2007 Rockies Outlook - Take 1

With another Spring Training comes the annual thoughts and predictions on how your favorite team is going to fare in the coming season. Last year the Rockies gave us hope for the first 3 ½ months of the season only to go into their common swoon and finish 12 games back in the division. But this year is different, good things are going to happen.

I like the offensive lineup the Rockies are putting together this year. From everything we’ve seen and heard thus far, the lineup is going to look something like this:

1. Willy Taveras – He has the speed all teams look for at the top of the lineup and has the potential to steal a ton of bases. The problem is that his approach at the plate isn’t what you would like to see at the leadoff spot. He doesn’t take a lot of walks or even pitches for that meaning, and he needs to raise his on base percentage to make better use of his threat as a base stealer and set up the big guns behind him to drive him in.

2. Kaz Matsui – Matsui looked good at the end of last year and proved that he should have a shot to be the everyday second baseman, at least to start the year. He can handle the bat pretty well and should be able to take pitches to let Taveras run or move him over.

3. Garrett Atkins – Atkins was the Rockies’ best overall hitter last year, and there is no reason that he can’t continue that this year. Atkins has the type of swing that is going to produce a lot of singles and doubles, but I think he could show more power than he has in the past couple years

4. Todd Helton – This year Helton is moving into the cleanup spot, and remains the wild card of this offense. I don’t think anybody knows what to expect out of Helton this year. He bulked up in the off-season to try and regain some of the power and strength he lost last year due to injury and illness, but he has been battling a swollen knee this spring. If Helton remains strong, I don’t see how a 30 HR year is out of the question.

5. Matt Holliday – Holliday will again be the Rockies’ biggest power threat and with the potential the guys have in front of him to get on base, he could drive in a lot of runs again this year, and 35-40 home runs is very possible

6. Brad Hawpe – The biggest concern surrounding Hawpe is how much better he will be this year against lefties. He is a good hitter with some pop, but if he continues to struggle against lefties, there is a good chance he will platoon in right field with Jeff Baker

7. Yorvit Torrealba – This is assuming Torrealba wins the starting catching job over Chris Ianetta. Torrealba, before he got hurt, last year hit the ball pretty well and drove in key runs at key times. Production from the bottom half of the order was a major issue last year, and Torrealba is key in trying to change that this year

8. Clint Barmes/Troy Tulowitzki – Who is going to start the year at shortstop? Barmes hasn’t been the same since his injury midway through the 2005 season when he looked like he would be the Rookie of the Year. Last year was brutal, but he was still strong defensively. Tulowitzki is young and has shown power through the minors, but he struggled a little bit, especially with strikeouts, during his callup at the end of last year. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tulowitzki wins the job out of camp, but Barmes will still get his chances.

The Rockies bullpen is focused on depth again, and pretty much has to be at Coors Field. LaTroy Hawkins looks like he will be the main setup main to Brian Fuentes and will probably get a few spot chances to close. Like every year, they have to do a better job of holding leads then they did last year.

The biggest question mark of this team will be the starting rotation, especially since the trade of Jason Jennings. Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, and Rodrigo Lopez look to be the top three starters and Josh Fogg, Byung-Hyun Kim, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh battling for the last two spots. Nobody knows for sure what to expect out of this staff, but with the potential of the offense, the key will be keeping the team in the game and giving the offense a chance to outscore their opponents. That is not going to be an easy task, however, with the strength of the rotations in the NL West. That’s why they play the games, so once again, we will wait and see.