Scutaro becomes a Rockie…

Photo by Getty Images

Well the Rockies get Marco Scutaro from the Red Sox, trading away Clayton Mortensen. Honestly I dont see much difference here between if the Rockies had kept Mark Ellis on the team than now adding Scutaro. Some Rockies fans on Rockies facebook page seem to be happy to have a “name” on this team. Other fans recognize the fact that this team still needs proven veteran pitching going into this season, like I do.

Scutaro is a lifetime .270 hitter over his 10 year career, with the last two seasons spent in Boston where he batted .282 in 2010 in 150 games and .299 in 2011 in 113 games.

Fans over at Extra Bases on boston.com feel about half and half on the trade. Saving $6 million off the Red Sox payroll is huge. I dont get the mindset of Dan O’Dowd. Is he making moves for the sake of making moves or is he honestly trying to improve this team? I would say that it is certainly not the latter.

Within the next week or so I hope to take a look back at the transactions the Rockies have been a part of this offseason and give a grade on each as we head into spring training.

RockiesFest 2012…

Tomorrow (Saturday Jan 21) is day 1 of 2 of Rockiesfest 2012. Unfortunately yours truly will not be in attendance this year as I have been on the disabled list. I’ve been nursing a severe cold for the last 9 days.

I was a bit surprised that the Rockies decided to extend Rockiesfest to 2 days, but it is a good idea that was long overdue. As most of you probably know day 1 is for season ticket holders and day 2 is for the general public at $25 a pop. All money will go to the Rockies Charities, which is another good move by the  organization, something that cant be said about the moves or lack of moves to improve the team this offseason so far.

So if you’re attending Rockiesfest this weekend, enjoy all of the festivities and the players and coaches.

Grand Junction Rockies…

Heeeerrrrrreeeeee are your Grand Junction Rockies!!! The name is eh… OK, I’ve gotten used to it. The adaptation of the parent Colorado Rockies logo from mountains to the mesas of the Western Slope is weak and uninspiring to say the least. The G.J. Rox will continue to play in the Pioneer League as they have prior years before as the Casper Rockies, and most recently the Casper Ghosts.

Wigginton trade makes little sense…

Since July 30th of the 2011 season(Ubaldo trade) most every move Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd has made thus far continues to set this team backwards for the upcoming 2012 season. The trade of Ty Wiggington yesterday to the Phillies makes very little sense, if any at all, as the hole at third base just got bigger. Say what you want about Wiggy’s stats last season (.242, 15, 47), but with Wiggy on the roster there is at least some Major League experience at the position(and at the plate), alot more than Ian Stewart and Jordan Pacheco have brought to the hot corner. If nothing else you keep Wigginton on the roster and let he and Stewart and possibly Pacheco battle it out in spring training for the starting job. Pacheco isn’t ready to start the 2012 season on the Rockies roster and Stewart, who knows? He’s got alot of work to do if he is going to remain with this team.

“We are trying to reshape our club and this made sense,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said. – Denver Post

What sense does this make Dan? Please tell me. From a monetary standpoint, yes it does makes sense, you saved the club a couple of mil. Wiggy’s $4 million doesnt break the bank, but the return on the trade of $100K or a player to be named later does no good to the Rockies who need to win NOW. O’Dowd again goes for trading certainty for uncertainty and that uncertainty is a “player to be named later”. Not only that, the uncertainty is that Stewart or Pacheco can be the definitive answer for the Rockies at third base. Just like O’Dowd is hoping that Alex White and Drew Pomeranz can do the same in the pitching rotation. All the while he is hoping, the fans have to settle for what is going to be another mediocre (if not less than) season for the Rockies in 2012. I will say it now, the Rockies will NOT win the NL West next season(DUH!) and will do good to finish 4th within the division. Is it too early to ask when the 2012 NFL season starts?

Salt River Rafters win AFL Championship…

The Salt River Rafters lead by Sky Sox manager Stu Cole, win the Arizona Fall League Championship game 9-3 with the help of Rockies prospect,  Nolan Arenado(3B). Arenado who was named AFL MVP earlier today homered in the 3rd inning to give the Rafters a 3-0 lead. Rockies prospects Nolan Arenado, Tim Wheeler and Ben Paulsen scored for 5 of the Rafters 9 runs and went 3 for 11 at the plate. (Box Score)

WINTER BALL UPDATES

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Tigres del Licey – Esmil Rogers (P) – no stats

Aguilas Cibaenas – Wilin Rosario (C) – .233, 6 homeruns, 26 RBIs in 24 games.

