Colorado Rockies 2003 Pre-Season Report

Rocky Mountain High

By Colorado Rockies GM Jon Carrano

This is my first year on the job and I inherited a team I was unhappy with. I didn't really rebuild, I just reloaded. I unloaded some veterans in the twilight of thier careers (Larry Walker, Charles Johnson, Denny Neagle) for some guys who are hungry and want to prove something (Corey Koskie, Jacque Jones, Doug Glanville). I retooled my rotation with young powerful arms in hopes a few of them turns out a Jason Jennings performance. Below I list my predicted lineup. Keep in mind anything can change, especially after the dispersal draft, but for now this is who I'm going to war with.

1. CF Doug Glanville. I worked the phones feverishly to find a leadoff hitter. I settled on Doug Glanville, who is a bit older then I wanted but still someone with room to improve. He already has blazing speed. I'm hoping he can hit around .300 so my big boys behind him have someone to drive in.

2. SS Juan Uribe. I thought long and hard about keeping Chris Stynes and starting Mark Bellhorn at the SS. Uribe doesn't seem quite ready to me yet. But, he has great talent and the potential to hit around .300. I think he could settle in quite nicely in the 2 hole, and be yet another runner on base when Helton and Co. come up. My main goal with my first 2 hitters is just to get on base, and steal bases, as much as possible. Defensively he's already outstanding.

3. 1B Todd Helton. Despite my huge remodeling project, there was one guy I would never trade. I think eventually, if not now, he will be the best hitter in the game. Take a look at the simulated season and you will see what I mean. One of the few legit triple crown threats in the league. I got some good offers, but nothing close to what I was wanting. Only a mindblowing offer would have me consider trading my cornerstone. So this man will anchor this team for years to come. Hopefully the men in front of him can get on base and the men behind him can produce. Helton is the only sure thing I have.

4. RF Preston Wilson. Although he probably won't have the season he's having in real life, I took a chance by trading Larry Walker and making Wilson my cleanup hitter. Hopefully I can get him to hit .280, and I see 35 HR's and 120 RBI's a distinct possibility.

5. LF Jacque Jones. I debated on whether to put Corey Koskie or Jacque Jones 5th in the order, and for right now I settled on Jones. He probably won't hit better then .250, but with four good hitters before him I would settle for that, as long as Jones does a good job of driving those guys in. If he can hit 30 HR's I would be estatic, as that should be enough to get 110 RBI's. Defensively, Jones should help keep a few of those balls from flying over the left field wall at Coors.

6. 3B Corey Koskie. I really wanted to put the good contact hitter Koskie fifth, but I would have hated to see Jones, Bellhorn and Redmond my final three batters. That would result in alot of 1-2-3 innings. So I hope by sandwiching Koskie in the middle of two high power, low contact guys, the run totals will go up. Koskie should reach base quite often, providing more RBI chances for this next guy.

7. 2B Mark Bellhorn. In the simulated season he had 44 HR's, which is amazing. Plus he can play every infield position, which makes him more valuable. 2B is his best defensive position, and coincidentally, my biggest need. He'll be lucky to hit .230, however, so I can't afford to move him higher in the lineup quite yet. My hope is he provides great power, as I think I could get alot for him when the trading deadline nears. Who wouldn't want a 40 HR guy who can play every infield position?

8. C Mike Redmond. I know I overpaid to get him and Mark Redman. I would have been better off just keeping Charles Johnson, but it was my first day as GM and I made a bad choice. Still, Redmond is a nice contact hitter and a good defensive player, and will keep the plate warm while J.D. Closser learns the role.

Each player on my bench plays a role. Estelella is my backup catcher. He only hits aruond .200 but has stretches where he hits everything out of the park. I don't like him as a starter, I like him as a backup. Richard is my left handed power hitter off the bench. If Helton gets hurt (God forbid) he can fill in, and he can also find work out in left field. Belliard won't play much, he'll just backup the infield positions. Same with Thames and the outfield positions. Miller is a speedster who will mostly just be used in pinch running duties.

Does it matter who I throw out there? I wasn't going to trade alot of offense for a top notch starting pitcher, because we see what happens to them when they come to Coors. I am just hoping two or three of these guys winds up having a pretty nice year and the other 2 hold down the fort. This is a very young staff (the oldest is Redman at 29). I just hope they don't do too bad at Coors, continue to learn, and get better. Hopefully I can find an ace somewhere along the line if need be.

Ech. This bullpen sucks. Full of guys who used to be starters or are not quite good enough to be starters. I need to find a couple specialists/good set up men or I will be in some late inning slug fests. Aaron Cook is the most talented of the bunch, and the most likely to claim a starting spot if someone gets hurt.

Fuentes gets the first crack at closing. He has the best control out of any of my relievers and has 3 pitches to rely on. Plus he has experience closing at the minor league level. I risked alot by trading Jose Jimenez, a certified closer, so hopefully someone can step in. I will still be actively trying to acquire a veteran closer until Corey Vance is ready.

Chin-Hui Tsao, Aaron Cook and Corey Vance are all pitchers to keep an eye on. Even though Tsao is only 19, I expect him to reach the majors soon. His potential is through the roof, so I want to see how he can handle big league pitching. Vance is my closer of the future. He has four pitches, a fastball, sinker, slider and curveball, that he can unleash at any time. And with more work, his control should improve tremendously.

As for hitters, I have a few guys waiting in the wings, including a complete infield. J.D. Closser could be my catcher of the future. He should reach the majors by late this year. He's better then average defensively and has power potential, a perfect fit with Coors. I want my 1-8 hitters to all be deadly. Garrett Atkins (1B), Jayson Nix (2B), Jerry Gil (SS) and Chad Tracy (3B) are all very talented guys with the potential to start in the majors one day. I expect Tony Miller and Choo Freeman to battle for the CF spot when Doug Glanville is ready to move on.

I like my team. I am in a very tough division with the Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks. I fully think I can contend if my lineup produces the runs I expect, and some young guys in the rotation hold up. I need to improve my bullpen greatly, and maybe add a front line starter, but who doesn't? I don't expect to immediately contend for a division crown, but I hope to make a run at a Wild Card spot while my young guys learn.