Baseball Prospectus 1996
One of the most overlooked facets of understanding player performance is park effects. The park a team calls home has a huge effect on the performances of the players on that team. If a club's management isn't careful, it can be roundly fooled, and greatly misjudge player contributions. The Colorado Rockies will spend their next two dozen years in Coors Field, which is the easiest park in which to hit that this planet has ever seen. The Rockies' management team, however, doesn't seem to notice this fact, and look as if they're about to waste most of the money that the good people of Colorado are carrying through the gates.
The Rockies hit 134 home runs at home in 1995, and only 66 on the road. Perhaps they're just excellent at taking advantage of that home cookin', you say? Uh…no. Rockies' opponents hit 107 HR in Coors Field, and only 53 at home when playing the Purple-Clad bunch. Well, maybe it's just home runs that are so grossly distended, right? Unfortunately not. The Rockies and their opponents hit a whopping .315 at Coors Field, and a pedestrian .252 in games played at venues closer to sea level. Granted, it's hard to really say it's a trend after just one year, but after seeing what happened at Mile High, it's pretty obvious that Coors Field inflates offense by a huge margin.
Who cares? In theory, the Rockies front office should. But do they show any evidence of understanding the drastic effect that Coors Field has on production? Not really. They re-signed Dante Bichette to a two-year deal. Bichette wasn't anything close to the Most Valuable Player in the NL last year; you'd be hard-pressed to make the case that he was the most valuable player on his own team. In addition to re-upping Fonzie Bichette, they seem perfectly content with mediocrities like Vinny Castilla and Andres Galarraga, who they just signed to a hefty contract extension,. This team has a lot to learn from the mistakes of those lovable losers in Chicagoland, but instead, they seem to be fully intent on repeating those lapses in judgment.
The bright spots? Man, oh man, what a bullpen. While pitching half their games in a giant pinball machine, the Rockies' bullpen collectively performed like Greg Maddux. The foursome of Steve Reed, Curtis Leskanic, Bruce Ruffin and Darren Holmes posted a microscopic 2.83 ERA over 282 2/3 innings. That sounds very good, but when you consider the park they called home, that's absolutely astonishing. No bullpen in recent memory has had that kind of success over the course of a season. Does the Rox front office understand that? We're still waiting for evidence.
And the rest of the pitching staff? Pretty darn impressive. The collective bodies that Don Baylor threw to the Gods of High Altitude were last in the league in ERA at 4.96, but taking the park into consideration, that's impressive. You read it here first–any time the Rockie pitching staff is within a run of the league average ERA, they're going to be in the thick of the pennant race. This is approximately as risky as predicting chilly weather in Antarctica. The Rockies already have a championship caliber pitching staff; it's their hitting that stands in the way of a Mile High title. But with the retention of players like Bichette, Castilla, Galarraga and Weiss, it's clear that Rockies' management doesn't yet understand that.
The Rockies' farm system has the market cornered on non-prospects. Approximately one position player, Neifi Perez, is a real prospect, and when the organization gets excited about aging mediocrities like Quinton McCracken, you know the cupboard's bare. The Rockies' best chance to win a playoff spot over the next three years is definitely in 1996, and I don't really think much of their chances there, either. The bullpen had an amazing year in 1995, and isn't very likely to repeat that next year. On top of that the Rockie offense, which wasn't very good, is not young, and isn't as likely to be as "good" in 1996 as it was in '95. Still, the division is wide open, and the deep pockets created by a constantly full house can buy a player or six in the offseason.
If the Rockies are feeling particularly clever, they'll find a team desperate to make the postseason and trade them Dante Bichette in early May. From there, they acquire Warren Newson from Texas for some Jim Lindeman clone, a four-pack of Snapple and a coupon good for a foot massage. Throw Newson in left field, improve the team's offense, and start to stock the incredibly empty farm system.
If you're a Rockies fan, I can't officially advocate that you take over the front office at gunpoint and lecture them repeatedly about park effects while wearing a latex Don Zimmer mask, but I wouldn't turn you in.
Dante Bichette, Indeed.
JASON BATES 1971 IF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BND 258 50 4 1 3 34 6 2 .194 .288 .252 .191 49 17 1993 CSP 431 90 8 1 9 35 7 5 .209 .268 .295 .195 84 29 1994 CSP 434 97 10 2 6 49 4 4 .224 .302 .297 .211 91 35 1995 COL 312 75 14 3 6 39 3 6 .240 .325 .362 .238 74 34 1996 PRJ 442 108 21 4 6 44 5 4 .244 .313 .351 .235 104 45To give you a little context about the phenomenon that is Coors Field, that .240/.325/.362 translated performance was, in raw statistics, .286/.370/.415. In all fairness, however, Bates did hit half his home runs on the road, and he's young enough that it's possible his improvement is the genuine article. The trend is up, and as long as a guy keeps getting better, you gotta keep running him out there.
DANTE BICHETTE 1964 LF/Park Effects Poster Boy YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIL 445 110 16 3 15 21 18 9 .247 .281 .398 .239 106 48 1992 MIL 394 124 28 3 6 15 21 7 .315 .340 .447 .279 110 57 1993 COL 523 149 34 4 17 29 14 8 .285 .322 .463 .271 142 73 1994 COL 474 138 25 2 23 19 24 8 .291 .318 .498 .283 134 73 1995 COL 558 175 27 2 32 21 12 9 .314 .339 .541 .296 165 93 1996 PRJ 609 179 21 2 27 20 15 7 .294 .316 .468 .273 166 85Dante, or "Fonzie" as he's known on rec.sport.baseball, is the baseball equivalent of a lottery winner. It could just as easily have been Kevin Reimer. MVP? Don't make me laugh. Is probably a better than league average hitter, but only just, and isn't likely to maintain it. When the Rockies develop a legitimate big stick, records are going to fall like so many dead birds. It's a great place to see a game, and it's a lot of fun watching runs score, but you're fooling yourself if you think the performances are comparable. Bichette is this generation's Tony Armas, but with a different kind of really neat hair. Defense is better than the numbers indicate--the park helps other people's fly balls and line drives, too. Interested in learning more? Read The Physics of Baseball by Robert Adair.
JORGE BRITO 1966 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HUN 210 41 7 0 2 22 0 1 .195 .272 .257 .178 37 11 1991 TAC 72 15 0 0 1 3 0 0 .208 .240 .250 .160 11 3 1992 HUN 74 15 1 0 2 12 1 0 .203 .314 .297 .219 16 7 1992 TAC 35 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 .143 .189 .171 **** -2 0 1993 HUN 37 11 2 0 3 9 0 0 .297 .435 .595 .343 13 9 1994 NHV 202 42 8 1 3 14 1 0 .208 .259 .302 .194 39 13 1994 CSP 59 18 2 0 2 6 0 0 .305 .369 .441 .285 17 9 1995 CSP 93 17 3 1 1 2 0 0 .183 .200 .269 .145 14 3 1995 COL 50 10 1 0 0 2 1 0 .200 .231 .220 .147 7 2
ELLIS BURKS 1965 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BOS 474 123 32 3 14 37 9 11 .259 .313 .428 .253 120 59 1992 BOS 235 62 9 3 8 24 5 2 .264 .332 .430 .267 63 32 1993 CWS 497 141 23 4 16 56 8 8 .284 .356 .443 .276 137 73 1994 COL 145 45 8 2 11 16 3 1 .310 .379 .621 .329 48 31 1995 CSP 28 8 1 1 1 3 0 0 .286 .355 .500 .292 8 5 1995 COL 269 65 6 5 11 37 7 3 .242 .333 .424 .264 71 37 1996 PRJ 341 90 9 2 16 43 5 4 .264 .346 .443 .273 93 50Very fragile at this point. Another victim of back injuries, along with Canseco and Mattingly. Could still prosper as a DH a couple of years down the road. Reminds me of a very slightly younger Chili Davis.
