January 15, 200422 yr Its Nevin or Payton unlees they can get long out of the outfield Nevin is way better than payton offensively. Anyway they put the lineup, pads still have one of the best in the nl Bouroughs 3b (Little league stud,now in the MLB... Pads think hes a star soon) Loretta 2b (second in BA lasy year for 2B..314 Giles Lf (one of the ebst LF in the game) Klesko 1B (above average hitter, love the bat flip.. Nevin Rf (not too long ago a 125rbi 40 homer guy, healthy now :unsure : Hernendez C (allstar in 2003, cant be too bad) Payton/Long Cf (Not bad for #7, well see if payton can hit outside of Coors) Greene SS (Huge prospect, this is why they didnt go after Tejada)
January 15, 200422 yr But the Rockies are the favorite to win the WS and stun the world like the fish and angles.
January 15, 200422 yr Author But the Rockies are the favorite to win the WS and stun the world like the fish and angles. 8=====D :lol
January 15, 200422 yr But the Rockies are the favorite to win the WS and stun the world like the fish and angles. :lol :lol :lol :lol
January 15, 200422 yr An AL East team will win the World Series (who knew?). Its been NL West, AL West, NL East, ______
January 15, 200422 yr Well he didnt get the idea by himself at least I dont think so. It was an article on ESPN.com about who will be the fish of 2004 and they picked the Rockies. So it was actually written by professionals.
January 15, 200422 yr Author Well he didnt get the idea by himself at least I dont think so. It was an article on ESPN.com about who will be the fish of 2004 and they picked the Rockies. So it was actually written by professionals. Is was i stupid comment by the proffecionals too.
January 15, 200422 yr Giles = One of if not the most underrated players in the game. the most underrated. The best offensive lineup is probably going to be the blue jays. They were one of the best last year, but hinske had a huge off year, they have great minor leaguers that are ready to come up, and Delgado will be Delgado (about a .400 obp, .300 ba, and 30 homers...fine production) and Vernon Wells could get even better (a scary thought.)
January 15, 200422 yr Well he didnt get the idea by himself at least I dont think so. It was an article on ESPN.com about who will be the fish of 2004 and they picked the Rockies.? So it was actually written by professionals. Is was i stupid comment by the proffecionals too. Not really he made some good points about how most of the West has gotten weaker and older except for the d-backs and the rockies have some nice young pitching that fit their ballpark. So its really not that far fetched.
January 15, 200422 yr Its Nevin or Payton unlees they can get long out of the outfield Nevin is way better than payton offensively. Anyway they put the lineup, pads still have one of the best in the nl Bouroughs 3b (Little league stud,now in the MLB... Pads think hes a star soon) Loretta 2b (second in BA lasy year for 2B..314 Giles Lf (one of the ebst LF in the game) Klesko 1B (above average hitter, love the bat flip.. Nevin Rf (not too long ago a 125rbi 40 homer guy, healthy now :unsure : Hernendez C (allstar in 2003, cant be too bad) Payton/Long Cf (Not bad for #7, well see if payton can hit outside of Coors) Greene SS (Huge prospect, this is why they didnt go after Tejada) NO
January 15, 200422 yr Umm why you laughing at me? Here it is... Regrets? Those of us who forecast baseball have had a few. Watching Anaheim play in the 2002 World Series, it was easy to remember writing about how deep the Angels' pitching staff could be after the offseason additions of Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele, and about noting how well they had played in spring training. But I can't say I picked them over Oakland and Seattle in the AL West. Preston Wilson led the National League with 141 RBI last season. Watching Florida play in the 2003 World Series, it was easy to remember how the Marlins had made a run at Bartolo Colon over the winter, believing they were close to winning when no one else did, and how we had seen Ivan Rodriguez have a major impact on winning while in Texas. But I can't say I even gave Florida a second thought when decided between Atlanta and Philadelphia in the NL East. The time has come to stop picking the Yankees and Braves every year and start playing hunches. So who's going to be the next team to spring a sneak attack? The Colorado Rockies are that team. Kansas City would be a decent call, but the Royals' big surprise was winning 83 games a year ago. Baltimore is obviously going to be improved, but third place must be the Orioles' target. They don't have the pitching to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox. The Rockies