posted March 30, 2008 at 23:47 in MLB Free Picks

Starting Pitching:

Did the Colorado Rockies staff catch lightning in a bottle last year or will they be able to continue their steady performance? That’s a tough call because history shows that few pitchers have continued success in Colorado.

Jeff Francis won 17 games last year, Aaron Cook was reliable and Ubaldo Jimenez emerged in the playoffs. Jiminez will be the biggest suspect as doubters will want to see a full season from him.

Behind them are Mark Redman and Franklin Morales, who are essentially fill-ins. There appears to be a lack of depth here. The Rockies got a big boost from Jimenez when he came up midseason last year and it is unclear who that candidate might be this year.

It might be Greg Reynolds, the Rockies’ top pick in 2006, but they might need more help than that if Redman and Morales don’t pan out.

Relief Pitching:

Manny Corpas kicked Brian Fuentes out his closer’s role last year and hasn’t given up the position since. But with Fuentes still around, he offers the Rockies a pretty good insurance plan and hopefully, a good setup man.

It’s still difficult to get excited about the Rockies bullpen arms even after last year’s performance in the playoffs.

Matt Herges, Taylor Buchholz and free agent addition Luis Vizcaino aren’t premier arms. Former starter Kip Wells also joins the bullpen because he couldn’t make the cut for the rotation.

Hitting:

While the pitching will have to answer all sorts of questions in the public interrogation room, nobody will doubt the Rockies bats.

A priority for the Rockies this offseason was to keep their potent order intact and keep the chemistry flowing. For the most part, they accomplished that with by handing out extensions to Matt Holliday, Garret Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki.

The Rockies will hit for power all season long but the main key to the order might be leadoff hitter Willy Taveras.

Kaz Matsui left in free agency, leaving Taveras as the main speed in the lineup. Taveras missed most of last season with leg injuries and Matsui is a better hitter overall. Taveras will need to set the table or it will affect the order all the way through.

Regular Season Win Total: 83

The Rockies were smoking hot in September last year and propelled themselves into the playoffs, but outside of that month, they were a fairly average team.

That leads me to believe that the stars aligned for them last year and that they are not going to be back in the playoffs this year.

But at 83 wins, the bookies aren’t asking you to predict whether they get into the postseason – they are asking whether the Rockies can be a .500 team?

Considering they have never topped 83 wins in a season prior to last year, I’ll go against that.

MLB Free Picks: Under 83 wins

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