MIKE CASE 1969 1B/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BND 171 30 4 1 2 12 4 1 .175 .230 .246 .158 27 7 1993 CNV 440 94 8 1 7 30 10 3 .214 .264 .284 .193 85 28 1994 NHV 372 87 12 1 5 31 8 3 .234 .293 .312 .216 80 31 1995 NHV 316 75 10 1 9 34 5 2 .237 .311 .361 .238 75 34
PETE CASTELLANO 1970 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WNS 465 117 14 1 8 50 7 5 .252 .324 .338 .235 109 47 1992 CHR 149 30 2 0 1 17 0 0 .201 .283 .235 .175 26 8 1992 IOW 238 57 12 3 1 29 2 2 .239 .322 .328 .230 55 23 1993 CSP 288 71 9 1 8 29 3 3 .247 .315 .368 .240 69 31 1993 COL 70 11 3 0 2 8 1 1 .157 .244 .286 .176 12 4 1994 CSP 112 32 7 1 2 10 1 1 .286 .344 .420 .267 30 15 1995 CSP 321 71 13 1 7 20 2 0 .221 .267 .333 .210 67 25
VINNY CASTILLA 1968 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GRN 263 68 12 1 7 4 0 1 .259 .270 .392 .230 60 25 1991 RIC 241 52 4 2 7 8 1 1 .216 .241 .336 .198 48 17 1992 RIC 451 108 21 1 6 18 1 2 .239 .269 .330 .208 94 34 1993 COL 329 77 8 5 7 14 2 5 .234 .265 .353 .212 70 26 1994 CSP 75 14 4 1 0 6 0 0 .187 .247 .267 .170 13 4 1994 COL 127 40 9 1 2 7 2 1 .315 .351 .449 .281 36 18 1995 COL 510 145 24 2 26 28 2 8 .284 .322 .492 .274 140 73 1996 PRJ 640 173 25 4 21 24 3 5 .270 .297 .420 .249 159 73Uh...yeah. This is what happens when you add Jose Valentin to Coors Field, shake vigorously, and stand back. What do the critics say about him? "The Mother of all Fluke Years!"--Saddam Hussein. "27 years old, in Coors Field, during a year of inflated offense? Nope, there's still reasonable doubt."--Johnnie Cochran. "How did you find me here?"--Salman Rushdie.
ALAN COCKRELL 1963 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLG 421 101 14 1 9 33 6 3 .240 .295 .342 .225 95 39 1992 CSP 255 53 5 1 6 17 0 1 .208 .257 .306 .192 49 16 1993 CHR 276 73 8 1 6 21 0 0 .264 .316 .366 .241 67 29 1994 NHV 43 12 1 0 1 2 2 0 .279 .311 .372 .252 11 5 1994 CSP 256 64 7 1 8 24 1 1 .250 .314 .379 .243 62 28 1995 CSP 338 88 11 1 9 25 0 2 .260 .311 .379 .241 81 36
STU COLE 1966 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OMA 445 110 13 4 3 32 11 7 .247 .298 .315 .218 97 38 1992 MEM 178 39 6 1 0 16 6 4 .219 .284 .264 .193 34 12 1992 OMA 206 38 4 0 4 23 4 4 .184 .266 .262 .179 37 12 1993 CSP 310 68 11 1 4 28 7 4 .219 .284 .300 .206 64 24 1994 CSP 270 65 10 1 4 18 6 2 .241 .288 .330 .220 60 24 1995 CSP 200 45 9 1 2 14 1 2 .225 .276 .310 .202 40 14
CRAIG COUNSELL 1971 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BND 62 10 1 1 0 5 0 1 .161 .224 .210 .116 7 1 1993 CNV 459 95 12 1 4 63 7 4 .207 .303 .264 .200 92 33 1994 NHV 303 76 11 1 4 29 3 1 .251 .316 .333 .232 70 30 1995 CSP 382 88 14 3 4 29 9 2 .230 .285 .314 .214 82 31
ANGEL ECHEVARRIA 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BND 206 31 0 0 3 10 3 1 .150 .190 .194 .084 17 2 1993 CNV 351 72 7 1 4 25 3 2 .205 .258 .265 .177 62 19 1994 CNV 190 48 3 1 4 5 1 1 .253 .272 .342 .215 41 15 1994 NHV 206 46 2 0 6 12 2 2 .223 .266 .320 .203 42 15 1995 NHV 460 134 17 1 18 45 7 3 .291 .354 .450 .281 129 69Looks like a real hitter, but with suspect defense. Geronimo Berroa might be a good analog. Will probably hit if he gets a shot to play. Should spend next year at Colorado Springs, and we'll see how many HR he can pump. Looks like a potential 30 HR guy to me, which means 50 in Coors Field.
JAY GAINER 1967 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HDS 496 106 9 1 17 27 2 1 .214 .254 .339 .205 102 37 1992 WIC 386 100 7 1 19 41 3 1 .259 .330 .430 .265 102 52 1993 CSP 280 65 5 1 7 17 3 1 .232 .276 .332 .214 60 23 1993 COL 40 6 1 0 2 4 1 1 .150 .227 .325 .184 7 3 1994 CSP 271 53 8 1 5 21 2 2 .196 .253 .288 .183 50 16 1995 CSP 342 84 7 1 17 35 2 2 .246 .316 .421 .255 87 43
ANDRES GALARRAGA 1961 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MON 384 95 13 2 11 23 5 5 .247 .290 .378 .232 89 38 1992 LOU 34 6 1 1 1 0 1 0 .176 .176 .353 .184 6 2 1992 STL 328 86 14 2 12 13 5 4 .262 .290 .427 .248 81 38 1993 COL 454 156 28 3 18 24 2 4 .344 .377 .537 .310 141 81 1994 COL 407 125 17 1 25 20 9 3 .307 .340 .538 .299 121 69 1995 COL 538 138 23 3 24 30 11 2 .257 .296 .444 .258 139 68 1996 PRJ 460 120 18 2 21 26 7 2 .261 .300 .446 .260 120 59The symptom. Not a particularly great or even good hitter, but looks good because he plays in Colorado. Defensive reputation is very good, but probably a bit inflated. A real albatross. Unlikely to be in the top half or even four-fifths of first basemen next year, but a fan favorite. Can't think of too many players I'd rather not have. As long as the Rockies keep wasting their time and money on players like him and Bichette, they'll be also-rans.
