Tag: Chris Iannetta

Chris Iannetta Contract Option Not Picked Up by Mariners: Details and Reaction

The Seattle Mariners shook up their catching situation by declining Chris Iannetta‘s 2017 contract option Thursday.

The team announced the decision on Twitter.

According to Spotrac, Seattle avoided paying the 33-year-old veteran $4.25 million next season by deciding against picking up his option.

Iannetta signed with the Mariners last offseason after four seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. He split time behind the plate with Mike Zunino, finishing the year with a .210 batting average, seven home runs and 24 RBI in 295 at-bats across 94 games.

The 2004 fourth-round pick is set to enter his 12th MLB season, and while he continues to earn playing time, his most productive years are behind him.

Iannetta enjoyed most of his success during a six-season run with the Colorado Rockies. He was especially strong in 2008, when he set career highs with a .264 batting average, a .390 on-base percentage, 18 home runs and 65 RBI.

The Rhode Island native’s numbers have fluctuated since then, and he has largely split time at catcher rather than taking a firm grip on the starting job.

Iannetta has produced 107 home runs throughout his career, while defense may be his biggest liability.

He’s saved minus-14 defensive runs above average throughout his career and registered a career-worst minus-10 mark in that category last season, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Iannetta did throw out a career-best 31 percent of attempted base stealers in 2016, but that is an unimpressive mark when compared to Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who led the big leagues by throwing out 48 percent of attempted base stealers last season.

Seattle is better off utilizing the 25-year-old Zunino in 2017 and beyond, and getting Iannetta out of the picture will make it easier to do so.

Despite his shortcomings, Iannetta’s power and experience—he’s appeared in nearly 1,000 MLB games—provide some value. Veteran catchers routinely find jobs at the major league level, which means Iannetta will likely end up on another roster prior to the start of the 2017 season.

                                                 

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Chris Iannetta to Mariners: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Seattle Mariners announced on Monday they have signed veteran catcher Chris Iannetta to a one-year deal.

Contract terms weren’t disclosed, though Greg Johns of MLB.com indicated it’s a major league deal:

General manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement the Mariners believe Iannetta’s decade of experience will give the clubhouse a veteran presence toward a hopeful playoff run: “This move improves our depth at a critical position. Chris provides us with a solid veteran presence behind the plate, as well as an experienced major league hitter with strong on-base skills who will lengthen our lineup.”

The 32-year-old spent the last four years with the Los Angeles Angels and is coming off a season in which he played just 92 games and batted .188, the second-lowest mark of his career, with 10 home runs and 34 RBI.

Those figures were actually, for the most part, better than the Mariners’ starting catcher last year, Mike Zunino, the team’s third overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

Dipoto and Iannetta have a history that dates back to their tenures with the Los Angeles Angels; Dipoto traded for Iannetta when the catcher was playing for the Colorado Rockies.

For Iannetta, this one-year stop in Seattle is probably his last shot to prove his worth in the bigs. The Mariners are coming off a disappointing 76-86 season after missing the playoffs by one game in 2014 and have high expectations for their entire roster in 2016.

The Mariners will be chasing October under first-year manager Scott Servais, one of Dipoto’s products with the Angels.

Servais, Iannetta and the rest of the team will have to overcome the challenges of a formidable American League West, home to the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, who both reached the postseason last year and will assuredly compete again next season.

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Fantasy Baseball 2011: 5 Young Catchers To Target On Draft Day

The catcher position in fantasy baseball is typically thought of as a weak link, primarily due to the fact that most catchers are slow and lack power, thus limiting the ability to provide help at two of the five main statistical categories. 

Although catchers may not help much with stolen bases and home runs, they are a vital part of a successful team. 

Joe Mauer, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez are the top three fantasy catchers this year, with Buster Posey nipping at their heels as a possible stud in waiting. 

If you are not fortunate enough to grab one of the top catchers, here is a list of five possible breakout catchers who can be found late in drafts.

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MLB Fantasy Baseball Late-Round, Draft-Day Targets: Catchers

Many owners prefer to wait until the tail end of their drafts to fill their catching position.  While I may not necessarily be in favor of it (something we will discuss at a later date), let’s take a look at a few options who may be available in your draft after Round 18 (an ADP of 216 or later according to Mock Draft Central) and are certainly worth targeting:


Chris Iannetta – Colorado Rockies

We’ve long heard about his potential, yet the Rockies have continued to find reasons not to use him on a regular basis.  The 2010 campaign was no different, as a poor start to the season (.133, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R through April 24) led to a demotion to Triple-A.  Of course, those numbers came courtesy of a .118 BABIP, but who cares about that, right?

