SB Nation - Jamey Wright

Making Your '00 Face: #1 Starter

KLSnow — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:00:27 -0000

With the '00's almost behind us, it's time to take a look back and work together to make a BCB All Decade team for the '00s. Each day, we'll tackle a new position, and we'll have our 25 man roster complete sometime around the 1st of the year.

The concept here is pretty simple. Each day, I'll give you a list of candidates: For position players, it's the full list of players who appeared in at least 100 games at the position during the '00s. Here are the players we've selected so far:

First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Corner Outfield: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Mike Cameron
Corner Outfield: Geoff Jenkins
Catcher: Damian Miller
Bench IF: Craig Counsell
Bench C: Mike Rivera

Now, it's time to change gears a bit. Today we're opening the voting for the ace of the staff. Eleven pitchers started at least 50 games for the Brewers between 2000-2009. I've nominated all of them, plus one more. Follow the jump for their numbers, then place your vote below.

Ben Sheets

Seasons as a Brewer: 8, 2001-2008
Traditional numbers: 221 GS, 86-83, 3.72 ERA, 1428 IP, 1206 K, 313 BB
Advanced numbers: 3.56 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 1.97 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 23.8

Dave Bush

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Traditional numbers: 153 GS, 38-40, 4.86 ERA, 695.2 IP, 498 K, 167 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.38 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 3.2

Chris Capuano

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2004-2007
Traditional numbers: 116 GS, 40-44, 4.39 ERA, 678.2 IP, 562 K, 229 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.62 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 7.4

Doug Davis

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2003-2006
Traditional numbers: 111 GS, 37-36, 3.92 ERA, 685.2 IP, 568 K, 295 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.10 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 11.3

Jeff Suppan

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 95 GS, 29-34, 4.93 ERA, 546 IP, 284 K, 209 BB
Advanced numbers: 5.05 FIP, 1.573 WHIP, 4.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0

Jamey Wright

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Traditional numbers: 77 GS, 23-34, 4.73 ERA, 473.2 IP, 294 K, 249 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.99 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 4.7 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 2

Jimmy Haynes

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Traditional numbers: 62 GS, 20-30, 5.10 ERA, 372 IP, 200 K, 178 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.99 FIP, 1.58 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 4.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.5

Manny Parra

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 58 GS, 21-20, 5.17 ERA, 332.1 IP, 289 K, 164 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.40 FIP, 1.65 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: -2.1

Glendon Rusch

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Traditional numbers: 53 GS, 11-28, 5.34 ERA, 334 IP, 233 K, 121 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.49 FIP, 1.554 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: -0.8

Victor Santos

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Traditional numbers: 52 GS, 15-25, 4.78 ERA, 295.2 IP, 204 K, 117 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.68 FIP, 1.49 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.3

Yovani Gallardo

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 51 GS, 22-17, 3.57 ERA, 320 IP, 325 K, 139 BB
Advanced numbers: 3.77 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 5.7

CC Sabathia

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2008
Traditional numbers: 17 GS, 11-2, 1.65 ERA, 130.2 IP, 128 K, 25 BB
Advanced numbers: 2.41 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 1.7 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 4.8

Who Was Your Least Favorite Royal of 2009?

royalsreview — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:37:10 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

7 months ago: Kansas City Royals right fielder Jose Guillen can't catch the ball as Los Angeles Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) hits an inside-the-park home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, May 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Lori Shepler)

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Despite Zack Greinke's greatness, nobody really liked the 2009 Royals. Dayton made a number of bizarre signings during the off-season, then responded with even stranger ones in-season.

So who was your least favorite Royal of 2009?

The Nominees:

Kyle Farnsworth: A brilliant symbol of both Dayton Moore and Trey Hillman's weaknesses. Signed to a 2 year/$9 million dollar contract in the off-season that everyone hated. Was inexplicably named the setup-man/8th inning guy on Opening Day Eve by Hillman. Everyone thought this was insane. Farnsy gave up game-losing bomb the next day. Hey continued to fail until he was demoted, then he went on a long scoreless innings streak. Farnsworth ended up posting his lowest HR/9 numbers in ages, and still was below average.

Mike Jacobs: Jacobs didn't replicate his career year, another stroke of terrible luck to befall Dayton Moore. Gloriously managed a sub-.300 OBP. Could not handle the easiest position on the field. Frequently swung hard. Chewed gigantic amounts of tobacco while at the plate.

Jose Guillen: Ended the debate about his suckitude by achieving near perfect negative value. Hit .242/.314/.367 with absolutely horrific defense. Showed tremendous ability to turn fly ball outs into home runs for the other team. Has potential to unknowingly play a key role in the next game-fixing scandal. Hated by half the teams in the game. Contract is among worst in professional sports. Bonus status as the captain of Dayton's Awful Ex-Mariners Team.

Josh Anderson: Acquired by Dayton Moore in July for no apparent reason. Anderson had not hit before and he did not hit as a Royal, posting a .237/.268/.288. (Let's be fair, he has the ability to post a .280 OBP in full-time action.) Was a favorite late-game toy of Hillman. Does not appear to have blood.

Yuniesky Betancourt: Mysteriously picked up by Dayton Moore mid-season. Has no apparent strengths as a player. Has bizarre name. Costs much more than the minimum salary. Played key role in letting fans know that team is run by people who are ... ah, what's the point?

Willie Bloomquist: St. Willie turned in the greatest .265/.308/.355 season by a guy without a position in history. This was the Dayton Moore move that "worked" and .308 OBP, in Royalsville, is nothing to sneeze at.

Ryan Freel: Owning a .140/.275/.140 line with the Orioles & Cubs, Freel was acquired by Moore leading up to the trade deadline. Absolutely tore the cover off the ball as a Royal (.244/.306/.289) and told many fantastic stories about how he avoided the Vietnam War.

Jamey Wright: Could not sustain 0.00 ERA through first five minutes as a Royal, in more bad luck. Although quickly earning trusted status in Hillman's bullpen, posted a 4.90 ERA in next 57 games. Appeared in tie games constantly (13). Actually, he just appeared constantly.

Tony Pena Jr: Took epic failure of 2008 to a new level in 2009, posting an incredible .098/.132/.118 line. Played crucial role in delivering the Yuni-Bomb to Kansas City. Amazing shift to a pitching career, a move straight out of a message board if there ever was one, hurts his hate-ability however.

Sidney Ponson: Provided Royals with valuable depth in 2009: you can never have enough bad pitchers. Poison pill contract and fate led to him starting the 2009 Home Opener, the opening of the newly renovated K. Against the Yankees. Surprised fans with better than expected 7.36 ERA.

