DENVER—The Colorado Rockies didn’t just move into spiffy new spring training digs this year. They also graduated to elevated expectations.
“When you walk into this clubhouse, it’s no longer, ‘Can we win this division?'” Jason Giambi said. “I think it’s a failure for this year if we’re not a World Series contender.”
There is optimism surrounding the young Rockies, who believe they have the talent and depth to contend in the NL West—and will do all in their power to keep the World Series champion San Francisco Giants from defending their division crown.
Colorado spent nearly $300 million this winter to improve a club that finished 83-79 last season for third place in the West despite being crippled by injuries and losing 13 of its final 14 games.
It was the little things they worked on during their time at the new state-of-the-art spring training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., that they hope will make a difference in 2011.
“We all know that whatever you do in the winter doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t play well in the spring, summer and fall,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said after inking Carlos Gonzalez (seven years, $80 million) and Troy Tulowitzki (seven years, $134.5 million) to long-term deals in the offseason. “We’ve got a long ways to go to improve our style of play.”
That means better situational hitting outside of Tulo and CarGo and better pitching to back up Ubaldo Jimenez, Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa.
Manager Jim Tracy showed up the first full day of workouts in February with the entire team and had a bunch of numbers on a screen in the theater room at Salt River Fields.
—833. Number of days Rockies spent on DL last year.
—58. Number of one-run games last year.
—30. Times the Rockies lost by one run last year.
—10. Times Colorado lost ninth-inning leads and then lost on walkoffs on the road.
—90-73. Rockies’ 2007 record when they were NL champs.
—92-70. Colorado’s ’09 record when they were the NL wild-card.
—83-79. Colorado’s record last year.
“With all that being said, we were 82-66 on the 19th of September, playing a game to tie for first that we led by five runs in the third inning,” Tracy said. “… That was a little synopsis of 2010. I asked them, ‘Where do we want to go in 2011?'”
“We want to go to the World Series,” Gonzalez said, “and win the whole thing.”
“I feel like we have a good chance,” Tulowitzki concurred. “We’ve been there before. We’ve made a couple playoff appearances. Last year we had some injuries and we didn’t play good baseball down the stretch. We know that. I like the guys that we have on our team already and we’ve made some nice offseason moves. If things fall into place we can definitely make a run.”
The Rockies outfield will once again consist of Gonzalez, their Triple Crown threat who played All-Star level defense at all three spots last year, in left, Dexter Fowler in center and Seth Smith and Ryan Spilborghs splitting time in right.
Jose Lopez is Tulowitzki’s new double-play partner with Clint Barmes in Houston and Chris Iannetta is the front-line catcher with Miguel Olivo gone. Another newcomer, Ty Wigginton, should get plenty of playing time at the corner infield spots, spelling Todd Helton at first base and Ian Stewart at third.
The Rockies re-signed the flame-throwing lefty De La Rosa (two years, $21.5 million), jump-starting their roaringly successful offseason. He joins Jimenez, the staff ace, and up-and-coming star Chacin to form one of the most promising young rotations in baseball. Jason Hammel and Esmil Rodgers round out the rotation with Aaron Cook on the DL.
Closer Huston Street is looking for a bounce-back season after an injury-plagued 2010 in which he saved 20 games in 25 chances. Matt Lindstrom (23/29 saves with Houston) is ready if Street loses his mojo, though.
The Rockies also are counting on rebound seasons from Smith and Stewart—and they’re hoping the addition of Carney Lansford as hitting coach will help—and Helton, who’s been plagued by a chronically sore back for several seasons. To save wear and tear on Helton, the Rockies will rotate in Wigginton and Giambi.
Helton is on a mission to erase all memories of his disappointing 2010 performance. He acknowledged he didn’t work hard enough last year and his mental approach suffered.
“Just a bad year all around, physically, mentally. I didn’t compete well,” Helton said. “As you get older, it’s easier and easier not to work out and push yourself as hard as needs to be the case if you’re going to be a big league player.”
The 37-year-old Helton batted a career-worst .256 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 118 games last year and dealt with yet further back trouble—a far cry from the superstar seasons that had come to be expected of him.
He recommitted himself in the offseason.
“I understand I’m not going to be the same player I was when I was 27 but I can be the best that I can be at this particular time in my career, which is doing everything I can to be ready to play the next day,” Helton said.
“I am ready for the challenge.”
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AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed from Scottsdale, Ariz.
