bama45
03-24-2002, 06:25 PM
Colorado finds itself in a pretty tough division. World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks are predicted to win their division again by most sportswriters, San Francisco is sure to give Arizona a run for their money. The LA Dodgers are always a threat and the San Diego Padres could be vastly improved over last season. So where does this leave Colorado?
Colorado has an offense which proved itself last season by putting up big numbers. They were first in batting in the NL, first in total bases, first in slugging, first in On-Base %, first in runs scored. They were second in homeruns and second in stolen bases. The bad news was they ranked 16th in ERA and in saves. That is what killed them last season-pitching.
The 2002 Colorado Rockies don't look much different, but is hoped that pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle can both win 18 or more games.
Outfielder Juan Pierre will be the lead off hitter. He only had 29 K's in 617 at-bats on 2001
Second baseman Jose Ortiz will probably bat second. He averaged a HR in every 18.9 at-bats.
Outfielder Larry Walker will bat third. He hit .378 vs LHP's and batted .338 vs RHP's.
First baseman and slugger Todd Helton will bat clean-up. He is capable of hitting between 40 to 50 homeruns.
Third baseman Todd Zeile who came over from the Mets will bat fifth. Hit .317 with runners in scoring position in 01.
Outfielder Todd Hollandsworth is back healthy this year.
Catcher Ben Petrick should bat seventh. He had an .984 fielding percentage in 2001.
Shortstop Juan Uribe will bat eighth. He hit .329 with 41 RBI's with runners in scoring position.
As for the Rockies starting pitching staff, Hampton and Neagle will be counted on to carry most of the load. ShawnChacon had an 2.52 ERA in four September starts. John Thomson led rotation with 4.04 ERA and Jason Jennings had shutout and homer in his debut.
In the bullpen Colorado will depend on Jose Jimenez and Todd Jones. Jones has 183 saves in his career.
So if Colorado can get their defense and starting pitching to pitch effectively-watch out for the high scoring Rockies.
__________________
Keith Thronson
Colorado has an offense which proved itself last season by putting up big numbers. They were first in batting in the NL, first in total bases, first in slugging, first in On-Base %, first in runs scored. They were second in homeruns and second in stolen bases. The bad news was they ranked 16th in ERA and in saves. That is what killed them last season-pitching.
The 2002 Colorado Rockies don't look much different, but is hoped that pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle can both win 18 or more games.
Outfielder Juan Pierre will be the lead off hitter. He only had 29 K's in 617 at-bats on 2001
Second baseman Jose Ortiz will probably bat second. He averaged a HR in every 18.9 at-bats.
Outfielder Larry Walker will bat third. He hit .378 vs LHP's and batted .338 vs RHP's.
First baseman and slugger Todd Helton will bat clean-up. He is capable of hitting between 40 to 50 homeruns.
Third baseman Todd Zeile who came over from the Mets will bat fifth. Hit .317 with runners in scoring position in 01.
Outfielder Todd Hollandsworth is back healthy this year.
Catcher Ben Petrick should bat seventh. He had an .984 fielding percentage in 2001.
Shortstop Juan Uribe will bat eighth. He hit .329 with 41 RBI's with runners in scoring position.
As for the Rockies starting pitching staff, Hampton and Neagle will be counted on to carry most of the load. ShawnChacon had an 2.52 ERA in four September starts. John Thomson led rotation with 4.04 ERA and Jason Jennings had shutout and homer in his debut.
In the bullpen Colorado will depend on Jose Jimenez and Todd Jones. Jones has 183 saves in his career.
So if Colorado can get their defense and starting pitching to pitch effectively-watch out for the high scoring Rockies.
__________________
Keith Thronson