Yes, he struggled with making contact in April (36.7 percent), but upon his return to the majors he was significantly better there (24.0 percent).  The fact of the matter is that the Rockies showed impatience with a player that they have rarely afforded an opportunity to grow into his role (in the minor leagues he impressed by hitting .349 with 5 HR and 21 RBI over 63 AB).

However, as we head toward 2011 it appears that the Rockies have no other option but to turn full-time duties over to him.  With Miguel Olivo no longer in Colorado, Iannetta joins Michael McKenry (8 AB), Jose Morales (158 AB), Jordan Pacheco (0 AB) and Wilin Rosario (0 AB) as the catchers on the 40-man roster.  Clearly, Iannetta is the man at this point.

Over the past three years he has posted HR/FB of 18.2 percent, 14.0 percent and 14.1 percent, so there is little questioning his power.  With regular playing time he easily could surpass 20 HR. 

With improved luck and a consistent strikeout rate of around 24.0 percent (as he showed after April of ’10), you are looking at a player who should also hit around .260.  His numbers may not be far worse than Mike Napoli, who his going over 100 picks, on average, before him.


J.P. Arencibia – Toronto Blue Jays

He burst onto the scene in 2010 (4-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R on August 7 against Tampa Bay), though did little after that.  In fact, the Blue Jays seemed to try and shy away from playing him on a regular basis (35 AB in the majors). 

In 2011 that should all change.  With incumbent John Buck now in Florida, the other option they have is Jose Molina (with a career .236 average and 26 HR in 1,616 AB).  Clearly, Arencibia is going to be given every opportunity to claim the job as his own.

Yes, you can point towards his 2010 Triple-A success and say it was due to being in the Pacific Coast League, but .301 with 32 HR, 85 RBI and 76 R over 412 AB speaks for itself.  The power is 100 percent for real, as he has shown it throughout his minor league career (83 HR in 1,616 AB).

The one concern is his ability to make contact.  At the major league level he posted a 31.4 percent strikeout rate, but that is an extremely small sample size.  At Triple-A he was at 20.6 percent, and while that should increase over a full major league season, there is no reason to think that it will be above 25 to 26 percent, most likely.

With his power, that is still going to mean a fine average, especially from a catcher (.260ish or so).  With the type of power potential he has, that certainly is more than enough.  In a high-powered offense, he should also chip in some RBI making him a solid option to use in all formats.

What are your thoughts on these two catchers?  Would you target either of them late in your drafts?  If not them, who would you target?


Make sure to pre-order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here

Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:

Top 15 Catchers
Top 15 First Basemen

Top 15 Second Basemen

Top 15 Third Basemen

Top 15 Shortstops

Top 30 Outfielders

Top 20 Starting Pitchers

Top 15 Closers

2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

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Fantasy Baseball Top 15 Catchers for 2011: A Second Look

Since I first did this list, several catchers have changed teams (while the biggest name was Victor Martinez, players like John Buck, Miguel Olivo and others also packed their bags).  Let’s take a look at the impact of these moves on our rankings for the upcoming year:

  1. Joe Mauer—Minnesota Twins
  2. Victor Martinez—Detroit Tigers
  3. Brian McCann—Atlanta Braves
  4. Carlos Santana—Cleveland Indians
  5. Buster Posey—San Francisco Giants
  6. Miguel Montero—Arizona Diamondbacks
  7. Kurt Suzuki—Oakland Athletics
  8. Matt Wieters—Baltimore Orioles
  9. Jorge Posada—New York Yankees
  10. Geovany Soto—Chicago Cubs
  11. Mike Napoli—Los Angeles Angels
  12. Chris Iannetta—Colorado Rockies
  13. J.P. Arencibia—Toronto Blue Jays
  14. Yadier Molina—St. Louis Cardinals
  15. Miguel Olivo—Seattle Mariners