play in the right division. The NL West has historically been a balanced, deep division. It has had a 97-win team in it in five of the last six seasons. But with age and financial reality diminishing Arizona, Rich Aurilia following Jeff Kent out of San Francisco and Los Angeles thus far adding no hitter more significant than Juan Encarnacion, the standard is dropping. Ninety wins could get it done in 2004. That's 16 more than the Rockies had in 2003, but GM Dan O'Dowd's latest approach just might bridge that gap. For starters, the Rockies should have won 77 games a year ago, according to Bill James' formula factoring in runs scored and allowed. Assuming the intangible factors of luck and managing balance out, the Rockies can reach 90 with a 13-game improvement in talent. If Colorado improves and gets lucky, as Florida (+3 in the Pythagorean standings) did a year ago, it could climb above 90 victories. That just might be possible. Here are five reasons why: 1. There's the obvious thunder in the middle of this lineup. A team that has Todd Helton, Admin Walker, Preston Wilson, Vinny Castilla and Jeromy Burnitz hitting 3-7 is going to score some runs, both at Coors Field and on the road. The difference between Burnitz and Jay Payton, who he is replacing, is minor. But the Rockies have upgraded in a major way at third base (Castilla), where O'Dowd somehow got tricked into going with Chris Stynes as his primary player a year ago. And look for a good season from Walker, whose erratic production has been almost of Juan Gonzalez proportions. He has lost a ton of weight (25-30 pounds) and is working out with a strength coach for the first time in his career. If it helps him stay healthy -- he hasn't played 150 games in a season since 1997 -- then the Rockies take a major step toward the first division. 2. The infield has been rebuilt to help a pitching staff heavy on ground-ball pitchers. Royce Clayton remains a vacuum cleaner at shortstop. He and Castilla comprise a massive fielding improvement over the Opening Day lineup a year ago, which had Jose Hernandez at shortstop and Stynes at third. While Hernandez and Stynes actually ranked higher than Clayton and Castilla in range factor in 2003 (Hernandez was 12th among major-league regulars at his position; Stynes was third), this is more of a reflection of the nature of Colorado's pitching staff than their abilities. Ask any scout. Clayton and Castilla will not only be more reliable, but will gobble up ground balls. That could be a key to a rebound season for 2002 Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings while helping Aaron Cook establish himself. Cook, long a minor-league standout, has a 5.69 ERA after his first 160 big-league innings. He sometimes seemed discouraged because of the fielding behind him in 2003, and no wonder. Kevin Brown and Brandon Webb were the only NL starters who threw a higher percentage of ground balls than Cook, who nevertheless saw hitters bat .317 against him. 3. Scott Elarton has finally recovered from shoulder surgery and is ready to assume the potential he showed in 2000, when he won 17 games for Houston. He's been working with pitching guru Bus Campbell, a treaure in the state of Colorado, who helped Roy Halladay turn his career around. Campbell says that Elarton is ahead of where Halladay was at this time last year. That's scary. Denny Stark, who was 8-1 with a 3.21 ERA at Coors Field in 2002, is also healthy after a season marred by injuries. The Rockies figure to open the season with Jennings, Stark, Cook and Joe Kennedy as their top four starters. O'Dowd signed Jeff Fassero (another guy who induces ground balls) with the thought the left-hander can possibly take over the final spot in the rotation. Chin-hui Tsao could factor in for the second half after opening the year at Triple-A. Shawn Chacon, a starting pitcher in his first three years with the Rockies (2001-03), will be the club's closer in 2004. 4. Shawn Chacon, an All-Star before being bothered by tendinitis last year, should have success as the Rockies' closer. Jose Jimenez was adequate a year ago, but Chacon has the potential to turn into a major success, along the lines of Eric Gagne. Maintaining his velocity has been a problem, as it was with Gagne, but shouldn't be an issue working out of the bullpen. The bullpen around Chacon is a concern, however, as the Rockies have lost both Jimenez and set-up man Justin Speier. 