Toros del Este – Hector Gomez (SS) – .263, 5 hits, 3 runs scored in 7 games.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE

Caneros de los Mochis – Alejandro Barraza (P) – 2-1, 4.50 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 6 starts. Barraza played at Casper last season.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

Criollos de Caguas – Joe Torres (P) – no stats.

Gigantes de Carolina – Juan Perez (P) – 1 inning pitched, allowing 2 hits in 2 appearances. Perez played at Asheville last season.

Gigantes de Carolina – Radames Nazario (2B) – .400, 4 hits, 1 run scored in 5 games.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

Navegantes del Magallanes – Jesus Merchan (SS) – .200, 3 hits, 1 run scored, 4 total bases in 4 games.

Caribes de Anzoategui – Eliezer Alfonzo (C) – .155, 9 hits, 3 homeruns and 7 RBIs in 17 games.

Caribes de Anzoategui – Jonathan Herrera (2B) – no stats.

Tiburones de La Guaira – Rafael Ortega (CF) – no stats.

Tiburones de La Guaira – Rafael Suarez (P) – 1-1, 3.60 ERA in 10 innings and 8 appearances. Suarez played at Asheville and Tri City last season.

Tiburones de La Guaira - Vianney Mayo (P) – 0-0, 20.25 ERA in 1 start through 1.1 innings. Vanney played at Tri City last season.

Aguilas de Zulia – Carlos Gonzalez (OF) – no stats.

Leones del Caracas – Jhoulys Chacin (P) – no stats.

Leones del Caracas – Edgmer Escalona (P) – 1-2, 12.00 in 3 appearances and 3 innings.

Bravos de Margarita – Eric Young Jr (2B) – .209, 9 hits, 5 runs scored, and 3 RBIs in 11 games.

Rockies….Big ticket deal? Give me a break…

Jim Armstrong has an article in today’s Denver Post on the Rockies and the idea of landing a “big ticket” player in the offseason. To that, I and numerous Rockies fans say, “We’ll believe it when we see it.”

We hear this every off season in some way shape or form. Take for instance the quote from Dick Monfort.

“We have to be open minded,” Monfort said, “but you’re not going to go out and sign (Jose) Reyes.”

Being open minded means that they will sit back and see what player fits their tight (by that I mean cheap) wallets and fans wont see any significant move made especially to the pitching staff. Where it seems every offseason they find one or two pitchers with a below average record and talent, sign him in hopes of rehabilitating a career, if only for the current season while the younger guys develop in the minors. Sounds cheap if you ask me. I like O’Dowd’s quote on winning the division.

“In this division, you win or lose with starting pitching.”

Well please Mr. O’Dowd tell us how long it took you to figure that one out? But yet you placed a somewhat inexperienced starting rotation on the field last season, hoping to strike lightning and in return you got nothing and the fans got nothing. And in the meantime trading your ace Ubaldo Jimenez for prospects and setting the organization back 2-3 seasons while we wait to see what sort of prize(s) we are hopeful to get inside a stale box of Cracker Jack.

Again please prove the fans wrong and make some significant moves this offseason that will make this team better and not to mention a contender. We’re four seasons removed from a World Series appearance and the window is closing fast with a few of the players on this team.

Ghosts disappear from Casper…

On Oct 5 the ghostsbaseball.com domain name for the Rockies Class A(Rookie) minor league team the Casper Ghosts expired according to GoDaddy.com. And as of Monday Oct 17th it looks to be official that the Casper Ghosts will expire from the town of Casper, WY and reappear in the city of Grand Junction, CO pending city council approval. The issue in Casper stems from lack of attendance.

Casper Star-Tribune story here.

Casper Journal story here.

Should the city council approve the move, then the team will become the Grand Junction Rockies and play at Suplizio Field. Suplizio Field seats 12000+ and is the home of the Colorado Mesa University (formerly Mesa State) baseball team and host field of the Junior College World Series.

Pomeranz, Rockies newest bad boy?..

AP Photo www.nems360.com

OK, not much is really known in detail still as to why Rockies pitcher Drew Pomeranz was arrested early this morning in Oxford, MS for disturbing the peace. But the Rockies did release the following statement.

“The Rockies organization is aware of the unfortunate incident involving Drew Pomeranz that took place in Oxford, Mississippi. We have been in contact with Drew and his representatives and we will continue to gather more information. Both Drew and our organization understand the serious nature of the situation.”

