Can the Rockies repeat?

[Rockiesfan_H]

Rockies can repeat if pitchers have right stuff
Denver Post staff writers talk baseball from Tucson
By The Denver Post


TUCSON — After flying to the World Series on a magic carpet last season, the Rockies opened spring training with high expectations. But with youth comes question marks, and the Rockies have plenty of those.
As action heats up in the desert, Denver Post baseball writers Troy E. Renck and Patrick Saunders, along with columnist Jim Armstrong, huddled at Hi Corbett Field to discuss the state of the Rockies and the National League West.

Q: What are the chances they can repeat?
Saunders: "I think a lot depends on their young pitchers, but I give them better than a 50-50 shot. I really think they are going to be in the NL West race all the way into August and September." Armstrong: "The revenue spike comes the year after the World Series, so the Rockies are going to be swimming in money in July. I wouldn't be surprised that, come July, if there is a free-agent pitcher out there, they will make a run at a guy like that to try to get them over the top."

Renck: "Ubaldo Jimenez and Aaron Cook in the rotation are the keys. If those guys together can win 35 games, they get in. If there is any kind of backsliding, the Rockies could be in trouble, in terms of the playoffs."

Q: Even without Kazuo Matsui at second base, can this be the best lineup in the NL?
Armstrong: "I think so, but I'll be very interested to see how Tulo (Troy Tulowitzki) handles the two hole. He's not a prototypical two-hole hitter — a guy who is going to take a lot of pitches, move runners over and bunt. I think you are going to see Tulo get a lot of fastballs to hit and that's going to be a very interesting dynamic in front of Matt Holliday. But the only National League lineup that is remotely close to the Rockies is the Mets."
Renck: "Philadelphia's good, too."
Armstrong: "Yeah, but there are a lot of phony numbers going up there, in that ballpark. We saw that in the playoffs."
Saunders: "The Rockies are going to miss Matsui's speed, so I think they are going to struggle a little bit to manufacture runs on the road. The other concern I have — and people don't talk about this very much — the Rockies have to cut down on strikeouts."
Armstrong: "You look at a guy like (Ryan) Spilborghs. He had a huge impact on the club last year. . . . They don't make the playoffs if Spilborghs doesn't step up. He may have been their MVP in June and July. But has the book caught up on Spilborghs a little bit? He didn't show up in the playoffs at all. There are a lot of little questions like that." Saunders: "But you also have to expect that Garrett Atkins is going to have a good season from the beginning to the end. I don't think he's going to be hitting .232 into June this year."


Q: Who poses the biggest threat in the NL West?
Armstrong: "Any discussion of the NL West begins with the fact that the Dodgers should own this division. They are the Big Brother franchise. They are the ones swimming in money. But they keep making bad decisions. Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones? That doesn't do anything for me. So you have to look at Arizona with those emerging young pitchers. You ask hitters — word association, Danny Haren — and they say, 'Oh, not a good thing.' "
Saunders: "I agree, but San Diego, with its pitching staff, with (Jake) Peavy and everybody else, has to be a considered a contender. But the Padres' offense is still suspect. Their defense, I think, is shaky, at best. So I think it's Colorado and Arizona. We may have the makings of a pretty good rivalry here." Renck: "Here's a real quick note on San Diego. I talked to (general manager) Kevin Towers and he expects (pitcher) Mark Prior to be ready in May, not June. He would be their No. 5 starter. They don't have to hit much to win. But I think those three teams — Padres, Rockies and Diamondbacks — are the class of the division. The Dodgers, I just have to see what happens. They had so much dysfunction at the end of last year. I have to see if they can piece it together."

[Rockiesfan_H]

Boy, I sure would like to think they have as good of a shot as anyone but baseball is a game built on lucky bounces, players having great seasons, etc. If it was as easy as repeating success or buying players, the Yankees and Red Sox would win every year. They don't.

Our own division is going to be a fight this year (as it was last year).

I'm just going to strap in, enjoy the ride and see what happens!