The Bloggers Roundtable is a simple concept: we bring together bloggers to debate a few questions about their respective teams and you get to have the pulse of the fans, all in one place.
Bloggers
Brandi Griffin - Purple Row
Drew Bienhoff - Up in the Rockies
Mark Townsend - Bugs & Cranks
Matt Holliday (Perry Richardson/Flickr)Question 1:- Was Matt Holliday's two year deal (that will cover the remainder of his arbitration years) satisfactory for you? What are the chances of the Rockies keeping the slugger in Coors Field beyond 2009?
Brandi: Holliday's deal told me a couple of things. One, that Scott Boras absolutely would like the leverage of competition in whatever deal Matt signs next. Barring that, he'd be looking for a Todd Helton type of extension for his client. The second thing, and what's kind of curious, however, is that the Rockies never actually offered anything long term to Holliday despite making overtures after our World Series run that they would. I don't blame them for changing course and waiting, however, given that they have Holliday for sure for the next two seasons.
While much could happen that could affect the team's ability to sign Matt, his value isn't going to go any higher than it is now. He's already a superstar, adding another MVP caliber season isn't likely to bring him to a much different level, but a disappointing season could certainly negatively
impact his future earnings potential. Waiting until the season before he's set to become a free agent -as the Cubs did with Zambrano and the M's did with Ichiro in 2007- before getting
serious makes a lot more sense to me than going after him right now while he's at his peak.
I think how the Rockies perform in 2008 might wind up having a lot to do with our chances of
re-signing Matt. Another year of contention and its associated revenue and the Rockies should have the ability to not strain their budget with Holliday. Recognizing how infrequently Boras
clients re-sign with their original teams, I still have to downgrade our chances of keeping him longer than 2009 significantly, but I don't think if the Rockies lose him it will be for a lack of money or trying.
Drew: With it being a well known fact that Holliday’s agent is Scott Boras, Rockies fans have to be wondering if the Colorado ownership is going to be willing to pony up the cash necessary
to sign Holliday during or after the 2009 season. There are, however, some positive signs that Matt wants to stay a Rockie, including the flurry of long term extensions agreed to this offseason for Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe, Aaron Cook, and Manny Corpas. With the core of the Rockies “Generation R” in place, Holliday has to feel compelled to stay a part of this team. He has spoken positively about his experiences at Colorado and signs point toward him being open to long term negotiations.
The two year, $23 million deal signed this offseason to cover Matt’s final two years of arbitration is an indication that both he and Boras are open to negotiations and aren’t just going for top dollar. If Holliday has another big season in 2008 (and there’s no reason to think he won’t) he could have made a truckload in arbitration in this upcoming offseason. The fact that he wanted to get the often ugly arbitration negotiations out of the way shows me that he is trying to stay in good graces with the Rockies.
All in all, with the amount of money already locked into the aforementioned players this offseason, Holliday’s future is very much up in the air. Can the Rockies afford to sign Holliday? Is it a wise move to make another huge commitment like Colorado did with Todd Helton back in 2001? It remains to be seen if Holliday will stay a Rockie or not, and at this point I don’t really see any signs that tilt the scales in favor of one way or the other.
Mark: I'm all for anything that affords Colorado more time to lock Holliday in. He's the straw that stirs the drink around here and basically holds a large part of the Rockies future in his hands. So if he's happy with it, and this deal can possibly act as a bridge to something more, I'm happy.
Rockies backers really have to hope Holliday means it when he says he loves his teammates and he's happy in Denver, because one would have to be crazy in love -- or flat out insane -- to
pass up the money he's due on the open market. As it stands now -- removing my heart from the equation -- I'd say it's at best a 40% chance he stays. Although after the World Series I would have said 10%, so my gut feeling is improving. An extension for his buddy Garrett Atkins might make it a 50-50 proposition.
Marcus Giles (gregeichelberger/Flickr)
Question 2: Who should be trusted with the second base job in 2008 and beyond? Why?
