Rockies pitchers and catchers report Feb 17, Jeff Francis among them
Rockies rotation looks to be already set heading into spring with Cook, Jimenez, de la Rosa, Hammel, and Francis
Jeff Francis is back, but can he deliver the goods? Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Don’t look now, but I’ve been warning you spring is about to break . And it’s happening – don’t look to stinkin’ Punxatawney Phil, just check the calendar and find the date that pitchers and catchers report to spring training facilities for their first workouts. That’s a sure sign that warmer days are to come. For the Rockies, that date is February 17 – that’s this coming Wednesday. And for the Colorado Rockies this year, spring training takes on a different flavor… the optimism tastes different. The Cubs have their own flavor of defeatist optimism, the Pirates have something of a deflated optimism – a brand which has always marked the March days at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. But this year, as the sun sets on the final spring at Hi Corbett, the Rockies’ optimism is that of a team that has tasted the top and is hungry for more. Not only that, but a team that knows they have the talent and the experience to make it happen. When veterans like Jason Giambi and Melvin Mora sign with your club on purpose… that has to be worth something to the morale of the rest of the team.
So as the batteries of the club start filing in to Arizona with some rust to shake off and expectations to fulfill, what does the Rockies starting pitching situation look like? Here’s a look at the rotation, barring of course any major spring developments, adjustments, or injuries.
Jeff Francis – first things first. Jeff is back, and after losing almost 2 entire seasons, you can bet he’s chomping at the bit to show that his surgically repaired shoulder is ready to take on the burden of pitching in the major leagues again. He insists that he feels good, and that even the mental effects of the injury (always thinking about it instead of just pitching) have subsided. As much as we want to believe he’ll be back to his dominant self, the smart money says to wait and see, and perhaps be satisfied with a 10 win season out of Francis. 15 wins isn’t out of the question though, because you can’t discount the return of a stellar defensive infield. If he can keep the ball on the ground, which will be his big challenge, the guys behind him and prop him up, turning a legitimate 10-12 win season into a 15+ win record.
Aaron Cook – Cookie’s the guy we all want to see simply sustain. When dominant, he’s as untouchable as anyone in the bigs. When he struggles to get movement on his sinker, he’s as hittable as a AA scrub. Fortunately in 2009, he posted an 11-6 record with a complete game shutout performance that was a sight to behold. He’s been the opening day starter the last couple years in Francis’ stead, but I think it might be time for Cookie to relinquesh that #1 slot to the next guy on our list…
Ubaldo Jimenez – Ubaldo, of “Hair Be There” fame (this bald guy would love a can of Hair Be There, if only as a novelty!), is that legitimate number one starter just waiting to happen. He shows flashes of brilliance with his heated fastball that can top 100mph well into the 7th and 8th innings, yet he still shows a propensity to lose composure at just the wrong time, leading to lack of command and hanging curveballs. And when a big league hitter gets a hold of an upstairs fastball smoking in at 98, it almost always goes a long way. The good news is that the frequency of the Ubaldo meltdown was far less in 2009 than 2008… it seems Ubaldo is growing up. This has to be his year – the year he stakes his claim as not just the leader of the Rockies rotation, but his place as one of the top starting pitchers in major league baseball. The way he does that is by harnessing his control and becoming a steady, dominating presence on the mound each time he pitches.
Jason Hammel – Hammel was the surprise for me last season… maybe not for anyone else, but I wasn’t expecting this kid to come in from the Rays and deliver as solidly as he did, especially from a Tampa team that was hot off their World Series run. Last year he delivered a solid 10-8 performance. Expect a little improvement this year as he continues to build his book on NL hitters, but look for Hammel to consistently occupy the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation. As long as he can deliver, he should have no problem keeping that spot.
Jorge De la Rosa - And then we have our fifth starter, though don’t be surprised if this year he climbs up into the three spot. Jorge is an enigma for me – my writings here have shown that. You never know what you’re going to get with Jorge – dominant, great control, composed… or wild and unpredictable. Last season, particularly early, both the Jekyll and Hyde de la Rosa came out during the course of the same game. Anything can set him off. As the season wore on, Jorge became the de facto ace of the rotation, delivering powerful performance after powerful performance. So it all comes down to which Jorge shows up. I’m hoping for Good Jorge – screaming fastball, controlled movement, strikeout-oriented pitching. That’s one we hope to see. Let’s just hope Tracy can identify quickly which one is on the mound, and act accordingly.
There’s no real question that the five guys above will be the Furious Five for the Rockies this year. Francis had to have looked good enough in Fall Rehab Leagues that they weren’t concerned about letting Marquis sign in Washington (although this would likely have happened anyway, as the price for Marquis was likely more than we’d want to pay for a first-half pitcher). The rest of the guys really just need to get incrementally better, trust their defense, and we could see 65 wins or more out of the starters. And if that happens, look for the Rockies to be spending the last several days of September fighting for (and winning) the National League West Division crown.
If each of these pitchers lives up to his potential, we could be rockin’ the best rotation in the NL. You’ll know we’ve come that far if Jason Hammel, a legitimate 3 in many rotations, is pitching 5th and sporting a better than .500 record come midseason.
Oh yes the Yankees, love ‘em or despise them, that team is the team to beat. I do miss Joe Torre however. Thank you for Derek Jeter. Not a huge Arod supporter however