Thoughts

  • John Buck falls off the rankings, as there is little chance that he replicates his success from 2010. In particular, the average is likely to plummet, as he posted a BABIP of .335 (he hit .281). While he has power, he doesn’t have enough upside.
  • One of the players who does have upside is Arencibia, who should now be in line for everyday at-bats in Toronto. He absolutely mashed at Triple-A, hitting .301 with 32 HR in 412 AB. Yes, strikeouts are going to be a problem (making a high average unlikely), but with the amount of power he could potentially hit for, he’s an intriguing option to take a flier on if you missed out on the bigger names. He could easily be a poor man’s Mike Napoli in 2011 if given enough of an opportunity.
  • The Carlos Santana-Buster Posey debate is not one that is going to end quickly. I’ll address it in the near future, so make sure to keep checking back.
  • With Miguel Olivo out of Colorado, Chris Iannetta should now step into regular playing time. That is, he will if the Rockies finally decide to turn everyday duties over to him. We’ve played this song and dance before, and it always ends up with Iannetta somehow finding his way onto the bench. His upside makes him extremely intriguing, but be prepared to be disappointed.
  • Speaking of Olivo, with regular playing time in Seattle he continues to hold value. He’s not a sexy name, but we know what we are going to get from him.
  • With Jorge Posada clearly moving to DH with the Russell Martin signing, he gets a boost in value. The extra at-bats certainly should help him in the counting stats. His numbers could easily be similar to that of Matt Wieters and Geovany Soto; the major difference is that Soto may not be able to score many runs (only 47 in ‘10 and career high is 66). Without that, Soto becomes the worst option of the three. Wieters, however, has the most upside of the group given his age and minor league pedigree.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

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Fantasy Baseball 2011 Sleeper: Is It Finally Chris Iannetta’s Time?

Miguel Olivo’s time in Colorado is over, being traded to Toronto last week (though, his option was declined by the Blue Jays granting him free agency).  Barring another move, which is always possible, it appears that Chris Iannetta is in line to open the 2011 season as the Rockies starting catcher.

This isn’t the first time fantasy owners have been captivated by the allure of Iannetta being handed the starting job, so the question is if he can finally realize his potential.  Before we can answer if he is going to hold value for fantasy owners, let’s take a look at what he did in 2010:

188 At Bats
.197 Batting Average (37 Hits)
9 Home Runs
27 RBI
20 Runs
1 Stolen Base
.318 On Base Percentage
.383 Slugging Percentage
.212 Batting Average on Balls in Play

He got off to a terrible start, going 4-30 with two HR and two RBI in April before being sent down to Triple-A.  He excelled there, hitting .349 with five HR (as well as seven doubles) and 21 RBI in 63 AB, but the damage had already been done.

Even upon his return to the Major Leagues, he never received more then 43 AB in a month (August).  It’s hard to get anything going offensively when you are getting so few opportunities, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that his season was virtually a complete waste.

The Rockies gave up on the 27-year-old after just 30 AB, never giving him a chance to recover from his early season slump.  You could easily say he lost confidence because of this and just never got on track.

However, entering the 2011 season as the starting option, with little competition, would change all that.  It certainly is too early to declare him a great sleeper or not, because the Rockies offseason strategy will go a long way in shaping that.

If he opens the season as the starting option, he is going to be a viable option, especially in all two-catcher formats.  Even with his disastrous 2010 campaign, he still showed the same power that helped grab fantasy owners’ attention.  Just look at his HR/FB rates from the past three seasons:

  • 2008 – 18.2 percent
  • 2009 – 14.0 percent
  • 2010 – 14.1 percent

His fly ball rates have been a little unpredictable, but he’s been at 40 percent or better the past few seasons.  In other words, when you put his fly ball rate with his HR/FB rate, you have a player with the potential to hit 25 home runs or more. 

Yes, we would like a steadier FB percent (he’s gone from 40.7 percent to 52.1 percent to 45.4 percent), but he has never given us a full season of AB to get a good read of the “real” Chris Iannetta.

The most at bats he’s had in a season has been 333, coming in 2008.  Until we get a season with everyday playing time and see what he can do, it’s going to be a guessing game.

The BABIP in 2010 was obviously an unlucky number (as it was in 2009 when he posted a .245 mark), which helps to explain the terrible average.  Again, it’s a fairly small sample size, which makes it tough.