Horacio Ramirez: Ho-Ram's ex-Brave, ex-Mariner, ex-mildly surprising 2008 move that sorta worked out status, earned him another contract and $1.8 million from Dayton Moore. Sucked from the beginning and was gone by early June. He'll be back.

Tuesday Bullet Points

Jeff — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:31:07 -0000

The Mariners are allegedly one of a handful of teams going after Gregg Zaun, whose personal phone number you'll find programmed into any landline speed dial, right after poison control. Everybody's favorite 24/7 emergency catcher is 38 and still hasn't stopped hitting, and as a veteran switch-hitter with tons of experience and desirability who's used to moving around, Zaun makes a lot of sense for a Mariner team that wants to push its young backstops and may not be ready to promise Adam Moore a job. Cheap, decent, and forever tradeable, Zaun would be a small but significant asset to anyone, and he's expected to make his decision soon.

Type A FA Marco Scutaro was offered arbitration, so between this and his personally expressing interest in the Red Sox and Dodgers, you can go ahead and forget about him as a possibility, which is for the best. Not offered arbitration: Mike Cameron. By the time he retires, Cameron will probably have a stronger case for the Hall of Fame than Jim Rice, and nobody's going to care.

I used to think that my love of volcanoes and harp seals were the only feelings left from my childhood. I discovered a third when the Mariners hired Andy Stankiewicz as minor league field coordinator and I laughed out loud in my office. Oh, to be eight. We also hired ex-Indians/Lee/Sabathia pitching coach Carl Willis as minor league pitching coordinator, which may help, and may not help.

Jamey Wright is being pursued by the Royals and the Pirates, which is just about the saddest thing I've ever heard.

As an homage, the Mariners are waiting until 11:59pm to formally not offer arbitration to Miguel Batista. They're also drawing a big stupid goatee on the paperwork.

Get Those Extra Checks Ready for Miguel Olivo, Willie Bloomquist, and Jamey Wright Please

royalsreview — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:15:09 -0000

Earlier this season we touched on Dayton Moore's odd proclivity for the playing time bonus. Dating back to the Ross Gload extension, the Royals have included a number of playing time escalators in contracts. Like anything else in a contract, these bonuses can be used in a variety of ways, for the benefit or protection of either party.

Three curious things jump out about Dayton's recent use of the tool: 1) they have been given to players who are seemingly already being overpaid, 2) the Royals have used extremely modest dollar amounts for their bonuses, yet also made them incredibly easy to reach and 3) the Royals have given playing time bonuses to players who had in the past not been full-time players, but who were quickly then made full-timers on the Royals (great negotiating!).

In 2009, Miguel Olivo, St. Willie Bloomquist and a number of pitchers each had playing-time bonuses on the table. Let's see how they did.

Miguel Olivo: 114 games played, 416 plate appearances

Here are Olivo's bonuses (reached bonuses in bold), in all their nickel-and-dimer glory:

performance bonuses based on games, plate appearances:

$25,000 each for 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 games

$50,000 each for 105, 110, 115, 120 games

$25,000 each for 275, 300, 325, 350, 375, 400 PAs

$50,000 each for 425, 450, 475, 500 PAs

By sitting Olivo on the last day of the season, Trey Hillman saved his bosses $50,000, as Olivo was set to hit another bonus by playing his 115th game. All told, Olivo earned an extra $400,000 in playing time bonuses in 2009, in addition to his $2.7 million base salary, for a total of $3.1 million.

Willie Bloomquist: 125 games played, 468 plate appearances

Thanks to being employed by one of the dumbest management teams in the game, Willie Bloomquist set career playing time highs in 2009, by wide margins. Prior to 2009, his career high in games played was 102 games in 2006, and in 32 of those games he was a late-game sub. The 468 plate appearances in 2009 is more than he got in his final two seasons in Seattle combined (380), where he was also loved by everyone and valued for doing whatever it is that he does. Again, the Royals gave a guy with a .663 OPS 468 PAs this season. Blame Alex Gordon.

performance bonuses:

$50,000 each for 70 games or 280 PAs, 80 g or 320 PAs, 90 g or 360 PAs, 100 g or 400 PAs

$0.1M each for 110 g or 440 PAs, 120 g or 480 PAs, 130 g or 520 PAs, 140 g or 560 PA

Willie's contract is a little more standard, in that the games played and plate appearance bonuses are tied to one another, given that they are reflective of the same thing most of the time. The Sainted One hit all four of his $50,000 bonuses and two of his $100,000 bonuses, for a total of $400,000 extra in bonuses. Bloomquist's base salary in 2009 was $1.4 million, giving him a total payday of $1.8 million. In addition to the biggest contract of his career, Dayton Moore signed him to a deal which would allow him to add 25-35% (roughly) to his payday simply by showing up.

John Bale: 43 total points

Bale's contract for 2009 is interesting in that it uses a points system based on how he is used. (Bonuses met in bold)

performance bonuses based on points (2 points for a start, 1.5 points for 2-inning appearance, 1 point forappearance of less than 2 innings):

$25,000 each for 34, 36, 38 points

$50,000 each for 40, 42, 44 points

$75,000 each for 46, 48, 50 points

$0.1M each for 52, 54, 56 points

$0.125M each for 58, 60 points

By my count, Bale appeared in 43 games, and they were all non-starts, and all under 2.0 innings, leaving him at 43 points. Actually an impressive total for a guy who seemingly was injured and ineffective all season. The Royals bullpen, we're all in this together! If we all suck, we can all still play. Bale snagged an extra $175,000 dollars to go along with his base salary of $1.2 million.

Kyle Farnsworth: 18 games finished

Farnsworth's contract uses "games finished" as a bonus trigger, which could either mean "I got the closer role" or "I was good enough to sub for Soria sometimes" or even "I was bad but got mopup duty". Farnsworth somehow finished 18 games for the Royals, which amazes me.

performance bonuses: $50,000 each for 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 games finished; $0.1M for 45 GF; $0.15M for 50 GF; $0.25M for 55 GF

Still, no bonuses for Farnsy.

Jamey Wright: 0 starts, 65 appearances

Wright was supposed to be one of Moore's bargain signings this season, brought in for a minor league contract. Thanks to his near-constant use however, Wright did alright for himself.

performance bonuses:

starts: $50,000 for 5 GS; $0.1M each for 10, 15 GS; $0.15M for 20 GS

relief appearances: $50,000 each for 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 games; $0.1M each for 50, 55, 60 games

Wright was signed to a minor league contract, but he would have made the prorated minimum while in the Majors, and could have had extras thrown in as well. Cot's lists him as earning $800,000 in base salary in 2009. Thanks to his 65 appearances, he also earned an additional $600,000 in bonuses. Wright owes Trey Hillman a nice dinner.

