Kuzul

There are plenty of bubble players for the 2014 MLB All-Star rosters, but some have already locked up spots.

These players are not only guaranteed All-Stars, but they’re MVP and Cy Young candidates as well.

4. SS Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

Tulowitzki is on pace to finish with one of the highest batting averages since the turn of the century. He leads the majors with a .350 batting average. If he maintains it, he’ll finish with the highest average since John Hamilton hit .359 in 2010. 

While there are several contact hitters on Tulowitzki’s tail for the league lead in batting average, his power gives him a huge edge when it comes to who is most deserving of an All-Star roster spot. He also boasts 47 RBI and 18 home runs, which ties him for the ninth highest total in the league.

3. RHP Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees

Tanaka wasted no time not only becoming the Yankees’ best pitcher but one of the best pitchers in baseball. He leads the majors with 12 wins in 17 starts this season. And in those 12 starts, he’s established quite the stat line.

He has struck out 130 batters, tying him for fifth most in the league, and recorded a 2.27 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, ranking him fourth and fifth, respectively. He’s also walked fewer batters than any pitcher with double-digit wins. The 25-year-old will be on this list for years to come.

2. 1B Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays

No one has created more runs for his team than Encarnacion this season. Entering Friday night’s action, he’s racked up a league-leading 69 RBI, many of which have come off his league-leading 26 home runs. While Nelson Cruz and Jose Abreu have produced comparable numbers in the race to be baseball’s best power hitter, Encarnacion earns the edge with contact.

He has a higher batting average than both Cruz and Abreu. He also has a higher on-base percentage, having drawn 43 walks. He’s the greatest reason why the Blue Jays are the fourth highest-scoring team in the league this year.

1. RHP Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Hernandez doesn’t have as many wins as Tanaka (10), but that’s about the only number of Hernandez’s that isn’t better. He’s third in the majors with a 2.10 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 137 strikeouts. While he doesn’t lead the league in those categories, no other pitcher is consistently rated as high across the board.

King Felix has also allowed just four home runs in 18 starts and 96 hits in 128.1 innings pitched. No pitcher with more than 100 innings has allowed fewer homers. Out of all the elite pitchers this season, no one has been better than Hernandez.

David Daniels is a columnist at Bleacher Report. He tweets, too.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has always had the requisite talent to be one of the very best players in baseball. Thus far in 2014, talent, health and production have come together to form the foundation for a special season.

On the path to April’s NL Player of the Month award, Tulowitzki established himself as something even bigger: an NL MVP candidate.

The 29-year-old Rockies star is off to a blistering start—.408/.512/.786, 9 HR, 29 RBI—in 2014. When his eighth and ninth home runs of the season cleared the outfield fence at Coors Field on Monday evening, another notice was sent to the entire National League: Free from injury concerns, Tulowitzki’s all-world ability is out in full force. 

While it’s impossible to expect a OPS bordering on 1.300 for an entire season, don’t be surprised if baseball fans start uttering Tulowitzki’s name with Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera when the most important and valuable position players in the game are mentioned. 

Due to a combination of injuries—279 games missed from 2011 to 2013—and awful play from the Rockies in the NL West, Tulowitzki’s stardom has been suppressed and largely forgotten. Without nationally televised games, meaningful September baseball or day-to-day brilliance for young, impressionable fans to consume, a special player was lost.

Doubt surrounding Colorado’s highest-paid player was evident. As Tulowitzki explained to Nick Groke of The Denver Post, it fueled his return to stardom. 

“No doubt I think I’ve had so many things to kind of fuel the fire the last couple of years—the injury history, people constantly talking about that,” Tulowitzki said.

Now, as the Rockies reap the benefits of a middle-of-the-diamond player hitting like a modern day Ted Williams or Barry Bonds, it’s time to recognize just how great Tulowitzki is playing and how good he’s been over the years, despite time lost to injury and the abyss of Coors Field.

When Tulowitzki burst on the scene in 2006 and 2007, the Rockies emerged from nondescript franchise to World Series participant. At the age of 22, Tulowitzki racked up 292 total bases and looked poised to carry the Rockies to October on a yearly basis like another famous No. 2 that played the position. 

