With the Franchises 3rd city change in 7 seasons, the Rockies remain an offensive force wherever they would play. A deep, veteran lineup, rotation, & bullpen make this a team capable of going far in the playoffs and also of catastrophy. GM kb after years of trying and being conservative for the most part, took a risk and increased payroll 20 mil. The Rockies aquired some aging, but quality veterans to add to an already strong team. Still with a high training budget to keep injuries to a minimum, the medical staff has been slashed and the Rockies will need a little luck to make it through unscathed. Core players Spud Hoyt, Charlie Stone, & Rico Dali are in their prime or entering their prime so the franchise expects to compete as long as they have their trio to build around. Gm kb always tends to make efforts to keep his core players and moves around the fringe guys. Barring catastrophic injury this team should finish with a win total in the 90s for the next 3 or 4 seasons as all are their vets are signed and of high quality. A championship caliber team with aspirations for the title.
Here are your season 11 Colorado Rockies:
C- William Hernandez & Vicente Unamuno are a two-headed beast that will share time between catcher, DH, & 1b. Hernandez will start as he calls the best game. While neither has the range to play anywhere but catcher, thier bats dictate both will be in the lineup as often as possible.
1b- John Bang & Andrew Spencer will man 1b when Hernandez or Unamuno aren't playing there. Bang will get lefties and Spencer righties. Both are legends in their own rights in the twilights of their careers. They are both great hitters.
2b- Spud Hoyt will be the starting 2b. Hoyt is the team captain, an all star, and leader in many franchise all time categories. Just signed to a 5 year extension, he will be on the franchise for all of his productive years. Had his best all around season last year.
3b- Carlos Santiago will start at 3b. Santiago was aquired in a last minute deal with cincinnati shoring up a hole at the position. Aquiring Santiago was costly, with young reliever Orlando Delgadoand vet OF Carlos Ortiz going to the Reds. The Rockies expect 2 big years out of Santiago while he trys to gain steam in negotiations for his last big contract at 35.
SS- Charlie Stone is the shortstop and franchise jewel. An All star in his first two seasons, narrowly missing the rookie of the year in season 9. The Rockies expect the same for many years to come. Has some chance at MVP.
LF- Dallas Payton is an MLB legend and HOF canididate with tons of hardware and no doubt more to come. What more can be said?
CF- Sidney Kotsay is a solid veteran CF who may qualify for the HOF by the time he is done. Signed to a 2 year contract as an FA he earned a 2 year 7mil extension with his play at the age of 34.
RF- Juan Castro is the RF moving over from 3b. Castro is a long time slugger probably surpassing 450 hrs this season and signed for 2 more. He is a HOF canididate and will no doubt surpass 500 and has an outside chance at 600 career HRs.
DH- Wascar Sanchez will be the full time DH. With a move to Colorado and able to focus entirely on hitting, the Rockies expect some huge numbers from this guy. My guess as the season 11 silver slugger/all star DH.
Utility/Bench- Kerry Thurman & Derrick Lackey are solid, veteran utility guys who could start on a lot of teams and are great insurance in case of injury. Both are very good hitters to boot.
Starting Pitching- Rico Dali,
Dick Reed, Don Benson, Chad Sanders, & Nicholas Perry comprise the rotation. Dali will be mentored by the other 4 solid veterans taking a lot of pressure of him and opening the door for a big season. While unspecatacular, the starting 5 from top to bottom are very solid pitchers.
Bullpen- Long Relievers Randy Halladay, Raymond Marte, & Frank Kim, will bridge the gap to setup men Louis Bunch, Bill Roth, & Shigetoshi Martin. Miguel Owen will return for a 3rd season and close. He has 2 straight 40+ save seasons.
Overall the pitching is a solid, veteran, staff that keeps the ball in the park. They are durable and talented. While not the best staff in the league they are certainly one of the most solid top to bottom. Almost every pitcher is a vet with a proven track record of success.
The Colorado Rockies have every intention on returning to the playoffs and hopes that the veteran additions can put them over the top and win that 1 more game to get them into the World Series. This isn't the end of the line as stated in the beginning, but the franchise has a 2 or 3 year window and then will have to rebuild. Hopefully Gm kb has done enough.
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