Yabuta and Waechter had a number of bonuses, but reached none of them. Thankfully, in Yabuta's case. Yabuta appeared in only 43 games as a Royal in 2008-9. Did you know that if he had appeared in 155 games total over those years, he would have vested a player option for 2010?

When you look at these bonuses, the ones for the pitchers make much more sense, from the club's standpoint: if you make this team, Jamey Wright, and if you're healthy and good all season, Kyle Farnsworth, you'll make even more money for us. Maybe that gets them in the door for a little less money guaranteed, which would in theory be good, if we were talking about good players.

The Bloomquist and Olivo bonuses make less sense to me. Not surprisingly, Olivo was unhappy with a lack of playing time in 2008, and seemed to have an idea that he was "brought here to be a starter". Hmm... where'd that problem come from? Meanwhile, the extra Bloomquist money just adds less value to an already bad contract. When you include reasonable playing time bonuses, the Royals didn't sign him to a 2 year/$3.1 million dollar deal, they signed him to a 2 year/$4.1 million dollar deal.

Figures like these need to be kept in mind when discussing the Royals payroll. Are these contracts creative ways of staying under some set in stone budget number? There's no way of knowing. Reported figures for the Royals payroll tend to be all over the place. Sometimes the Royals want to stress how large it is, sometimes they want to point out how small.

Contracts like these are common in today's game, just not necessarily for position players with little injury history like Bloomquist and Olivo. Two is a coincidence and, with the Ross Gload contract, three is a trend. Maybe Moore just likes making these kind of deals. Maybe ownership wants a little injury insurance. Maybe it is a motivational tool for the player. Who knows? There are benefits to lots of small bonuses (like the Olivo contract) and there are benefits to ones which aren't reached until some large playing time number is hit, as in the Yabuta contract. Did Olivo know that Hillman's decision to play Pena and Buck on the final day of the season cost him $50,000? Did he care? Should he care? I don't know the answer to those questions. Yes, $50,000 is much less relevant to these guys than it is to most of us, but then again, Miguel Olivo also has many more expenses, taxes, etc. than most of us as well. He has had to move across the country like six or seven times during his career. He's got bills, he's got things he wants. If a guy I didn't really respect cost me $500 dollars (in my mind) I'd be really unhappy about it. I bet you'd feel the same way.

This is all just to say, there's quite a lot going on here. Since we aren't privy to these contract negotiations, and know nothing about anyone involved beyond their baseball stuff, we're left to guess. What do you guess?

WAR Lords of the Diamond (Starting Pitchers)

Jabberwocky — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Reed Saxon - AP

Where does Aaron Cook rank among Colorado's starting pitchers?

Browse more photos »

Previous Sessions in the WAR Lords Series:

C (with methodology) I 1B I 2B I 3B I SS I LF I CF I RF I RP

For the next step in my ongoing quest to quantify the greatest Rockies ever by position, I'm revealing the best performers at starting pitcher (through the 2008 season).

Obviously this is not a comprehensive list of all starting pitchers, but all the pitchers who have made a large contribution to the Rockies as starters were weighed, measured, and (often) found wanting. All in all, 54 players were ranked.

Once again, I'm using Sean Smith's historical WAR database (not Fangraphs) to compile these numbers (with a big assist to the fabulous Baseball Reference; here is the glossary of the terms Smith uses and an explanation of how pitching WAR is calculated. Note: the calculation that Smith uses is different than the one used in my article, so the numbers at Fangraphs will be slightly different than the ones I present in these articles.

As I explained last week, starting pitchers are MUCH more valuable than relief pitchers when one is measuring WAR, by and large, due to the fact that WAR is a counting stat. Starting pitchers throw more innings and therefore have a greater influence on the game than do relievers, which stands to reason. This is also the reason why a pitcher like Franklin Morales, who could develop into a dominant closer, would be better off just remaining a starter.

Remember, relief pitchers are often failed starting pitchers who are given an easier task that their skillset will allow them to handle. Nearly every starting pitcher in baseball could be a useful relief pitcher. Very few relief pitchers could be useful starting pitchers. Replacement-level starters can be useful relievers; Juan Rincon is neither.

In any case, what both Smith and the fine folks at Fangraphs have shown is that star starting pitchers are just as valuable if not more so than star position players (and their contracts often bear this point out). Even though a dominant starting pitcher will only play once every five games, they have such a huge influence on whether their team wins the game that it mitigates the difference in playing time between the position player and, say, Troy Tulowitzki.

For instance, this season Ubaldo Jimenez (Colorado's top pitcher) has been worth 5.5 WAR while Tulowitzki (the top position player) has accumulated 4.7 WAR. On a macro scale, the Rockies' pitching staff has actually contributed more WAR to the team (23.3, 2nd in MLB) than have the position players (16.5, 17th in MLB).

But I digress.

Like the denizens of the bullpen, a club's starting rotation is often in a constant state of flux due to injuries and inconsistent performance. The fact that the Rockies have only had five pitchers start more than two games this year is quite frankly amazing--the MLB average for this is closer to eight starters. I would say, though, that starting pitching performance is by and large more predictive overall than relief pitching performance due to the larger sample sizes involved in any one year's stats. A reliever can be unduly harmed or helped by luck when used less often--a trend that can see an unpleasant (or pleasant) change the subsequent year.

In order to qualify for consideration for this list the pitchers had to be one of the top five or six starters in innings pitched in a given year or throw over 50 innings for the team in a mostly starting role. It's a relatively deep group, with 14 starting pitchers having delivered at least one league average season (2 WAR) as a starter for the Rockies.

Starting Pitchers

Note: some of these pitchers were both starters and relievers for the Rockies. I have placed these players in this category subjectively on the basis of where I believe they provided the greatest impact to the Rockies. In case of an average rank tie, career WAR is the tiebreaker. I'm ranking eight players to reflect the fact that the modern starting rotation generally uses eight pitchers in any given year.

Keep in mind when reading this list that WAR is a counting stat and therefore longevity counts for quite a bit, especially in this category. Also, Smith's numbers seem to be park-adjusted, therefore pre-humidor pitchers are given a nice park-factor boost to their less-than inspiring numbers (small consolation for having to pitch in an offensive haven.

1. Pedro Astacio

Career WAR: 9.9 (2nd)
Top Three Seasons: 9.3, 1999-2001 (1st)
Top Season: 5.3, 1999 (1st)
Average Rank: 1.33

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic as an 18 year old by the Dodgers, Pedro Astacio came over to the Rockies as a 27 year old before the waiver trade deadline in 1997 in exchange for Eric Young. Needless to say, trading EY was not originally a popular move with fans, but Astacio soon won over Colorado partisans with his sublime pitching even at Coors Field.