WEBSTER GARRISON 1966 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HUN 114 29 5 0 3 13 4 1 .254 .331 .377 .254 29 14 1991 TAC 236 45 7 1 2 20 3 0 .191 .254 .254 .173 41 12 1992 HUN 355 95 18 2 8 26 7 4 .268 .318 .397 .252 89 42 1992 TAC 116 27 3 1 2 0 1 1 .233 .233 .328 .192 22 7 1993 TAC 529 137 16 2 6 46 13 6 .259 .318 .331 .233 123 52 1994 CSP 487 117 17 2 8 37 15 4 .240 .294 .333 .226 110 45 1995 CSP 439 106 19 2 10 39 11 3 .241 .303 .362 .237 104 46
TRENT HUBBARD 1966 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 JAC 453 115 14 2 2 46 24 10 .254 .323 .307 .231 105 45 1992 TUC 410 113 13 2 3 34 25 7 .276 .331 .339 .248 102 47 1993 CSP 417 102 13 3 5 36 23 11 .245 .305 .326 .228 95 41 1994 CSP 297 85 11 2 5 35 24 8 .286 .361 .387 .273 81 43 1995 CSP 452 125 15 3 10 52 34 11 .277 .351 .389 .269 122 63 1995 COL 56 16 4 0 2 7 2 1 .286 .365 .464 .288 16 9
TERRY JONES 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BND 138 31 3 2 0 4 6 3 .225 .246 .275 .184 25 8 1993 CNV 71 15 1 0 0 6 2 0 .211 .273 .225 .177 13 4 1994 CNV 532 128 11 1 1 28 25 8 .241 .279 .271 .201 107 37 1995 NHV 479 120 9 1 1 28 39 14 .251 .292 .280 .215 103 40
DAVID KENNEDY 1971 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BOI 254 48 7 1 5 41 1 0 .189 .302 .283 .206 52 20 1995 NHV 491 145 15 1 18 37 3 1 .295 .345 .440 .275 135 69
CED LANDRUM 1964 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IOW 131 42 7 1 1 3 12 3 .321 .336 .412 .275 36 18 1991 CHC 87 22 2 1 0 10 25 4 .253 .330 .299 .269 23 13 1992 DEN 140 36 3 0 1 11 13 6 .257 .311 .300 .227 32 14 1993 NOR 278 79 9 3 4 17 16 5 .284 .325 .381 .257 71 34 1995 CSP 160 33 2 1 2 9 11 4 .206 .249 .269 .188 30 10
LEW LIST 1966 DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 AUG 35 9 0 0 1 4 0 0 .257 .333 .343 .241 8 4 1991 SLM 334 87 12 2 7 25 7 2 .260 .312 .371 .244 81 37 1992 GAS 187 56 5 1 6 16 3 4 .299 .355 .433 .273 51 26 1992 TUL 132 35 5 1 1 12 1 1 .265 .326 .341 .237 31 13 1993 CNV 117 27 4 1 4 10 0 1 .231 .291 .385 .232 27 12 1993 TUL 125 20 1 1 0 9 2 3 .160 .216 .184 .095 12 2 1993 CSP 48 12 5 0 0 2 0 0 .250 .280 .354 .222 11 4 1994 NHV 274 62 6 1 6 25 1 1 .226 .291 .321 .214 59 23 1995 NHV 215 58 8 2 5 15 2 2 .270 .317 .395 .250 54 25
CHITO MARTINEZ 1966 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ROC 208 64 6 1 15 20 2 1 .308 .368 .562 .313 65 40 1991 BAL 218 63 11 1 14 10 1 1 .289 .320 .541 .290 63 35 1992 BAL 199 57 11 1 5 31 0 1 .286 .383 .427 .284 56 31 1993 ROC 144 35 6 0 4 10 0 0 .243 .292 .368 .231 33 14 1994 COH 301 80 12 3 12 42 0 1 .266 .356 .445 .277 83 45 1995 CSP 108 14 4 0 3 10 0 2 .130 .203 .250 .126 14 3 1996 PRJ 500 126 22 2 27 66 0 0 .252 .339 .466 .277 139 76Coors Field can still make this guy a star. About as good a hitter as Dante Bichette. A little more isolated power, a few more walks, a slightly lower average. His defense apparently draws flies, though. And not the good kind.
QUINTON MCCRACKEN 1970 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BND 232 43 3 1 1 13 6 3 .185 .229 .220 .143 33 7 1993 CNV 470 103 9 3 2 49 29 10 .219 .293 .264 .206 97 36 1994 NHV 548 133 16 2 4 37 27 12 .243 .291 .301 .215 118 46 1995 NHV 224 75 9 3 1 16 21 6 .335 .379 .415 .291 65 35 1995 CSP 229 68 8 3 3 19 15 5 .297 .351 .397 .271 62 32What is it with General Managers and speed? Every time some GM picks up, signs or drafts a guy who obviously can't hit, they rave about his blazing speed. McCracken can run, and has shown significant improvement with the wood. I think it's a fluke, but he's certainly earned at least a full time spot in AAA to show his stuff. Great name.
JOHN MYROW 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BND 265 41 3 0 3 2 5 2 .155 .161 .200 .053 14 1 1994 CNV 517 119 15 1 5 16 15 4 .230 .253 .292 .194 100 33 1995 NHV 358 83 12 1 3 18 13 4 .232 .269 .296 .203 73 26
JAYHAWK OWENS 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 VIS 234 46 7 1 4 21 7 3 .197 .263 .286 .193 45 16 1992 ORL 333 81 11 1 5 32 8 1 .243 .310 .327 .230 77 32 1993 CSP 165 41 6 1 4 17 4 2 .248 .319 .370 .244 40 19 1993 COL 84 16 2 0 3 6 1 0 .190 .244 .321 .196 16 6 1994 CSP 245 52 6 3 4 26 3 2 .212 .288 .310 .209 51 20 1995 CSP 211 53 6 2 10 17 2 1 .251 .307 .441 .258 55 27 1995 COL 44 10 2 0 3 2 0 0 .227 .261 .477 .250 11 5 1996 PRJ 261 64 8 1 12 25 2 1 .245 .311 .421 .255 67 33This is a prospect in this organization. Very impressive release on the throw down to second. Not much with the bat yet, but he looks like he could bust out for an acceptable peak, particularly in Coors. Certainly an improvement over Joe Girardi, and sometimes old rookies go on to nice careers. I might take a flyer on him, but I'd do so knowing he's probably not going to be very good. Might blossom into a Terry Steinbach-type player for a few years, with a few more walks. Unlike the other authors, I like him a little. Out until May.
NEIFI PEREZ 1975 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BND 298 58 6 1 2 4 7 6 .195 .205 .242 .138 41 9 1994 CNV 505 98 8 4 1 20 5 4 .194 .225 .232 .142 72 16 1995 NHV 432 104 19 2 5 16 4 2 .241 .268 .329 .209 90 33 1995 CSP 35 8 3 0 0 0 1 1 .229 .229 .314 .185 6 2Gotta like that trend and age. Neifi poked 36 extra-base hits in 427 AB in New Haven, and is only 21 next year. EqA has steadily risen over three years; The Rockies seem to actually have themselves a bona fide prospect! He needs to learn not to swing at anything within a three-county area, but it looks very promising for Perez, who could be ready to take over in Coors when Weiss' new two-year deal is up.