Brandi: Going into the Spring, I would have said Jayson Nix because his glove work gives him an edge the others don't have. Quantifying minor league defense is difficult because of the imprecision of the data collection that goes on, but the general picture that emerges is that Nix could be among the MLB's best defenders at second base were he to be given the Rockies starting job. Because the Rockies employ so many pitchers who pitch to ground ball contact, the positive effects of a solid gloveman like Nix or Tulo get amplified. This advantage Jayson has over the other candidates going into the competition is significant, so you have to start with that handicap and try to determine if the other candidates' bats would make up the difference between their gloves and Nix's.
For example, if hot prospect Ian Stewart were to play second, he'd be a liability at least on the order of Rickie Weeks last season, and I'd anticipate that he'd need to make up at least 25-30 runs at the plate just to break even with Jayson. The unlikelihood of any of the other candidates (Stewart, Marcus Giles, Clint Barmes) to have enough offensive advantage to make up for their relative lack of defense had me pencil Nix in.
That said, Jeff Baker has seriously emerged as a threat to throw that thought out the window. He's converted to second rather seamlessly and doesn't figure to be the liability there I thought he'd be. That means he only has to make up a dozen or so runs on Jayson offensively, rather than the twenty or so I was originally guessing. I think his bat's certainly capable of that, and given that it has quite a bit more upside than Nix's, the team now is trying to figure out the optimal way to utilize the strengths of each in a split role this year. Beyond that, you've got to look at Chris Nelson sliding over as the most likely long term fix for the position, but he might not win the job outright until 2010. Eric Young Jr is a serious dark horse candidate that shouldn't be overlooked, either.
Drew: Of the two main candidates vying for the second base job this Spring, neither of them are very inspiring. Jayson Nix doesn’t appear to have much of an offensive future in the Majors considering that he hasn’t posted an OPS higher than .800 since High-A ball in 2003. Jeff Baker struggled all of last season with the bat, and while he is better than what he showed, the showed the odds of him bouncing back this season to average or even above average offensive levels while also adapting to a new defensive position seem unlikely. If I have to choose one, I’m going to go with Nix because of his defensive capabilities and hope that he can hit at least
decently enough to not be a liability in the eighth spot.
As for the future, I’m going to pin my hopes on 2004 first round draft pick Chris Nelson. He’s been playing shortstop for the duration of his minor league career, but with Troy Tulowitzki seemingly entrenched at the position, Nelson might find himself at second base sometime soon. After his offensive breakout (.289/.358/.503) last year at High-A ball, Chris needs to build on that success at AA this season and throw his name into the hat of 2009 second base candidates.
Mark: Marcus Giles is the safe option. Jayson Nix is probably the preferred option within the organization. Omar Quintanilla is a guy I've supported through the offseason as a sleeper. But right now, I'm looking at Jeff Baker for '08 and possibly beyond.
Baker made himself a favorite by working his tail off the last six months. Many -- myself included -- figured he'd be over-matched defensively as a converted corner OF/IF. So far that hasn't been the case. (Granted he's no Ryne Sandberg, Kaz Matsui, or even Jayson Nix with the glove.) When you factor in Baker's .280-25-80 potential, it becomes awfully difficult to
keep him out of the lineup, even if it means sacrificing a little defense.
Chris Iannetta (Moores2007/Flickr)Question 3: Chris Iannetta is stuck behind Yorvit Torrealba. How do you see the catching position situation developing in 2008 and beyond?
Brandi: Iannetta's hitting almost as well as Josh Hamilton this Spring, with five doubles and a homerun already along with his typical patience. As might have been expected, the team's been making it more clear that Chris is the catcher of the future and that they see him getting more AB's this year than he did last season. Edwin Bellorin -who the Rockies picked off of waivers
from the Dodgers before 2007- also has been blossoming into a solid player and appears ready for MLB play. The team really likes Torrealba for his on field leadership, particularly the way he's helped Ubaldo Jimenez, Manny Corpas and Franklin Morales mature as pitchers. With Morales still needing a mentor, I think the Rockies keep Yorvit at least through 2008, but will try to deal next winter. Do not jump off the Iannetta bandwagon yet, he's still looking to be a very nice asset for the Rockies.
Drew: Iannetta was obviously a disappointment last year, hitting a mere .218 while throwing out only 10 of 43 baserunners. However, I’m not at all disappointed with the fact that he managed to post a .330 on-base percentage. Chris continued his trend of posting an on-base percentage at least 96 points higher than his batting average, which he’s done at every professional level thus far in his career.