Astacio's third season with the Rockies, 1999, was the greatest pitching season in franchise history (though it will soon likely be surpassed by Jimenez this year) with 5.3 WAR. The 29 year-old righty threw 232 innings, managing a 17-11 record and 210 strikeouts (a club record to this day) despite a 5.04 ERA. Considering that Coors Field in 1999 had a Park Factor of 127 (this year = 107), it was pretty tough to succeed using conventional pitching stats. Astacio's 4.56 FIP and 8.15 K/9 (2.91 K/BB) hold up pretty well in such a poor pitching environment.

In any case, Astacio was traded by Colorado to Houston for homegrown pitcher Scott Elarton at the 2001 trading deadline as he approached free agency. Oddly enough, Astacio's performance never was even replacement level for the rest of his career even when pitching in better environs.

TOGB celebrated Astacio in an edition of Rockies Retro.

2a. Aaron Cook

Career WAR: 10.3 (1st)
Top Three Seasons: 7.3, 2006-2008 (2nd)
Top Season: 3.4, 2008 (6th)
Average Rank: 3

You might not have realized it, but Aaron Cook has been pitching for the Rockies since 2002 (and he's signed through 2011 with a mutual option for 2012). His longevity and consistency (he's been over 1 WAR his last five seasons) are what puts the Rockies' 2nd round pick in 1997 near the top of this leaderboard and to the summit of the Rockies' career WAR leaderboard.

Cook's best year was his All-Star season last year, when in the awful beginning of the year he was the only thing keeping the season from becoming a complete disaster. His 16-9 record and 3.96 ERA in 211.1 IP got him on the All-Star team and his 3.76 FIP garnered him 3.4 WAR. His 4.37 career ERA is tops in Rockies history.

Going forward, Cook is a solid middle rotation starter that is locked into the Rockies for a couple of more years. He is already the longest-tenured Rockies starter, and could be one of the few players in today's game to pitch a long career with one club.

2b. Jason Jennings

Career WAR: 9.1 (3rd)
Top Three Seasons: 6.6, 2004-2006 (3rd)
Top Season: 4.2, 2006 (3rd)
Average Rank: 3

Talk about selling an asset high. Jason Jennings, the jewel of the Rockies' player development system, Rookie of the Year in 2002, coming off of his best season, was traded to the Houston Astros after the 2006 season (and before his third year of arbitration) for Willy Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh. Dan O'Dowd was lambasted for this trade by most, yet in hindsight this move looks like an absolute steal.

Why? Because Jennings fell off a cliff once leaving the Rockies, sustaining arm injuries and pitching poorly enough that he's now the Rangers' mop-up man. Despite the hard times that have befallen JJ, let us remember his glory.

The 16th overall pick of the 1999 draft out of Baylor, JJ rocketed through the Rockies' system and made his big league debut in 2001, going 4-1 and having a rather memorable debut, pitching a five pitch shutout and hitting a home run. Jennings only got better in 2002, going 16-8 and winning the ROY. However, it was JJ's 2006 that cemented his status as a front line pitcher (or so thought poor Ed Wade).

In 2006 Jennings compiled a 9-13 record but had a 3.78 ERA (4.09 FIP) with 206 Ks (1.67 K/BB) in 212 IP, good enough for 4.2 WAR. And then O'Dowd sold high. What a move that was. His WAR since 2006: -1.1, -0.8. While I appreciate what JJ did for the Rockies, I'm glad O'Dowd let go when he did.

4. Kevin Ritz

Career WAR: 6.6 (6th)
Top Three Seasons: 6.5, 1995-1997 (4th)
Top Season: 3.9, 1995 (5th)
Average Rank: 5

Kevin Ritz, a 4th round pick of Detroit in 1985, was picked as the 46th pick of the 1992 expansion draft by the Rockies. Ritz was a rotation regular by 1994 and had a nice two season stretch in 1995 and 1996. Ritz went 11-11 with a 4.21 ERA (4.15 FIP) with 120 Ks (1.85 K/BB) in 173.1 IP for the Wild Card-winning Rockies in 1995 (3.9 WAR). He followed it up with a 2 WAR 1996, going 17-11.

Ritz's career ended when he was released by the Rockies during the 1998 season after he was unable to overcome arm injuries.

TOGB wrote a nice profile on Ritz in Rockies Retro.

5. Armando Reynoso

Career WAR: 7.6 (4th)
Top Three Seasons: 5.0, 1993-1995 (6th)
Top Season: 3.1, 1993 (8th)
Average Rank: 6

Armando Reynoso, originally purchased by the Braves from his Mexican professional team, was selected by the Rockies with the 58th pick in the expansion draft. Reynoso quickly became Colorado's best pitcher, posting a 3.1 WAR in the team's inaugural season. However, his career was quickly detoured by chronic arm injuries, otherwise he'd be higher on this list. The righty, who possessed an awesome pick-off move, did manage to put up 1.1 and 2.6 WAR seasons in 1995 (half year) and 1996.

The Rockies traded the plucky finesse pitcher to the Mets after the 1996 season for Jerry DiPoto as he became more expensive given his injury risk. Reynoso won a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks despite performing poorly in 2001, his last real MLB season.

TOGB wrote a profile on Reynoso in Rockies Retro.

6. Marvin Freeman

Career WAR: 4.6 (8th)
Top Three Seasons: 4.6, 1994-1996 (T-8th)
Top Season: 4.0, 1994 (4th)
Average Rank: 6.67

Ladies and Gentleman, the single season ERA record holder for the Colorado Rockies! A 31 year-old Marvin Freeman was picked up off the scrap heap by the Rockies after the 1993 season, and though he only had one good season with the team, what a blaze of glory it was!

The imposing (6'7") righty was, quite frankly, amazing in 1994 for the Rockies. In only 112 innings (18 starts), Freeman went 10-2 with 67 Ks (2.91 K/BB) and a 2.80 ERA (3.84 FIP), worth 4.0 WAR!

Of course, in 1995 and 1996 everyone was reminded that Freeman wasn't actually this good (0.9 and -0.3 WAR) and he went away quietly--he was released at the waiver deadline in 1996.

7. John Thomson

Career WAR: 7.2 (5th)
Top Three Seasons: 4.8, 1997-1999 (7th)
Top Season: 2.7, 1997 (10th)
Average Rank: 7.33

Drafted by the Rockies in the 7th round in 1993, Thomson exceeded the production of 1992 2nd round draft pick Mark Thompson, who I often confuse him for. Thomson reached the big leagues in 1997 as a 23 year old and had immediate success, posting 2.7 WAR (7-9, 4.71 ERA) and following that up with another 2.7 WAR (8-11, 4.81) season in 1998.