5. Aaron Miles was an astute acquisition who could put up Rookie of the Year numbers as the second baseman. He'll have to play well in spring training to win a battle with veteran Damian Jackson, but don't be surprised if he scores 100-plus runs. Miles, 27, is a late-bloomer who earned MVP honors in the Double-A Southern League two years ago. Without any advanced shortstops in their system, the White Sox gave him up to take a chance on Juan Uribe. Miles is an intriguing offensive player who seems to fit Coors Field perfectly. He hits for a high average (.313 the last two years between Double-A and Triple-A) and is hard to strike out. He's only 5-foot-8, but is extremely strong. The ball jumps off his bat. He won't steal a lot of bases, but is an exciting baserunner. Miles and Clayton, who is likely to hit second, will get challenged by pitchers with Helton, Wilson & Co. behind them. That's exactly the kind of scenario that David Eckstein thrived in two years ago with Anaheim. Miles could follow that example, helping the Rockies down the path traveled by the Angels. Link
January 15, 200422 yr Author Umm why you laughing at me? Here it is... Regrets? Those of us who forecast baseball have had a few. Watching Anaheim play in the 2002 World Series, it was easy to remember writing about how deep the Angels' pitching staff could be after the offseason additions of Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele, and about noting how well they had played in spring training. But I can't say I picked them over Oakland and Seattle in the AL West. ? Preston Wilson led the National League with 141 RBI last season. Watching Florida play in the 2003 World Series, it was easy to remember how the Marlins had made a run at Bartolo Colon over the winter, believing they were close to winning when no one else did, and how we had seen Ivan Rodriguez have a major impact on winning while in Texas. But I can't say I even gave Florida a second thought when decided between Atlanta and Philadelphia in the NL East. The time has come to stop picking the Yankees and Braves every year and start playing hunches. So who's going to be the next team to spring a sneak attack? The Colorado Rockies are that team. Kansas City would be a decent call, but the Royals' big surprise was winning 83 games a year ago. Baltimore is obviously going to be improved, but third place must be the Orioles' target. They don't have the pitching to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox. The Rockies play in the right division. The NL West has historically been a balanced, deep division. It has had a 97-win team in it in five of the last six seasons. But with age and financial reality diminishing Arizona, Rich Aurilia following Jeff Kent out of San Francisco and Los Angeles thus far adding no hitter more significant than Juan Encarnacion, the standard is dropping. Ninety wins could get it done in 2004. That's 16 more than the Rockies had in 2003, but GM Dan O'Dowd's latest approach just might bridge that gap. For starters, the Rockies should have won 77 games a year ago, according to Bill James' formula factoring in runs scored and allowed. Assuming the intangible factors of luck and managing balance out, the Rockies can reach 90 with a 13-game improvement in talent. If Colorado improves and gets lucky, as Florida (+3 in the Pythagorean standings) did a year ago, it could climb above 90 victories. That just might be possible. Here are five reasons why: 1. There's the obvious thunder in the middle of this lineup. A team that has Todd Helton, Admin Walker, Preston Wilson, Vinny Castilla and Jeromy Burnitz hitting 3-7 is going to score some runs, both at Coors Field and on the road. ? The difference between Burnitz and Jay Payton, who he is replacing, is minor. But the Rockies have upgraded in a major way at third base (Castilla), where O'Dowd somehow got tricked into going with Chris Stynes as his primary player a year ago. And look for a good season from Walker, whose erratic production has been almost of Juan Gonzalez proportions. He has lost a ton of weight (25-30 pounds) and is working out with a strength coach for the first time in his career. If it helps him stay healthy -- he hasn't played 150 games in a season since 1997 -- then the Rockies take a major step toward the first division. 