Of course, that narrative didn’t play out. Since a World Series loss in 2007, the Rockies have only made the postseason once. During that span, only one 90-win season (2009) has occurred with Tulowitzki as the franchise player and dominant force at shortstop.

Despite the losing, Tulowitzki has been a special player. From 2009 to 2011, Tulowitzki finished in the top eight of the NL MVP voting every year. During that span, his 19.3 WAR ranked fifth in baseball, per Baseball-Reference (subscription required). Outside of Evan Longoria, Albert Pujols, Ben Zobrist and Ryan Braun, no player in baseball provided more value to his respective team.

For as good as he was during those seasons, he’s even better right now. When added together, a once-in-a-generation shortstop has emerged. Tulowitzki’s hot start in 2014 has catapulted him into the top spot among OPS leaders at the shortstop position. 

The history of baseball is littered with special talents at shortstop, but Tulowitzki currently owns a higher on-base plus slugging percentage than any shortstop ever to play the game. Even when factoring out Alex Rodriguez—more career games played at third base—the distinction is remarkable. For as great as Cal Ripken, Nomar Garciaparra, Honus Wagner and Derek Jeter were, Tulowitzki has overtaken them all. 

To be fair, Coors Field plays a role in that success. Spending 50 percent of a career in one of the greatest offensive venues in history will inflate numbers, but don’t mistake Tulowitzki for a Coors Field creation. His .473 road slugging percentage is higher than the career marks of Miguel Tejada, Robin Yount and Alan Trammell, per Baseball-Reference.

Now, the question becomes: Can the great Rockies shortstop put together one full season of eye-opening and game-changing play?  

Based on the first 31 games of 2014, the idea of opposing pitchers slowing him down is becoming less and less believable. Heading into play on May 5, Baseball-Reference had already credited Tulowitzki with 3.3 WAR for the young season. To put that in perspective, Ryan Howard’s best season WAR was 5.2. 

If, say, Tulowitzki played at this level for 150 games, Trout and Cabrera would be forced to cede the co-mantle they share atop the sport. Only three players in baseball history—Babe Ruth, Carl Yastrzemski and Rogers Hornsby—eclipsed 12.0 WAR in a single season. At this rate, Tulowitzki would reach that mark by early August. 

Eventually, a slump will occur and statistics will wane. Yet, if the Rockies can get 150 games from their leading man, a legitimate NL MVP should materialize. With that, contention could follow for a franchise desperately in need of meaningful games after the All-Star break.

This early-season charge isn’t reminiscent of recent late-career bloomers like Chris Davis or Jose Bautista. Instead, a former potentially great player has graduated into a healthy and dominant force in the National League. 

Agree? Disagree?

Comment, follow me on Twitter or “like” my Facebook page to talk about all things baseball.

Statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com, ESPN and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. All contract figures courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Roster breakdowns via MLBDepthCharts.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Maybe the New York Yankees‘ search for Derek Jeter’s successor isn’t on just yet. But when Jeter announced his pending retirement on Facebook last week, he surely moved that search higher up on the organization’s list of priorities. 

We’re going to hear all sorts of candidates discussed in the coming months. One who’s going to be discussed more heavily than others is Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who, like Jeter, wears No. 2 and boasts an excellent bat for the position.

But rather than wait for that chatter to heat up, I’m going to get this out there now: I don’t like it. If there’s an ideal successor for Jeter out there, it’s not Tulo.

We’ll get to that. But first, I should acknowledge the genesis of this article.

I didn’t hear it, but Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post noted last week that Sports Illustrated columnist Tom Verducci had gone on a radio show and declared without hesitation that Tulowitzki would be the next Yankees shortstop. Renck‘s next step was to get Tulo himself to chime in, and he did:

There’s no doubt that the question is not going to go away. Look at this (past) offseason with the trade rumors involving me. You try not to pay attention to them, but at the same time, they are there. My job is to help the Rockies win games this season. That’s what is in front of me right now. It’s going to be out there. I understand and I am fine with that. It’s not the first time it’s happened.

Tulo, of course, was linked to the St. Louis Cardinals this winter, notably in a report from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. He seems to understand that his name is liable to pop up whenever there’s a big-name club in need of a shortstop. Thus, he’ll be ready for the Yankees rumors.