I cant say that this really bothers me at all. Actually I kind of like the idea that the Rockies organization as far as the players are not perfect. And I mean not just at the plate or on the hill either. Everyone cant be a choir boy. One fan on denverpost.com blog, On the Rox, went as far as to label it the “Curse of Ubaldo”. I have to say I like that.

But let’s see it for what it is. Whatever happened, it was away from the team, during the offseason, he didnt kill anyone, sleep with 15 different women, etc. As far as I’m concerned this is a, “Move along folks, there’s nothing to see here” issue. Besides what Lackey, Beckett and Lester did in the clubhouse numerous times this season with the Red Sox is far worse than this and they weren’t breaking any laws.

It’s not like the Rockies have a conveyor belt of bad boys coming through the organization, at least not since Denny Neagle’s arrest for soliciting a woman for oral sex in 2004.

Early Spring Training…

The Rockies season as we head into the first series of September is over. Some like myself would say that it’s been over for a few weeks not if not months. So basically the next 4 weeks of September is really an early version of spring training 2012, just not taking place in Scottsdale, AZ.

While the D’backs look to run away with the division, currently leading the Giants by 6 games. I find it difficult to watch the Rockies, mostly on TV than in person. A team with so much promise has once again underachieved, and this underachievement might even be bigger than the 2008 season. Maybe the expectations of the fans, media and the baseball world were or are too much for the Rockies to live up to. Maybe if no one expects a team with this much talent to do anything, then they might be able to compete for a division title. Really, how many people honestly in their preseason predictions had Arizona to be the surprise team in the N.L. West? The freakin’ Dbacks?! Please!

I cant deny that I have turned most of my attention, as most fans this time of the year do, to the upcoming college and pro football seasons, while still somewhat keeping an eye on the Rockies. That’s usually not the case with me, but this year I guess I’m a little more fed up than usual. I have also turned my attention to Opening Day of 2012. Looking forward yet again to the grand feeling of extreme optimism that each Opening Days holds for every baseball fan of every team.

So Rockies fans you can stop looking for the Rockies to make any improbable run to win the division yet alone a wildcard, that’s not gonna happen. I’m not giving up on the Rockies, I’ll always be a fan. I just know that this season is a disappointment and there is very little to look forward to for the remaining of the season. Who gets called-up from where, I could care less. How well Alex White does this month has no bearing on what type of career he may or may not have with the Rockies next season and the seasons following. Bring on the off-season and the Winter Meetings so that we as fans can begin to have our own ideas of what type of team we will have next season. Who’s gonna play 3rd? Will somebody take claim and hold of being an everyday 2nd baseman? Will 2012 be Jim Tracy’s final season as manager of the Rockies? Can Troy Tulowitzki be more of a leader and put this team on his back for a season and not just a game or a series?

I will watch the remaining games with little interest, other than the occasional ROOT Sports shots of Alanna Rizzo, as the win and losses have little to no meaning. So treat the month of September for what it is Rockies fans, an early spring training.

I came across this video earlier today, that kinda puts it into a little perspective on this long baseball season. Enjoy!

Giambi walk off HR leaves Marlins reeling…

In a season where Lodo Magic has been in short supply, Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez and Jason Giambi each gave the team a boost of it Monday night at Coors Field. Just when you figured the Rockies were abiding by the usual endlessly season script of “coming close but not close enough to win” or the other script of “not taking care of business at home”, the Rockies found away to finally come out on top in the end, for what has only been it seems a handful of times this season.

There was an emotional lift from this team that we usually dont see from the Rockies throughout a season. Honestly something I would like to see more of. EY Jr’s emotions after being called out on a close play at first base late in the game for example. I think if the fans saw more emotion like that from this team then they could more easily get behind them and not feel like the players are just up there going through the motions.

It was an exciting finish to a ballgame that got no love on Sports Center last night. Which all belonged to Jim Thome reaching career homerun #600. Congrats to Thome for reaching that milestone.

Now if only the Rockies can build off last night’s win and have a winning homestand, things possibly could begin to look more interesting in the NL West. The Giants as of late are struggling winning 4 of their last 10, while the D’backs have won 7 of their last 10, including 6 in a row. I’m not saying we can catch the D’backs, but a really good record at Coors Field over these next 8 games, can become a start. And with the Marlins, Dodgers and Astros in town this week, the underachieving Rockies can do it if they want to.

For the Miami Herald’s take on the Marlins loss last night from Herald writer Clark Spencer. Click here.