Rockie Times in Colorado

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post has a brief article up today imploring the Colorado Rockies to make some changes if the team is going to be able to compete in the NL West this season. The bulk of Kiszla’s argument centers around moving the aging Todd Helton out of the 3rd spot in the lineup and the acquisition of a big name pitcher to stabilize the starting rotation. While Kiszla’s argument is a valid one, I don’t think it’s quite a complete one.

Helton has been a fixture in the Colorado lineup since his late season debut in 1997 at the age of 23. Now, at 36 (he’ll be 37 in August), Helton just isn’t the feared hitter that he once was. While still more than capable of batting over .300 he is no longer the power threat of old and he struggles to drive in runs like he did when he did earlier in his career. However, the blame for that isn’t solely tied to the fact that Helton has gotten old quickly. The lineup around him has changed dramatically over the years. It’s a team built differently and the lineup isn’t setup in the way that it should be in order to maximize the abilities of those penciled in each day.

The Rockies should start their lineup off with the guys who can get on base and manufacture runs with their speed. Eric Young Jr. and Dexter Fowler need to hit first and second in the lineup. This would give the guys hitting third and fourth – i.e. Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitski – opportunities to drive in runs on a consistent basis. Following Tulowitski should be Sean Smith or Brad Hawpe, whichever happens to be in the lineup that day, and then Helton, Ian Stewart, and Miguel Olivo. On the days where Clint Barmes starts at second instead of Young, bat Fowler first and Barmes second.

As Kiszla mentions within his article, Young’s best position defensively is second base. The trouble with getting him into the lineup on a daily basis is the production the team gets from Barmes and the fact that members of the team’s front office and management staff think very highly of him. It’d be tough to relegate him to the bench and limited duty. Young has been tried in the outfield in an effort to get him into the lineup more frequently but his defensive prowess has hurt the team more often than it’s helped. Plus, with the outfielders this team already has it doesn’t seem prudent to bench one of them in favor of the inexperienced Young.

As for fortifying the starting rotation, I’m not certain that a big name guy is the best way to go. For starters, the team already has an ace in Ubaldo Jimenez. Aaron Cook and Jhoulis Chacin give the team two more quality starters and in due time we should see Jason Hammel, Jorge De La Rosa, and Jeff Francis back from injuries. That’s six viable starting pitchers (assuming Francis can regain some of his old form) and little room for a top-of-the-line starter such as Roy Oswalt, as Kiszla suggests. Would Oswalt (or another top starter) help this team? Absolutely. What team wouldn’t he help? But the argument that this team needs an Oswalt-like acquisition just seems unnecessary to me. They’d be better served finding some bullpen help while they wait out the return of Huston Street and Taylor Buchholtz. Franklin Morales, Rafael Betancourt, and Manny Corpas have been solid at the backend of the bullpen, but inconsistent enough that they could use the assistance.

Kiszla was right, the Rockies could use some changes. I just don’t think that they need to be as dramatic as he lets on. Besides, the team is sitting at .500, just 3.5 games behind a San Diego team that can’t possibly maintain the production they’ve been getting. Hope is not lost in Colorado. After all, the NL West is one of the weaker divisions in baseball and this Rockies team has the talent to win it.