HARVEY PULLIAM 1968 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OMA 349 87 13 1 6 23 2 1 .249 .296 .344 .226 79 32 1991 KCR 33 10 1 0 3 3 0 0 .303 .361 .606 .319 11 7 1992 OMA 360 96 7 1 14 28 4 2 .267 .320 .408 .255 92 44 1993 OMA 206 51 6 0 4 15 1 0 .248 .299 .335 .225 46 19 1993 KCR 62 16 5 0 1 1 0 0 .258 .270 .387 .229 14 6 1994 LVG 304 58 7 0 12 17 0 1 .191 .234 .332 .190 58 20 1995 CSP 385 107 16 2 19 41 6 2 .278 .347 .478 .285 110 61
JEFF REED 1963 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CIN 272 75 15 2 3 23 0 1 .276 .332 .379 .251 68 31 1993 SFG 121 33 5 0 5 16 0 1 .273 .358 .438 .275 33 18 1994 SFG 103 19 1 0 1 11 0 0 .184 .263 .223 .158 16 4 1995 SFG 114 32 1 0 0 20 0 0 .281 .388 .289 .251 29 13Good backup catcher, can provide a few walks and line drives from the left side. Will bounce from team to team until he retires. Has just landed in Denver, and I'll bet he's renting.
MARK STRITTMATTER 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BND 101 17 2 0 1 7 0 1 .168 .222 .218 .123 12 2 1993 CNV 175 34 2 0 2 20 1 0 .194 .277 .240 .177 31 9 1994 NHV 218 43 3 0 2 27 1 1 .197 .286 .239 .179 39 12 1995 NHV 294 68 8 1 6 38 1 0 .231 .319 .327 .230 68 29
TY VAN BURKLEO 1964 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 EDM 445 108 17 2 18 60 16 4 .243 .333 .411 .263 117 61 1993 VAN 357 88 11 1 5 42 5 2 .246 .326 .325 .233 83 36 1993 CAL 33 5 3 0 1 6 1 0 .152 .282 .333 .218 7 3 1994 CSP 405 87 14 2 12 68 4 3 .215 .328 .348 .238 96 44 1995 CSP 221 53 8 1 10 24 2 1 .240 .314 .421 .255 56 28
JOHN VANDERWAL 1966 PH/UTIL YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IND 482 139 27 4 15 65 7 1 .288 .373 .454 .290 140 78 1991 MON 62 15 5 1 1 1 0 0 .242 .254 .403 .228 14 6 1992 MON 214 54 8 2 5 26 3 0 .252 .333 .379 .254 54 26 1993 MON 216 52 7 4 4 27 6 3 .241 .325 .366 .245 53 25 1994 COL 108 25 3 1 4 15 2 1 .231 .325 .389 .251 27 13 1995 COL 96 31 5 1 4 15 1 1 .323 .414 .521 .320 31 19Reminds one of Jim Dwyer. Was probably a good enough hitter to have a nice little career in the bigs, but never really got the chance. Perhaps Dwight Smith is a better analog?
LARRY WALKER 1967 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MON 504 164 30 2 19 43 15 8 .325 .378 .506 .304 153 89 1992 MON 533 169 28 3 28 44 18 5 .317 .369 .538 .310 165 99 1993 MON 494 135 21 4 21 79 31 7 .273 .373 .460 .295 145 86 1994 MON 391 127 34 2 18 47 18 6 .325 .397 .560 .325 127 81 1995 COL 476 133 23 4 29 47 15 3 .279 .344 .527 .297 142 83 1996 PRJ 522 157 29 2 30 57 22 5 .301 .370 .536 .311 162 100I was disappointed in his year, but others weren't. Bichette won't be close to him next year. Will his shoulder hold up over a full season? Probably so. It'd be nice to have those 30 walks he produced out of thin air in '93 back. Once auditioned to sing for the Trammps, who produced the big hit "Disco Inferno" on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Some guys can do it all. {Now he's gonna get some strange letters, no doubt.}
DAN WALTERS 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LVG 281 73 9 1 4 16 0 0 .260 .300 .342 .227 64 25 1992 LVG 121 42 3 0 3 7 0 0 .347 .383 .446 .294 36 19 1992 SDP 180 48 10 1 5 11 1 0 .267 .309 .417 .254 46 22 1993 LVG 214 49 5 0 4 10 1 1 .229 .263 .308 .198 42 14 1993 SDP 94 19 3 0 1 7 0 0 .202 .257 .266 .176 17 5 1995 CSP 149 35 4 1 3 6 0 0 .235 .265 .336 .209 31 11
WALT WEISS 1964 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OAK 134 33 6 1 0 12 8 0 .246 .308 .306 .233 31 13 1992 OAK 318 73 5 2 0 43 7 3 .230 .321 .258 .210 67 25 1993 FLA 500 132 10 2 1 78 7 3 .264 .363 .298 .242 121 54 1994 COL 414 98 7 2 1 55 13 7 .237 .326 .271 .217 90 35 1995 COL 411 94 9 2 1 92 14 3 .229 .370 .268 .240 98 45 1996 PRJ 439 105 12 2 0 72 9 4 .239 .346 .276 .228 100 42Man, when this guy first came up, he was the best defensive shortstop I had ever seen, including the Wizard in his prime. My friend called him "The guy who would play defense with Mazeroski someday in God's infield." My words couldn't possibly do him justice. Eric Gelatt, a longtime friend of mine, used to go to a couple of extra A's games a year just to watch Walt play defense. Injuries can be real bastards. Good friends with Jose Canseco, and has worked hard to become valuable on offense. In 1993, a lot of those walks were intentional, but he's still getting on base a bunch, and he won't hurt you in the field, even after all the leg injuries.