Unfortunately, the injury bug bit Thomson hard after 1998, and he managed only half seasons in 1999 and 2001 with no season at all in 2000. Finally healthy in 2002, Thomson was traded at the July deadline with Mark Little to the Mets for a package that included Jay Payton. After the trade Thomson had a few injury-free years and performed well for the Rangers and the Braves, then was ultimately undone by more injuries.

8. Jeff Francis

Career WAR: 6.2 (7th)
Top Three Seasons: 5.7, 2006-2008 (5th)
Top Season: 2.5, 2006 (13th)
Average Rank: 8.33

The 9th overall pick in the 2002 draft out of Canada, Jeff Francis moved rapidly through the Rockies' system and was with the big club by 2004 as a 23 year old. Francis finished sixth in the ROY voting in 2005, his first full season, then enjoyed two very nice years in 2006 and 2007.

The soft-tossing lefty equaled Ritz's and Astacio's franchise wins mark with his 17-9 record in 2007 (he had 2.2 WAR) and finished 9th in the Cy Young Award voting. However, he suffered a torn labrum after a tough 2008 and has been rehabbing the injury since then.

The Physicist has one year left on his contract ($5.75 million) with a $7 million club option for 2010. It will be interesting to see if Francis can ever return to his early form and make it worthwhile for the Rockies to exercise that option. I've taken a pretty pessimistic view on this injury from the start, so my money is that Francis will never contribute significantly to the team again. I would love to be proved wrong though.

Other great single seasons include Joe Kennedy's 2004 (4.7 WAR) and Roger Bailey's 1997 (3.2).

Career Underachievers: Mike Hampton (-1, though he was worth 2 WAR batting), Denny Neagle (1.1), Scott Elarton (-2.9), and Livan Hernandez (-1.2).

Others of note: Jimenez (3.4 and on his way to a place high on this list very soon), Darryl Kile (4.1), Jamey Wright (4.6), Shawn Chacon (2.2, but 3.9 as a starter), Josh Fogg (-0.6) Greg Reynolds (-1.5).

Next week I'll reveal the unholy amalgamation that is the Colorado Rockies All-WAR team.

Game 141: Royals 2, Indians 1

afh4 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:49:25 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

"Flo" from Progressive threw out the first pitch.

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Justin Masterson pitched in and out of trouble all night, inducing two double plays when his back was against the wall Despite his four walks, Masterson held the Royals to just one run over 6. Zack Greinke was his usual magical self through seven innings but Trey Hillman pulled him at just 102 pitches and one earned run; Greinke's last start was a 120+ pitch performance against the Angels. Tony Sipp and Chris Perez were brilliant through 3 innings of relief.

The Royals bullpen is truly atrocious and Hillman handed the ball to Kyle Farnsworth and his 5.00+ ERA for the final two innings. He worked a clean slate in the eigth but then characteristically started to come unglued in the ninth. After putting two on, he gave up a single to Jhonny Peralta; Skinner flashed back to games that mattered and sent Cabrera home despite it being a short single into LF, where David DeJesus and his strong arm waited. Cabrerea was cut down at the plate meaning Travis Hafner would have to get a hit for the Indians to win the game in regulation. Hafner waved at strike three and the game went to extras.

Going with Perez in the top of the ninth was, if I'm not mistaken, against the book, in that the closer is expected in the top of the ninth in the tie game of a home game. When Wedge stuck with Perez for the tenth, it was an unusual, though certainly not indefensible decision. I'm not much for this whole line of speculation but if you're looking for the "denying Wood games to finish" evidence, this is about as close as we've gotten. Chris made it a tactical moot point by plowing through the Royals for a second straight inning to make a final line of 2.0 IP, 1 BB and 3K. Since joining the Indians, Perez (Mercedes?) has 32 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. These are essentially the same strikeout numbers as in St. Louis; the difference is that Perez has halved his walks.

The Royals turned to Jamey Wright to try to hold the Indians at bay in the tenth. If it seems like I'm foreshadowing that Wright would lose the game, that's because I was writing this along with the game, waiting to go for dinner, and I was hoping that was the case. It wasn't, and Valbuena-LaPorta-Marte went 1-2-3 against the suddenly indomitable Jamey Wright. In the top of the eleventh, Wedge again stayed away from Wood and went with Jose Veras, who somehow worked a scoreless inning.

Frankly, I lost interest in this an hour ago. I mean, seriously who's watching this? Sigh. Come on. Somebody hit a home run. Who's coming up? Marson, Brantley, and Cabrera. Who's my best shot there? I told these people I'd meet them for dinner an hour ago. Alright, Brantley took a walk. Come on. Just hit a double or something, Astro. It's still Jamey Wright on the mound. How is this still going on?

In the eleventh, Asdrubal grounded out to move Brantley to second; after an intentional walk to Choo, Peralta stepped in and singled to left! JP singled! And...Brantley was out at home on the throw from DeJesus. That's twice, Skinner.

Top 12. Still Veras (seriously, what?). Homerun Miguel Olivo. Well, alright.

So, that's it. Miguel Olivo took Jose Veras yard in the top of the 12th and the Indians lost. What has happened to us?

WAR Lords of the Diamond (Third Base)

Jabberwocky — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:45:07 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Where does Garrett Atkins rank in Rockies franchise history?

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Previous sessions in the WAR Lords series: C I 1B I 2B

For the next step in my ongoing quest to quantify the greatest Rockies ever by position, I'm tackling the hot corner, third base. Once again I'm using Sean Smith's historical WAR database for my information; here's a glossary of the terms he uses and an explanation of WAR. Please see the catcher article for an explanation of my ranking methodology.

Third base, according to Tom Tango's positional adjustment scale, is given a +2.5 runs adjustment due to the fact that it requires a better fielder than, say, first base or right field. That is because the third baseman requires good reflexes as he is usually the closest fielder to the batter. The third base position requires a strong arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base, but also a quick release, as they sometimes must throw quickly to second in time to start a double play. The third baseman must also range well to get to fly balls in both fair and foul territory.

However, the hot corner is still primarily a position that is geared traditionally towards offensive production because third base does not require the speed of an outfield or middle infield position (see Atkins, Garrett), so teams stick their big bats at the hot corner. In the new Sabermetric Age (oh yeah, it's coming) I think that you'll see third base become a much more defensive-oriented position again, as it was in the early days of baseball.

Most of the Rockies' third basemen have fit the mold of the slow slugger, though Ian Stewart's slick defense is an example of the position's evolution. The quantity of players measured is not high (7), but their quality is good: all of the top five posted at least one season above league-average WAR (2.0) for the Rockies. You will be at the least mildly surprised by the results.

