Kuzul

Todd Helton returned to the Rockies lineup Tuesday after missing a month with back stiffness. The question is: Are Rox fans excited about this?

Helton has been the face of the franchise for the past decade. He has been around for the dark ages of the early 2000s, all the way through the magical World Series appearance in ’07, and the surprise return to the playoffs in ’09.

But the honeymoon is finished. Helton is batting a career worst .247. He has a mere 16 RBI in 251 ABs. Helton has only hit two homers and 10 doubles. His slugging percentage (.311) and OPS (.649) are career lows. Oh and did I mention he is getting paid $17.75 million this season?

The Rockies were unable to make any deadline moves because money was tight. Imagine the type of player that could have been acquired for HALF that amount.

I’m not here to completely bash Helton. He is 36, an age where plenty of stars begin to see a decline in performance. He still has a great approach at the plate—raising the pitch count of the opposition in the process.

He is the leader of the clubhouse; this guy has been a Rockie since 1997! He does a great job of making the rookies feel comfortable with his laid back personality, and he still plays a decent first-base.

But the fact remains: Helton hasn’t had over 20 home runs since ’04, which was also the last time he knocked in 100 RBIs. The one part of Todd’s game that could always be counted on was his great overall batting average. So when you see a .247 mark next to his name, you begin to worry.

The worst part of Helton coming back is the fact that Jonathan Herrera had to be sent down to AAA. Herrera played well for the Rockies in his time in the bigs, as he hit .278 and his versatility/ability to handle the bat in action situations—bunts, hit-and-runs, etc. was impressive.

Herrera will be back in September, if not sooner, according to manager Jim Tracy.

As time moves forward, the Rockies and Helton are going to be in an awkward situation. What to do with the aging slugger that provided so many positive memories? Certainly this isn’t the first time this situation has risen, but it is the first time for the Rockies.

Obviously the Rockies can’t cut the face of the franchise. They can’t trade a contract that large either. There is no graceful ending in sight. Management is left just crossing their fingers and hoping for the young Todd Helton to return.

Fat chance.

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This is the third of three articles looking at the Rockies at the trade deadline. The first one was on the bullpen, the second one was starting pitching.   This article will look at position players and offense. 

With the trade deadline coming up, teams look to improve and fill in holes in their lineups to make a playoff run.  Where are the Rockies at right now, and what do they need?  

After that terrible road trip last week, it was pretty obvious to many the Rockies are certainly lacking on offense.  They particularly are lacking with timely hitting with runners in scoring position.  The Rockies really need a right-handed bat, and one that could bat in the middle of the line up would be nice.

However, a closer look at the numbers will show the Rockies are in the top four of the National League in home runs (105), top three in runs batted in (447), and third in the league in wOBA (.332).  However, they are 13th out of 16 in the league in doubles, and third in the league with strikeouts. Offensively, it’s been a mixed bag for the Rockies this season, which makes it hard to figure out exactly what their needs are.

According to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post , owner Charlie Monfort said or implied that the Rockies could add payroll for the right situation.

First base: The Rockies have a major hole here.  First base is traditionally an offensive position, and the Rockies have not had much production here.  Todd Helton has been non-existent this season, and is now on the DL. 

Filling in for Helton has been even older Jason Giambi—who was supposed to be back-up and pinch-hitter—and now under-performing Brad Hawpe.  Also playing first this year for the Rockies is anyone that walks by manager Jim Tracy’s door when he happens to be filling out his lineup card that day.  

The Rockies certainly need an everyday first baseman.  The question is, if Helton doesn’t retire, will he be a starter next year? Or would he take a back-up, bench role?  Do the Rockies bring in a starter type, or a back-up type?

Of the names out there, I’ve heard the Rockies have had interest in free-agent-to-be Adam Dunn, as has every other team in the majors.  The asking price so far has scared everyone away from the potential free agent.

Second Base: Jonathon Herrera has been a surprise, and with Tulowitzki coming back to play shortstop freeing up Clint Barmes, the Rockies have plenty of depth at second, including Eric Young Jr, and Chris Nelson in AAA.  For some reason, though, many Rockies fans see second as a position of need.

Third base: This isn’t a screaming need or a hole, with Ian Stewart playing at third.  However, the Rockies are starting to get to the end of their patience with Stewart.  He hasn’t developed much this year, and his production isn’t where they want him to be.  He has several mechanical flaws in his swing, and has laughable pitch recognition.

