Frankie K Makes Case for Rotation

It seems the Rockies have finally remembered that while Spring Training games don't necessarily mean anything come April, it doesn't hurt to come away victorious every now and then.

After losing the first seven games in Arizona, the Rockies have now won their last six, the most recent coming Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels (redundancy alert) of Anaheim and Most Parts of Southern California not Including San Bernadino or Sea World.

Though still three and a half weeks from the Apr. 6 opener, some key players on the Rockies' roster are starting to emerge from their winter hibernation. Aaron Cook enjoyed his most impressive start of the spring yesterday against Cleveland by tossing five scoreless innings while striking out seven and walking none.

Ubaldo Jimenez, in his lone World Baseball Classic appearance, nearly set baseball in the Netherlands back a decade by striking out a WBC-record ten in only four innings.

Manny Corpas also returned from the WBC yesterday to add another scoreless inning to his spring total keeping his ERA a sparkling 0.00. It sure looks a lot better than his closer's role counterpart Huston Street who needed a spotless inning in Thursday's ballgame to get his ERA under 20.00.

But the man who's making me optimistic for our 2009 starting rotation is the man who will hopefully earn the chance to round it out: Franklin Morales.

Once a hotshot prospect in the Rockies system (and still is, I guess since he only just turned 23) Franklin aided the Rox in their Rocktober run in 2007 and made the Opening Day rotation in 2008 only to find himself in AAA a month later with a battered ego and a 6.39 ERA.

It also came to light this year that he pitched all last season with back pain, yet refused to bring it up to anyone in the organization who could have helped him, either with the pain or with his flawed mechanics caused by his adjustments to try and alleviate the stiffness in his back.

His regression in 2008 was reflected in his numbers in AAA. He never regained any form of consistency, going 10-5 but sporting a 5.47 ERA and an appalling 83/82 K/BB ratio.

This spring, however, with a clean bill of health and a clearer mind on the mound, Morales has impressed the Rockies' brass with his fastball command and presence on the hill.

Though his ERA currently stands at an unimpressive 4.85, that number is skewed from a start against the Angels where he allowed seven runs in three innings pitched.

His initial appearance of the spring showed a flash of the Morales of old as he tossed two scoreless, hitless innings against the White Sox. He also struck out two, and more importantly, didn't walk a batter.

His next start against the Angels set him back, but he responded to that awful outing with a scoreless, four inning start against the Giants where he struck out three and walked none.

Thursday, facing the Angels again, Morales made the necessary adjustments from facing the Angels previously and threw four innings, allowing only two runs on four hits. He also picked off two baserunners (for what that's worth).

In the race for the fifth spot in the Rockies' starting rotation between Morales, Greg Smith, Greg Reynolds, Josh Fogg, Jason Hirsh, and Matt Belisle, Morales has shown the Rockies what they needed to see to put their faith back in a prospect once thought to be the future of the starting five.

Three out of four nearly spotless appearances will certainly go a long way in seeing Morales' name penciled in to start every fifth day in 2009.

The 2009 Rockies: Starting Rotation

So, now that Broncos season is, ahem, over in somewhat unceremonious fashion, it is finally time to turn both our eyes to the upcoming 2009 baseball season. Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for the Nuggets to keep on keepin' on just as much as the next guy, but to me, it's all about baseball.

The Rockies have definitely stirred the proverbial pot this offseason by making moves both major and minor in hopes of finding the correct chemistry to put a winner on the field. They traded superstar slugger Matt Holliday for prospects, cut ties with speedster Willy Taveras, and added a bit of depth to the back end of the rotation as well as the middle innings of the bullpen.

They are also on the verge of finalizing a deal that would send high-priced reliever Luis Vizcaino to the Cubbies for high-priced starting pitcher Jason Marquis.

Viz struggled to a 5.28 ERA in 43 games last season while never carving out a niche for himself in Hurdle's bullpen. Marquis enjoyed an up and down season with the Cubs finishing with an 11-9 record and a 4.63 ERA. His signing would raise the Rox' payroll about $5 million in 2009.

Marquis would fill in a blank spot in the rotation after Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, and a (hopefully) rejuvenated Jeff Francis. With the amount we would be paying Marquis for the 2009 season, you would have to believe that he would have the number 4 or 5 spot locked up. That would leave the other spot up for a heated competition between Jorge de la Rosa, newly acquired Greg Smith, Greg Reynolds, and Jason Hirsh when Spring Training opens.

De la Rosa overcame some early season Rick Ankiel-ness and actually ended the year in impressive fashion compiling a 5-2 record with a 2.44 ERA over the season's final two months. He has a live fastball and a biting slider with a slow curve that throws off the hitter's timing. For Rosie to be successful, it's all just a matter of getting out of his own head. Don't think. It can only hurt the ballclub.

Smith is an intriguing piece of work we received from the A's for Matt Holliday. His stats from his rookie season will not inspire confidence in the Rockies' faithful (7-16, 4.16 ERA,) but outside appearances can be deceiving. He's a Tom Glavine-type with a big-league cutter and curveball with a show-me changeup. His minor league numbers were outstanding as he had three times as many strikeouts as walks (309/105) compared to his banal Major League numbers (111/87.)

To me, that just shows some inexperience and rookie butterflies, and he should rebound in his sophomore season and remember what made him such a valuable commodity in the Minor Leagues. For what it's worth, he also has one of the better pickoff moves in baseball as he tallied 15 in his rookie year.

Reynolds, the number 2 pick in the 2006 draft (before Tim Lincecum to name a few), didn't make the kind of impression that one would hope he would. Brough up to the Majors by necessity after injuries besieged the ballclub, he made his debut in May and absorbed a loss to the Padres. It wouldn't get much better for the kid as the season went on as he racked up a 2-8 record with an 8.13 ERA while notching more walks (26) than strikeouts (22.)

Hirsh is running out of time to prove that his extensive Minor League track record (Pitcher of the Year in both AA and AAA) will translate into Major League success. He'll be 27 when the season starts hoping to find his fastball instead of relying so heavily on his changeup and slider. If he doesn't crack the rotation coming out of Spring Training, Hirsh may be relegated once again to the Minor Leagues where he's toiled for the majority of his career.

As I see it shaking out currently, the Rockies rotation will look like this:

Aaron Cook
Jeff Francis
Ubaldo Jimenez
Jason Marquis
Greg Smith/De la Rosa

Of course, whoever performs in Spring Training are going to take those bottom two spots, but I feel like Hurdle will want another lefty in the rotation. Whoever impresses most out of Smith and Rosie will take the final position.

I'll be analyzing the moves made by the Rockies as it relates to the bullpen, infield, and outfield in the coming days. I'm about to move out of Colorado to Virginia, so don't be scared if you don't hear from me for a little while.