Two guys to look out for this year on the Colorado Rockies
By Drew Brown
The Rockies are not going to be any sort of contender this year, but definitely have a couple players with bright futures. Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, and Michael Cuddyer are all proven players, but there are two guys who stick out to me when I think about Rockies who are going to have a good season. Both of them were around last year, and posted pretty solid numbers, but I think this is the year that Tyler Colvin and Wilin Rosario really make a name for themselves.
September 26, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Tyler Colvin runs towards third base during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Colvin is going to be playing in his second year with the Rockies, and I can see the 27-year old having a career year. He played in 136 games last season, and didn’t necessarily have a designated position. Colvin finished the year with 10 games played in left field, 38 in center field, and 59 in right field. The Rockies outfield, which contain Gonzalez, Fowler, and Cuddyer, looks like it is set, which is why I see Colvin eventually developing into the every day first basemen. Todd Helton comes into the season as a 39-year old veteran, and possible hall-of-famer, but don’t be surprised if he has his starting job taken away from him by Colvin at some point. Colvin’s got the power to be a thirty homer guy, and his .290 average last season was a big upside, after hitting .176, .254, and .150 with the Chicago Cubs his first three seasons in the MLB. He needs to earn a starting spot first, and if he’s able to pull that off, I don’t see any reason why Colvin can’t find his way in the heart of order with CarGo, Fowler, and Tulo for years to come.
September 18, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario (20) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at AT
The other player I wanted to talk about was Wilin Rosario. Behind Gonzalez, the 23-year old catcher was the most productive hitter on the team. I like the idea of Rosario being the full time catcher, while mixing in Ramon Hernandez on days that Rosario needs a rest, which is a lot for any catcher. It’s unfortunate that Rosario came up the same year as guys like Bryce Harper, Wade Miley, and Todd Frazier, because he didn’t get too much credit as a rookie. Many people would be shocked to hear that Rosario had more homers and RBIs than Harper, to go along with having a better slugging percentage and OPS. The averages were both the exact same at .270, and Rosario had 137 less at-bats and played in 22 less games than the outfielder for the Washington Nationals. Harper won the National League Rookie of the Year, and that just goes to show you how much playing on a playoff team means. If you were to match up Rosario’s numbers with Frazier, another guy who finished in front of Rosario on the ROY voting, almost all of Rosario’s numbers are better. All-in-all, expect a good year out of the young catcher. If he can stay healthy and play 3 out of every 4 games at the tough catcher position, don’t be surprised when you see his name being discussed with Yadier Molina and Buster Posey for best catchers in the National League.