Stewart’s performance level is the type that doesn’t help the team much, but it doesn’t kill the team if the other positions were performing better. Stewart has 14 home runs and a line of .258/.343/.451/.794, but he does have 84 Ks on the year.  The Rockies would like to have a right-handed bat that could play third and platoon with Stewart, a left-hander.

The Rockies seem to really be interested in guys who can play various positions at a near starter type level.  Jim Tracy loves to mix and match, and play his entire bench (in every position conceivable).  The more positions a player can play, the more computations of lineups Tracy gets to pull out of his hat.  With questions at first and third for the Rockies, getting a guy that can play both would be nice.

Along those lines we have the two names the Rockies have been connected to the most, in Ty Wigginton of the Baltimore Orioles and Jorge Cantu of the Florida Marlins.  

Wigginton can play first, second, third, and some outfield.  The right-handed hitting Wigginton will be 33 this fall, and has one more year on his current contract, paying him only $3.5 million.  He’s had 16 home runs so far this year, and a slash line of .249/.326/.443/.768.

Jorge Cantu is also a right-handed hitter who is “listed” as being able to play first, third, and second.  However, he’s a terrible fielder with a UZR of -4.8, though RZR/OOZ has him slightly better at .672/24.

Cantu is a glorified DH, carrying a glove. He has 10 home runs so far this season, to go with slash line of .260/.308/.410/.718. Cantu’s contract will be up at the end of the season and he’ll be a free agent, so he’d would be no more than a rental.

The Rockies seem to be in love with Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla.  Uggla is 31 years old, and has 19 home runs this year with a .277 batting average.  He’s also a right-handed batter, which is something the Rockies need in their lineup. 

However, Uggla doesn’t want to move to either first or third, something the Rockies envision as he ages.  Uggla has one more year of arbitration and will be eligible for free agency in 2012.  The Marlins are also in love with Uggla and have no real desire to move him.

A new name that has popped up this week is Ryan Theriot of the Chicago Cubs.  He’s a middle infielder with some speed, having stolen 85 bases over the last four years.  He still has a year of arbitration left where he should make about $4 million, which is less than Barmes, who should make $5 million in arbitration next year.  

Why the interest in another middle infielders? Beats me, Chris Nelson is tearing it up in AAA and was a first round draft pick.  

Not So Bold Prediction: This last two weeks left the Rockies as possible sellers or worse, in the vague middle ground, where they don’t know if they are buyers OR sellers.  Watch the news on Todd Helton.  If his back keeps him from joining the team this week, or at least going on a rehab assignment, the Rockies maybe forced to get a player that can play firstbase on a regular basis just to finish the season.  

This Article also featured on The Rockies Reporter.

And on My Team Rivals: Rockies Blake Street Baseball .

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Something was missing from the All-Star break this past week.

It wasn’t a lack of home runs. David Ortiz and others provided plenty of those in one of the more intriguing Home Run Derbys to date.

It wasn’t a lack of star power. Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Ubaldo Jiminez, Josh Hamilton and others were all on hand for the National League’s first win in the All-Star game since 1996.

It wasn’t even the omission of Carlos Gonzalez and Miguel Olivo from the NL All-Star roster, even though that was completely ludicrous. What’s missing is the absence of a solid and reliable Todd Helton.

The 36-year old first baseman who has been the face of the Rockies over the past 13 years is battling poor health and the worst season of his career. He is batting a disturbingly low .246 with only two home runs and 16 RBI while the Rockies have been on a roll recently with more at-bats going to Jason Giambi.

These kinds of things are never easy to admit, and in a town where we have not had too many sports icons to call our own, I think it’s even harder. The truth is that I don’t know that Helton has much of anything left to give in the twilight of his career.

The Rockies are contenders for the National League West division title and maybe even for the World Series again, so it’s not like Helton’s poor play has had a LeBron James-like impact on Colorado. With or without Helton, the Rockies have kept their status as one of the better teams in baseball.

However, I cringe a little when I imagine just how good this team would be if Helton weren’t struggling so much. The truth is that he wasted the prime of his career playing for mediocre Rockies teams with poor pitching and poor attendance. Helton never complained and remained loyal, but it cost him the national recognition that he so rightfully deserved.

Just in case you have forgotten how good he was during those years, let’s take a little trip down memory lane.

When he replaced Andres Galarraga as the starting first basemen after the 1997 season, the Rockies thought so highly of him that they made Helton their club representative. It was the first time a rookie had ever been given that role.

