Dan O’Dowd has a lot to think about this offseason. With roughly 40 games to go, the preseason baseball darlings, those dark horse Colorado Rockies were touted by many to be World Series contenders, instead find themselves 11 games out of the division lead and trailing Philadelphia by six games for the Wild Card.
What went wrong this year?
Well for starters, I believe the Rockies were slightly overrated going into the season, and while injuries have taken their toll its been the maddening inconsistency and lack of timely hitting that have left us with a team hovering just above .500
It may be time to cut bait with some of the “cornerstone” pieces of this team that were in the World Series just three short seasons ago, though even that historic run screamed overrated.
Todd Helton is done, period. You can see it in his demeanor and you can hear it in his bat, there is no thunder left there. Watching Helton this season brings back memories of Mattingly in 1995. Both players were true franchise players, but back injuries hastened their downward spirals.
Dexter Fowler is a talented athlete playing baseball, but he is not a baseball player. He is a dynamic defensive player, but in reality he is a .240 hitter that strikes out too much, doesn’t hit for power and for all his speed is not a particularly good base-stealer.
Chris Ianetta is not the future. He’s 28 years old and has had ample opportunity to claim the every catching job, but can’t get by the Miguel Olivo’s of the world.
Ian Stewart is a platoon third-baseman. He kills righties and gets killed by lefties.
Houston Street is as inconsistent closer as you’ll find in baseball and the bullpen has been a sore spot for Colorado all season.
Aaron Cook is a No. 4 or No. 5 guy at this point, but if he can’t get his sinker going in Coors Field, he might as well throw batting practice.
For all this complaining, I’ll offer a few practical solutions.
Step One: Trade Fowler & Ianetta to Kansas City in exchange for Billy Butler and Aaron Crow. Butler is currently hitting .312-11-59 and has been exiled to DH for Kansas City as they try to make room for their first baseman of the future in Kila Ka’aihue. Butler is only 24 years old and has made it clear he wants to play first base and not DH. The Rockies need a young first baseman and Butler would fit into their budget for the next three years. Crow, the 12th pick in the 2008 draft is/was a highly thought of pitcher who has already worn out his welcome in Kansas City, recently being demoted to “A” ball.
Kansas City has a ton of young talent coming up the pipeline and has the time and luxury to see if Fowler and Ianetta will develop and round into form. This is a classic “change of scenery” trade.
Step Two: Deal for Colorado native, Kevin Kouzmanoff to platoon with Stewart. Kouzmanoff is hitting .336 vs. lefties this season and plays a decent third base, plus at age 29 his career is likely that of a platoon player.
Step Three: Talk to the Yankees about a deal for catching prospect Gary Sanchez if currently prospect Wilin Rosario doesn’t look like he’ll be ready soon. Sanchez is a raw power hitter, with a good arm and good defense. He also happens to be blocked by Jesus Montero, the top prospect in the Yankee system.
Step Four: Add some OF power this off-season. Short of Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitski, there is no one in the lineup with consistent power.
Finally, the most difficult step is going to be shoring up the pitching staff, but starting and relieving. Maybe Aaron Cook finds a home in the bullpen and some of the younger prospects start to show their worth. Pitching is the key, but its the key for every team in baseball, but for the Rockies to realize their potential, they need to objectively look at what they are considering their foundation and realize that at least part of their foundation needs rebuilding.
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