every morning, no matter the weather — rain, snow, sleet or sun-drenched — I found a new gift to unwrap. I could count on it being something different every time I went. Sometimes it would contain a surprise or two. And, as I opened this present each day, I knew it would contain exactly what I wanted.

On that corner was, of course, a street box with that day’s newspaper.

...The box scores were better.

As a boy, I clipped box scores — mostly just Yankees box scores — and pasted them into a spiral notebook, one for each season. I would also clip the standings and jot little notes in the margins about the schedule ahead (“Need to win in LA!”) or hitting streaks (“Kevin Maas homers again!”). My diligent clipping lost its zeal each season as the Yankees faded from the race, and it was rare that I clipped a box score after the standings showed they were “eliminated.”

...The newspapers that stood sentry here have retreated, surrendering the corner.

The box that opened up to a career is gone.

How The Greg Reynolds Trade Is More Interesting Than You Think

How could it possibly be more interesting?

We’ll begin with the biggie. Reynolds, of course, was selected second overall by the Rockies in 2006. He was selected right after Luke Hochevar, and right before Evan Longoria. The Rockies’ selection of Reynolds was thought to be a reach, and it took the Rays by surprise. The Rays had another plan, assuming the Rockies would take Longoria. That plan? Andrew Friedman:

We had Evan Longoria first on our board…We thought Longoria was going to go two to Colorado, and we had cut a deal with Tim Lincecum, to take three….

Reynolds’ failures were magnified because the Rockies nearly drafted Long Beach State third baseman Evan Longoria before turning to the Stanford pitcher. At the time, the Rockies felt starting pitching was more of a priority with Garrett Atkins and [Ian] Stewart both in the fold.

Kevin Goldstein: Rockies Top 11 Prospects

System In 20 Words Or Less: There’s a good combination of near big league-ready talent and youngsters to dream on.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Nolan Arenado, 3B
2. Drew Pomeranz, LHP
Four-Star Prospects
3. Wilin Rosario, C
4. Chad Bettis, RHP
5. Tim Wheeler, OF
Three-Star Prospects
6. Tyler Matzek, RHP
7. Rosell Herrera, SS/3B
8. Trevor Story, SS
9. Josh Rutledge, SS
10. Tyler Anderson, LHP
11. Kent Matthes, OF

Nine More:
12. Charlie Blackmon, OF: He reached the majors and got hurt. Scouts wobble between him being a good fourth outfielder and second-division starter.
13. Christian Adames, SS: He has the potential for well above-average defense, but will he hit enough?
14. Edwar Cabrera, LHP: He put up incredible numbers thanks to an outstanding changeup, but he’s a bit of a trick pitcher.
15. Kyle Parker, OF: This first-round pick didn’t mash at Low-A, especially away from Asheville.
16. Christian Friedrich, LHP: His dominance in 2009 is in the rearview mirror with no great explanation for his decline.
17. Corey Dickerson, OF: Last year’s sleeper slugged 32 home runs, but he also had baseball’s most extreme splits; he had a .354/.417/.844 line at home, and .193/.280/.363 mark on the road.
18. DJ LeMahieu, INF: This future utility player offers some hitting skills and positional flexibility.
19. Will Swanner, C: He’s a catcher with plus power who needs to improve behind the plate.
20. Rafael Ortega, OF: Ortega is an athletic center fielder with tools in a small package, but his approach is a mess.