Jim Tracy…making Old Bloody Chiclitz’s toy ideas seem absolutely sensible.
Still, there is a feeling at 20th and Blake that the team may be as close to contending as one with a 40-69 record can hope to be, even with a middle-of-the-pack payroll. The Rockies think they can compete, even though the Dodgers and Giants made significant Deadline moves.
“It’s the importance of your young guys on that bump matriculating and heading in the direction they need to go in,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “It’s absolutely imperative. I say that because the thing that I continue to be very excited about is what we’ve been able to do offensively without significant offensive pieces.”
... However, the nature of many of the losses leaves a nagging feeling. The inability to throw strikes or work out of situations has been an ongoing story with the young starting staff. The fact pitcher after pitcher has struggled and seemed unprepared upon arriving in the Majors is a concern the club must fix. There also have been some defensive lapses, shaky at-bats and strange decisions on the bases.
“There’s definitely some instances where I get caught by surprise sometimes, when I go, ‘This guy doesn’t know that yet?’ when I think he should know it,” Tulowitzki said. “But the game speeds up on them or certain things happen. But right now is about as relaxed atmosphere as you are going to have because of our record. It should be easier for guys.
Repoz
Posted: August 10, 2012 at 09:50 AM |
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1. Tom Nawrocki Posted: August 10, 2012 at 10:53 AM (#4205197)The problem with this year's club isn't necessarily that they're so bad; when you're making the transition to the next generation of players, you've got to expect to have a season like this. The problem is that they've been so bad while relying on a new batch of old mediocrities like Ramon Hernandez and Marco Scutaro and Jamie Moyer and Michael Cuddyer.
WTF does this mean? What does it matter to the Rockies what the Dodgers and Giants do at this point? And why is the 'D' capitalized? What the hell is going on around here? EVERYTHING HAS GONE CRAZY!
O'Dowd's always seemed at least somewhat sabermetric savvy, but as an organization they've never seen to value on base skills. Dexter Fowler has been seen as a huge liability even though he has been putting up a .350+ OBP for his career. I think over the years, their players' inability to walk contributes to the home/road splits. (This year, they are 1st in the NL in runs scored at home, 2nd from the bottom - by 1 - at home.) There is SO MUCH room in the outfield, and the balls travel so fast, that a low OBP batter can still reach base on balls in play. In a different environment, swinging away has a huge cost.
And, while O'Dowd's been reassigned, another reason NOT to be optimistic is that only 3 months ago, Dick Monfort called him the "best GM in baseball," "head and shoulders above anyone else" (http://www.milehighsports.com/?p=10989).
Anyhow, the main point is that even with some younger and prime age talent on the team, there is a lot reasons to be skeptical this team can even approach 80 wins consistently.
How many DH's are the Yankees allowed to field at any one time?
Coke shooter to TomH for somewhat addressing this in #5.
Hawpe was replaced by Seth Smith, whom the organization was determined to unload over the winter. Smith is about as good as Cuddyer, but much younger and cheaper.
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