Since then Helton has been to five All-Star games, won four Silver Slugger awards, three Gold Gloves, and the National League batting title in 2000. During that special 2000 season, Helton had a .372 batting average, 42 home runs, 147 RBI, 59 doubles, 103 extra base hits, a .698 slugging percentage, and an on-base percentage of .463.

The stats were great on their own, but Helton became one of only five players in MLB history to have at least 200 hits, 40 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs, 100 extra-base hits and 100 walks in one season. The other four players? Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg.

Helton is also one of only five players (Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Ruth, and Gehrig are the others) to have at least 500 doubles, 320 home runs, and a .325 career batting average. He is the Rockies all-time leader in career on-base percentage (.424), hits (2,195), doubles (519), home runs (327), and RBI (1,218). Helton is the only player in MLB history to hit 35 or more doubles in 10 consecutive seasons.

The Rockies don’t have their own hall of fame yet, but I would imagine that when Helton hangs up his cleats he will be the first inductee and will have his number 17 retired next to Jackie Robinson and Darryl Kile on the wall at Coors Field. He deserves to be in the MLB Hall of Fame as well next to the players I mentioned above, but that will take time.

Most importantly, Helton has always been a consummate professional and an ideal leader. Never has he been involved in any kind of trouble on or off the field, and he has always been soft-spoken and considerate when discussing his contract or his teammates. He is as important to the Rockies as John Elway was to the Broncos or as Joe Sakic was to the Avalanche.

My favorite thing about Todd Helton is his rare ability to work an at-bat tirelessly until he gets a good pitch to hit. His plate discipline was second to none in his generation and pitchers always feared to face him because they didn’t know how to get him out. In a time where the Rockies were hopelessly irrelevant, Helton kept them from fading away in the Rocky Mountain sunset.

Helton never got to play in a World Series until the Rockies’ dramatic 2007 playoff run, but took full advantage of his first chance. He hit a walk-off home run against the Dodgers to keep the Rockies playoff hopes alive in the waning days of the season and hit a triple in his first post-season at-bat in the NLDS against the Phillies.

As he recorded the final out of the NLCS, Helton’s face lit up with all the joy of a young boy and raised his arms in the air as if he was thanking the heavens. Although the Rockies were swept in the World Series against the Red Sox, my greatest regret is not that they lost the series, but that Helton was denied the championship he had been craving his entire career.

Three years later we are witnessing the end of that wonderful career, if we are not there already. Jim Tracy has taken the high road thus far when asked about his most respected player’s decline, but I think he and Helton both know that sooner or later something has to give.

I pray that Helton can find a way to bounce back and show us signs that he can be a force in the lineup. I am prepared to accept that that may never happen. Either way, here’s one writer who hopes that the Rockies can find a way to give him one more shot at the World Series. It’s the only thing missing on the checklist for the greatest Rocky of all-time.

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There are 25 players who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season, and they have combined to accomplish the feat on 41 different occasions.

While hitting 50 home runs in a season is certainly more common now than it traditionally has been throughout baseball history, it is still a rare feat nonetheless.

But imagine for a moment being one of the 17 players who have hit 49 home runs in a season, like Andre Dawson, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next month.

If these guys had played 155 games instead of 154, or played one more game in a hitter-friendly park, or perhaps even batted one spot higher in the batting order that day they watched the game end from the on-deck circle, they would have joined the 50 Home Run Club.

Instead, they are forever linked to one another by the one swing of the bat that kept them from immortality.

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One of the most interesting franchise histories in sports is that of the Colorado Rockies. Since 1993, when they joined the National League as an expansion franchise, Colorado has been known for its “Blake Street Bombers” attitude and for their horrifying home-road splits.

Playing in the thin air of Coors Field, good hitters such as Vinny Castilla were made to look like Hall of Famers. However, it may just be the thin air of Denver that keeps the black-and-purple out of Cooperstown.

The Case For

In the short history of baseball in Colorado, two players stand out against the background: Todd Helton and Larry Walker. With the exception of young stars Ubaldo Jiminez and Troy Tulowtizki, there have been no other players who could go into the Hall with a Rockies cap on their plaque.

First, we’ll look at Helton.

The Tennessee native has been considered by most to be the greatest player in franchise history. As of June 12, his .326 career average ranked sixth among players whose careers began after World War II. Among active players, Helton is second in on-base percentage (.426), fifth in slugging percentage (.560), sixth in intentional walks (175), and tied for fourth in doubles. These are the numbers of a Hall of Famer, especially for a player who has spent his entire career with one team.