Torrealba will continue to get the majority of the starts this year, but Iannetta should start to make an impact towards the later months of summer, whether he starts the season at AAA or
not. After the year that he had in 2006 at Tulsa and Colorado Springs, he’s too good of a hitter to put up numbers like he did last year. With his batting eye and on-base skills, it won’t be too long before Iannetta is pushing Yorvit for the majority of the playing time.
Mark: Iannetta enters '08 not only looking up at Torrealba, but now he has to look over his shoulder at emerging prospect Michael McKenry. That means this could be a make or break
season for Iannetta, and he's fully aware of it. I believe he's prepared to meet the challenge.
The offensive potential, the defensive skill set and the ability to call games are all apparent with Chris. Now, he just needs to trust his abilities, get comfortable and realize he belongs. Once that happens, he'll push Torrealba for playing time and I believe head into '09 the favorite to start.
Brandi: Iannetta's hitting almost as well as Josh Hamilton this Spring, with five doubles and a homerun already along with his typical patience. As might have been expected, the team's been making it more clear that Chris is the catcher of the future and that they see him getting more AB's this year than he did last season. Edwin Bellorin -who the Rockies picked off of waivers
from the Dodgers before 2007- also has been blossoming into a solid player and appears ready for MLB play. The team really likes Torrealba for his on field leadership, particularly the way he's helped Ubaldo Jimenez, Manny Corpas and Franklin Morales mature as pitchers. With Morales still needing a mentor, I think the Rockies keep Yorvit at least through 2008, but will try to deal next winter. Do not jump off the Iannetta bandwagon yet, he's still looking to be a very nice asset for the Rockies.
Drew: Iannetta was obviously a disappointment last year, hitting a mere .218 while throwing out only 10 of 43 baserunners. However, I’m not at all disappointed with the fact that he managed to post a .330 on-base percentage. Chris continued his trend of posting an on-base percentage at least 96 points higher than his batting average, which he’s done at every professional level thus far in his career.
Torrealba will continue to get the majority of the starts this year, but Iannetta should start to make an impact towards the later months of summer, whether he starts the season at AAA or
not. After the year that he had in 2006 at Tulsa and Colorado Springs, he’s too good of a hitter to put up numbers like he did last year. With his batting eye and on-base skills, it won’t be too long before Iannetta is pushing Yorvit for the majority of the playing time.
Mark: Iannetta enters '08 not only looking up at Torrealba, but now he has to look over his shoulder at emerging prospect Michael McKenry. That means this could be a make or break
season for Iannetta, and he's fully aware of it. I believe he's prepared to meet the challenge.
The offensive potential, the defensive skill set and the ability to call games are all apparent with Chris. Now, he just needs to trust his abilities, get comfortable and realize he belongs. Once that happens, he'll push Torrealba for playing time and I believe head into '09 the favorite to start.
Coors Field (arthurohm/flickr)Question 4: Is Denver a baseball town? Will we ever see again the 4 million fans every year in Coors field?
Brandi: I hope so, though probably not quite that many. The Rockies had four million see them in Mile High Stadium in 1993, before they moved to Coors in 1995. Their peak at Coors was the three year period between 1996-1998 when they averaged 3,857,000 fans coming through the gates a year to watch a mediocre ball club. Last year, despite winning the NL Championship, they were just a bit off that total at 2,376,250. Of course, attendance is a trailing stat, but we have some ground to make up. Without an extended run of success, I don't see the glory years returning just yet, but I do think that 2008 will see the team attendance spike over the three million mark. As for the first question, I think of the four nineties expansion cities, Denver is the most into it's baseball. While fans in Florida don't really have an argument to refute that, I'm going to get hammered by our rival fans in Phoenix for saying so.
I think that this year will help prove whether my hypothesis is correct as both the Rockies and D-backs are coming off great success last year and both are expected to do about as well this year. I think that the Rox will draw considerably more while the Diamondbacks will have a smaller bump in their attendance.
Drew: I’ve lived in Kansas City and Los Angeles for my entire life, so it’s tough for me to answer this question. I feel that Denver is a quality sports city, one that has followed all four of its teams with incredible passion. Of course, the downside of having four quality professional teams within one city makes it tough for one team to dominate and claim that it owns the city. Denver will likely never reach the status of St. Louis or San Francisco in claiming that it’s a true
baseball town, but consistent strong support of the Rockies is far from unreasonable.