BILLY WHITE 1969 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CHR 408 101 12 2 4 53 10 6 .248 .334 .316 .234 95 41 1992 CHR 408 93 5 1 4 41 8 4 .228 .298 .275 .204 83 30 1993 DAY 124 36 5 1 3 12 1 0 .290 .353 .419 .274 34 17 1993 ORL 121 26 6 1 2 13 1 1 .215 .291 .331 .217 26 10 1994 NHV 239 51 4 0 2 30 0 2 .213 .301 .255 .192 46 15 1995 NHV 185 41 4 1 3 22 2 2 .222 .304 .303 .213 39 15
ERIC YOUNG 1967 2B/LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SAN 464 116 13 2 3 48 45 17 .250 .320 .306 .235 109 49 1992 ABQ 337 98 13 3 3 24 20 7 .291 .338 .374 .259 87 42 1992 LAD 135 39 0 0 2 9 6 1 .289 .333 .333 .248 33 15 1993 COL 477 114 11 5 3 61 40 17 .239 .325 .302 .233 111 50 1994 COL 223 57 11 1 5 37 19 7 .256 .362 .381 .269 60 33 1995 COL 351 100 16 7 4 47 32 11 .285 .369 .405 .280 98 54 1996 PRJ 599 162 24 8 5 93 51 17 .270 .368 .362 .270 162 86A common problem: a bat that's good enough if he can play the more demanding defensive position well, but not enough to play the easier defensive position. Will have a nice little career now, probably comparable to Jerry Browne. Very similar swing to Terry Steinbach. Everything low in the strike zone is pulled, everything up goes the other way without any pop at all. There's definitely a Dwight Evans influence in that swing.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 22 Rank in MLB: 19th (T) Rank in NL West: 4th
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Saipe, Mike 3 3 3 0 6 7 8 3 +1 34 B+ Kusiewicz, M. 0 6 6 0 6 7 5 5 -1 34 B+ Jones, Bobby 7 2 5 0 3 2 8 1 +1 29 C Crowther, Brent 1 0 9 0 4 6 3 4 0 27 C- Walls, Doug 3 3 2 0 6 2 7 2 +1 26 D+ Wright, Jamey 3 5 9 0 3 0 0 4 +1 25 D Moore, Joel 6 3 8 0 2 1 1 3 0 24 D Brownson, Mark 1 3 5 0 1 6 6 2 0 24 D Best Prospect in 1994: Juan Acevedo (A) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Brian Rekar (NR)
ROGER BAILEY 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BND 56.0 70 35 9 37 45 5.62 2 4 11.25 5.95 7.23 1993 CNV 99.0 149 73 15 51 64 6.64 3 8 13.55 4.64 5.82 1994 NHV 145.0 197 86 12 63 92 5.34 6 10 12.23 3.91 5.71 1995 CSP 15.7 14 7 0 9 7 4.02 1 1 8.04 5.17 4.02 1995 COL 80.7 80 36 9 39 32 4.02 4 5 8.93 4.35 3.57
JOHN BURKE 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BND 34.7 53 28 7 22 18 7.27 1 3 13.76 5.71 4.67 1993 CNV 108.7 111 63 9 62 88 5.22 4 8 9.19 5.13 7.29 1993 CSP 45.3 39 18 1 24 33 3.57 3 2 7.74 4.76 6.55 1994 ASH 16.7 5 2 3 6 10 1.08 2 0 2.70 3.24 5.40 1994 CSP 9.7 12 13 0 20 5 12.10 0 1 11.17 18.62 4.66 1995 CSP 82.3 74 38 9 50 67 4.15 4 5 8.09 5.47 7.32
ALBERT BUSTILLOS 1968 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BAK 39.3 37 19 5 14 26 4.35 2 2 8.47 3.20 5.95 1991 SAN 85.3 125 49 10 17 39 5.17 3 6 13.18 1.79 4.11 1992 SAN 12.0 10 4 0 4 8 3.00 1 0 7.50 3.00 6.00 1992 ABQ 35.3 40 17 5 15 23 4.33 2 2 10.19 3.82 5.86 1993 ABQ 28.0 35 16 4 14 15 5.14 1 2 11.25 4.50 4.82 1994 SAN 59.3 87 31 4 17 27 4.70 3 4 13.20 2.58 4.10 1994 ABQ 40.3 51 27 5 15 23 6.02 1 3 11.38 3.35 5.13 1995 CSP 126.0 144 67 20 33 77 4.79 6 8 10.29 2.36 5.50
JIM CZAJKOWSKI 1964 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ELP 72.0 97 43 9 25 55 5.38 3 5 12.12 3.12 6.88 1992 ELP 72.7 99 44 11 32 48 5.45 3 5 12.26 3.96 5.94 1993 ORL 18.0 16 8 0 3 13 4.00 1 1 8.00 1.50 6.50 1993 IOW 67.0 67 28 3 34 43 3.76 4 3 9.00 4.57 5.78 1994 CSP 60.3 48 19 4 17 34 2.83 5 2 7.16 2.54 5.07 1995 CSP 78.3 85 44 10 53 55 5.06 3 6 9.77 6.09 6.32
MIKE DEJEAN 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 ONE 19.7 16 6 4 3 11 2.75 1 1 7.32 1.37 5.03 1993 GRB 15.3 28 15 3 9 10 8.80 0 2 16.43 5.28 5.87 1994 TAM 30.7 44 17 2 14 18 4.99 1 2 12.91 4.11 5.28 1994 ABY 22.7 24 14 1 17 10 5.56 1 2 9.53 6.75 3.97 1995 NRW 74.3 61 28 8 34 47 3.39 5 3 7.39 4.12 5.69The Colorado farm system is so devoid of prospects that guys like this start to look good. I mean, none of the authors of this book got together and talked about word limits for essays or prospects ex ante; Chris Kahrl was writing 1700-word lead-ins, and I was limiting myself to 700 or so. It's hardly fair, but for the sake of equity, we need to fill up the Colorado player comment areas with something, and it gets really monotonous (and terse) to just write "What a stiff" 80 times. So you end up with Yankee castoffs looking pretty attractive. Hey. Mike DeJean. Under 28 years old. Walks less than five per nine IP. Um… Hell. I guess I'll wax on about Jayhawk Owens. That way, at least the park effects work in my favor.
MICHAEL FARMER 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 CLR 49.3 44 28 6 18 32 5.11 2 3 8.03 3.28 5.84 1993 REA 94.0 142 70 21 36 54 6.70 3 7 13.60 3.45 5.17 1994 CNV 26.7 30 17 6 12 20 5.74 1 2 10.12 4.05 6.75 1994 NHV 13.0 9 3 1 6 11 2.08 1 0 6.23 4.15 7.62 1995 NHV 103.7 129 63 13 35 65 5.47 4 8 11.20 3.04 5.64
SCOTT FREDRICKSON 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WLO 34.3 36 16 4 16 27 4.19 2 2 9.44 4.19 7.08 1991 HDS 31.3 35 16 4 17 18 4.60 1 2 10.05 4.88 5.17 1992 WIC 68.7 56 34 15 45 52 4.46 4 4 7.34 5.90 6.82 1993 CSP 24.0 21 12 4 20 17 4.50 1 2 7.88 7.50 6.38 1993 COL 28.3 29 18 3 17 20 5.72 1 2 9.21 5.40 6.35 1995 CSP 71.3 66 33 3 48 69 4.16 4 4 8.33 6.06 8.71
MARVIN FREEMAN 1963 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ATL 48.0 41 20 3 14 37 3.75 3 2 7.69 2.62 6.94 1992 ATL 64.3 69 30 8 31 47 4.20 3 4 9.65 4.34 6.58 1993 ATL 23.7 26 17 2 12 27 6.46 1 2 9.89 4.56 10.27 1994 COL 112.3 100 28 8 24 67 2.24 9 3 8.01 1.92 5.37 1995 COL 93.7 112 48 12 40 58 4.61 4 6 10.76 3.84 5.57That 1994 campaign sure was fantastic. Should have bottled it. Will be fighting for a job the rest of his career. The fact that he's noteworthy says more about the shape of the Rocky farm system than I ever could.
JOHN FRITZ 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 QUD 56.0 62 34 10 25 47 5.46 2 4 9.96 4.02 7.55 1991 MIA 20.3 26 12 3 12 19 5.31 1 1 11.51 5.31 8.41 1992 QUD 154.0 188 111 29 82 93 6.49 5 12 10.99 4.79 5.44 1993 MID 119.3 133 63 18 52 66 4.75 5 8 10.03 3.92 4.98 1993 VAN 38.3 53 21 3 19 26 4.93 2 2 12.44 4.46 6.10 1994 MID 56.7 65 36 12 29 36 5.72 2 4 10.32 4.61 5.72 1994 VAN 51.0 63 32 11 25 28 5.65 2 4 11.12 4.41 4.94 1995 NWO 78.3 73 36 12 46 54 4.14 4 5 8.39 5.29 6.20
JOE GRAHE 1968 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 EDM 87.0 120 47 5 29 52 4.86 4 6 12.41 3.00 5.38 1991 CAL 72.0 93 41 2 33 47 5.12 3 5 11.62 4.12 5.88 1992 EDM 19.0 17 6 0 4 12 2.84 1 1 8.05 1.89 5.68 1992 CAL 93.3 87 32 6 38 46 3.09 6 4 8.39 3.66 4.44 1993 CAL 55.7 57 20 3 23 35 3.23 4 2 9.22 3.72 5.66 1994 CAL 42.3 65 25 3 16 28 5.31 2 3 13.82 3.40 5.95 1995 CSP 10.7 6 3 2 3 4 2.53 1 0 5.06 2.53 3.38 1995 COL 55.7 63 31 6 27 26 5.01 2 4 10.19 4.37 4.20The Rockie bullpen was great in spite of this guy last year. Was marginal for years in the AL, and now the tradition continues.
