SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In the interest of political correctness, the Rockies’ best player is Carlos Tulowitzki. And their best pitcher is Ubaldo Jimenez.
So who’s their most intriguing player? Which one among them is capable of having a season ranging from under the radar to off the charts?
That’s easy. It’s Jhoulys Chacin.
There’s no telling what this kid might do. I don’t want to call him a manchild, but I guess I just did. At 23, he could win eight or 10 games or 18 games. He could strike out 150 or 220. His ERA could be 3.80 or 2.80.
But know this about Chacin: It’s when, not if. Jim Tracy says Chacin is capable of becoming one of the game’s elite starters. At this point, that qualifies as stating the obvious.
Only time will tell if 2011 is Chacin’s breakthrough year. For now, I thought you would like to know how he has arrived on the cusp so quickly.
How? Their names are Rafael Betancourt, Jorge De La Rosa and Jimenez, among others. Chacin, more than any other player in the Rockies’ clubhouse, has benefited from the presence of so many Hispanic teammates.
A few years ago, he couldn’t speak a word of English. He fidgeted when a reporter walked his way. He adopted Red Lobster as his favorite restaurant because it had a lot of pictures on the menu.
“It’s really hard,” said Chacin, one of seven Venezuelans bound for the Rockies’ opening-day roster. “People don’t know how hard it is. I’d look at pictures on the menu and say, ‘Hey, this!’ My American friends, I still ask them to tell me if I say something wrong or if it’s good.”
Is it any wonder that nerves ate him alive in his early days in the big leagues? No more. Chacin, named the No. 3 starter last week, is ready to deal, in part because of the Spanish-speaking voices around him.
One resonates with him more than any other. That would be Jimenez, whose influence in the Rockies’ big picture goes far beyond the mound. It’s one thing for others to tell Chacin he has a chance at greatness. It’s different when Jimenez does it.
“It’s an honor to be his teammate,” Chacin said. “I knew him when he was young, and then I saw him pitch in the World Series. He did it, and now I’m here. I’m going to try to do what he did.”