Mark: Absolutely, Denver is a great baseball town and a great sports towns in general. They just needed a reason to believe after those decade long doldrums. The Rockies product hadn't
just gone stale, it was dead. When fourth place finishes and 75 wins become the standard, you're dead. And the longer you're dead, the less people come to visit you.
Now there's not just a reason to believe, but real expectations. If the Rockies can reach or even come close to those expectations, it will be the mid 90's all over again. Jammed houses all the way through for as long as this core stays together.
Questions 5: Present a minor league player you feel is under the radar (strenghts/weaknesses, projections, ETA, etc.)
Brandi: I'm going to mention two, one a player that I think isn't so much under the radar, as he's underappreciated within the radar, and the second one's a player that better fits the description. Chris Nelson is a lot better than people are giving him credit for. His line last season at Modesto was excellent, even considering that the California League plays to hitters. Consider it as if he were a 2007 college draft pick (which would be his age equivalent) putting up a .289/.358/.503 line with a 27/5 SB/CS rate at the high A level. If it weren't for the presence of the insanely talented Justin Upton for much of the year, I think Nelson would have garnered a lot more attention. He's got sufficient bat speed to be a Brandon Phillips/Chase Utley type of offensive oriented middle infielder. He's been slow to make defensive adjustments at short -this is a weakness- and will have to learn a whole new set of them to switch to second with Tulowitzki blocking him, so I'm not seeing him cracking the club until late 2009.
The second player to watch out for is Michael McKenry. People will be wary of looking closely at him because his contact numbers weren't that great at low A, and his power numbers smell suspiciously of a McCormick Field hallucination. Also there's a history of disappointing catchers in our system (as your Iannetta question kind of alluded to). Okay, so admittedly there's a lot that he's up against, but he was drafted for his defense and arm, and the easy power -at McCormick and then at pitcher friendly Waikiki in the HWB- he's shown is a relatively surprising development. His swing's a bit slow and he needs to work a little on being consistently accurate with his throws to second or first with the quick pick off move. If he continues to show offensive promise in Modesto in 2008 though, Iannetta and Bellorin should have company in a couple of years trying to take their spots.
Drew: I’ll go with Chris Nelson, who I mentioned before in the second base discussion. The guy was a first round draft pick so there’s no question that he has the raw talent to be a big
league regular. Baseball America even goes as far to liken his bat speed to that of “a young Gary Sheffield,” a comparison you don’t see every day. Nelson finished 2007 on fire with 13
jacks in his final two months, so look for big things out of Chris in ‘08. If he can smooth out his defense and perhaps work a bit at second base, he could find himself on the Rockies radar late in the year for a September call-up and then a long hard look during Spring Training ‘09.
Mark: I've mentioned him once and I'd like to mention him again -- Michael McKenry. Six months ago he wasn't on anyones list of hot prospects -- not even the Rockies top 20. Now he's being considered by many as Colorado's 'catcher of the future.' Not that anyone really wants that title.
Scouts are praising McKenry for his receiving ability, game planning, strong arm, and Tracy Ringolsby, Hall of Fame sports writer, rates his plate discipline as the best in the Rockies minor league system. He may not be able to maintain his solid run production at the major league level, but his defense and game generalship should cover for that.
I would project McKenry to at least be a longterm back-up for Colorado, with a chance to challenge Iannetta down the line. He could be ready to contribute next spring if needed, although 2010 is the most likely ETA.
Brandi: I hope so, though probably not quite that many. The Rockies had four million see them in Mile High Stadium in 1993, before they moved to Coors in 1995. Their peak at Coors was the three year period between 1996-1998 when they averaged 3,857,000 fans coming through the gates a year to watch a mediocre ball club. Last year, despite winning the NL Championship, they were just a bit off that total at 2,376,250. Of course, attendance is a trailing stat, but we have some ground to make up. Without an extended run of success, I don't see the glory years returning just yet, but I do think that 2008 will see the team attendance spike over the three million mark. As for the first question, I think of the four nineties expansion cities, Denver is the most into it's baseball. While fans in Florida don't really have an argument to refute that, I'm going to get hammered by our rival fans in Phoenix for saying so.