2. The infield has been rebuilt to help a pitching staff heavy on ground-ball pitchers. Royce Clayton remains a vacuum cleaner at shortstop. He and Castilla comprise a massive fielding improvement over the Opening Day lineup a year ago, which had Jose Hernandez at shortstop and Stynes at third. While Hernandez and Stynes actually ranked higher than Clayton and Castilla in range factor in 2003 (Hernandez was 12th among major-league regulars at his position; Stynes was third), this is more of a reflection of the nature of Colorado's pitching staff than their abilities. Ask any scout. Clayton and Castilla will not only be more reliable, but will gobble up ground balls. That could be a key to a rebound season for 2002 Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings while helping Aaron Cook establish himself. Cook, long a minor-league standout, has a 5.69 ERA after his first 160 big-league innings. He sometimes seemed discouraged because of the fielding behind him in 2003, and no wonder. Kevin Brown and Brandon Webb were the only NL starters who threw a higher percentage of ground balls than Cook, who nevertheless saw hitters bat .317 against him. 3. Scott Elarton has finally recovered from shoulder surgery and is ready to assume the potential he showed in 2000, when he won 17 games for Houston. He's been working with pitching guru Bus Campbell, a treaure in the state of Colorado, who helped Roy Halladay turn his career around. Campbell says that Elarton is ahead of where Halladay was at this time last year. That's scary. Denny Stark, who was 8-1 with a 3.21 ERA at Coors Field in 2002, is also healthy after a season marred by injuries. The Rockies figure to open the season with Jennings, Stark, Cook and Joe Kennedy as their top four starters. O'Dowd signed Jeff Fassero (another guy who induces ground balls) with the thought the left-hander can possibly take over the final spot in the rotation. Chin-hui Tsao could factor in for the second half after opening the year at Triple-A. ? Shawn Chacon, a starting pitcher in his first three years with the Rockies (2001-03), will be the club's closer in 2004. 4. Shawn Chacon, an All-Star before being bothered by tendinitis last year, should have success as the Rockies' closer. Jose Jimenez was adequate a year ago, but Chacon has the potential to turn into a major success, along the lines of Eric Gagne. Maintaining his velocity has been a problem, as it was with Gagne, but shouldn't be an issue working out of the bullpen. The bullpen around Chacon is a concern, however, as the Rockies have lost both Jimenez and set-up man Justin Speier. 5. Aaron Miles was an astute acquisition who could put up Rookie of the Year numbers as the second baseman. He'll have to play well in spring training to win a battle with veteran Damian Jackson, but don't be surprised if he scores 100-plus runs. Miles, 27, is a late-bloomer who earned MVP honors in the Double-A Southern League two years ago. Without any advanced shortstops in their system, the White Sox gave him up to take a chance on Juan Uribe. Miles is an intriguing offensive player who seems to fit Coors Field perfectly. He hits for a high average (.313 the last two years between Double-A and Triple-A) and is hard to strike out. He's only 5-foot-8, but is extremely strong. The ball jumps off his bat. He won't steal a lot of bases, but is an exciting baserunner. Miles and Clayton, who is likely to hit second, will get challenged by pitchers with Helton, Wilson & Co. behind them. That's exactly the kind of scenario that David Eckstein thrived in two years ago with Anaheim. Miles could follow that example, helping the Rockies down the path traveled by the Angels. Link Not laughing at you, i read the article, i dont think its gona happen, i was referring to the article.
January 15, 200422 yr Payton will start over Long. Our only weakness is our starting rotation, which isn't bad, just not mind-boggling. Our bullpen should do great: Otsuka Beck Hoffman Assuming they have seasons like last year (Otsuka doing what he did in Japan), then we may only need to play 7 inning games.
January 15, 200422 yr Nevin will be at 1B...Klesko will be in whichever corner outfield spot that he and the OF's agree is easier to play. 2B Lorretta 3B Burroughs LF Giles 1B Nevin RF Klesko CF Payton C Hernandez SS Green the problem will be keeping Nevin and Payton healhty. i believe Long now has the title of highest paid 4th OF.
January 15, 200422 yr Nevin will be at 1B...Klesko will be in whichever corner outfield spot that he and the OF's agree is easier to play. 2B Lorretta 3B Burroughs LF Giles 1B Nevin RF Klesko CF Payton C Hernandez SS Green the problem will be keeping Nevin and Payton healhty. i believe Long now has the title of highest paid 4th OF. Nevin isn't really an injury concern. His injuries over the last 2 years were freak injuries, and not ones that will come back and nag. Payton is pretty durable too as far as I can tell.
January 15, 200422 yr I hope the rocks do it. I have tickets to see them anyway. And i should probably go to 5 dollar day and watch the rockies again.
January 15, 200422 yr ya i think the rocks are gonna win it to....... nothing funny about it..... but it should l be a good race between them and the pads..... with the Rocks commin on top... the Rocks line up aint no joke ethier
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