Without further ado, the top Colorado denizens of the hot corner...after the jump.

Third Basemen

And the most valuable third baseman in Rockies history, according to my methodology...is Purple Row punching bag Garrett Atkins! Sure, Vinny Castilla has the biggest career WAR for the Rockies, but he also played the most games. Atkins out produced Castilla in both the three-year and one-year metrics to claim the WAR Lords title for third base. Here are the results:

1. Garrett Atkins

Career WAR: 11.1 (2nd)
Top Three Seasons: 10.8, 2005-2007 (1st)
Top Season: 6.4, 2006 (1st)
Average Rank: 1.33

Garrett's poor performance thus far in 2009 does not affect his status on this list, but it does tarnish his legacy as a Colorado Rockie. The 2000 5th round pick out of UCLA first reached the majors in 2003 and became the full-time starter in 2005, a year in which he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year standings and produced 1.5 WAR. However, his best season (by far the greatest by a Rockies third baseman) was 2006, in which Atkins produced 6.4 WAR. Atkins not only hit .329 with 29 HRs and 120 RBI, but he also had a split line of .329/.409/.556/.410 (BA, OBP, SLG, wOBA). In addition, Atkins provided positive value fielding (Total Zone of 11).

Atkins was 26 and one of the best young players in the game--and then he regressed, steadily and quickly. He went from .410 wOBA in 2006 to .368 to .337 down to .293 so far this year--and his pay has increased dramatically as his hitting skills (namely, his bat speed) have decreased. Atkins is likely to be non-tendered by Colorado after this year, but 2006 (and 2007) will get him another chance somewhere.

2. Vinny Castilla

Career WAR: 15.1 (1st)
Top Three Seasons: 10.1, 1996-1998 (2nd)
Top Season: 4.5, 1998 (2nd)
Average Rank: 1.67

A charter member of the Blake Street Bombers, Castilla is probably the most loved third baseman in Rockies history. Castilla spent parts of nine years with the Rockies, playing in two All-Star games, winning three Silver Sluggers, and belting over 30 home runs five years in a row. Vinny was picked 40th by the Rockies in the 1992 expansion draft as a shortstop (indeed, he was the Rockies' main shortstop in 1993) and was moved over to third in 1995 to replace Charlie Hayes' leaving in free agency, where he remained until 2000. His 1998 season was his greatest, as he produced well in the traditional (.319 BA, 46 HRs, 144 RBI), advanced (.362 OBP, .589 SLG) and sabermetric (.396 wOBA) stats.

The fan favorite regressed in 1999 and was traded after the season for Rolando Arrojo and Aaron Ledesma, after which he spent four relatively punchless years away from Coors Field. He returned to Colorado in 2004 as a free agent, and in familiar surroundings produced 35 HR, 131 RBI, and 3.4 WAR for the Rockies (.271/.332/.535/.362). After the 2004 season, Castilla played for the Nationals and Padres, but returned in late 2006 to retire as a Rockie, where he now works in the front office.

3. Jeff Cirillo

Career WAR: 8.1 (3rd)
Top Three Seasons: 8.1, 2000-2001 (3rd)
Top Season: 4.1, 2001 (3rd)
Average Rank: 3

Cirillo was acquired as part of a three team trade before the 2000 season in which the Rockies sent away Jamey Wright, Henry Blanco, and Justin Miller. The 30 year-old Cirillo was expected to pick up where Castilla left off, and in his two seasons Cirillo proved to be up to the task, producing WARs of 4 and 4.1 (part of a six-year run of at least 4 WAR in each year, justifying his $8.45 million in total compensation.

Cirillo made the 2000 All-Star game, a year in which he batted .326/.392/.477/.376--and then he was just as good in 2001, in large part due to his phenomenal fielding (TZ of 21) and similar batting stats. He didn't stop giving the Rockies value with his 2001 season--he was traded to the Mariners after the season for a package that included Brian Fuentes. Cirillo then proceeded to produce at a below league-average level for the rest of his career.

4. Charlie Hayes

Career WAR: 3.7 (4th)
Top Three Seasons: 3.7, 1993-1994 (4th)
Top Season: 3.1, 1993 (4th)
Average Rank: 4

The Rockies' Inaugural third baseman, Hayes was selected by the Rockies as the 3rd pick in the 1992 expansion draft. The then 27-year old Hayes responded by producing a career year in the very-hitter friendly environment that he was thrust into--a year that he never again came close to replicating. In 1993, Hayes produced 3.1 WAR, posting a line of .305/.355/.522/.378 with above average fielding (TZ of 3). After coming down to earth in 1994 (0.6 WAR), the Rockies let Hayes go in free agency, making way for Castilla.

5. Chris Stynes

Career WAR: 2.3 (5th)
Top Three Seasons: 2.3, 2003 (5th)
Top Season: 2.3, 2003 (5th)
Average Rank: 5

Whawhawhaaat?? Chris Stynes? Yep. In 2003 (just after the implementation of the humidor), the 30-year old Stynes, who had two good years in Cincinnati among a few awful ones as a part-timer for three other teams, was signed as a stopgap by the Rockies for $750k after the glorious Todd Zeile era. And when Stynes was given a career high in PA (502), he produced as about a league-average third baseman for the Rockies--posting a league-average wOBA (.329). In addition, he provided excellent defense at the hot corner (TZ of 12) The Rockies let him walk in free agency (bringing back Castilla) and the next year he was out of baseball. Go figure.

6. Ian Stewart

Career WAR: 1.3 (6th)
Top Three Seasons: 1.3, 2007-2008 (6th)
Top Season: 1.1, 2008 (6th)
Average Rank: 6

Give it time--the Rockies' 1st round pick in 2003 will hopefully eclipse at the least Chris Stynes on this list. If Stewart ever puts it together at the plate, he'll shoot up this list.

7. Todd Zeile

Career WAR: 0.7 (7th)
Top Three Seasons: 0.7, 2007-2008 (7th)
Top Season: 0.7, 2008 (7th)
Average Rank: 7

Oh, Todd Zeile, the Rockies' erstwhile 2002 starter. He was acquired in a three team trade in which the Rockies gave up Ross Gload, Alex Ochoa, and Craig House--in other words, nobody. He wasn't bad with the bat (.273/.353/.425/.341) but he wasn't great either, and his fielding was below average (-5 TZ). The problem was that the Rockies were paying Zeile almost $7 million to be below average, and the club let him go after his existing contract expired.

Next week: Shortstops

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:16:23 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Trevor Hoffman did his part last night, but Heath Bell couldn't follow suit. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Some things to read while repelling flies.