The Yankees and Rockies actually working out a trade would be complicated, as the Yankees don’t have much to trade and the Rockies might not be that desperate to unload Tulo in the first place. But we’re going to skip right past that to the question of whether Tulo would fit the Yankees’ need. This, after all, is why we’re here.

I’ll give Tulo this much credit: It’s not because his bat doesn’t play well outside of Coors Field. His career home/road splits (via FanGraphs) are surprisingly even:

Tulowitzki hasn’t been as good away from home, but those numbers away from Coors are still easily above-average. They’re also still outstanding relative to today’s light-hitting shortstops.

So no, the bat’s not the problem. My worries have more to do with defense.

Which, if you take one look at Tulo‘s defensive performances wouldn’t seem to make sense. For the sake of getting everything out in the open, I’ll present those numbers as well:

Throughout his career, Tulo‘s been a very good defensive shortstop. That’s a huge deal when you consider the inherent defensive value of the shortstop position itself, and it is a big reason why the only shortstop with more WAR since 2007 is Hanley Ramirez (who, of course, spent a year at third base).

But it’s the age column where we’re going to start getting skeptical. That’s the part that worries me.

In 2008, Tom Tango had a piece on The Hardball Times about the defensive aging curves of shortstops. Looking at things from one perspective, he found that shortstop defense peaks between the ages of 22 and 24. Looking at things from another perspective, he found that shortstop defense peaks no later than age 28. Either way, a shortstop’s best defense is likely between 22 and 28.

If we take these conclusions and apply them to Tulowitzki‘s defense, they fit well enough. His best defensive year was in 2007, his age-22 campaign. And while he did bounce back nicely from an injury-ruined 2012 season in 2013, he didn’t quite get back to the same defensive level he had been occupying from ages 22 to 26.

In light of that, it’s possible that Tulo‘s defensive decline is underway. We’ll have a better idea once we see what happens in 2014, but it’s certainly plausible given his age. His body type is a factor too, as Tulowitzki carries over 200 pounds on a 6’3″ frame. A big guy like him isn’t going to stay nimble forever.

So in all likelihood, the Yankees wouldn’t be trading for a guy who would be a great all-around shortstop. Instead, they’d get a guy whose defense at shortstop would be getting increasingly ordinary with age.

“Ah, yes,” you say, “but why is that a deal-breaker? The Yankees have been getting subpar defense at shortstop for years. They know how to live with it.”

If we go by the metrics, this is true. Jeter stands alone as the worst defensive shortstop ever measured by UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) and DRS (Defensive Runs Saved). The Yankees have been able to live with that for so many years because Jeter’s offensive production has made up for his lack of defensive production. Why couldn’t it be par for the course with Tulowitzki?

Mainly because of the one thing Jeter had for a long time that Tulo‘s really never had: durability.

Last year was only the fourth season out of 19 that Jeter didn’t play in at least 148 games. Tulowitzki is only through his age-28 season, and he already has four such seasons. Three of them have come in the last four years, with the worst being 2012. According to Baseball Prospectus, he missed 113 games due to groin surgery, prompting discussion about whether a move to third base was the best thing for him.

A move to third base didn’t happen in 2013. With defensive wizard Nolan Arenado stationed at third base in Colorado, it’s not going to happen in 2014. But if Tulo were to find himself on the Yankees in 2015? Yeah, a move to third base would absolutely be in the cards.

The choice before the Yankees, after all, would be whether to put Tulo‘s health at risk just so they could have his bat at shortstop or to move him to third base, thereby decreasing the risk of injury and getting more of his bat, period.

The latter would be the easy choice, and that’s without even considering the possibility that a move to a less physically demanding position would rescue Tulowitzki from a defensive decline.

And lest it cross your mind, we don’t actually think Alex Rodriguez would be there to block him, do we? If the Yankees want him back after his 2014 suspension, they’ll have an opening at designated hitter after waving goodbye to Alfonso Soriano. If they don’t want to keep him, they’ll swallow the money he’s still owed and just release him. If the Yankees wanted to make Tulo fit at the hot corner, they could.

This, obviously, is pointing out that there is a spot for Tulowitzki on the Yankees. Just not so much at shortstop, which is the whole point of his being linked to the Yankees. Whether right away or shortly down the road, it’s likely that a trade for him would put the Yankees right back on the hunt for Jeter’s long-term successor.

