Good thing pencils are cheap.
The Rockies cannot afford to put anything in ink.
Can anybody here hit cleanup? Is Ubaldo Jimenez ready to become a Cy Young candidate? How many games can Todd Helton or Jeff Francis win from the training room? Will empty seats at Coors Field cost manager Clint Hurdle his job?
This is a baseball team with so many questions that, as the Rockies pack for spring training, they better leave room in the suitcase for a Magic 8 Ball.
The answers won’t always be easy or clear. So frustration could result. But please remember: Shaking the Magic 8 Ball does not help.
Will Hurdle be the manager of the team on May 15?
Magic 8 Ball sez: “Better not tell you now.”
A weaker man than Hurdle could injure himself carrying the lineup card to home plate, from the temptation to look over his shoulder at Jim Tracy, hired to be the team’s bench coach and the skipper in waiting, should the Rockies falter out of the gate.
While most observers of the Hurdle Watch keep tabs on wins and losses, it might be more instructive to count empty seats at the ballpark in LoDo.
In a tough economy, customers will vote on Hurdle’s future with their wallets.
Can Jimenez become the first true ace in franchise history?
Magic 8 Ball sez: “Without a doubt.”
Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal once grabbed my arm, nodded toward Jimenez and told me in a whisper framed by a knowing smile: Watch this kid.
If faith is the belief in what has not yet been seen, then the best answer to the prayers of Rockies fans is to dream that Jimenez harnesses all of his considerable powers and wins 18 games this year.
Should Brad Hawpe be trusted with the responsibility of batting in the four hole?
Magic 8 Ball sez: “Outlook not so good.”
Despite the notoriously streaky reputation of his bat, Hawpe is now a 29-year-old player who consistently seems to finish with a .280 batting average, 25 homers and 125 strikeouts.
Not that there’s anything wrong with those numbers, except it’s not the production of a cleanup hitter who is going to put fear in the hearts of pitchers.
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has more upside as a slugger than Hawpe does, if you ask me.
And, ultimately, Garrett Atkins would seem to be the most logical choice to bat fourth in this lineup.
Are Francis and Helton both likely to be reliable performers?
Magic 8 Ball sez: “Very doubtful.”
It told us everything to be understood about the limited resources of Rockies ownership when slugger Matt Holliday was shipped to the Oakland A’s, where general manager Billy Beane made his “Moneyball” fame through the magic of making victories appear by rubbing two nickels together.
But know what really hurts?
Two seasons ago, when Colorado advanced to the World Series, the 17 victories by Francis and Helton’s .434 on-base percentage led the team.
With both the left-handed pitcher and veteran first baseman nursing the sort of nagging injuries that tend to linger, it could be that Colorado has lost not one, but three important players who made Rocktober 2007 possible.
Did general manager Dan O’Dowd do anything truly meaningful to improve this ballclub?
Magic 8 Ball sez: “As I see it, yes.”
Acquiring starting pitcher Jason Marquis from the Chicago Cubs was a brilliant move by O’Dowd, quite possibly the best deal he has made since 2001, when Colorado stole reliever Brian Fuentes from Seattle.
OK, so nobody is confusing Marquis with Tim Lincecum, or Hiroki Kuroda, for that matter.
But Marquis is tough enough to chew glass and eat innings.
Here’s betting he wins more games in 2009 than Randy Johnson.
Is any team in the NL West certain to win more than 83 games?
Magic 8 Ball sez: “Don’t count on it.”
So, if the Rockies can find some way to play .500 baseball, it might be impossible to count them out.
If Manny Ramirez signs with Los Angeles or San Francisco, there’s your division favorite. But, other than San Diego, everybody has a shot.
Heck, if you want to be as eternally optimistic as Rockies owner Charlie Monfort, it is conceivable Colorado could sneak into the playoffs to start another unlikely run to the Series.
All that has to happen is for Hawpe to hit 40 homers, Jimenez to pitch 20 victories and Tulowitzki to make fans feel good about donating their old Holliday replica jerseys to Goodwill.
In other words: There better be a whole lotta magic in that 8 Ball.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