You can easily argue that he has the potential to be a similar player to Mike Napoli (circa 2009), though he does have a bit of a better eye at the plate (Iannetta has a career walk rate of 13.1 percent and strikeout rate of 26.8 percent vs. Napoli’s 11.1 percent and 29.9 percent).  In ‘09 Napoli hit .272 with 20 HR and 56 RBI in 382 AB.

It would appear that he has the stuff to hit .260 or better, with 25+ HR.  That’s a player who would have value in all formats, so the offseason is going to be extremely important to how we value him.  This is certainly a player that we’ll touch on again as the season comes closer.

What are your thoughts of Iannetta?  Would you take the gamble on him in 2011?  How do you see him performing?

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 Projections:

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Rockies Are Rollin’: Colorado Wins Third-Straight in Walk-Off Fashion

Just 24 hours after the Colorado Rockies set a franchise record with a nine-run ninth inning that was capped off by a Seth Smith three-run blast—the Rockies did it again.

In fact, when Chris Iannetta bombed the game-winning solo homer in the bottom of the ninth, it was the third straight game in a row Colorado won with a walk-off.

For the second night in a row, 33,000 fans came out to watch their Rockies at Coors Field. All of them stayed Wednesday night to secure the series against St. Louis. The Rockies are 10-1 against the Cardinals in the teams’ last 11 meetings, while outscoring the Redbirds by an astounding 38-11 from the seventh inning on.

For Colorado, it’s the third straight series win, and they’ve been the victors of four of five series overall. The Rockies are on fire, as they’ve gone 10-5 in their last 15 games, jumping in the standings and back into the headlines.

The point is, the Rox are Rollin’ and Denver has noticed.

Rockies’ fans have come out to the ballpark to support their team that is currently in second place of the NL best NL West—merely three games out of first place behind the Padres.

And all this success has come when Colorado’s injury list is a mile long.

Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies’ best player on offense and defense, has been on the DL with a broken left wrist for nearly three weeks. Starter Brad Hawpe injured his ribs 10 days ago and the face of the franchise, Todd Helton, was placed on the 15-day DL.

Plus, starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa hasn’t been able to pitch in months and closer Huston Street won his first game of the year Wednesday and has only had the opportunity for two saves so far.

Still, with the injury bug biting extremely hard, the Rockies have fought tough and strung together winning baseball without their best players.

Colorado is getting major production from fill-ins and others, like second baseman Clint Barmes on his 12-game hitting streak and Dexter Fowler, who’s hitting 12 for his last 25 at bats.

Everyone likes watching history and Rockies are making franchise history lately. With their wins Tuesday and Wednesday being the first ever comebacks of five-plus runs and they’ve gotten 12-plus hits in six straight games.

Colorado is currently one of the hottest teams in the MLB, and even though it seems crazy to say, they’re looking forward to the All Star break as well.

Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies’ phenomenal pitcher, will be on display even though he has been struggling of late and could use the rest. Likewise for most of the rest of the Rox, rest will be welcomed.

Still, Colorado’s baseball team is dominating right now and they look to continue to do so up to and after the All Star break.

And as they do, the Rockies are moving into prime position for a third playoff run in four years—which of course would set even more franchise history for this team that is becoming more and more special.

Just how special they can be is up to Jim Tracy and the rest of his rublin’ Rockies as they roll down the road to the postseason.

 

Rich Kurtzman is a Colorado State University Alumnus and a freelance journalist. Along with being the Denver Nuggets FC for bleacherreport.com, Kurtzman is the Denver Broncos FC for NFLTouchdown.com, the CSU Rams and Fort Collins Beer Bars Examiner for examiner.com and the Colorado/Utah Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com

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Inside Chris Iannetta’s Demotion: Why the Colorado Rockies Catcher Was Sent Down

Tuesday, the Colorado Rockies recalled Chris Iannetta from his stint at Colorado Springs.

Iannetta did well in his time in the Springs, batting .349/.447/.698/1.146 with five home runs and 21 runs batted in 63 at-bats in 17 games. Those numbers are a long way from his struggles to start the season with the Rockies, where he was .133/.235/.333/.569.

When Iannetta was sent down, there were eyebrows raised, and it even got some national press coverage. MLB Trade Rumors flipped out, and Rob Neyer of ESPN commented on Iannetta’s demotion .

Why all the handwringing over Iannetta’s demotion? Why is a catcher struggling to hit the weight of Alanna Rizzo a national concern, or of any notice at all?

