The baby-faced Rockies swear they are going to compete for the National League West title.
As they prepare to report to spring training Friday in Tucson, their optimism is palpable. Skeptical fans, having watched five consecutive losing seasons, are no doubt snickering, but manager Clint Hurdle chooses not to listen.
“Now, with the veteran leadership we have sprinkled in, and based on the second half of last season, and the fact that the NL West is wide open, we need to compete,” Hurdle said. “We have the opportunity to contend based on the personnel we have.”
The Rockies’ high hopes are based on a revamped bullpen, the continued development of promising young position players and a starting rotation that began to gel last summer.
But are the Rockies deluding themselves? Having a promising second half is far from contending, especially for a last-place team that won 67 games last season, the club’s worst record since its inaugural 1993 season.
First baseman Todd Helton, the team’s veteran leader and only established star, is as jazzed as anybody by the 30-28 finish a season ago. But he’s also realistic – a realism born of playing on one winning team in eight full seasons.
“First we have to see if we can perform with expectations on us,” Helton said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s not difficult to go out and have a good season with no expectations. When you do have expectations, it’s a different ballgame. As a team, we have to have the mind-set that we are going to win, especially the close games.”
Following is a look at what has to happen for the Rockies to go from pretender to contender, and the obstacles in their way.
Bullpen blues
By June 25 a year ago, the Rockies already had lost 27 games after holding a lead. A retooled bullpen led to improvement in the second half, and offseason additions have Hurdle believing in his bullpen. The Rockies acquired veteran relievers Jose Mesa and Ray King and re-signed Mike DeJean. Hurdle also is putting his faith in closer Brian Fuentes, who assumed the closer’s role during the 2005 season and saved 31 games.
“The bullpen, on paper, right now, is the best bullpen we have put together since I have been here,” Hurdle said.
It couldn’t get much worse. Colorado relievers converted just 37-of-63 saves (58.7 percent) a year ago, the lowest percentage in the NL. To perform up to Hurdle’s expectations, Mesa and King must prove they are more than bargain-basement pickups. Mesa was shaky with the Pirates, going 2-8 with a 4.76 ERA and converting 27-of-34 save opportunities. And King was used primarily against left-handers when with St. Louis, but the Rockies likely will need him to get both right- and left-handed hitters out on a consistent basis.
Starting over
To get to the bullpen, the Rockies’ rotation must build upon its second-half success. That means the young arms of Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis and Jason Jennings have to anchor the rotation and build upon the promise they’ve flashed.
“We have a starting rotation that very well could be very solid – as competitive as any we have ever had here,” Hurdle said.
Cook, armed with one of the best sinkers in the NL, went 7-2 after returning to the club at the end of July. However, he has yet to stay healthy and be effective for a full major-league season. Francis was 14-12 as a rookie in 2002, and 8-4 with a 4.88 ERA at Coors Field. But he was wildly inconsistent.
And the jury is still out on whether Jennings can be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. He went 20-9 in his first 39 major-league starts, with a 4.53 ERA, but is 29-34 with a 5.23 ERA since.
Filling out the rotation are Byung-Hyun Kim, a converted reliever, and Zach Day, who has also been inconsistent throughout his big-league career, with Josh Fogg bidding for a spot.
“The starting rotation is where most of the pressure lies in the big leagues,” said former Rockies outfielder Jeromy Burnitz, now with the Pirates. “I’ve faced Francis, and I think he has a chance to be a pretty good pitcher. And I think Cookie is a legit guy, but he’s got to pull through for six months.”
The same could be said for the entire rotation.
Growing up fast
The biggest obstacle to taking a major step forward, however, could simply be the team’s youth. A year ago, Rockies’ rookies led the major leagues in games played (941) and games started (590). Rare are the teams that go from last to first in one year when blending in as many young players as are playing at Coors.
Shortstop Clint Barmes, a leading rookie-of-the-year candidate until he sustained a broken collarbone on June 5, says the hard lessons learned from a 15-35 start a season ago will make the Rockies a better team. That might sound like wishful thinking, but when the Rockies gather in Tucson, Hurdle isn’t about to douse the hot flames of optimism that grow in the winter.
“To come in on the first day of spring training and our rallying cry is, ‘Let’s compete!’ – that would hit with a thud,” Hurdle said. “I’m not about to do that. I’m going to challenge these men to believe as big as they want to believe, and to dream as big as they want to dream.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck contributed to this story.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
RITES OF SPRING
The Rockies report to Tucson on Friday to begin spring training at Hi Corbett Field, where they have trained since 1993, their first season. Here are dates and facts fans should know:
KEY DATES
Friday: Pitchers and catchers report
Saturday: First team workout
Feb. 22: Position players report
Feb. 24: First full-squad workouts
March 1: First Cactus League game, vs. Chicago White Sox, 1:05 p.m., at Tucson Electric Park
March 2: First Cactus League home game, vs. White Sox, 1:05 p.m., at Hi Corbett Field
March 31: Final Cactus League home game, vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 1:05 p.m., at Hi Corbett Field
April 1: Final Cactus League game, vs. Milwaukee, 12:05 p.m., at Phoenix’s Maryvale Baseball Park
April 3: Regular-season opener, vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 12:05 p.m., at Coors Field
HI CORBETT FIELD
Located near the Randolph Park Golf Course, Hi Corbett Field sits at 3400 E. Camino Campestre, and is easily accessible from the Broadway exit off Interstate 10.
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased in Denver at the Coors Field ticket office, in Tucson at the Hi Corbett Field ticket office, at coloradorockies.com or by calling 1-800-388-ROCK or 520-327-9467. Prices at the 8,665-seat ballpark range from $2 to $13.
WORKOUTS AND AUTOGRAPHS
Rockies workouts at spring training have free admission, and fans can sit on bleachers and get an up-close view of batting practice.
Autograph seekers usually strike gold during spring training. Before the games start, players often are receptive to signing between workouts on the back practice fields.
When the exhibition schedule begins, autograph veterans line up outside the Rockies’ clubhouse door around 11 a.m. Players sometimes sign after games on the dugout steps or as they exit down the right-field line.
To get an autograph from the visiting team, go to the third-base side.
– Patrick Saunders