Helton is the only player ever to have 35+ doubles in his first ten seasons. He also made five straight All-Star teams and won four straight Silver Sluggers. He captured a Gold Glove on three occasions.

He paces all Rockies hitters in hits, homers, doubles, walks, runs scored, RBIs, on-base percentage, games played, total bases, among other, more obscure categories. If any Rockie should make the Hall, it should be Helton.

However, another former Colorado star could make the Hall before Helton is even eligible: Larry Walker.

Walker has a chance to enter the Hall before Helton for one reason. In 2012, the Hall of Fame class is expected to be extremely weak. First timers include Walker, Bernie Williams, former Rockie Vinny Castilla, Javy Lopez, and Ruben Sierra.

Walker, who won seven Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and the 1997 NL MVP, has good career numbers (52nd all-time in home runs) and the writers may look favorably upon him in comparison to his class. If Walker is going to get in, 2012 is the year.

The Case Against

The reason to keep Rockies players out of Cooperstown is obvious: They played most of their games at Coors Field.

The career splits can’t lie:

Helton at Home: 200 HR, .358/.455/.633

Helton on the Road: 126 HR, .294/.395/.486

Those splits are among the harshest ever. For Helton to make the Hall of Fame, someone’s going to have to be convinced that it’s the overall body of work that counts. For those who make a valid point that if Helton had Cooperstown ability, he would hit like it everywhere, the home/road splits.

The biggest reason, though, that could prevent

With possible holdovers such as Barry Larkin, Roberto Alomar, Mark McGwire, John Franco, and Rafael Palmeiro stealing the spotlight, it may be harder for Walker to get in. But, if he doesn’t get in in 2012, he probably never will.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Kenny Lofton, Franco, Biggio, Mesa, Wells, Hernandez, and Sosa headline the class of 2013. In 2014, we have Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Jeff Kent, Luis Gonzalez, Kenny Rogers, Moises Alou, Mike Mussina, and Hideo Nomo. With those guys stealing the spotlight for what looks like several years, I see Walker having a very hard time making it in, and if Helton’s path is blocked, he could have a hard time getting in as well.

The Final Verdict

Chance of Todd Helton Making the Hall of Fame: 75%

Chance of Larry Walker Making the Hall of Fame: 35%

But hey, that’s my opinion. Put yours in the comments below!

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Much like Major League players, baseball fans often enjoy a day off every now and then. With baseball’s grueling schedule that sees a team get three days off per month, it is nice to take a breather.

Off days are not spent wondering how the Rockies offense is going to step it up, or if Ubaldo Jimenez can continue his dominance, or how the team can turn the corner and play like the contenders they are talented enough to be.

They are days to enjoy the warming weather and take care of the things that get neglected when three hours of each day are dedicated to watching a game.

So it was perfect timing for The Denver Post‘s Mark Kiszla to step in and get everyone’s attention. On Monday morning, his most recent article hit newsstands.

Kiszla is well known for his controversial writing style. There isn’t a sports star in Denver that hasn’t been on the receiving end of a vindictive article that was penned by Kiszla.

One of Kiszla’s most famous incidents happened in 1998 when Mark McGwire was on his way to shattering Roger Maris’ record of 61 home runs in a season.

In August of that year a member of the media brought out the fact that McGwire was using a substance called Andro, short for Androstenedione, a type of natural steroid. At the time, the substance was legal both in the United States and in Major League Baseball’s lax drug policy.

A week after the McGwire story broke, Kiszla found himself in hot water. He took the liberty of digging through then-Rockies slugger Dante Bichette’s locker, finding a bottle of Andro. He was caught, causing a huge stir in the baseball community. Kiszla had his media credentials revoked and was reportedly roughed up when he was caught rummaging where he did not belong.

That is the type of reporter Kiszla is. Instead of being ethical and reporting the truth, he goes to great lengths to create a story.

If Bichette was doing something that was illegal or even controversial, there are ways to bring that out. Rummaging through someone’s locker is the equivalent of a police officer breaking into a house to gather evidence without a hint of a warrant.

In Kiszla’s most recent article, he hits on one of his favorite targets, Rockies first baseman Todd Helton.