The combined efforts of three Brewers were not enough to power the National League to victory last night, making the league 12-0-1 since adding the Brewers. Tom H. wonders if the NL players sit around and think back to the glory days of 2002, when the game ended in a tie.

This extended streak of NL futility is certainly notable but hardly unprecedented. I had this in my inbox from TheJay this morning:

With the AL victory last night, the AL has won 12 of the last 13 all-star games and 18 of the last 22. Since 1960, though, the AL is 22-29-2 in the midsummer classic (two games each year from 1960 to 1962). From 1963 to 1985 the AL won a whopping two times.

By the way, if you see TheJay today, be sure to wish him a happy birthday. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing to share a birthday with Nick Neugebauer. Also, happy belated birthday to Tristarscoop, whose birthday I missed yesterday.

As Tom H. noted, Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless inning last night but Heath Bell, his replacement in San Diego, gave up the winning run. Jeff Passan noted that Bell was the third Padre in four seasons to blow an All Star Game.

At least it wasn't a Pirate, I guess: Two Pirates were selected for the NL roster, but neither appeared in the game.

The JS has a look at the All Star experience for the three Brewers, which included meeting the President.

Hopefully Prince Fielder enjoyed the experience enough that he won't mind taking home less money than his teammates. I've previously mentioned that Braun received $50k for making the team and Fielder took home $25k. It turns out Trevor Hoffman got $50k too.

Of course, the All Star Game isn't just exciting for the players, it's also exciting for drunken, bandwagon fans, as Tyler Maas of Bugs & Cranks discovered.

Dave Bush is expected to start in Huntsville tonight in the final appearance of his rehab assignment, and could rejoin the starting rotation on July 20. Once he's back, he's got some serious work to do: he's hit ten batters in 2009, leaving him ten short of Jamey Wright's franchise record, set in 2001.

Want to get something cool for supporting a great cause? ESPN's V Foundation Auction is underway, and one of the items up for bid is a Brewers Batting Practice Experience, the opportunity for you and three friends to watch BP on the field at a Brewer game. The auction closes at 5:35 tonight, so time is running out.

The Brewers have two starters in tonight's AAA All Star Game: Alcides Escobar will play shortstop and bat second, and Brendan Katin will play right field and bat eighth. They'll both face International League starting pitcher Justin Lehr, a former Brewer.

The Brewers dropped another spot to 14th in WhatifSports' Power Rankings.

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Eric Milton had surgery to remove a herniated disk in his back and will miss the rest of the season.
Phillies: Signed Pedro Martinez to a one year deal worth $1 million, with up to $1.5 million in incentives.

Here are some non-Brewer related All Star notes:

Bernie Miklasz is still upset by Albert Pujols not winning the Home Run Derby, so he's proposing new rules.
Evan Longoria missed last night's game with an infected ring finger. That's the best euphemism for marriage I've ever heard.
I didn't realize it until this morning but, as Ryan Fagan points out, the Home Run Derby was actually 40 minutes longer than the All Star Game.
Despite having Sheryl Crow to sing the national anthem, and a cast of thousands on the field before the game, Major League Baseball didn't have anyone on hand to sing the Canadian national anthem.
Next year, homefield advantage in the World Series should be decided by a Mascot Relay Race. I'd rather watch that than celebrity softball.

So, let's say for a moment that you work in the front office of the Washington Nationals. You've got far and away the worst record in baseball, you recently fired your manager and you're quickly becoming a running joke around the league. How can you make this worse? Well, you could start by hiring Ned Yost to manage your team. He's reportedly a candidate for the job. (h/t William F. Yurasko)

Today we bid farewell to Chuckie Hacks, a Frosty Mug mainstay which has decided to shut down after several years of Wisconsin sports commentary. Thanks for the ride, guys.

Oh, and four years ago today Chris Magruder beat the Nationals, scoring the winning run in the tenth inning on a walk-off balk.

Drink up.

Rockies Retro: First Round Draft Pick History

theoldgrizzlybear — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:31:21 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

It's definitely safe to say that this guy has been the best first round draft pick in the history of the Colorado Rockies franchise.

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With the MLB Draft taking place this Tuesday, I thought it would be appropriate to review the history of the Rockies' first round draft picks. Since the franchise first played in 1993 (and drafted in 1992), this is easily possible (so take that, Red Sox fans). Sandwich picks are included. So, without further adieu, here we go...

1992: John Burke (RHP - University of Florida - drafted 27th overall)

All of Burke's success with the organization came in the minor leagues. In 1993, he was a California League All-Star while posting a 3.20 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 119 innings. In 1995, Burke helped lead Colorado Springs to the PCL Championship, as he went 7-1 with a 4.55 ERA and was voted the league's best pitching prospect. However, it was all downhill for Burke once he reached the majors, finishing his career in 1997 with a total of 4 wins, 6 losses, and a 6.75 ERA in 28 appearances.

1993: Jamey Wright (RHP - Oklahoma City, OK - drafted 28th overall)

Wright has had a long and somewhat successful career as a big leaguer, and showed flashes of brilliance during his two stints with the Rockies, but wasn't really ever able to put it all together. He was unable to strike anybody out for the most part, and thus was extremely hittable - especially in pre-humidor Coors Field. His best year in the big leagues came last year with Texas, where he finished 8-7 with a 5.12 ERA.

1994: Doug Million (LHP - Sarasota, FL - drafted 7th overall)

Million was a highly regarded prospect, coming off a fantastic senior year in high school in which he was named the 1994 High School Player of the Year by Baseball America. He was 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA in his first professional season, and was making his way up the ladder in the Rockies organization before he tragically passed away on September 23, 1997 from a severe asthma attack.

1995: Todd Helton (1B - University of Tennessee - drafted 8th overall)

No explanation necessary...the guy's only been one of the best hitters and arguably the best defensive first baseman in baseball over the past decade-plus.

1996: Jake Westbrook (RHP - Danielsville, GA - drafted 21st overall)

Before he really had a chance to make any impact in the organization, Westbrook and two other minor leaguers were traded to the Expos for Mike Lansing in 1997. Soon after finding his way to the Indians organization, Westbrook had some success in the big leagues, as he won 44 games between 2004 and 2006. He's still with the Indians, but has been battling injuries for the past few seasons and is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.

1997: Mark Mangum (RHP - Kingwood, TX - drafted 18th overall)

Mangum went 4-6 with a 4.80 ERA in Rookie league ball in '97. The next year, he was pitching in the Expos organization after being the PBTNL in a trade that brought Dave Veres to the Rockies. He never made it to the big leagues.

