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The Colorado Rockies have proven this if nothing else: they like to build from within. So you know when they finally let go a hometown prospect, they’ve given up on the development and are looking for a change. Year in, year out, Chris Iannetta is the proclaimed “catcher in waiting”. O’Dowd and the Rockies have finally tired of waiting. We’ve watched Iannetta lose his job to Yorvit Torrealba, then to Miguel Olivo. Then as the Rockies faded into obscurity at the end of the 2011 season, minor league phenom Wilin Rosario stepped in and proved that for all intents and purposes, the Iannetta experiment is over in Denver, made official by the trade yesterday that sent Iannetta to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County of California in exchange for Tyler Chatwood, a young hard throwing lefty that projects to compete for the back end of the rotation.

It’s not like the Rockies didn’t try with Chris. After Torrealba did the bulk of the catching leading up to the World Series run in 2007, and was willing to stay, the Rockies made the choice that the potential in Iannetta was greater than the exhibited skill of anyone else on the roster, and told Chris the job was his to lose. This happened in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Five straight years, with a hefty contract in the middle of it all, and while he showed flashes of brilliance, he never solidified himself as THE catcher in Colorado. Even Dan O’Dowd and the Rockies management, with their almost blinding loyalty to homegrown talent, had to concede the move that needed to be made. Of all the Kid Rocks that graced the field in LoDo, now Holliday is gone, Hawpe is gone, Jimenez is gone, and Iannetta is gone. And for all the criticism, each of these moves could turn out for the best. Holliday brought us Gonzales, Jimenez brought us White and Pomeranz (effect remaining to be seen), and now Iannetta brings us Chatwood, and opens a spot to bring in a new veteran catcher to hold down the fort while Rosario gets ready for the big show.

Chatwood is a young, hard-throwing lefty. While he doesn’t remind anyone of Pomeranz, he can hit 95 on his fastball, and as long as Apodaca doesn’t screw him up, has lots of years left on his arm. He’ll struggle with control, and as such will either compete for the 5th spot in the rotation, or find himself throwing setup relief, perhaps to fill the 8th inning spot left by Betancourt’s move to closer. We won’t even get into the whole Huston Street thing today.

All in all — probably a good move for the Rockies. We hate to see the good guys go. We all loved Atkins, and Hawpe, and Iannetta. Colorado is the home of the true character guys in baseball… but even the character guys have to produce, and the Rockies are slipping ever further from the glory of 2007 into the mediocrity of their past, and management would do well to continue to make moves to avoid such an ungraceful fall. Speaking of moves, any takers for Ian Stewart? Eh, didn’t think so.

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Yorvit Torrealba is staying the NL West, agreeing to a $1.25M deal. Torrealba couldn’t come to terms with the Rockies on a new deal, which led to the Rockies moving away from the catcher who was well-known to be instrumental in handling the young pitching staff, and signing Miguel Olivo to backup Chris Ianetta. Torrealba figures to be a backup in San Diego as well, but if history is any indication, at the first sign of a misstep by starter Hundley, he’ll be ready to step in and make the management take notice. Yorvit’s time in Denver was marked by clutch hits and fierce competitiveness day in and day out.

The deal with the Padres includes a $750K salary this year, with a guaranteed buyout for next year of $500K, which could possibly be overridden by a club option of $3.5M. Either way, the Padres got what looks to be a sweet deal on a solid backup.

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The typical view of a Rockies fan (or the average baseball fan, in general) is that a successful off-season is made up of big free-agent moves (see Cubs, Chicago, every year), or otherwise reworking their roster to put that team into contention. We all start 0-0, right?

Well, baseball more than any sport is a rich get richer sport, and when you have a team that works and isn’t prohibitively expensive, and is in a medium-sized market, you keep that team together. To me, the definition of a successful Rockies off-season is simply one that retains the pieces that work (most of them), and jettisons the pieces that are too expensive or under-performing.

So far, the Rockies have gone to great lengths to keep the core together, even signing the ancillary pieces like Giambi, while losing a minimal amount. Last year, the Holliday trade was fresh in our minds, hanging over our heads like a Monfort-shaped rain cloud. The season really hinged on that trade – now this year, would Colorado retain those pieces and add, or engage in another spring of salary dumping and money saving?

Clearly, the answer is the former. A quick look at who was lost speaks volume:

Lost Players

Garret Atkins (3B/1B) signed with the Orioles. We all knew this was coming. It’s tough anytime a key member of the magical 2007 squad leaves, but with Helton and all his parts intact, and Stewart penciled in to start, there’s just no way they spend that kind of money on a bench man.