Well, because Iannetta over his career has put up good numbers in one category: OPS, or On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage, which is the new favorite stat of some baseball numbers guys. They see this stat as the one great thing to be celebrated above all others. Iannetta’s career OPS is .799.

Where I disagree with those that point to OPS alone is that it’s like every other stat in baseball: It tells part of a picture, not the whole story. In the case of Iannetta’s OPS, it was SO far off his BA stat that to me it showed something was wrong with Iannetta’s swing or his approach at the plate.

I argued that Iannetta’s OPS wasn’t sustainable, as pitchers would not be afraid of him and would pitch to him more in the zone. He would either kill the pitchers for doing so or he would struggle, and his BA and OBP would go down, and that is what was happening this year.

So the Rockies sent Chris Iannetta down to the Sky Sox, but what was the real story on Iannetta’s demotion? Not many established players get the hook or a demotion after only a few games and with as few at-bats as Chris did this year.

I have an inside source/contact that filled me in. I also heard this from another source in Colorado Springs that confirmed it as well and told a similar story, so I figured I could run with it now.

Iannetta was sent to Colorado Springs to fix his swing for sure, but that wasn’t the ONLY reason. He had developed a huge loop that was long. It was an uppercut swing that sent everything into the air.

This was NOT the swing the Rockies had tried to get Iannetta to have in spring training, where the Rockies emphasized hitting to the middle of the field by placing cones in a V shape on the field during batting practice all spring. This was, in fact, just the opposite.

Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor was trying to work with Iannetta to get him to correct the swing. This is where my contact told me the real reason Iannetta was sent to the minors: Iannetta was not listening. Chris thought he had no issues and thought if he continued to do what he was doing, everything would be just fine.

Iannetta’s hitting woes were also bleeding over to his catching duties. Being a catcher at the major league level is in itself a full-time job. Catchers have to study hitters, tendencies, and then have to use their heads to match that all up to the pitcher each day. Iannetta had work to do here as well. The Rockies staff viewed it as a mental focus issue and was concerned about Iannetta’s effort here.

Having a player work through issues is common and not an issue. But becoming hardheaded and un-coachable is a HUGE issue. Now having the label of un-coachable is a pretty bad label, and I’m not saying that’s where Iannetta was, but it was the next step. The Rockies needed to grab Iannetta’s attention before he got there.

The Rox thought Iannetta needed a wake-up call and eye-opener. They had talked to the point where Iannetta was no longer listening to the coaches. The Rockies needed to get Iannetta’s mental attention and focus.

Please don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying that Iannetta had a “bad attitude,” as that wasn’t Iannetta. Chris was just mentally stuck in the wrong place and heading down a wrong track in all areas of his game.

A telling and confirming of my story is almost every story from the Rockies’ beat writers from the spring on Iannetta mentions “his attitude.” For example, when Chris was recalled on Tuesday, Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said, “He has addressed his swing mechanics, shown a great attitude and done everything we have asked,” according to The Denver Post .

Welcome back Chris. Now…how much playing time will you get?

 

NOTES

* I asked my source if the Rockies sent Iannetta to the Springs to raise his trade value. His response was the Rockies would trade Chris for the right price, but this was about getting Iannetta right for the Rockies, not to raise his trade value.

AAA catching prospect Michael McKenry is close to ready. McKenry is looking like a good glove, great throwing catcher, but little hit guy. He’d be a solid backup catcher in the bigs, but as a hitter, he’s expected to struggle at the major league level. Expect McKenry in Denver, when the rosters expand in September.

Juicy part from my source: Iannetta is a big trade chip for the Rockies this offseason.

* The signing of Kaz Matsui is more than just a no-risk flier for the Rockies. The Rockies really need him to regain some form, and they hope he will help out at the major leagues.

From Dave Krieger and The Denver Post :

“O’Dowd blames himself for one structural issue that may need immediate attention. By signing two backup infielders better known for their bats than their gloves, he has left Tracy with few options. With Jason Giambi limited to first base and Melvin Mora largely limited to third after some horrific play at second, Tracy has no backup middle infielder. Second baseman Clint Barmes is struggling at the plate, batting .215, but Tracy doesn’t have the option of resting him unless he wants to risk Mora at second again.”

My source confirms this. My speculation is that if Matsui has anything left in the tank, either Giambi or Mora will be gone. I’ve written that I feel Giambi should go, but my source thinks Mora is really getting stiff and old fast, and I got the sense that Mora could very easily be released.

