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Colorado Rockies

Rotation

1. Jeff Francis: Does not have the talent, nor environment to keep his ERA near 4.00 again.
2. Aaron Cook: Lacks dominant stuff. Low walk rate. Keeps the ball on the ground. Best probability of success.
3. Byung Kim: Most dominating in terms of strikeout ability. ERA under 5.00.
4. Rodrigo Lopez: ERA around 5.00. Has been declining for a few years. Had bad luck last season (.333 BABIP).

5. Josh Fogg: Probably should not be in the majors, as a starter anyways. Far too hittable.

Closer: Brian Fuentes: Strikeout machine. Decent control. Keeps the ball in the park.

Lineup

C Chris Iannetta: A young, talented catcher w/ great upside. Average defense. Solid bat for a catcher
1B Todd Helton: Has lost most of his power. Still has a smooth glove. Strong on-base skills remain.
2B Kaz Matsui: Could be replaced w/ a minor leaguer and no one would notice. Jamey Carroll should be starting here.
3B Garrett Atkins: Passed Helton as best overall player on the team. In his prime.
SS Troy Tulowitzki: Liability on defense. His bat should make up for most of the loss. Not a huge upside.
LF Matt Holliday: Best hitter on the team. 30-homer potential. Should rank near the top of the league in BA.
CF Willy Taveras: Outstanding defense. Barely average with the bat. Best speed on the team.
RF Brad Hawpe: A notch below Atkins, Holliday, Helton, and Iannetta with the bat. Glovework is an asset

Conclusion: There is a big weakness at 2B with Matsui. Jamey Carroll would be better suited to start. Atkins, Holliday, and Helton provide a strong middle of the lineup. Atkins and Holliday could both hit 30 HRs with 100 RBIs and a .400 OBP. Success will depend on youngsters Tulowitzki and Iannetta coming through. Francis, Cook, and Kim are all middle-of-the-rotation starters. With ERAs below 5.00 in Coors, Francis and Cook were valuable players last season. I would expect all of the starters to finish with ERAs right around 5.00 this season, with the exception of Fogg, who will probably be closer to 6.00 than 5.00. All five of the starters are 30-years-old or younger, so none of them should see a huge decline. Fuentes has the stuff to be a good, if not elite, closer. Fuentes, Ramirez, and Corpas give the Rockies three good relievers. The rest of the bullpen lacks a strong arm. If the starters fail to go deep into games, this bullpen could easily cost them games.

Projection: 75-87 5th in the NL West

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