The New Staff Ace: Ubaldo Jimenez To Take the Mound in Season Opener
Ubaldo finally takes his place as the Opening Day starter for the Rockies
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There’s been a changing of the guard in Colorado. The Rockies have known since the day Ubaldo Jimenez first made the major league roster that his true position was at the top of the rotation. The question was whether he would ever mature into the kind of pitcher that deserved the number one spot, and consequently the honor of the opening day start. It’s also not very often that last year’s opening day starter willingly hands over the reigns to this year’s top dog.
When the Rockies open the 2010 campaign at Miller Park in Milwaukee against the Brewers, Ubaldo Jimenez will get the ball, and he’s taking it from Aaron Cook, who’s handing it over with a smile. It’s another example of a team that holds the team dynamic in high regard. Aaron Cook could get away without playing hard in spring training, and he could stomp his foot and demand that he be given the opening day start. But by all accounts, he runs and trains as hard as anyone on the team, and when the time came for Ubaldo to take the top spot in the rotation, Cook asked to be there when Tracy made the announcement as a show of support.
Jimenez posted a 15-12 record last season, and made impressive strides in his maturity as a pitcher. In his second spring training appearance of this season, Ubaldo pitched 3 impressive, scoreless innings in a 12-0 drubbing of the Dodgers, overwhelming with his fastball and forcing hitters to put the ball into play. Jimenez also got significant work in winter ball this year, so it’s not surprising to see him dominating early.
Every other team in the NL West is terrified at the idea of Ubaldo and Jorge de la Rosa putting up the kind of dominating performances they are capable of. By mid-season those two could be scary good.
Throw in Cook (still the anchor) and Jeff Francis (a total wild card) and Colorado may end up running one of the deepest rotations in baseball.
Baseball season by itself is amazing.
Baseball season with real expectations of steadied success… I hardly know what to do with myself.