And we haven’t even talked about the money yet. Regardless of what the Yankees were to offer the Rockies, it’s hard to imagine them taking on anything less than 90 or 100 percent of the money he’s still owed. And per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, that’s a minimum of $118 million through 2021.

The Yankees can afford to take on all of that. They’re the Yankees. But since their payroll commitments for 2015 and 2016 are already in the $145-150 million range, taking on Tulo would be another nail in the coffin of the idea of them ever getting under the luxury tax threshold.

So who is the ideal successor for Jeter at shortstop for the Yankees? 

Right now, I haven’t a clue. I don’t feel any pressure to have one. This is a subject that we’re going to be talking about a lot throughout the course of the year, after all. Many more candidates will come to light, and some are bound to look like very real solutions.

For now, the big possibility out there to be discussed is Tulowitzki. And if it were up to me, he’d be crossed off the list.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis has been the topic of various MLB trade rumors this offseason. The Mets must decide whether they want either him, Lucas Duda or someone else to be their starter at first base in 2014.

Coming off a season in which he hit 30 home runs, Davis has been drawing more trade interest than Duda.

Neither has shown enough to think that either should stick around in New York for 2014. I’d rather have a fresh face from outside the organization be the team’s first baseman next season. The probability of that happening, however, will likely depend on how the trade market develops later this winter.

After enduring a slow start in 2012, Davis rebounded in the second half, slugging 32 home runs with 90 RBI despite a .227 batting average. Manager Terry Collins expected on Davis to be the main source of power and protection in the Mets lineup behind David Wright in 2013.

Unfortunately for the Mets, that didn’t happen.

Davis finished the season with a .205/.326/.334 stat line to go with nine home runs and 33 RBI, as he spent nearly a month in Triple-A. New York may allow the market to decide whether it will hold onto Davis for another year, or hand over most of the playing time at first base to Duda.

At this point of the offseason, teams in need of a cheap power option at first base prefer Davis. Unlike Duda, he has shown the ability to be a productive source of power with his home run total from 2012. The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers have most notably been linked to Davis and the Mets following the GM meetings last week.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times touched upon why the Rays would be interested in Davis:

But the Rays, who drafted but didn’t sign Davis in 2005, would have to be intrigued by the potential lefty power, plus getting three years of control and a somewhat reasonable cost — an arbitration projected $3.5 million salary. That’s about the same as Matt Joyce is to make, and the Mets seek a corner outfielder, though the Rays need lefty power.

Matt Joyce would be an interesting acquisition for the Mets. In 140 games during 2013, the corner outfielder hit .235/.328/.419 with 18 home runs and 47 RBI. He would provide some extra power in the Mets outfield, but would likely not be used more than as a fourth outfielder or utility man if this trade were to come about.

The Brewers are a more intriguing trade partner, especially if they make Norichika Aoki available. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin recently acknowledged that his team would be a good fit for a potential swap with the Mets.

Aoki is due to become a free agent following the 2014 season, but would provide the Mets with a true leadoff hitter. The 31-year-old hit .286/.356/.370 last season, including eight home runs, 37 RBI, 80 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. He’s due to earn $1.95 million next season.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York noted that the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies have all expressed interest in Davis. It’s all but certain that he won’t be suiting up for the Mets next season. Alderson will likely hold onto his first baseman until later in the winter, when the market isn’t full of players with power potential.

Unless Alderson can pull off a miracle and pry Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez from Colorado, the Brewers seem to be the best fit for either side in a trade. Milwaukee would receive a relatively cheap option to fill its void at first base while Davis would bring a solid glove and great power potential that would become even more notable due to playing half his home games at Miller Park.

On the flip side, the Mets would get a true leadoff hitter with a knack for getting on base. In 1,117 career at-bats, Aoki has struck out 95 times while drawing 98 walks and boasts a .355 on-base percentage. Striking this kind of deal would save New York some money and allow the Mets spending more on a power hitting outfielder or shortstop elsewhere.