Jason Marquis (SP) Not sad to see him go. I like the guy – I do. But as all the Cubs fans told me going into last year, you’re going to fall in love with him and he’s going to peter out in September. For once, the Cubs fans were right. Great first half arm, can’t endure the dog days.

Yorvit Torrealba (C) This one stings a bit. Couldn’t come to an agreement on terms – the money oddly enough wasn’t an issue, just how it was paid out. More about this when we get to the Olivo deal later.

Others to go – Jose Contreras, Joel Peralta, Matt Herges, Ryan Speier, Edwin Bellorin, Mike McCoy, Matt Murton – Nothing of note here, some unrealized potential guys, some older guys, some guys that just don’t fit. Odd note, Murton wasn’t just let go he was sold to a Japanese club. Weird.

Other free agents, haven’t signed anywhere yet – Joe Beimel, Josh Fogg, Alan Embree – Technically, Embree is gone (I like him because of his Vancouver Washington roots – go Vancouver USA!) because his club option was declined. Beimel and Fogg, while solid relievers, are hardly unreplaceable. Fogg brings up similar feelings as Atkins – his 2007 work makes me want to keep him based on warm fuzzies, but my brain tells me not to fret so much.

Gained Players

Miguel Olivo (C) – Olivo is the new Torrealba. Now as a Mariners fan, I watched Olivo play there (where, coincidentally, he took over after the team got rid of Yorvit Torrealba), and at the time I wasn’t impressed. Word is he has improved in his time in KC. The idea here has a couple angles. First, Iannetta needs to live up to his rich new deal and take the reigns of this team as the permanent catcher. None of this streaky up and down crap – I think he has to prove himself now. Second, Torrealba is a streaky (albeit clutch) hitter, with a below average arm, who happens to be a great game caller and field general. He’ll be a manager someday, you can see it. Olivo brings a stronger arm to actually catch a runner at second every now and then, and comes with more consistent power than Yorvit. It remains to be seen if he can handle the staff with Yorvit’s level of skill. Third, Olivo is younger and his name is easier to say and spell. I find it sad that Yorvit has to go. I get the feeling he’s just a good guy with a good clubhouse influence. Purely by the numbers though, we’ll probably see a minor upgrade at the position.

Other Players To Watch

Most of these guys were signed to minor-league deals, with the hopes they’ll make the big show. None of them are extremely noteworthy, it’s a mix of guys that we’ve seen before and new faces – mostly pitchers, where the most turnover is taking place.

Paul Phillips, Paul LoDuca, Omar Quintanilla, Tim Redding, Juan Rincon, Justin Speier, Jimmy Gobble

Current Depth Chart

The Rockies depth chart right now looks remarkable similar to the 2009 roster. It will be interesting to see how Tracy uses the Fowler/Gonzales/EYJr/Smith/Spillborghs group. The only other huge question mark to me is whether Francis can bring enough control to what has to be a noodle-arm, and become a Maddux-style control pitcher.

PROJECTED 25-MAN ROSTER

Starting Lineup

1 LF Carlos Gonzalez

2 CF Dexter Fowler

3 1B Todd Helton

4 SS Troy Tulowitzki

5 RF Brad Hawpe

6 3B Ian Stewart

7 C Chris Iannetta

8 2B Clint Barmes

Bench

C Miguel Olivo

1B Jason Giambi (this signing was huge, in my opinion. Don’t make Hawpe think about 1B, let Todd know he can rest, and let this guy keep teaching the kids how to be a big-league hitter)

IF/OF Eric Young Jr.

OF Seth Smith (Seth could start on many big league teams, we might be at the end of the road with him as he’ll find greener pastures elsewhere before too long)

OF Ryan Spilborghs (another big signing – wheels, solid outfielder, power hitter… great bench player)

Starting Rotation

1 RHP Ubaldo Jimenez

2 RHP Aaron Cook

3 LHP Jorge De La Rosa

4 RHP Jason Hammel

5 LHP Jeff Francis

Bullpen

CL RHP Huston Street

SU LHP Franklin Morales

SU RHP Matt Daley

MID RHP Rafael Betancourt

MID RHP Manny Corpas

MID LHP Randy Flores

LR RHP Matt Belisle

25 Man Roster Analysis

The Rockies management went after the guys they like… that’s a loyalty thing that these dudes appreciate. Spillborghs, Betancourt, De la Rosa, Giambi, Street… they all got deals. Retaining Gonzo and Street from the Holliday trade is excellent, as is giving Betancourt and De la Rosa a bit of security. Like I said above, Spilly and Giambi were must-haves for this team to progress. The group listed above has a ton of potential options. Gonzo/Fowler/Hawpe looks to be the outfield, but any one of them slips and you have EYJ, Spilly, and Smith waiting to step in. Finally, word today from the DP is that the Rockies are in hot pursuit of Orlando Cabrera. I don’t see Cabrera as a season maker, but he’ll put the pressure on Barmes to hit the ball consistently. He brings solid defense and some wheels… Barmie is going to have to produce, which didn’t happen offensively last year. A better offensive infielder with a minimal drop-off on defense = great bench player for the Rockies.

