The Denver Postap Nick Groke answered questions from readers about the Colorado Rockies Tuesday. Here are some highlights:
With Jonathan Lucroy on the team now, who do the Rockies keep as their No. 2 catcher? or Ryan Hanigan?
Nick: We’ll find out in a few hours. But as of right now, at 12:01 mountain standard time, it seems like Tony Wolters’ time for a Triple-A break. He looks worn out. He’s struggling at the plate. He’s had multiple concussions. He’s still learning the position.
Problem is, though, when Wolters is on, he’s a better hitter than both Hanigan and Jonathan Lucroy. So even if he is optioned today to Triple-A, you will not have heard the last of him.
Hey Nick! What do you think will happen with the Rockies’ rotation when and get back in action?
Nick: Your question is perhaps the most crucial for the Rockies going forward. Chad Bettis will be back very soon. And manager Bud Black has said Bettis is a starter. They are building him to be a starter. He’s stretching out to be one. And the Rox could use a veteran arm — he’s not old, by any stretch, but at 28, he is their oldest pitcher.
Anderson’s situation is murkier. He is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, so he will wait. But he is walking and moving and throwing just fine. He’s just not pitching off a mound yet. He will return at some point this season, but where and when is a lingering question.
That leaves the rotation part of your Q. Right now, as we sit, the Rockies rotation is, probably, loosely, in this order:
RH Jon Gray
LH Kyle Freeland
RH German Marquez
RH Tyler Chatwood
RH Jeff Hoffman
Now, hold on…
That leaves Bettis and, perhaps, Anderson to find spots for. And Antonio Senzatela, who has pitched the third-most innings on the team this year, is currently in the bullpen.
The rotation will be fluid the next few months. But when all the dust settles, my guess for the late September rotation is:
Gray
Freeland
Bettis
Marquez
and, let’s say, Hoffman
Now (wow this answer is getting long-winded, but bear with me)…
That would leave Chatwood, Anderson and Senzatela as potential bullpen pieces. Are there three spots for them in the bullpen? I’d say perhaps. And Chatwood could certainly remain in the rotation.
With Senzatela, hitters figured him out. He throws a ton of fastballs and a couple sliders. That’s basically it. So hitters were sitting waiting for his fastball, and he got wild recently, and was unable to pinpoint his accuracy like he had earlier in the season. That’s what he’s working through right now behind the scenes. For this season, and remember he’s just 22 years old, his best spot seems to be in the bullpen, where you can get away with two pitches. Or, maybe he goes to Albuquerque for more priming.
Hey Nick! What impact will Ryan McMahon make on the Rockies this year? Is he going to land on the postseason roster?
Nick: Thank you for saving me from myself with that looooong pitching answer. On to a hitter: McMahon is raking through the Pacific Coast League. He seems very ready to compete in the big-leagues. And when rosters expand in September, he seems a prime candidate to gain experience. Here’s the problem though: He would not be a starter at any of his three positions (first base, second base or third base) because those spots are held firm. In a postseason race, it’s not a good time to just toss a dude into the fire. So will we see him? Probably. And for postseason rosters? Wow, that’s a question far beyond the curved-earth horizon for me to answer. Probably not in his cards though.
Any guess on which Rockies will win postseason awards? I figure is a shoe-in for the Gold Glove again.
Nick: You can consider Arenado as a Gold Glover to be a stronger guarantee than Floyd Mayweather dominating Conor McGregor. It’s in the bag. A Silver Slugger award might be in that bag too, perhaps. The MVP race is interesting. Arenado will be in contention, although I wouldn’t make him a favorite by any means. , too, should and will get consideration. To the strict definition of “most valuable” they have both been very much so to a Rockies team that is well above .500 and in postseason contention.
How scary is the Dodgers’ rotation now that they have Yu Darvish? They seem like they have the momentum of a runaway freight train. Can the Rockies catch up?
Nick: Scarier than that dream I had recently where I was stuck on an elevator with Anthony Scaramucci and all we had to eat was a half-frozen microwavable burrito and a year-old copy of People magazine. First, they were scary to begin with. Kershaw, duh. And Alex Wood has been awesome this year. I think he should definitely factor in Cy Young voting. Rich Hill is very good, too, I mean the Rockies would love a Rich Hill, or should. And NOW on top of everything, they have another ace in Yu Darvis, to basically be their No. 3?! C’mon.
Here’s one bit of hope for the Rockies, though: Darvish has never pitched in . If the Rockies face the Dodgers in the postseason and Darvish picks up a game in Denver, who knows what might happen. That sounds like a recipe in the Rockies’ favor.
Hey Nick, any creative ideas on what to do about ? This is getting hard (sad?) to watch.
Nick: Honestly, not to dodge your question, but I’ve asked around constantly and really, there’s nothing specifically to do with Carlos Gonzalez. He has to play out of it. He has to figure it out on his own and find a spark or a rhythm or whatever. That’s the only way. And he has to be in the lineup to get there. That’s the problem. There will come a time when it’s either find it or forget it.
Now, CarGo has a nice little hitting streak going, so there is perhaps some light. But he’s still making weak contact and showing frustration. And he’s not hitting home runs, which is his forte. So we’ll see. They really need him.
What does our payroll look like for next year to bring in another pitcher, whether starter or bullpen? Assume that one or two of the four rookies will have the normal sophomore struggle.
Nick: Rox will shed CarGo’s contract and the dead money they’re still paying and . That will account for basically $45 million. A noice little chunk of change really. How they spend it, if they spend it, will be interesting. Maybe they will get involved in the Greg Holland sweepstakes. Maybe they’ll spread it around to shore up depth. My foresight extends only to the 1 o’clock hour today.
Do you think Brendan Rodgers starts at shortstop next season?
Nick: On Day 1? That’s a big jump for a guy who has about a month in Double-A. But it’s been done. Don’t forget, even though he’s a shortstop by trade, he is playing a lot of second base. That’s also a possibility by the time he gets to the bigs. Your question will definitely be an interesting one during spring training next year…
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