The Rockies prospect has a good sinking fastball that peaks at 94 mph and he also has a nice changeup. His breaking ball is still a work in progress and is one of the main culprits behind his struggles at double-A in 2009. With any luck, while pitching out of the Colorado bullpen, he can work on sharpening up his curve. To further his development and value, though, the Rockies coaches will have to ensure that Chacin works on the pitch in game situations and does not stick the pitch in his back pocket in favor of his fastball-changeup combo.
Just 21, Chacin has a bright future in Colorado, especially with a career minor league ground-ball rate of 59.6%. The right-hander could end up being a key, young arm late in the 2009 season for the Colorado Rockies, but his fantasy baseball value should be much higher in 2010 and beyond as a member of the starting rotation
Colorado Rockies
Jhoulys Chacin
Rockies add Betancourt to bullpen mix
Rumors were flying all afternoon that the Rockies would be making a new addition to their bullpen. That addition came in the form of Rafael Betancourt.
With the addition of Betancourt, coupled with the recent additions of Morales and Chacin, the Rockies' bullpen looks much better than it did a couple of weeks ago; the Rockies could further upgrade the bullpen by figuring out a way to get Matt Herges in there (Herges, along with Betancourt, was one of the Indians' most reliable relievers this year.) What's more, the Rockies were able to do it without sacrificing much from the farm: to get Betancourt, the Rockies gave up RHP Connor Graham. Graham does have potential with a nice mid-90s fastball and slider combo, but so far in the minors his command has given him problems, and he's still in A-ball.
Corpas heads back to DL; Chacin era begins
Chacin makes the jump from AA Tulsa, in something of a surprise. I would have thought that the Rockies would call up Esmil Rogers before him, as Rogers is in AAA and he's already on the 40-man roster; if the Rockies had been planning to call up Chacin, I would have figured they'd move him up to AAA first. Instead, word leaked out last night when Chacin was pulled from his scheduled start after the first inning and, apparently, sent to the Tulsa International Airport to take the next flight to Denver, where he'll join the Rockies in time for the three-game series against the Giants -- which could, by the way, be the most important series of the season.
Chacin will work out of the bullpen to start, but the Rockies surely still see him as a future starter. In this case, I'm giving the Rockies the thumbs-up for giving the shot to the youngster instead of reaching for the phone to dial one of the several pitchers who have been riding the shuttle from Colorado Springs to Denver for most of the season.
NL West: The 2nd Best Division in MLB
Hear Hear!
The NL Worst. The NL Weak Division. We've heard it all. After a 2007 NLCS matchup pitting two West teams, we hoped that would change, but a brutal 2008 revitalized that reputation. With San Diego set to field an epicly bad team coming into the 2009, the division's reputation didn't get better in the eyes of many. Times have changed. Don't believe what your TV says. The Mets and Phillies can eat my shorts. Outside of the AL East and their monstrous payrolls, the best baseball is being played in the West. Here's some fun factoids for you:* 9 teams have 50 wins. 3 are in the AL East, 3 in in the NL West, and one each in the AL West, NL East, and NL Central.
* 7 teams have a run differential of +40 or more. 3 are in the AL East, 3 in in the NL West, and one in the NL East.
* 4 teams have 30 home wins. 2 are in the AL East, 2 in the NL West.
* 3 teams have at least 27 road victories. 2 are in the NL West, one in the NL East, and NONE in the AL East.
* 6 NL teams were .500 or better in interleague. 3 of those are in the NL West.
* T3 of the top 4 teams in the NL by win percentage are in the West.
* The best team in MLB is in the NL West.
Smith's clutch play earns him more time
Well the Rockies might as well send Carlos Gonzalez back down to AAA then, just get him regular work.
"As we go on now from day to day, you have to answer the question of who's the best offensive group you can put out there to start the game," Tracy said. "Right now, Seth Smith enters into that discussion every afternoon in my office. That's why we have him out there."Smith worked his way back into the starting lineup, battling for time with Carlos Gonzalez, by making the most of his time as a pinch-hitter. His .480 batting average as a pinch-hitter ranks No. 1 in the Major Leagues. Smith also leads the club with a .409 on-base percentage.
"He's obviously making his mark, there's no question about that," Tracy said. "Really what we're seeing out of him offensively right now, I don't know if it makes a difference as to what role he's in. We're going to get a good at-bat from him every time we send him up there."
Smith pushing way into lineup
“I have been asked a lot of questions about Seth Smith’s playing time and this, that and the other,” Tracy said. “But a guy that’s pushing the envelope like that, and where we are at at this point and time in the season, you are going to look for opportunities to use him, I can promise you that. You can’t ignore him. No way.”
To sum up just how hot Smith has been in the late innings, consider these facts, dug up by the Rockies’ media relations staff: Smith is now 7-for-his-last-7 when batting in the seventh inning and later (dating back to a pinch-hit appearance on July 4). He is hitting .417
(25-for-60) with 15 of his 25 RBIs, and four of his eight home runs coming in the seventh inning or later. Among major leaguers with at least 50 at-bats in that situation, none have a higher batting average than Smith. Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is second, hitting .405 (49-for-121).
NL Only: Pick one player for the rest of the 09 season.
Embree earns 'W' without throwing pitch
Yes, wins are a stupid stat. Not just for fantasy, but for baseball in general. The rule as it is laid out now, needs a massive overhaul.
Alan Embree entered Tuesday night's game against the Nationals with two out in the eighth, Austin Kearns the runner on first and the score tied at 4. Seconds later, the reliever was applying a tag to Kearns to end an odd rundown, which started with his pickoff throw.The Rockies scored in the bottom of the eighth and won, 5-4, which made Embree the first Major Leaguer in six years -- and the second one in at least 23 years -- to earn a win without throwing a pitch.
Marquis masterful
can i call em or what?
Not that Jason Marquis needed it as he recorded his best-in-baseball 11th win, but the game served as an exclamation point after his All-Star selection Sunday. The veteran right-hander tossed eight shutout innings, extending his scoreless streak to 17 frames. That stretch includes a complete-game victory over the Dodgers.
Tracy preaches patience with struggling CarGo
A little more on the Rockies young outfield.
Despite Carlos Gonzalez’s struggles at the plate – 12 strikeouts in his last 24 at-bat and a .212 average with runners in scoring position – he is back in the starting lineup for tonight’s fireworks game against the Diamondbacks. He starts in left and hits eighth. Considering that the Rockies are 15-2 when Gonzalez starts, Tracy can afford to be patient – for now. But Gonzalez has often looked overmatched by big-league pitchers.“I had a conversation with Carlos the other day in Los Angeles, and part of it involves him trying too hard,” Tracy said. “He has lost some of his strike-zone discipline. He has to go back to using the big part of the field. He’s trying to hit the ball too hard and too far. He’s been very pull-oriented.” But Tracy made it clear he’s got CarGo’s back and there is no hint that the club is considering sitting Gonzalez down on the bench, or back down to Triple-A.