If the Mets front office is tired of giving Davis a chance to blossom into a consistent major league hitter, it needs to acquire a player who Collins can write into his lineup every day. If the Mets wait long enough, there will be a team desperate enough to give up something that it would prefer to hold on to in a potential exchange.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Hot Stove League is in full swing and the rumors are swirling at a rapid pace. At this rate, the Cardinals will have about 10 shortstops to fill their void before the week is out.

Here is a breakdown of some of those rumors and the pros and cons with each rumored player as they pertains to the Cardinals’ needs.

Troy Tulowitzki

The Cardinals are supposedly kicking the tires on trading for Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and the possibility of bringing him to St. Louis to fill the huge hole at shortstop. 

Pros: Tulo is by far the best shortstop in the National League when healthy.  He can hit for power and has an excellent glove with great range.  The guy is game-changer and a middle-of-the-lineup presence any team would want. 

Cons:  The Cardinals would have to package a pretty sweet deal of pitching and other prospects to get Tulowitzki.  I don’t think he is worth it in the long run.

J.J. Hardy

This deal may be dead at this point, but as any baseball fan knows, deals can heat back up again at the drop of a hat.  One possible scenario to heat things back up would be for the Cardinals to perhaps offer Lance Lynn in exchange for Hardy after the Cardinals turned down the Orioles‘ offer of Hardy for Shelby Miller. 

Pros: Hardy is coming off the best year of his career.  He raked in all kinds of awards this season, including being an All-Star, Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger.  Hardy swatted 25 home runs and drove in 76 runs while being a plus defender.  

Cons: Hardy will be 31 next season and will only be under contract through 2014. It would obviously be a bad trade for the Cardinals if they couldn’t find a way to extend Hardy beyond 2014. I would like to see the Cardinals get a core shortstop if they trade a highly valuable arm and frankly Hardy doesn’t meet that criterion.

Jed Lowrie

I am a fan of making this deal happen.  However, Athletics manger Bob Melvin says it’s not likely to happen.

Pros: Lowrie had a career year in 2013.  He hit .290 with 15 home runs and 75 RBI and knocked 45 doubles. Lowrie showed he can play when he stays on the field. Plus, Lowrie would be the cheapest option of the three shortstops mentioned. He made $2.4 million in 2013 and is arbitration eligible for 2014.  He’ll get a raise, but it will still be less than what Tulo and Hardy make.

Cons: Lowrie has only had one season, 2013, where he played more than 97 games.  So who knows what a team will get if they somehow acquire Lowrie. Will he be the guy who played 154 games or the guy who can barely stay on the field. One other con is the question raised earlier about a core-type player.  Lowrie is a better option than Hardy in that department, but his injury history could seriously cramp his core status. 

It will be exciting to see what the Cardinals will do to fill their shortstop needs for 2014.  With their deep pool of talent to shop with, the Cardinals are in the drivers seat to make whatever deal they deem suitable.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Cal Ripken Jr., he is not.

Like Ripken, Troy Tulowitzki is a big, power-hitting, MVP-caliber shortstop.

As far as staying healthy, though, Tulowitzki and Ripken are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Ripken, of course, was nicknamed Iron Man for his record 2,362 consecutive games played.  

Tulowitzki, meanwhile, has done it again in the middle of what was shaping up to be a career season.

Hit the disabled list, that is.

This time—and we say “this” because it’s happened on quite a few occasions previously—the Colorado Rockies star is out with a broken rib that, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, he suffered when he made a diving stop on a ground ball Thursday night.

Making matters worse, outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler also left Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals with foot and finger injuries, respectively. They’re day-to-day.

Tulowitzki, however, is not. He’s expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, per MLB.com.

While there’s never a good time for an injury, Tulo‘s latest ailment is particularly poorly timed, given that the Rockies—maybe baseball’s biggest surprise coming off a franchise-worst 98 losses in 2012—are in the thick of the NL West race.

At 35-32 heading into play Saturday, they are only 2.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Prior to the injury, Tulowitzki had played in 61 of the Rockies’ 67 games (91 percent), which is rather remarkable given that he’s participated in more than 75 percent of games only three times in his six “full seasons.”

In all likelihood, Tulo will be held out through the All-Star break, which starts on July 15. Even if he returns for the first game of the second half on July 19, he’ll have missed 29 games.