1998: Matt Roney (RHP - Edmond, OK - drafted 28th overall); Choo Freeman (OF - Rowlett, TX - drafted 36th overall); Jeff Winchester (C - Metairie, LA - drafted 40th overall)

Roney (with the Tigers and A's) and Freeman (with the Rockies) eventually made it to the big leagues, while Winchester (who is most famous for sharing a rookie card with Matt Holliday), did not. Roney and Freeman did not enjoy much success in the major leagues, and all three guys are now out of professional baseball.

1999: Jason Jennings (RHP - Baylor University - drafted 16th overall)

Jennings was the first Rockies pitching prospect to ever pan out at the major league level. He had a very successful cup of coffee in 2001, and was the 2002 National League Rookie of the Year. Following several more seasons that were deemed successful (the numbers weren't great, but he pitched at Coors Field for half of his games), Jennings was traded to the Houston Astros after the 2006 season for Taylor Buchholz, Jason Hirsh, and Willy Taveras. After battling injuries for a couple of seasons, Jennings has revived his career pitching out of the bullpen for the Rangers. He is currently 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 17 relief appearances.

2000: Matt Harrington (RHP - Palmdale, CA - drafted 7th overall)

Harrington's story has been well documented as of late. He failed to sign with the Rockies, and despite being drafted four more times, he never made it to the big leagues.

2001: Jayson Nix (SS - Midland, TX - drafted 44th overall)

The Rockies only had a compensation pick in 2001 (granted to them for their failure to sign Harrington a year earlier), and they used it to draft Nix, a prototypical "AAAA player" who spent 8 years in the organization (but only a portion of 2008 with the Rockies) before being picked up by the White Sox prior to this season. Although he's shown a little bit of pop (4 HRs in 56 ABs), Nix's OBP is just .297.

2002: Jeff Francis (LHP - University of Lethbridge - drafted 9th overall)

Francis cruised through the Rockies organization, posting a 29-12 career minor league record before breaking in for good with the big league club in 2004. Francis is the franchise's all-time leader in victories for a left-handed pitcher. He also led the Rockies staff with 17 wins in 2007. He struggled while trying to pitch through an injury last year, though, and is sidelined for all of 2009 with said injury. It's safe to say that overall, though, he's been a success.

2003: Ian Stewart (3B - La Quinta, CA - drafted 10th overall)

From this point on, the jury's still out on everybody and that's certainly the case with Stewart, who has the potential to be a star at the major league level. He currently leads the team with 9 home runs this season, and his bat is beginning to heat up as of late.

2004: Chris Nelson (SS - Stone Mountain, GA - 9th overall)

Nelson has shown the potential to be an impact player in the big leagues, but he has battled with injuries and inconsistency so far in his minor league career, and has yet to advance past AA. However, he performed well and received rave reviews in the Arizona Fall League in 2008, so the hype is definitely still there. He's currently hitting .280/.355/.477 in a repeat year with Tulsa.

2005: Troy Tulowitzki (SS - Long Beach State University - drafted 7th overall); Chaz Roe (RHP - Lexington, KY - drafted 32nd overall)

Tulowitzki has basically been the big league version of Chris Nelson (a fast start followed by struggles with injuries and inconsistency), but there's no denying that he's a terrific ballplayer and that he still has a bright future. However, the time to make adjustments is NOW, and some time spent in AAA may not be a bad thing for Tulo at this point. Roe is 27-22 with a 4.25 ERA in 5 minor league seasons, and is currently pitching out of the bullpen for Tulsa. At some point in the future, he should break in with the Rockies in some capacity.

2006: Greg Reynolds (LHP - Stanford University - drafted 2nd overall)

Much has been made of the fact the Reynolds was taken ahead of guys like Evan Longoria and Tim Lincecum, among others, but it's way too early to label Reynolds as a bust. Sure, he has not been good (albeit, in a small sample size) at the big league level. Right now, however, the key to any success he wants to have is how quickly he can bounce back from injury. He's made only one start this year, and he was roughed up.

2007: Casey Weathers (RHP - Vanderbilt University - drafted 8th overall)

Weathers is sitting out the 2009 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was very strong before the injury, so let's hope he's able to return to form. If so, there's no reason to think he won't be in a Rockies uniform at some point in 2010.

2008: Christian Friedrich (LHP - Eastern Kentucky University - drafted 25th overall)

Friedrich was thought of as being a steal at the time he was drafted, and so far he's shown no reason to think otherwise. After dominating in low-A to begin the season, he's now pitching well in Modesto (high-A). He could be a candidate to join the Rockies rotation at some point in 2010, provided he's handled correctly at the minor league level.

The Misery Continues for the Royals

royalsreview — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:58:23 -0000

A shaky bullpen and an impotent offense doom the Royals yet again.

Jamey Wright has a nice run at the beginning of this season, and when Farnsworth imploded and the team wasn't sure about Mahay, he was wright there (har har). Since April 30th however, prior to today's game he's posted a 5.52 ERA, and the last seventy batters he's faced are hitting .377/.449/.508 against him.

Kyle Farnsworth is a better option right now. Yes, I went there.

The Royals lost a 3-2 game today without using Joakim Soria or Juan Cruz. Or Ron Mahay for that matter.

Other lowlights:

The Royals did not draw a walk today and leave Tampa with only one in the series, drawn by the exiled David DeJesus. DeJesus hit eighth today, a further demotion from his long stint at seventh. Alberto Callaspo has literally not hit well for a month, yet he remains a trusted "Trey-guy". Ditto for St. Willie. If DeJesus goes 0-4 tomorrow, I fear for his life.
Another three strikeouts for Olivo. Honestly, what the man is doing up there is incredible. 42 strikeouts and just 2 walks in something like 120 PAs. His plate approach is so utterly horrible and psychotically dumb, that it is sublime. It's like watching a guy go up there after being told, "if you don't homer, I'm going to burn your house down" three times a game.
The horrifying thing is this: this is the team Dayton Moore wanted. He had three years to build the team however he wanted, and this is what he wanted. This is what he wanted. This is what he wanted. What I'm trying to say is, this collection of players was a grouping of talents that Dayton Moore desired. Man, Allard Baird was such a rube.
But hey, we have a Closer who pitches twice a week, 0-9 games included, of course. You can't match that scouting.

SB Nation - Jamey Wright

Making Your '00 Face: #1 Starter

Who should be the ace on the Brew Crew Ball All Decade Team?

Who Was Your Least Favorite Royal of 2009?

Tuesday Bullet Points

Get Those Extra Checks Ready for Miguel Olivo, Willie Bloomquist, and Jamey Wright Please

WAR Lords of the Diamond (Starting Pitchers)

Starting Pitchers

Game 141: Royals 2, Indians 1

WAR Lords of the Diamond (Third Base)

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

Rockies Retro: First Round Draft Pick History

The Misery Continues for the Royals