2K13 Colorado Rockies

[Sharky]

Helton to DL, Ryan Wheeler up. Does Pacheco get most of the PT? Cuddyer to 1B and Young gets the PT? How much does Wheeler play?

Tonight Cuddyer shifted to 1b and Young is playing the outfield.

[overkill94]

Tonight Chris Nelson was the odd man out. Is Wheeler considered a good enough prospect to push him to the side?

[senorsheep]

Wheeler was an absolute butcher at third base last night - one error, and a couple of boots on marginally difficult plays that could have been ruled errors. The error led to a run in a 3-2 loss - that's not going to help his case for playing time. He hit the ball well a couple of times, but was impatient at the plate - he saw 11 pitches in 4 AB's vs a guy who was struggling to throw strikes. In two two-out run-scoring situations, he whiffed and grounded out. It was not an impressive debut. Jordan Pacheco and Eric Young are both hitting well; Wheeler's going to have to do a lot better than this to take playing time away from them.

[The Dane]

Tonight Chris Nelson was the odd man out. Is Wheeler considered a good enough prospect to push him to the side?

Simply put, no. Helton's injury gives the Rockies a couple of weeks to sort out what they have. They have several undefined commodities, like Nelson, who is a failed prospect, a failed post-hype prospect, and a surprise producer. Is Fowler for real? What about EY? What is Colvin's deal? And all of this to get things lined up for their next big prospect, Arenado. When it all shakes out, I'm guessing Nelson hangs on as a UT, Young settles in as a 4th OF, and Wheeler is on another team. But, who can tell at this point.

[senorsheep]

Simply put, no. Helton's injury gives the Rockies a couple of weeks to sort out what they have. They have several undefined commodities, like Nelson, who is a failed prospect, a failed post-hype prospect, and a surprise producer. Is Fowler for real? What about EY? What is Colvin's deal? And all of this to get things lined up for their next big prospect, Arenado. When it all shakes out, I'm guessing Nelson hangs on as a UT, Young settles in as a 4th OF, and Wheeler is on another team. But, who can tell at this point.

Not to mention Jordan Pacheco, their catcher-turned-third-baseman-turned-first-baseman who should be a DH. The dude really can hit, though.

Wheeler's been playing first base at AAA, so maybe he's the heir to Todd Helton's throne. Unless Pacheco is. Who knows?

[Mithrandir]

Is there a chance of Rosario playing first base or is that a bad idea? His bat is so strong...

[Judge Jude]

vibe is that Rosario's catching skills have significantly improved, but the better he hits (another HR tonight) the closer he gets to Piazza chatter.

the confusion for many on Piazza was that the bright-light stat of CS was his worst trait. but he seemed to be good at the other significant parts of the job, which is why his managers didn't push for the move.

iirc, Rosario threw out 4 of his first 6 stealers this year...

[Mithrandir]

vibe is that Rosario's catching skills have significantly improved, but the better he hits (another HR tonight) the closer he gets to Piazza chatter.

the confusion for many on Piazza was that the bright-light stat of CS was his worst trait. but he seemed to be good at the other significant parts of the job, which is why his managers didn't push for the move.

iirc, Rosario threw out 4 of his first 6 stealers this year...

Sorry i wasn't clear. I meant playing 1B in addition to still catching. Or would that be too difficult for any number of reasons.

[Judge Jude]

no, you raised a good pt - and Rosario's skills at C OR 1B are a helpful pt of analysis...

[umjewman]

Pomeranz off to a nice start at AAA. Any word on him getting called up to replace Francis or Garland (or I suppose, Nicasio)?

[Bodhizefa]

Arenado just got the call (which begs the question: why call a guy so late at night? Let the man sleep!)

[james33]

Why'd they get rid of Nelson instead of Brignac?

[senorsheep]

Why'd they get rid of Nelson instead of Brignac?

My best guess:

If the team is committing to Rutledge and Arenado, there is no role for Chris Nelson. He doesn't profile well as a utility guy for The Rockies, primarily because of his weak defense. The one thing he would provide as a utility player - a decent right-handed bat off the bench - is something the team already has covered with Jordan Pacheco and Eric Young.

Chris Nelson seems to be one of those guys who requires regular AB's to stay sharp at the plate. He showed what he could do in the second half last year with regular AB's - I think the team is gambling that he will garner some trade interest based on that. If the team parts with Nelson, they might actually get a small return in a minor trade, or at worst a $50,000 waiver check. If they part with Reid Brignac or Johnny Herrera, they likely get nothing - a 100% loss. At best, they might acquire another mediocre AAA infielder for one of those two, but the organization already has a glut of lightweight utility infielders, and they need less of those, not more of them.

[joncarlos]

My best guess:

If the team is committing to Rutledge and Arenado, there is no role for Chris Nelson. He doesn't profile well as a utility guy for The Rockies, primarily because of his weak defense. The one thing he would provide as a utility player - a decent right-handed bat off the bench - is something the team already has covered with Jordan Pacheco and Eric Young.

Chris Nelson seems to be one of those guys who requires regular AB's to stay sharp at the plate. He showed what he could do in the second half last year with regular AB's - I think the team is gambling that he will garner some trade interest based on that. If the team parts with Nelson, they might actually get a small return in a minor trade, or at worst a $50,000 waiver check. If they part with Reid Brignac or Johnny Herrera, they likely get nothing - a 100% loss. At best, they might acquire another mediocre AAA infielder for one of those two, but the organization already has a glut of lightweight utility infielders, and they need less of those, not more of them.

Plus, Hererra and Brignac can play SS, which is helpful when your starting SS is made of glass.

[senorsheep]

Plus, Hererra and Brignac can play SS, which is helpful when your starting SS is made of glass.

I swear, the problem with Tulo is not his body. It's his head. He doesn't get hurt because he's physically fragile. He gets hurt because he doesn't know when to give up on a play. Every major injury he's had has been triggered by or exacerbated by a reckless dive for a ball when he had no chance of making the play, or a crazy awkward throw when he had no chance of getting the runner, or stretching himself trying to take an extra base he had no chance to make it in the first place. Last night was a perfect example: He was thrown out at home plate by a mile - he had zero chance of making it safely. Yeah, it was a bad decision by the third base coach, but as a runner, once you realize that and you know you're cooked, ease up, man, just pull up and take the tag and live to fight another day. Not Tulo - he had to barrel in there with an awkward slide and try to make the impossible play yet again. It's frustrating to see such bad judgment over and over again.

The good news is: If he ever develops an instinct for self-preservation a la Barry Bonds, these injuries could stop immediately. The bad news is: It'll probably never happen. I love the guy, but he's dumber than a box of rocks. He's a full-tilt player, even in situations when taking his foot of the pedal would be the wiser choice, and that is his undoing. The worst thing a superstar player can do for his team is take himself out of the lineup for weeks or months at a time - I hope he figures that out someday.