Combined with the six he’s already sat out, we’re looking at yet another campaign with fewer than 130 games played.

And that’s not only assuming best-case scenario here, it’s also assuming Tulowitzki doesn’t suffer any other injuries this season.

While we’re on that topic, here’s a gander the laundry list of Tulo‘s more severe injuries, the ones that required DL time, with data from Baseball Prospectus. Fair warning: It’s not for the faint of heart.

What’s particularly worrisome about this injury is that it’s somewhat reminiscent of what happened to him last season.

You may recall that, initially, the groin injury seemed like it would knock Tulowitzki out for a few weeks, but when he kept having setbacks and couldn’t get to full strength, surgery was eventually required to remove scar tissue. Tulo wound up being lost for the season, having played his final game of 2012 on May 30.

Eerily, Tulo‘s latest ailment happened exactly a year and two weeks later. 

This is a different injury altogether, obviously, but Tulowitzki indicated that he’d been feeling pain in his midsection for some time prior to Thursday’s injury. That could mean he’s out closer to the longer side of the estimate, which would be a month-and-a-half.

Or more.

Aside from what this means to the Rockies and their hopes for 2013, it’s now obvious—if it wasn’t already—that Tulowitzki must be labeled with the dreaded injury-prone tag.

Which is a shame, given how talented the seventh overall pick in 2005 has been when on the diamond.

To that point, the 28-year-old Tulowitzki ranked in the top 10 in the National League in average (.347), OBP (.413), hits (77), homers (16) and RBI (51), while leading the Senior Circuit in both slugging, at .635, and OPS, at 1.048, through Thursday.

As important as he is to Colorado, he’s almost as important to baseball as a whole. Injuries are a part of sports, no doubt, but it’s troubling to see one of the game’s brightest young stars get cut down time and time again, year after year.

A two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner who also has three top-10 NL MVP finishes, Tulowitzki‘s talent is undeniable.

Unfortunately, so are his injuries.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Just look at the names in this week’s UTK and you’ll see the issue. Giancarlo Stanton, Zack Greinke, Troy Tulowitzki, Stephen Strasburg—these are big-time stars, with most making big time money or carrying the hopes of a franchise on their back.

Instead of being on the field, these players and more are in the training room or worse. The inability of Major League Baseball to keep even their biggest stars healthy is a true indictment of the last decade. Some can’t be helped, but some can, and those opportunities to save money and keep the talent on the field are often being missed.

Let’s take a look around the league to see what’s going on with the biggest names and biggest injuries in another week of Under The Knife:

Begin Slideshow

The Colorado Rockies are coming off the worst season in franchise history. Predictably, many MLB general managers are eager to snatch up one of the very few desirable players on the team.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported via Twitter that “quite a few teams” asked about acquiring Carlos Gonzalez at the Winter Meetings, but the team said they still aren’t moving their two stars, Gonzalez and Tulowitzki.

While Gonzalez has been a consistent superstar with the Rockies since his breakout season in 2010, Tulowitzki has been anything but reliable. The 28-year-old shortstop has driven in 90 runs or more in three of the past four seasons and hit a total of 129 home runs in the past six years, yet he’s only played in 69% of his team’s games since the start of the 2008 season due to injuries.

While many Colorado fans are quick to defend No. 2, a common consensus nationally is that “Tulo” is injury-prone.

Is that a fair accusation, though?

After a stellar rookie campaign in 2007 where he finished second to Ryan Braun in NL Rookie of the Year voting, Tulowitzki had a very tough time during a painful sophomore slump. On April 29, 2008 he tore a tendon in his left quadriceps, which left him unavailable until June 20th. Just 15 days after his return, Tulo found himself back on the disabled list, this time after cutting up his hand by slamming his maple bat on the ground in frustration.

The first injury of 2008 was clearly from a lack of preparedness: Tulowitzki was originally on the bench for that game, but was inserted at shortstop last minute due to the injury of Jeff Baker in pregame warm-ups. The injury happened in the first inning of a cold night in San Francisco, so it seems clear that Tulowitzki just didn’t have the time to properly stretch out before he was put into the game.

But the second injury was simply the result of immaturity.

