Barmes locked up the job in 2009, but 2010 is a new year and he'll have to prove himself all over again.
Clint Barmes, Rockies 2B
This version of our Roundtable looks at second base, where the discussion is all about Clint Barmes and his magically disappearing offense. There’s no doubt he’s a solid defender, and the job is his to lose… but anything can happen. With spring training right around the corner and a hot young backup with a familiar name breathing down his neck, will Clint become the stability at second that the Rocks have always sought but never found? Let’s start the roundtable with Dan Olsen. This week’s discussion also features our newest writer at PSC, Jason Dennee.
Dan: Clint is hitting arbitration again this year. With the season he had last year he’ll recieve an arbitration figure of $3M-$3.5M. That’s still a bargain for him. We’ll pay it, and he’ll be the favorite to start come spring training.
Jason D: One thing is certain in life and Major League Baseball and that is there are no certainties. So even though Clint Barmes is supposedly locked in and priced in for Opening Day in 2010, second base is and has always been an enigma for the Colorado Rockies. A venerable cornicopia of free agents, trade castoffs and even raw, untested rookies have held the job for the Rox since Eric Young departed in the Pedro Astacio swap in 1997. In the last 8 years, no player has started consecutive Opening Day for the Rockies at second base:
Opening Day second basemen since 2002:
2002- Todd Walker
2003- Ronnie Belliard
2004- Luis Gonzales
2005- Aaron Miles
2006- Luis Gonzales
2007- Kaz Matsui
2008- Jayson Nix
2009- Ian Stewart
The need for consistency up the middle could not have been more evident in 2008. After having Kaz Matsui depart for Houston, his departure created a void where six players started 2nd base at some point or another and a total of 8 took the field at the position. No player in 2008 started more than 80 games at the position.
However, in 2009, Barmes seized the starting job and started in 130 games at second base. It is no coincidence that the two years in the 2000s where the Rockies received stellar second base play are the two years they have made the playoffs.
With that in mind, look for Clint Barmes to go into a season for the first time since 2005 penciled into a starting job. Though often streaky with the bat and a poor tendency to swing for the fences, Barmes main asset is his fielding and even more so, his chemistry with shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
However, certainty is seldom in life and baseball. My guess is that at some point the Rockies second base bug will bite them and you’ll see someone other than Barmes feeding Tulo double play balls. Though at times last year, call-up Eric Young Jr. demonstrated speed and athleticism superior to that of Barmes, the idea of him claiming the job in spring training is far fetched. Even if at some point due to injury or performance Young takes the field as a starter, expect him to struggle in the field.
Jason A: History certainly doesn’t indicate stability at second base, but maybe Barmie is the guy. It’s just a matter of how patient the club can be with sub-par offense in exchange for above-average defense. How long before the games he saves at 2B outweigh the innings that stall because of yet another GIDP? The most frustrated person in the lineup this year could be whoever hits ahead of Barmes and gets to sit on first base praying they get a chance to go further.
Ian: Obviously, if there is an infield spot that needs an offensive upgrade, it’s second base. But I like the wait-and see approach with Eric Young Jr taking a few starts away from Barmes, and those two players really challenging each other throughout the season as a result. Competition at third base had Ian Stewart producing in the latter half of ’09, and EYJ could be worked into more consistent service in the same way.
Dan: Eric Young Jr. is the obvious choice to be backup 2B/switch hitting utility infielder. Still in his rookie contract, if he can sustain what he did last year all season, he’ll be a steal financial. And press Clint for the starting possition. It’s a little scary though, cause if Clint gets hurt we’ll be depending on basically a rookie to start a middle infield spot. Not that rookies can’t be depended upon, it’s just kinda risky.
Jason A: I don’t see anyway this club hits Opening Day without EYJ on the roster. The kid got some big league experience, he’s good, and he has Rockies bloodlines that can’t be denied. This town is nothing if not nostalgic. But nostalgia aside, I think you need EYJ simply for the speed factor. The dude can flat out run, and this team has proven to be effective when they put runners in motion. Of course, any team is effective when they put runners in motion… all the more reason to have some wheels on the bench. I think if you put EYJ on the bench, get him some innings early, and keep his legs moving, you’ll find that if Barmes goes down, you’ll have a backup that’s good enough on D to get by. And I don’t care how good his D is… if Barmes can’t wake up the bat, he’ll be sitting. Even Jim Tracy can’t wait forever.
Dan: For the second utitlity infielder we should go the veteran route, assuming EYJ makes the team (and I have no reason to think he won’t). Since Vets only come via trade or free agentcy, I checked the list of free agents this year and one infielder jumped out at me:
Jamie Carroll
There would be something satifying about the man who got the greatest RBI in Rockies history coming back to the team. Technically he hasn’t been tendered an arbitration offer yet by Cleveland, but if he come available, I’d like to see the Rocks go after him.
Ian: I love the idea of Jamie Carroll coming back, but have to admit that it is a nostalgia-driven desire. I always like Jamie in a backup role, but can’t see him being any more successful starting over the course of a season than Clint was in 2009.
Jason A: That will be a lot of money for a backup. He made $2.5M at Cleveland… even if we get him at a bargain like $1.5M (which is unlikely), I can’t see paying $500K each for the 2 or 3 wins he might add over the course of the season.
Dan: Other interesting names on the free agent list:
Craig Cousell
Adam Kennedy
Felipe Lopez
Orlando “The Ghostrunner” Hudson
Placido Polanco
Polanco also could be offered the arbitration figure, and he’s the type of guy Detriot tend to keep, but his numbers dipped last year, so he could be gone. I bet there would be an offer to start on a celler dwelling team, but if he has championship aspirations and doesn’t mind backing up someone, a trip to Colorado might bring his swing back. Wouldn’t be the first person that’s happened to.
Ian: Clint Barmes is more than serviceable for now, and I think you’ll all agree that he has a lot of unrealized potential as a hitter. Jim Tracy may yet shake up the coaching staff, so a change at hitting coach may be in the cards. (Please no, not Donny boy!) When it comes to starting personnel, I think that Tracy is likely content to see what he has from the start of training camp through the early stages of the 2010 season before making any unnecessary changes.
That’s all for 2B – as always, feel free to leave your comments below, we’d love to hear what you think. Next time the Roundtable gets together, we tackle 3B, which brings some interesting discussions and some uncertainty ahead for the Rockies.
