Tucson – Rockies first baseman Ryan Shealy is a hot commodity stuck on the shelf.
His sore elbow sabotaged an attempt to convert him to a part-time outfielder. And with Todd Helton entrenched at first, there’s no room for Shealy on the 25-man roster.
That makes the 26-year-old slugger prime trade bait.
But the Rockies are reluctant to move Shealy. He has great character, is a tireless worker and a nifty fielder, hit .330 in 36 big-league games last season and provides protection should Helton’s back flare up again.
Shealy is likely to begin the season on the disabled list or with Triple-A Colorado Springs. Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd has no immediate plans to shop Shealy but didn’t rule out a future trade.
“I think it’s easy to speculate that we will look at doing something with Ryan at some point and time, but not in the near future,” O’Dowd said Wednesday before the Rockies’ 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park. “We want to get him healthy first. And you have to get value for value; that’s why we’re not in any rush.”
A team such as Cincinnati, with Scott Hatteberg at first base, could have a place for Shealy. Boston and Cleveland had expressed interest, but there is no fit for Shealy at this point. The Indians are happy with Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez.
Bullpen watch
Relievers Jose Mesa, Tom Martin and Jaime Cerda combined for four shutout innings and Colorado’s bullpen has not allowed any runs in the past 12 1/3 innings. Martin and Cerda are battling each other and Scott Dohmann and David Cortes for the two remaining bullpen spots.
Martin pitched one inning, allowed no baserunners and struck out two.
“There’s no nervousness; if anything it’s just determination right now,” said Martin, who has allowed one run in eight innings this spring.
Cerda gave up two hits in his two innings, and although he worked through some traffic, he hasn’t allowed a run in eight spring appearances.
Footnotes
Starter Jeff Francis remains a work in progress after giving up three runs on nine hits in five innings. “There definitely is something not quite right,” he said. “The good thing is if I can find the right release point, I can start putting the ball where I need to, when I need to.” … Fifth-starter candidate Josh Fogg was impressive in a minor-league game, throwing 61 pitches in six innings and giving up just two hits. Fogg’s chief competitors – Zach Day and Sun-Woo Kim – are scheduled to pitch today. Day takes on Arizona at Tucson Electric Park. Kim will throw a camp game at Hi Corbett Field. … Helton’s first-inning double off the center-field wall was his best power swing this spring, hitting above the 405-foot mark. … Luis Gonzalez’s infield single in fourth extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The team record is 16, set by Helton in 2000. … Infielder Jamey Carroll hit a two-run single and has five RBIs, all with two out.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