Tulowitzki returned to his 2007 form in 2009 (.297/.377/.552), but the two-time All-Star was sidelined for a significant amount of time again in 2010. He was hit in the wrist by an errant pitch from Minnesota’s Alex Burnett on June 17th.This injury was clearly a freak accident, as it could happen to anyone (except for those with titanium wrists).

Tulowitzki made up for only playing in 122 games by finishing with career highs in batting average (.315), on-base percentage (.381) and slugging (.568) in addition to hitting 27 home runs, 14 of which came in a 15-day span in September.

Tulowitzki’s latest injury came this past season on May 30th against Houston, and while this injury seems to be a result of a lack of stretching or strength from Tulo, all the blame should not got to the player. Team doctors could not even determine the problem until June 20th, the same day the Denver Post reported that he would be out for eight weeks.

Once those eight weeks were up, about mid-August, Tulowitzki was still a no-go. He never returned to the Rockies in 2012 after playing in only 47 games before the injury.

By my estimation, Tulowitzki has only been to blame for half of the major injuries in his career, with only one seeming to be the fault of his body. He isn’t injury-prone, as many claim; he’s just been unlucky.

And in one case, foolish.

If the Rockies have any hopes of turning around their atrociousness anytime soon, they just might want to keep Mr. Tulowitzki around as he should have much more value in a Rockies uniform than as a trade chip.  

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The handshake deal.

The discussion about the performance of the Colorado Rockies in the 2012 season keeps reverting to the handshake deal between Dan O’Dowd and Jim Tracy. Was it a clever strategy to help Tracy relax and manage some wins, or did O’Dowd really think Jim Tracy had shown enough to warrant an extension?

As the Rockies sit at 13-21, fourth in the NL West, the question arises: When does the franchise make a change?

Dan O’ Dowd made some interesting comments today in the Denver Post about how he doesn’t intend to make any changes to the current staff. While the comments should anger fans, it should be no shock that this is the mind set in the front office.

Keep in mind that this comes from a man who told the current manager, Jim Tracy, that he can indefinitely be with the organization. While fans and analysts have speculated as to what that exactly means, the fact is that the entire coaching staff was kept around after 2011, the most disappointing season in franchise history.

The Rockies’ struggles begin with Dan O’Dowd. Blame the Monforts for not spending the money all you want, but they have spent big money on a few players through the years—Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, and let’s not forget the abysmal signings of Mike Hampton and Danny Neagle. Even coming into this season, many argued that the Rockies overpaid for Michael Cuddyer.

The Rockies are in a market that allows them to spend money, but they have to get it right when spending. This is something that simply hasn’t happened under Dan O’Dowd.

Think about all the prospects this franchise has missed on. Think about how Generation-R turned out.

Since 2005, fans were fed the line of “we are building from within.” That is not a bad model by any means, but the 2011 season showed just how overvalued the farm system was. As Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta, Ubaldo Jimenez and others departed this past offseason, so did the old model of building from within.

Look at this season. Sure, no one expected the Rockies to compete for a division title, but this team is flirting with last place in the division and already appears to be making roster moves out of desperation.

What’s even more disturbing is that Dan O’Dowd completely overhauled the clubhouse—again, just think back to 2005, because he wanted a different attitude from his players. If this team can’t turn around this horrible start, then the Rockies will be failing in the new model O’Dowd promoted.

If that is the case, Dan O’Dowd can then use the possible success of young players such as Rosario, Arenado, White, Pomeranz, Friedrich and Pacheco as reasons to keep him around.

2013 could be Generation-R all over again. Maybe all the veteran players get the boot and all the young players get the start. Fans could potentially be fed the exact same message, with the exact same staff, with the exact same results.

While Colorado is in no means like Boston, New York or Philadelphia in terms of support for its baseball team, Rockies fans should demand more from their club. Let management know that you will no longer support a mediocre product.

Maybe they don’t listen, but then again, this is the Year of the Fan.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Keeper leagues add an entirely new element to fantasy baseball.

They put you even deeper into the position of a major league GM, forcing you to balance risk and reward. Anyone who has been successful in these leagues will tell you that there are three major factors in gauging the value of a player as a keeper—production, age and potential.  

These five guys give you all that and more.

Follow me on Twitter: @Nick_Marro

Begin Slideshow