RYAN HAWBLITZEL 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WNS 120.0 152 63 13 49 75 4.72 5 8 11.40 3.67 5.62 1991 CHR 31.0 41 19 5 12 20 5.52 1 2 11.90 3.48 5.81 1992 CHR 162.3 223 108 30 46 101 5.99 6 12 12.36 2.55 5.60 1993 CSP 154.0 196 94 22 49 77 5.49 6 11 11.45 2.86 4.50 1994 CSP 154.3 177 86 22 54 95 5.02 7 10 10.32 3.15 5.54 1995 CSP 79.3 84 39 10 18 40 4.42 4 5 9.53 2.04 4.54Hey, there's some good trends here. Hawblitzel doesn't get hurt, maintains his control, and his hits allowed have been in a constant decline. ERA dropping by half a run per year. He's earned a shot, certainly.
DARREN HOLMES 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MIL 75.0 94 37 6 26 67 4.44 4 4 11.28 3.12 8.04 1992 DEN 12.7 7 2 1 1 12 1.42 1 0 4.97 .71 8.53 1992 MIL 41.3 42 14 2 11 38 3.05 3 2 9.15 2.40 8.27 1993 COL 66.0 49 22 6 21 62 3.00 4 3 6.68 2.86 8.45 1994 COL 28.0 30 17 5 23 32 5.46 1 2 9.64 7.39 10.29 1995 COL 66.0 54 19 3 27 59 2.59 5 2 7.36 3.68 8.05What a fantastic year. Part of the hidden strength of the Rox, and shows no signs of slowing down. If he had pitched in Chavez or Oakland, his ERA probably would have been right around 2.00. Had a pretty weird platoon split in 1995 – lefties hit 100 points lower against him than righties. Strikes me as a bit crazy. When I was looking at his platoon splits, I was thinking that he reminded me of Vincent D'Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket, but when I look back now, I think Rod Beck's a bit closer. "Everything clean." – Private Pyle.
JOEL JOHNSTON 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 OMA 70.7 67 46 18 43 60 5.86 3 5 8.53 5.48 7.64 1991 KCR 22.0 9 1 0 9 24 .41 2 0 3.68 3.68 9.82 1992 OMA 70.3 88 55 11 48 50 7.04 2 6 11.26 6.14 6.40 1993 BUF 30.0 30 24 7 26 26 7.20 1 2 9.00 7.80 7.80 1993 PIT 52.7 38 18 8 20 33 3.08 4 2 6.49 3.42 5.64 1995 CSP 21.3 24 13 1 13 14 5.48 1 1 10.12 5.48 5.91 1995 PAW 38.3 56 29 5 22 36 6.81 1 3 13.15 5.17 8.45
MIKE KOTARSKI 1971 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BND 46.7 64 44 4 46 36 8.49 1 4 12.34 8.87 6.94 1993 CNV 80.7 96 45 14 32 62 5.02 3 6 10.71 3.57 6.92 1994 CNV 56.3 74 37 11 32 41 5.91 2 4 11.82 5.11 6.55 1994 NHV 19.3 34 33 11 15 12 15.36 0 2 15.83 6.98 5.59 1995 NHV 46.3 48 25 6 38 45 4.86 2 3 9.32 7.38 8.74 1995 CSP 27.7 44 28 7 20 19 9.11 0 3 14.31 6.51 6.18
CURT LESKANIC 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KIN 155.0 188 88 19 101 117 5.11 6 11 10.92 5.86 6.79 1992 ORL 141.7 166 82 23 73 103 5.21 6 10 10.55 4.64 6.54 1992 POR 14.3 16 12 3 8 14 7.53 0 2 10.05 5.02 8.79 1993 WIC 41.0 41 23 6 21 33 5.05 2 3 9.00 4.61 7.24 1993 CSP 41.3 33 18 4 27 33 3.92 3 2 7.19 5.88 7.19 1993 COL 56.0 52 29 7 27 30 4.66 3 3 8.36 4.34 4.82 1994 CSP 122.7 115 46 7 56 91 3.38 8 6 8.44 4.11 6.68 1994 COL 22.3 23 9 2 10 17 3.63 1 1 9.27 4.03 6.85 1995 COL 97.7 76 28 7 33 103 2.58 8 3 7.00 3.04 9.49Sometimes numbers can really do a good job of painting a picture. Take a look down the line at Leskanic's walk rate over the past 5 seasons. Now, I could go into what I think made the difference in terms of mechanics–Curt's arm is no longer flying opening up when he brings the ball over the top, and I think it's really given him more control of all his pitches, but particularly that fastball. But those numbers tell a pretty good story in and of themselves. A great pitcher right now, and I think the improvement's for real.
JOEL MOORE 1973 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 BND 82.0 94 41 6 22 49 4.50 4 5 10.32 2.41 5.38 1994 CNV 119.0 164 75 12 68 63 5.67 4 9 12.40 5.14 4.76 1995 NHV 145.3 178 70 11 69 86 4.33 7 9 11.02 4.27 5.33
MIKE MUNOZ 1966 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TOL 50.7 45 28 6 34 36 4.97 2 4 7.99 6.04 6.39 1992 DET 47.0 47 17 2 24 27 3.26 3 2 9.00 4.60 5.17 1993 CSP 34.7 43 12 0 9 26 3.12 2 2 11.16 2.34 6.75 1993 COL 17.7 18 8 2 10 16 4.08 1 1 9.17 5.09 8.15 1994 COL 45.0 32 16 3 31 32 3.20 3 2 6.40 6.20 6.40 1995 COL 43.0 49 28 9 27 35 5.86 2 3 10.26 5.65 7.33Not too horrible a pitcher, but he's not going to maintain even moderate success with K/W ratios like those. Then again, in this organization, it's not like he's blocking some fantastic prospects or something.
CHRIS NEIER 1972 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 BND 68.3 106 55 14 24 35 7.24 2 6 13.96 3.16 4.61 1994 ASH 50.3 69 30 6 22 31 5.36 2 4 12.34 3.93 5.54 1994 CNV 25.3 33 11 2 3 17 3.91 2 1 11.72 1.07 6.04 1995 NHV 112.7 184 78 11 46 62 6.23 4 9 14.70 3.67 4.95When this guy pitches, the gaps have more ball traffic than a Jennifer Peace film. (My apologies to those of you who saw this joke in its original form, but I had to use it again. Of all the posts I've made to rec.sport.baseball, this one joke generated the largest response – over 300 people emailed me over the next week. When you start mentioning modeling theory, or talking about minutiae of baseball, you get nothing. When you make a joke about a porn star, people go nuts. It's a strange but wonderful world.)