The first quarter of the season has not been entirely friendly to Helton. That is a well-known fact. In 39 games the first baseman is hitting .269 with a .393 on-base percentage and just a .343 slugging percentage. All of those numbers are well below Helton’s career numbers.

Kiszla, citing Jason Giambi’s 415-foot home run on Sunday, declares that Jim Tracy and the Rockies need to sit Helton on the bench in favor of Giambi.

The article shows one of two things. Either Kiszla knows nothing about baseball, or he knows that the majority of the people who read his articles are Broncos fans first, Avalanche fans second, Nuggets fans third, and Rockies fans when those sports are not in season.

My theory is that it is a mixture of the two. The average fan, the guy who catches a few innings of every fifth Rockies game while flipping back and forth between whatever is on ESPN and the Rockies game, will find him or herself completely agreeing with Kiszla. His arguments make perfect sense to that fan.

After all, the last time that fan paid attention to the Rockies on a consistent basis was during the Blake Street Bomber days, when Bichette, Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla, Ellis Burks, and others were lacing the ball out of the park and winning games with football scores.

That was right when Helton broke into the league. The clean-shaven kid from Tennessee joined right in, knocking the ball out of the park and racking up RBI.

However, when those teams faded away and the Rockies’ new plan was enacted, the team lost the average fan. They also lost Mark Kiszla.

Ever since those days, Kiszla has been railing on ownership for not going after fill-in-the-blank big name prospect. He had zero patience for the farm system to develop while the Major League team floundered.

When Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Jeff Francis, Garrett Atkins, Clint Barmes, Ubaldo Jimenez, and so many more Rockies players were developing their talent in the minor leagues, Kiszla was pushing for the Rockies to abandon their plan and trade away “prospects” for a one-year rental player in hopes of winning now.

This theory resonated with the average fan. The average fan does not want to sit around and watch their team lose 92 games three years in a row. They want to win now. They do not care how much talent the guys on the farm might possess; they see highlights of players on SportsCenter, and they feel like the Rockies should not hesitate to trade three or four of those prospects for one year of “Player X.”

So now, after the Rockies have regained attention, reaching the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, the average fan is interested again. Only now, the slick-faced Helton has a grizzly beard and is in his late 30s. The average fan remembers Helton as a kid who had the potential to hit 50 home runs every year. When he isn’t that same player, the average fan doesn’t understand what happened.

Kiszla, instead of educating the average fan about who the new generation of Colorado Rockies are, preys on the ignorance of the average fan. He tells them that all of their thoughts about the aging Helton are correct, that he isn’t the player that he once was, and that he should retire.

The only problem is, because Helton is still a huge contributor and leader on the Rockies, Kiszla’s words don’t ring true to those who follow the team. Kiszla’s article is so mistimed it is almost comical.

The article was written the day after a seven-game road trip in which the only Rockies players who hit the ball well were Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton himself. In fact, Helton’s numbers were reminiscent of the Helton of old. In the seven-game road trip that saw the Rockies score more than four runs only once, Helton had hits in five games, multiple hits in four. He recorded a home run and three doubles.

Still, Kiszla points to one Jason Giambi home run as the reason Helton should sit.

The fact is, using Giambi’s Sunday performance alone does a huge disservice to Helton and the Rockies. Kiszla is quick to forget that failures of the older Giambi so far in 2010. Brought on to give Helton more time to rest, Giambi went into Sunday’s game with a piddling .205 batting average in 52 at-bats. He had recorded just one multi-hit game before Sunday’s showing.

Anyone who has been paying attention to the Rockies on a regular basis knows that Giambi has struggled at the plate.

Anyone who has been paying attention also knows that when Giambi has taken a mitt with him to play first base, it has been more for show than anything. His defense has never been good. In fact, his defense has been so bad that it could be argued that he himself has already cost the Rockies three games due to poor defense at first base.

The average fan, however, was only paying attention when Giambi, a guy who they had heard great things about in New York, was delivering clutch hit after clutch hit for the Rockies down the stretch in ’09, right when they started paying attention. So when Kiszla says that Giambi should be starting, the average fan does not realize what a ridiculous statement that is based on this year’s stats.

The fact is, Kiszla wins. His job is to sell newspapers. When people get angry and upset about what he writes, it is a win for The Denver Post because they sell more newspapers.

However, it is disappointing when someone lacks the talent to be a decent sportswriter, so they have to create controversy just to prove their worth.

For more on the Rockies, visit RockiesReview.com

This article is also featured on InDenverTimes.com

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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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