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Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Woody Paige: Rockies are years away from being contenders

My Woody’s outside
Covered with know
Hot air will blow now.

O’Dowd can’t be blamed completely for the fiasco — Jorge De La Rosa’s season-ending injury, Carlos Gonzalez’s wall collision, the dismal efforts of his acquisitions Jose Lopez and Ty Wigginton, the continuing embarrassment by Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta and Dexter Fowler as major-league hitters, Jimenez’s first-half breakdown (combined with his second-half collapse last season), the farcical home record, the preposterous Sunday losing streak, the lack of clutch hitting, the others starters’ inconsistencies and immaturity and the overall ill being.

However, O’Dowd, as the Rockies “executive vice president, chief baseball officer, general manager,” must be held accountable, but won’t be.

O’Dowd should take the blame for the Jimenez trade — and his failure at the deal deadline to get rid of the veteran players who have proven they’re incompetent.

He should accept the blame for manager Jim Tracy having to start a pitcher knowing Ubaldo already had been traded.

Repoz Posted: August 02, 2011 at 10:29 AM | 15 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: history, projections, rockies, sabermetrics

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1. Greg (U)K Posted: August 02, 2011 at 11:13 AM (#3890950)

I'm pretty sure you can blame O'Dowd for Jose Lopez's time as a Rockie. You can't blame a bad player for being bad.

2. Walt Davis Posted: August 02, 2011 at 11:24 AM (#3890954)

Iannetta has a 101 OPS+. Fowler is at 97 with a 363 OBP (and an embarrassing 6 for 13 SB). Wigginton is at 98 (but is an atrocious fielder). Pitching has been solid. A big part of the problem is that the bench has been terrible.

But what vets could he trade away? Wigginton won't bring anything, Lopez won't bring anything, Helton's the icon (and won't bring anything), Spillborghs and Smith won't bring anything. I suppose Betancourt, Lindstrom or Street could have been dealt.

3. Misirlou is bad, he's nationwide Posted: August 02, 2011 at 11:58 AM (#3890965)

and his failure at the deal deadline to get rid of the veteran players who have proven they’re incompetent.

Because lord knows there's no hotter commodity at the deadline than a veteran proven to be incompetent.

4. JoeHova Posted: August 02, 2011 at 12:00 PM (#3890968)

Lopez already got cut by the Rockies (and later, the Marlins). He seems to be out of baseball, at least for now.

5. Shooty is in the Trust Tree

Posted: August 02, 2011 at 12:12 PM (#3890976)

I'm pretty sure you can blame O'Dowd for Jose Lopez's time as a Rockie. You can't blame a bad player for being bad.

QFT, baby! Did anyone think Jose Lopez was a good idea?

6. Chicago Joe

Posted: August 02, 2011 at 01:35 PM (#3891029)

Paige, July 20, 2011:

"Want some breaking news? Rockies pitcher Jimenez isn't going anywhere"

Whoops.

7. puck Posted: August 02, 2011 at 01:49 PM (#3891037)

Because lord knows there's no hotter commodity at the deadline than a veteran proven to be incompetent.

Seriously. But this is Woody Paige. He appears to get paid to write/say stupid things.

And you know how it goes. A lot of fans want to get rid of the guys they don't like, because they think other teams will trade prospects for slop, or because they think what is really needed to reverse the underachievement is accountability--trade someone and the rest will shape up, or because they haven't considered that the replacement could be even worse. (E.g., Barmes-Lopez/Herrera, Stewart-Lopez/Wigginton, Fowler-Blackmon.) Or all of the above.

In the fans' defense, though, it has been a pretty frustrating season.

8. Tom Nawrocki Posted: August 02, 2011 at 03:49 PM (#3891139)

Maybe, after I've finished the Jumble and perused the classified ads for a used piano, just maybe then I'll read a Woody Paige column in the morning paper. But probably not. I am already dumber for having read the excerpt above.

As others have said, Fowler is just fine as a major league hitter. Iannetta is better than fine.

In my opinion, the people responsible for the Rockies' miserable season are, in no particular order:

Carney Lansford
Jim Tracy
Ty Wigginton
Huston Street
Dan O'Dowd

Wigginton and Street have been mediocre overall, but have timed their meltdowns for maximal effect. I can think of three disastrous innings this year that were precipitated by a Wigginton defensive fiasco cost the Rockies a game. There are probably more; I haven't seen every game. On the other side of the ball, Wigginton's last eleven homers have all come in Rockies losses; he hasn't hit a home run in a Rockies victory since April 26. He is the least clutch player I have ever seen.

9. SoSH U at work Posted: August 02, 2011 at 04:00 PM (#3891146)

Woody Paige: Rockies are years away from being contenders

I have a sneaking suspicion that the truth about the Rockies' future prospects rests somewhere between the collected works of Dave Cameron and Woody Paige.

10. stanmvp48 Posted: August 02, 2011 at 04:52 PM (#3891194)

Nawrocki: I am glad you brought up Lansford and you may be right. When they brought him in to replace Baylor as hitting coach; all of the idiots on the Denver Post pronounced it a great move because he would teach "using the whole field, moving runners along, effective outs" and all of the horse s--t that sportswriters say because that is what sportswriters say. Meanwhile, Arizona, with Baylor coaching their hitters, leads the league in homers and is a game out of first.

11. Bob Evans Posted: August 02, 2011 at 06:08 PM (#3891239)

That's more influence for a hitting coach than is generally claimed.

12. Bob Evans Posted: August 02, 2011 at 06:09 PM (#3891240)

Plus if you can't blame a bad player for being bad, you can't blame Lansford for doing what he said he was going to do.

13. Tom Nawrocki Posted: August 02, 2011 at 06:19 PM (#3891249)

Rockies' offensive numbers are down across the board, in some cases by a lot. The only players on the team having good offensive seasons by their own standards are Helton and Giambi, and I don't think Lansford had anything to do with teaching them how to hit.

14. stanmvp48 Posted: August 02, 2011 at 06:56 PM (#3891268)

No 11 and 12. No I really doubt the hitting coach makes that much difference although if they were hitting better, the idiots would be giving Lansford credit.
No 13. You are correct. The league is down .21 RPG and the Rockies .26. Arizona is up. Of all the players who are way, way down; nobody is discussing Spilborgs who is now slugging 310.

15. David Nieporent (now, with children) Posted: August 02, 2011 at 07:28 PM (#3891289)

I'm pretty sure you can blame O'Dowd for Jose Lopez's time as a Rockie. You can't blame a bad player for being bad.

Along those lines, the "dismal efforts of Ty Wigginton"? Ty Wigginton has been Ty Wigginton. If you don't want Ty Wigginton, don't sign Ty Wigginton.

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Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Woody Paige: Rockies are years away from being contenders

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