Denver Post sports writer Troy E. Renck posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week during the Major League Baseball season on DenverPost.com. Welcome to a special offseason installment.
To drop a Rockies- or MLB-related question into the Rockies Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Troy – Do the Rockies track how many innings young pitchers throw and try to bring them along slowly? I know last year was a necessity with the playoff push, but there’s a strong correlation between a jump in innings pitched in Year 2 and injury in Year 3. The Yankees are starting some of their young studs in the bullpen. Will Colorado follow suit with Franklin Morales?
— Luke, Dallas
Luke – The Rockies have gained a reputation for exercising patience – painfully so at times – with their prized young arms. The only ones fast tracked in recent seasons where Chin-Hui Tsao and Franklin Morales. Tsao’s career was sabotaged by injuries, though it’s my belief that it had more to do with the number of pitches he threw as a teenager in Taiwan before joining the Rockies’ organization.
In talking to pitching coach Bob Apodaca, he confirmed that Morales could start the season in the bullpen, noting that “there’s a long history of teams doing this with (top prospects), especially the Dodgers.” To the Rockies’ credit, they have always taken a long-term view with their players as it relates to health. They carefully monitor pitch counts at all levels. That said, Morales is a different animal and should be allowed to be the exception to rules if he shows he’s ready in spring training. If nothing else, he has a fluid motion, leaving him less susceptible to injury.
Do the Rockies regret giving up on retaining Jeremy Affeldt so early? They looked elsewhere because they thought he wanted a three-year deal. In the end he signed for one year at $3 million, which is less than what we paid for a tryout of Kip Wells.
— Mark Blackie, New Zealand
Mark – Your locale screams that the Rockies are no longer in baseball’s witness-relocation program. Nothing like a World Series berth to bring out fans from around the world.
To your question, the free-agent market is all about timing. The Rockies wanted to keep Affeldt, making their offer early in the offseason at a time when the left-hander wasn’t ready to make a decision. The Rockies, as a result, moved on. Affeldt either misjudged the market or overplayed his hand, depending on whom you ask.
When reliever Ron Mahay received a two-year, $8 million deal from the Kansas City Royals on Dec. 20, it appeared Affeldt would net a similar contract. An offer never transpired, leaving Affeldt to take a one-year, $3 million deal to start for Cincinnati. Affeldt has historically been more effective as a reliever (4.21 ERA) than a starter (5.41), so he’s taking an interesting risk.
On the surface, the Kip Wells’ signing doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially with Franklin Morales a candidate for the rotation’s fifth spot. However, there’s a strong possibility that Wells could end up in the bullpen, which, if he’s effective, makes his salary easy to justify.
What happened to Rodrigo Lopez? I don’t see him listed on the roster.
— David Howe, Denver
David – Rodrigo Lopez was last seen working the World Series as an analyst for Mexican TV. Lopez underwent elbow surgery seven months ago, and won’t be ready to pitch again until August at the earliest. Lopez, who was a stabilizing force in the rotation last April, told me he would like to re-sign with the Rockies when healthy. It wouldn’t surprise me if they took a flier on him if his arm recovers. Teams can never have enough arms as the Rockies proved last summer when they lost starting pitchers Aaron Cook, Jason Hirsh and Lopez over the course of a month.
Troy – I’m searching for tickets for the first game of 2008. However, the Rockies’ website is only selling opening-day packages. Where can I find single tickets? Any ticket outlet or box office?
— Mary Pat Farrell, Golden
Mary – The Rockies’ single-game tickets will go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. They can be purchased by phone, Internet – you need to create an online account on the team website – and in person at the Coors Field box office. Last year, I called for more than an hour before getting through and purchasing opening-day tickets. The team was coming off a last-place finish, so I would expect the demand this year to be much higher. That said, much of the delay last season was connected to the Yankees’ interleague series in June. There are no sexy American League opponents coming to Denver this season.
Troy – How come the Rockies did not hold a Fanfest outing this offseason? Most other clubs hold one during a weekend in the winter. It seems like this is an effective way for the Rockies fans to get connected with the players, and it is a good marketing tool.
— Ken, Lakewood
Ken – The Rockies used to run a caravan around the state in January. It died, then was resuscitated a few years ago only to flat line again. It’s hard to get players to commit to attending when most don’t live in Denver. There was talk of holding a Fanfest at the convention center, but nothing developed.
It surprises me, frankly, that they don’t stage such an event. Make a weekend of it in late January – fans love it because they can get autographs and hear the players speak, and the team benefits because it generates plenty of stories from the media that are less expensive than advertising. Hopefully, the Rockies will revisit Fanfest talks. Several teams – the Reds, Cubs, White Sox – hold successful events every year.
Can we talk about the possibility of moving Brad Hawpe? Seth Smith seems to have a pretty slow heartbeat at the plate, has similar power, is much faster, cheaper, and Hawpe should have value, especially if he is mixed with the right prospects, say, for a front-of-the-rotation starter … yes or no? To me, Garrett Atkins is more important to keep, and they can’t keep both, correct?
— Rory Kelly, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Rory – The Rockies have been reluctant to deal Hawpe, given his power and their success in exercising patience with players. His name came up two winters ago when the Pirates were looking to deal a starter for a slugger. This is an important season for Hawpe. He could morph into an all-star if he consistently hits lefties (he has batted .220 off them in his career) and regain his traction defensively. Even though he’s one of the big leagues’ streakiest hitters, Hawpe hit 29 home runs with 116 RBIs last season. As it stands, I don’t see the Rockies awarding long-term deals to both Hawpe and Atkins. Given Smith’s presence, there’s no urgency to the Hawpe talks. If Hawpe regresses this year, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Rockies looked to move him for pitching.
Who is your pick at second base: Jayson Nix, Marcus Giles, Ian Stewart or Jeff Baker?
— Morgan, Littleton
Morgan – Second base will be the Rockies’ version of “American Idol.” Instead of going to Hollywood, the winner gets an all-expense-paid trip to St. Louis for opening day.
Nix, a terrific defender, is seeded first on the depth chart. He will get the benefit of the doubt, which means he will have to lose the job more than win it outright. Giles provides insurance if Nix doesn’t hit. Baker is my dark horse because of his power and previous experience as a middle infielder in college.
I have long been a Stewart fan, but his transition from third to second figures to be extremely challenging. It should be obvious before the exhibition games in March whether it’s worth continuing the experiment with Stewart and Baker.
I really like what the Rockies have done this year and hope they continue to: 1) build from within; 2) keep their own; 3) sprinkle them with good free-agent signings. Having said that, why hasn’t the club brought back Jason Jennings, even if it’s just for a year? At a reduced salary, I would love a starting five of Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, Jennings, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Hirsh.
— Scott Moore, Tulsa, Okla.
Scott – The Rockies had some initial interest in Jennings, the franchise’s all-time winningest pitcher. And Jennings was open-minded about coming back. However, the Rockies’ preference this offseason was to go with pitchers sans medical questions, especially since the only opening is at fifth starter.
Jennings, who had a torn flexor tendon repaired last summer, should be ready to start the season for the Texas Rangers. He received a $4 million contract with $4 million in incentives if he reaches 200 innings. Wells signed for a guaranteed $3.1 million with $1.5 million incentives. Wells, Mark Redman and Josh Towers are candidates for the fifth spot. The total guarantee is $4.5 million. The math makes sense as insurance, particularly since all have bullpen experience, which is where one or two of them could end up if Franklin Morales enjoys a solid spring training.
Denver Post sports writer Troy E. Renck is starting his 13th season of covering the Colorado Rockies, his seventh for The Denver Post. To drop a question into his Rockies Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