DAVID NIED 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GRB 79.0 111 39 2 17 62 4.44 4 5 12.65 1.94 7.06 1991 DUR 76.7 59 30 6 22 55 3.52 5 4 6.93 2.58 6.46 1992 RIC 161.0 155 74 21 48 144 4.14 9 9 8.66 2.68 8.05 1992 ATL 23.0 11 3 0 5 21 1.17 3 0 4.30 1.96 8.22 1993 COL 85.7 86 38 9 43 47 3.99 5 5 9.04 4.52 4.94 1994 COL 121.0 120 49 14 47 73 3.64 7 6 8.93 3.50 5.43 1995 CSP 28.3 29 15 1 26 21 4.76 1 2 9.21 8.26 6.67The much-heralded first pick of the 1993 expansion draft. I've heard a lot of Rocky fans ride this guy, but I've never seen him pitch badly, his numbers are pretty good, he's 27 years old…but will he be healthy? Nied is probably best known for his soulful impersonation of a heartless corporate droid who wedges a helpless young woman into a parking spot in a Mentos ad. Winner of three Clios. Is it obvious I'm vamping yet? The Rockies have no talent, folks. They'll need to spend that dough or be patient, or preferably both.
LANCE PAINTER 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WLO 179.3 234 106 33 56 135 5.32 7 13 11.74 2.81 6.78 1992 WIC 152.7 155 86 22 68 107 5.07 7 10 9.14 4.01 6.31 1993 CSP 129.0 147 67 14 45 78 4.67 6 8 10.26 3.14 5.44 1993 COL 38.3 46 19 5 10 16 4.46 2 2 10.80 2.35 3.76 1994 CSP 67.0 74 31 5 29 54 4.16 3 4 9.94 3.90 7.25 1994 COL 73.3 80 36 9 26 40 4.42 4 4 9.82 3.19 4.91 1995 COL 45.0 51 21 7 10 35 4.20 2 3 10.20 2.00 7.00Pretty stochastic K rate, which I would interpret as a crap shoot. A crap shoot, as a pitcher coming into Coors Field is a definite no go for any sort of fantasy game. In real life, he could have some value, particularly considering the wear and tear Coors is likely to place on the Rockie pen.
LLOYD PEEVER 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BND 37.0 64 28 6 9 26 6.81 1 3 15.57 2.19 6.32 1993 CNV 62.3 73 32 10 10 53 4.62 3 4 10.54 1.44 7.65 1994 NHV 123.7 133 74 14 41 103 5.39 5 9 9.68 2.98 7.50 1995 CSP 40.0 42 21 7 16 25 4.72 2 2 9.45 3.60 5.62In this organization, this is the closest thing we get to Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, or even Matt Stairs, at least above the A level. The big strike against him is his size–he looks about 5' 10" to me, and he's listed at 6'. In other words, in order to be taken seriously by the people making decisions, he's going to have to be a monster. He's not there yet, but I wouldn't rule it out. If he posts a K rate over eight this year, and has an ERA under five at Colorado Springs, he'll be a keeper. Actually, he's got two years to do it before he starts bouncing from organization to organization.
STEVE REED 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SHV 20.3 22 6 1 1 22 2.66 1 1 9.74 .44 9.74 1991 PHX 53.3 60 28 8 11 44 4.72 3 3 10.12 1.86 7.43 1992 SHV 28.0 21 5 3 1 26 1.61 3 0 6.75 .32 8.36 1992 PHX 29.7 27 12 3 10 30 3.64 2 1 8.19 3.03 9.10 1992 SFG 15.7 14 5 2 3 12 2.87 1 1 8.04 1.72 6.89 1993 COL 83.3 70 34 14 31 52 3.67 5 4 7.56 3.35 5.62 1994 COL 63.7 69 28 7 25 50 3.96 4 3 9.75 3.53 7.07 1995 COL 84.0 56 18 8 21 77 1.93 7 2 6.00 2.25 8.25Got my #2 vote in the Internet NL Cy Young vote, or more accurately, should have. The problem I have with the DTs for pitchers in Colorado is that they don't take into account the unreasonable split in playing time; bullpen pitchers are going to get a lot more time in the Great Pachinko Palace [tm] than on the road. And Reed was a beast all over the league last year. He's the real thing, folks. If I had to pick a 30-year old reliever who could break out and make a late-career Hall of Fame case, a la Dennis Eckersley, this would be the guy. He and Troy Percival are the best relievers in baseball right now.
BRYAN REKAR 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 BND 69.3 102 43 14 5 36 5.58 3 5 13.24 .65 4.67 1994 CNV 101.0 136 53 5 31 65 4.72 5 6 12.12 2.76 5.79 1995 NHV 76.7 74 30 7 15 68 3.52 5 4 8.69 1.76 7.98 1995 CSP 46.7 28 9 1 13 39 1.74 4 1 5.40 2.51 7.52 1995 COL 84.7 88 38 11 24 58 4.04 4 5 9.35 2.55 6.17
ARMANDO REYNOSO 1966 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 RIC 123.3 129 44 11 33 93 3.21 9 5 9.41 2.41 6.79 1991 ATL 23.3 29 19 5 11 11 7.33 1 2 11.19 4.24 4.24 1992 RIC 160.7 170 66 16 57 98 3.70 10 8 9.52 3.19 5.49 1993 CSP 21.3 17 8 1 8 19 3.38 1 1 7.17 3.38 8.02 1993 COL 186.7 181 72 24 66 119 3.47 12 9 8.73 3.18 5.74 1994 COL 52.0 47 21 5 22 25 3.63 3 3 8.13 3.81 4.33 1995 CSP 22.0 14 4 2 6 17 1.64 2 0 5.73 2.45 6.95 1995 COL 92.3 107 45 12 35 38 4.39 5 5 10.43 3.41 3.701966? Uh...yeah! Me too! Won't recover well from a series of injuries. A very good pitcher who could have been in the majors for many years. May still surprise people, including me. That K rate is low, though; not a good sign for his future.
KEVIN RITZ 1965 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TOL 117.7 124 48 9 57 100 3.67 7 6 9.48 4.36 7.65 1991 DET 15.0 17 15 2 22 10 9.00 0 2 10.20 13.20 6.00 1992 DET 78.7 92 47 4 44 68 5.38 3 6 10.53 5.03 7.78 1994 CSP 33.7 24 5 2 6 25 1.34 4 0 6.42 1.60 6.68 1994 COL 73.3 77 34 5 34 52 4.17 4 4 9.45 4.17 6.38 1995 COL 172.0 158 68 16 64 115 3.56 11 8 8.27 3.35 6.02Broke out after escaping from a great HR park to the greatest HR park. Has always shown signs of having a bright future –strikes out a lot of guys, avoids allegations of crossdressing, and hasn't had a significant tendency to throw the Jim Acker Slider. If he puts up 175 innings similar to 1995, he's likely to be a very wealthy man. I'll be rooting for him.