I think that this year will help prove whether my hypothesis is correct as both the Rockies and D-backs are coming off great success last year and both are expected to do about as well this year. I think that the Rox will draw considerably more while the Diamondbacks will have a smaller bump in their attendance.
Drew: I’ve lived in Kansas City and Los Angeles for my entire life, so it’s tough for me to answer this question. I feel that Denver is a quality sports city, one that has followed all four of its teams with incredible passion. Of course, the downside of having four quality professional teams within one city makes it tough for one team to dominate and claim that it owns the city. Denver will likely never reach the status of St. Louis or San Francisco in claiming that it’s a true
baseball town, but consistent strong support of the Rockies is far from unreasonable.
Mark: Absolutely, Denver is a great baseball town and a great sports towns in general. They just needed a reason to believe after those decade long doldrums. The Rockies product hadn't
just gone stale, it was dead. When fourth place finishes and 75 wins become the standard, you're dead. And the longer you're dead, the less people come to visit you.
Now there's not just a reason to believe, but real expectations. If the Rockies can reach or even come close to those expectations, it will be the mid 90's all over again. Jammed houses all the way through for as long as this core stays together.
Questions 5: Present a minor league player you feel is under the radar (strenghts/weaknesses, projections, ETA, etc.)
Brandi: I'm going to mention two, one a player that I think isn't so much under the radar, as he's underappreciated within the radar, and the second one's a player that better fits the description. Chris Nelson is a lot better than people are giving him credit for. His line last season at Modesto was excellent, even considering that the California League plays to hitters. Consider it as if he were a 2007 college draft pick (which would be his age equivalent) putting up a .289/.358/.503 line with a 27/5 SB/CS rate at the high A level. If it weren't for the presence of the insanely talented Justin Upton for much of the year, I think Nelson would have garnered a lot more attention. He's got sufficient bat speed to be a Brandon Phillips/Chase Utley type of offensive oriented middle infielder. He's been slow to make defensive adjustments at short -this is a weakness- and will have to learn a whole new set of them to switch to second with Tulowitzki blocking him, so I'm not seeing him cracking the club until late 2009.
The second player to watch out for is Michael McKenry. People will be wary of looking closely at him because his contact numbers weren't that great at low A, and his power numbers smell suspiciously of a McCormick Field hallucination. Also there's a history of disappointing catchers in our system (as your Iannetta question kind of alluded to). Okay, so admittedly there's a lot that he's up against, but he was drafted for his defense and arm, and the easy power -at McCormick and then at pitcher friendly Waikiki in the HWB- he's shown is a relatively surprising development. His swing's a bit slow and he needs to work a little on being consistently accurate with his throws to second or first with the quick pick off move. If he continues to show offensive promise in Modesto in 2008 though, Iannetta and Bellorin should have company in a couple of years trying to take their spots.
Drew: I’ll go with Chris Nelson, who I mentioned before in the second base discussion. The guy was a first round draft pick so there’s no question that he has the raw talent to be a big
league regular. Baseball America even goes as far to liken his bat speed to that of “a young Gary Sheffield,” a comparison you don’t see every day. Nelson finished 2007 on fire with 13
jacks in his final two months, so look for big things out of Chris in ‘08. If he can smooth out his defense and perhaps work a bit at second base, he could find himself on the Rockies radar late in the year for a September call-up and then a long hard look during Spring Training ‘09.
Mark: I've mentioned him once and I'd like to mention him again -- Michael McKenry. Six months ago he wasn't on anyones list of hot prospects -- not even the Rockies top 20. Now he's being considered by many as Colorado's 'catcher of the future.' Not that anyone really wants that title.
Scouts are praising McKenry for his receiving ability, game planning, strong arm, and Tracy Ringolsby, Hall of Fame sports writer, rates his plate discipline as the best in the Rockies minor league system. He may not be able to maintain his solid run production at the major league level, but his defense and game generalship should cover for that.
I would project McKenry to at least be a longterm back-up for Colorado, with a chance to challenge Iannetta down the line. He could be ready to contribute next spring if needed, although 2010 is the most likely ETA.
| Posted to: |
Comments
No comments found.