All in all, it comes out the same as many years past – defensively, the team is solid. It comes down to hitting consistency and pitching consistency. Can Tulo, Hawpe, et al. stay out of the dramatic slumps that have plagued the last 2 years? You can expect some peaks and valleys, but not the dramatic ups and downs. Can Francis hit the zone and work the off-speed enough to keep hitters off balance? Can Ubaldo finally become the ace we all know he can be? Was De la Rosa’s success a fluke?

Either way, I can smell spring in the air. My Helton jersey that I just bought on eBay is on it’s way and I’m ready.

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The Rockies wrap up the 2009 NL Wild Card

Out of the doghouse and into the dogpile, Chris Iannetta made a thunderous contribution on Tuesday night, starting the Rockies on what would be a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The game should have been over in nine innings.  Usually unflappable Colorado closer Huston Street gave up a three-run home run in the top of the 9^th to give Milwaukee hope of a comeback win.  Chris Iannetta, pinch hitting in the bottom of the 11^th, took one back for the Rockies.

Iannetta has been in Jim Tracy’s doghouse since his bat went cold in late August, and Yorvit Torrealba has been a stud both at and behind the plate in his absence.  But pinch-hitting with six undecided games left in the regular season, Chris would take a full-count fastball over the right field fence for the win.

Iannetta did not so much cross the plate as leap into the pile of Rockies surrounding it.  His walk-off heroics may not return him to a predominant starting job as catcher, but these Rockies don’t play for ego.  These Rockies, just as with the 2007 version, play for each other member of their clubhouse.

And so it came to be that Wednesday night brought a more familiar hero to the plate.  Todd Helton came to the plate in what looked to be a back-and-forth slugfest.  His two-run home run to right field turned a tie game into an eventual blowout for the streaking Rockies.

But this game was less about Helton’s home run and more about consistent production throughout the lineup.  Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki also connected for two-run shots that took the wind out of each attempt by the Brewers to stay in the game.

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba responded to Iannetta’s game-winning heroics by logging three hits and an RBI, and scored a run himself on a wild pitch that tied the game at two apiece in the second.  As a team, the Rockies would register six extra-base hits in the game.

Which brings us to Thursday night, and the 90-win Rockies looking for one more to sew up the National League Wild Card with a win or an Atlanta loss.  , the Rockies would not disappoint.

Garrett Atkins knocked in a third of the Rockies nine runs, playing Hero on the two-year anniversary of The Tiebreaker that capped Colorado’s amazing 2007 run to the playoffs.  This after a disappointing season where Garrett went from starting third baseman to bench jockey thanks to the strong offensive and defensive play of Ian Stewart.  With Atkins’ timely reemergence, the Rockies look to be the deepest team heading into the playoffs.

Consider that the Rockies backup 1^st baseman is the deadly Jason Giambi.  Like Giambi, the speedy Eric Young Jr. is a pinch-hitting threat, and also backs up Clint Barmes at 2^nd.  Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler split time in Center Field, but Cargo can also play Left when Seth “Doombringer” Smith doesn’t get the start.  (Smith is probably the most dangerous pinch-hitter in the league when he doesn’t start the game.)  Throw in utility outfielder and occasional Rockies Hero Ryan Spillborghs, and there is no outfield more crowded with talent than Colorado’s.  The aforementioned time-share at catcher offers two quality players that can match up with any pitcher on the team.

And the return of Aaron Cook to ace form (4-hitting the Brewers in eight solid innings yesterday) means that the Rockies have five reliable starters going into the playoffs.  In fact, All-Star pitcher Jason Marquis may find himself at the bottom of that rotation fighting Jason Hammel for the honor of starting a playoff game.

Having locked up the Wild Card spot once coveted by a half-dozen realistic competitors, the Rocks will try to keep on rolling.  With three games left, all in LA, and trailing the Dodgers by two games, Colorado has a chance to win their first ever NL West Pennant.

The Rockies once again control their own destiny.  The rest of the league ought to be shaking in their cleats.

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