Reason for optimism...

[Rockiesfan_H]

...or more of the same?


03/30/2007 10:00 AM ET
Rockies Opening Day outlook
Middle of the order hoping to bring power back to Colorado
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com

Todd Helton brings a career .333 batting average into the 2007 season. (Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

It's romantic to long for the days of the Blake Street Bombers. Even with the baseballs being stored in a humidor to keep them fair, it's realistic to wonder if Garrett Atkins, Todd Helton, Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe can reproduce the power the Rockies showed in the mid-to-late 1990s. Last year, when the Rockies found strong starting pitching, they struggled in the power department. Their 75 home runs at home were second-fewest in club history to 59 in 1994, when just 57 games were played. Their 813 runs were fourth-fewest in their 12 162-game seasons.
But Helton would just be happy with the Blake Street Run Scorers. It doesn't have the same ring, but the effect is positive.
"What's important is getting on base and driving in runs," Helton said. "I mean, nobody can catch a home run, know what I'm saying? It's just the home run is kind of overemphasized. It helps, don't get me wrong.
"But with Matthew, Garrett, Hawpe and hopefully myself, home runs are great, but everybody knows how to hit. It's not like guys are up there swinging for home runs and hitting .230 with 40 home runs. Guys are hitting .300 and taking good approaches at the plate. That's more important than hitting home runs."


BATTING ORDER
1. Willy Taveras, CF:
The speedster had a hot bat this spring, and he finally gets the green light he never had with the Astros.
2. Kazuo Matsui, 2B:
A switch-hitter, Matsui batted .299 against right-handers last season.
3. Garrett Atkins, 3B:
Atkins tied with the Yankees' Derek Jeter with 102 hits after the 2006 All-Star break.
4. Todd Helton, 1B:
Helton's .329 batting average since 2000 is the best in baseball.
5. Matt Holliday, LF:
He has 178 RBIs since the 2005 All-Star break.
6. Brad Hawpe, RF:
Hawpe's 26 outfield assists in 2005-06 are tied for the most in baseball, and he missed two months in '05.
7. Troy Tulowitzki, SS:
He is the second-youngest Rockies Opening Day starter behind Robert Mejia (21 years, 355 days in 1994)
8. Chris Iannetta, C:
The rookie played well enough this spring to force former All-Star Javy Lopez off the roster.




ROTATION
1. Aaron Cook, RHP:
Cook can dominate with his sinker, and he also will use a four-seam fastball and more of his changeup.
2. Jeff Francis, LHP:
He keeps hitters off balance with conventional mix of pitches. Francis has added a sinker.
3. Rodrigo Lopez, RHP:
Lopez is best when he simplifies approach to fastball and changeup, with slider used sparingly.
4. Jason Hirsh, RHP:
He displayed a lively fastball. Hirsh can confound hitters if he gets consistent quality with his slider.
5. Josh Fogg, RHP:
Fogg gets away with being a fly-ball pitcher at Coors Field because of his change of speeds.


BULLPEN
Left-hander Brian Fuentes is one of three pitchers invited to the last two All-Star Games, and he is in his prime. Right-hander LaTroy Hawkins, Colorado's primary setup man, was free and easy in camp. Manny Corpas has talents befitting of being the righty to take some load off Hawkins, but he's a rookie. Southpaw Jeremy Affeldt and right-hander Taylor Buchholz are wild cards. Both are former starters acquired in trades who could increase the club's win total by being effective in swing innings.





OPENING DELAYED
Right-handed pitcher Brian Lawrence missed all of last season because of shoulder surgery. He was kept on a slower schedule early in camp, but he pitched well enough late to get roster consideration. Lawrence should be ready to push someone out of the rotation soon.


BURNING QUESTION
Will the Rockies' rotation, populated by young talents and veteran battlers, be good enough in a division full of marquee pitchers at the top of rotations?


ON THE RECORD
"I think this is the best team we've had, and this is my fourth season. I think it's our best chance. But we have to still do it." -- Holliday





Well, whatever happens Go Rockies!

[padrefanforever]

You guys are getting closer, but I'm not sure you're there yet. Much like the Dbacks, but I feel they are on the verge of becoming an annual threat to the NLWest......not sure the Rocks are at that point yet......

[realmofotalk]

It's romantic to long for the days of the Blake Street Bombers. Even with the baseballs being stored in a humidor to keep them fair, it's realistic to wonder if Garrett Atkins, Todd Helton, Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe can reproduce the power the Rockies showed in the mid-to-late 1990s.

I'm confused by what this guy is saying. If he says that the humidor keeps the baseballs fair, particularly pitching friendly, and he is trying contradict this by beginning his sentence with "even with," he should be commenting about Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook repeating their respectable numbers, and not about the hitters.

[love_that_reefer]

The Rockies need pitching like every year. Once they get consistent pitching worth a damn and some better management, then they will be a better threat. That got a great, youthful lineup but but pitching wins.

Oh yeah, I picked Troy Tulowitzki to be ROY.