BRUCE RUFFIN 1964 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SWB 69.7 85 39 6 39 47 5.04 3 5 10.98 5.04 6.07 1991 PHI 118.0 137 52 8 40 93 3.97 7 6 10.45 3.05 7.09 1992 DEN 27.3 29 11 3 8 17 3.62 2 1 9.55 2.63 5.60 1992 MIL 57.0 80 49 8 43 57 7.74 1 5 12.63 6.79 9.00 1993 COL 137.3 126 51 11 71 128 3.34 9 6 8.26 4.65 8.39 1994 COL 55.0 48 20 6 30 64 3.27 4 2 7.85 4.91 10.47 1995 COL 33.7 24 7 1 18 22 1.87 3 1 6.42 4.81 5.88Bill James wrote something about him a few years back that said basically, "This guy could be good if spotted well. He gets lefties out, and his peripheral stats are good, but he has a tendency to give up the long ball." Was Bill right? Well, Bill's been right about a lot of things, but in 1995, Ruffin faced roughly three times as many righties as lefties, and mowed through everybody. Gave up one home run all season while pitching in Coors. As Harry Caray would say, Bruce, "And a big Cubs welcome to Bill Pezesnik, who plays a great game of golf." Does anyone else notice that Harry Caray and Larry "Bud" Melman are looking more and more alike?
BRET SABERHAGEN 1964 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KCR 194.3 164 61 12 42 154 2.83 15 7 7.60 1.95 7.13 1992 NYM 97.3 83 35 8 29 89 3.24 7 4 7.67 2.68 8.23 1993 NYM 138.0 131 49 13 20 98 3.20 9 6 8.54 1.30 6.39 1994 NYM 176.3 170 51 13 15 147 2.60 14 6 8.68 .77 7.50 1995 COL 42.7 55 24 7 13 28 5.06 2 3 11.60 2.74 5.91 1995 NYM 109.3 108 40 14 21 70 3.29 7 5 8.89 1.73 5.76The even/odd thing is finally past, and has turned into a wounded/healthy thing, like it is for every other pitcher on the planet. No pitcher escapes the Mets system alive. "You want out of this game? Whazza matter, wussyboy? Too hot for you on the mound? Those 192 pitches make your widdle arm all sore?" – Dallas Green. "Anyone got some Ben-Gay?" – Bret Saberhagen/Bill Pulsipher. Saberhagen will continue to be effective when healthy, and those times will be fewer and farther between. Needs two more big seasons to go into the Hall of Fame, preferably one ending in a World Series win. Underrated.
A.J. SAGER 1965 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WIC 61.0 78 37 9 13 26 5.46 2 5 11.51 1.92 3.84 1991 LVG 103.3 116 48 8 16 57 4.18 5 6 10.10 1.39 4.96 1992 LVG 56.0 86 47 13 14 39 7.55 1 5 13.82 2.25 6.27 1993 WIC 67.3 79 35 8 21 39 4.68 3 4 10.56 2.81 5.21 1993 LVG 85.7 83 39 10 18 50 4.10 5 5 8.72 1.89 5.25 1994 LVG 38.3 50 17 2 8 21 3.99 2 2 11.74 1.88 4.93 1994 SDP 46.3 61 28 4 16 26 5.44 2 3 11.85 3.11 5.05 1995 CSP 126.7 150 52 13 23 80 3.69 8 6 10.66 1.63 5.68 1995 COL 14.3 17 12 2 7 10 7.53 0 2 10.67 4.40 6.28I like control pitchers, but I've never seen this guy throw harder than A.J. Simon. I realize that I've been known to bash scouts for making judgments like that, but we're all entitled to our exemptions, little hypocrisies, and embarrassing guilty pleasures. Just ask Clay "Motley Crue" Davenport.
STEVE SHIFFLETT 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MEM 105.3 121 39 8 19 61 3.33 7 5 10.34 1.62 5.21 1992 OMA 41.3 35 9 0 16 20 1.96 4 1 7.62 3.48 4.35 1992 KCR 51.0 58 22 5 17 30 3.88 3 3 10.24 3.00 5.29 1993 OMA 52.7 84 33 4 16 31 5.64 2 4 14.35 2.73 5.30 1994 OMA 88.0 104 38 7 25 38 3.89 5 5 10.64 2.56 3.89 1995 CSP 35.3 58 26 5 13 21 6.62 1 3 14.77 3.31 5.35 1995 IOW 25.7 34 19 3 7 10 6.66 1 2 11.92 2.45 3.51
BILL SWIFT 1962 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SEA 89.0 80 21 3 25 55 2.12 8 2 8.09 2.53 5.56 1992 SFG 164.7 153 44 8 47 86 2.40 13 5 8.36 2.57 4.70 1993 SFG 229.3 217 89 22 63 170 3.49 14 11 8.52 2.47 6.67 1994 SFG 108.7 119 50 10 33 65 4.14 6 6 9.86 2.73 5.38 1995 COL 104.7 112 46 12 42 65 3.96 6 6 9.63 3.61 5.59A good pitcher, and does everything else well also. Great at fielding his position, a good baserunner for a pitcher, and a career .211 hitter. Add that to being a groundball pitcher, and you've got someone worth taking a gamble on. But how much of a load can he handle, and how much money will he cost? With a good defense and a strong bullpen, he's worth a shot. Without those things, I think the risk outweighs the expected upside.
DAVID TELLERS 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SLM 64.7 71 24 4 19 44 3.34 4 3 9.88 2.64 6.12 1991 CAR 11.7 23 11 2 7 7 8.49 0 1 17.74 5.40 5.40 1992 SLM 67.0 94 43 13 16 47 5.78 2 5 12.63 2.15 6.31 1992 CAR 23.7 25 12 4 11 19 4.56 1 2 9.51 4.18 7.23 1994 NHV 68.3 69 40 14 12 46 5.27 3 5 9.09 1.58 6.06 1995 NHV 66.0 68 30 6 12 53 4.09 3 4 9.27 1.64 7.23
MARK THOMPSON 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BND 93.3 118 56 7 35 56 5.40 4 6 11.38 3.38 5.40 1993 CNV 67.0 52 23 6 12 56 3.09 4 3 6.99 1.61 7.52 1993 CSP 31.3 28 10 3 11 19 2.87 2 1 8.04 3.16 5.46 1994 CSP 131.7 150 61 11 58 75 4.17 7 8 10.25 3.96 5.13 1995 CSP 58.3 69 35 4 26 38 5.40 2 4 10.65 4.01 5.86 1995 COL 50.7 67 31 7 21 29 5.51 2 4 11.90 3.73 5.15
JOHN THOMSON 1974 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 ASH 81.3 77 38 6 40 51 4.20 4 5 8.52 4.43 5.64 1994 CNV 45.7 48 21 1 19 30 4.14 2 3 9.46 3.74 5.91 1995 NHV 122.3 148 69 13 57 69 5.08 5 9 10.89 4.19 5.08
JAKE VIANO 1974 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 ASH 48.7 41 16 4 29 37 2.96 3 2 7.58 5.36 6.84 1994 NHV 10.7 9 7 1 9 12 5.91 0 1 7.59 7.59 10.12 1995 NHV 68.3 57 32 7 39 71 4.21 4 4 7.51 5.14 9.35Stop me if you've heard this, but this guy could really be something if he can find his control and stay healthy. This is the last player comment for the Colorado Rockies. For a contrast, go now and read the essay and commentary on a properly-built expansion team, the Florida Marlins. The Rockies need to stop raiding the Cubs front office, and start cloning the brain of Dan Duquette. "Why are you so interested in the back of my neck?" – Dan Duquette.