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Fantasy Baseball Owners Should Look at Chris Iannetta’s Triple-A Success

The Rockies surprised many people when they demoted to Chris Iannetta to Triple-A after just 30 AB.  Granted, he had struggled badly, with just four hits, but it was such a small sample size that it was impossible to draw any definite conclusions.

In nine games at Triple-A, Iannetta has shown why he was considered a viable fantasy catcher by posting the following line:

36 At Bats
.306 Batting Average (11 Hits)
3 Home Runs
11 RBI
11 Runs
0 Stolen Bases
.390 On Base Percentage
.639 Slugging Percentage
.308 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Strikeouts were a problem early in the season in the majors (36.7 percent), but not so much in the minor leagues (19.4 percent).  His success also isn’t due to luck, it’s simply that his early struggles were just a slump.

He has hits in seven of his nine games since being sent to the minors, including four multi-hit games.  He’s scored runs in six games.  He’s driven in eight runs in his last four games.

Miguel Olivo, who was handed the full-time job upon Iannetta’s demotion, is hitting just .228 with 5 HR, 13 RBI and 13 R in 79 AB.  Can we safely say that the Rockies made an impulse decision?  At this point, it also shouldn’t be considered a certainty that Iannetta doesn’t overtake Olivo and reclaim the majority of the ABs for the season.

We all know the power Iannetta possesses (16 HR in 289 AB in ‘09) and if he can keep the strikeouts down, he should also post a solid average. 

Only two catchers have more than five home runs.  Only two catchers have 20 or more RBI.  No catcher has scored more than 16 runs.  It’s a shallow position and with his upside, Iannetta instantly becomes a viable option once he returns.

Prior to the season I had him ranked 11th among catchers, meaning I thought he was a usable option in all formats.  The demotion hasn’t changed that.  This hot stretch at Triple-A all but assures that he’ll return to the Majors Leagues in the not too distant future.  When he does, he should immediately be snatched up off the waiver wire in shallower formats (if you’re in a two-catcher league, stash him now if someone gave up on him).

What are your thoughts on Iannetta?  Is he a viable option upon his return? 

To view the previous article, click here .

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Colorado Rockies Looking Shaky Despite Ubaldo Jimenez’ Heroic Efforts

One thing is certain for this year’s Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez is the star of the team.

 

Jimenez was credited for one run on two hits in his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers and it was one of his worst starts of the season. His ERA went up and he took the loss.

 

That’s right: Two hits, one earned run, one loss and an ERA still under 1.00.

 

If the playoffs started today, Jimenez would win the National League Cy Young Award.

 

The rest of the team? Not as impressive…

 

Entering the season, the Rockies were seen as a team that could compete for a pennant in the National League. While the Phillies added Roy Halladay and the Cardinals brought back Matt Holliday for a full season, the Rockies’ young nucleus was supposed to take another leap forward in 2010.

 

It hasn’t happened.

 

Troy Tulowitzki’s power has all but disappeared. Chris Iannetta played his way onto the Triple-A squad. Clint Barmes is struggling to get his on base percentage over .300. Todd Helton looks like a shadow of his former self. The list goes on.

 

The Rockies pitching staff, thought to be one of the deepest in the league, has been riddled with injuries. The only two starters that remain from spring training are Jimenez and veteran Aaron Cook, who has been one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball this year.

 

Here is a team that people thought would have legitimate contact and power hitters at every position on the diamond. Instead, the Rockies lineup has toiled in mediocrity.

 

Here is a team that didn’t seem to have a single hole on its pitching staff.

 

Instead, Colorado tosses out Esmil Rogers and Greg Smith two out of every five games and can’t find a reliable power arm to close out games.

 

You wonder how the team has stayed near the .500 mark this far into the season. And then you remember Ubaldo Jimenez.

 

No one player has meant more to his team this year that Jimenez, who owns six of the Rockies fifteen wins.

 

Just think, if this guy started every game for the Rockies, the team would be sitting at a crisp 27-4. We can only dream.

 

Chances are, Jimenez won’t stay on this pace all season. If he doesn’t, the rest of the team needs to step up. If they can’t, there are going to be some big changes in Denver come July 31 and Rockies fans can prepare for an October filled with San Francisco Giants baseball.

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