SB Nation - Esmil Rogers

Down on the Farm: Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects in the NL West

raygu — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:41:02 -0000

Baseball America recently completed their Top 10 prospects for each NL West Team, and since I took the plunge and subscribed for 3 months, I bring you the Top 10s for the NL West. That's all I figured I needed to get access to the Top 10's for all major league teams. I have already provided you with the Top 10's for the NL East and NL Central teams. Today I bring you the Top 10's from the NL West.

Giants

1.	Buster Posey, c
2.	Madison Bumgarner, lhp
3.	Zack Wheeler, rhp
4.	Thomas Neal, of
5.	Dan Runzler, lhp
6.	Tommy Joseph, c
7.	Roger Kieschnick, of
8.	Ehire Adrianza, ss
9.	Brandon Crawford, ss
10.	Francisco Peguero, of

More after the jump:

Padres

1. Donavan Tate, of

2. Simon Castro, rhp

3. James Darnell, 3b

4. Jaff Decker, of

5. Logan Forsythe, 3b

6. Cory Luebke, lhp

7. Wynn Pelzer, rhp

8. Everett Williams, of

9. Edinson Rincon, 3b

10. Aaron Poreda, lhp

Rockies

1.	Tyler Matzek, lhp
2.	Christian Friederich, lhp
3.	Wilin Rosario, c
4.	Jhoulys Chacin, rhp
5.	Hector Gomez, ss
6.	Eric Young Jr., 2b/of
7.	Tim Wheeler, of
8.	Rex Brothers, lhp
9.	Esmil Rogers, rhp
10.	Nolan Arenado, 3b

Dodgers

1.

Dee Gordon, ss

2.

Chris Withrow, rhp

3.

Aaron Miller, lhp

4.

Ethan Martin, rhp

5.

Josh Lindblom, rhp

6.

Scott Elbert, lhp

7.

Andrew Lambo, of

8.

Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss

9.

Trayvon Robinson, of

10.

Allen Webster, rhp

Diamondbacks

1. Jarrod Parker, rhp

2. Bobby Borchering, 3b

3. A.J. Pollock, of

4. Brandon Allen, 1b

5. Daniel Schlereth, lhp

6. Chris Owings

7. Mike Belfiore, lhp

8. Marc Krauss, of

9. Ryan Wheeler, 1b

10. Collin Cowgill, of

Friday Rockpile: NLCS Results, Minor League Top 20's

Russ Oates — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:54:01 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Jhoulys Chacin came in 4th on Baseball America's Texas League Top 20 list.

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Phillies 8, Dodgers 6 - The Good Phight
"Had 'em all the way, Harry: the Phillies outlasted the Dodgers in an exhausting, exhilarating 8-6 win in the first game of the National League Championship Series."

Dodgers' Aces Felled By A Pair Of Treys - True Blue LA
"The Phillies used the time-honored tradition of walks and extra-base hits to defeat the Dodgers 8-6 in Game 1 of the NLCS."

Renck: Utley's confession four days too late - The Denver Post
Yep, Chase Utley admits the ball hit him. At the end, Renck believes that Cleveland may want to look at Clint Hurdle for their managerial position, Eric Wedge having been fired at the end of September.

Since it is the offseason, we will need to do a new Top 30 PuRPs, though voting won't take place for a few weeks. But until there will be much to ponder. As a starting point, let's take a look at Baseball America's Top 20 lists for Rockies prospects:

BaseballAmerica.com: Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects
Nolan Arenado, 8th
Chris Balcom-Miller, 9th

BaseballAmerica.com: Northwest League Top 20 Prospects
Tim Wheeler, 5th - Scouting report for him isn't hot on his defense, which could move him out of center and into left.
Rob Scahill, 15th - Fastball has gone as high as mid 90's, slider is above average. Needs changeup to continue as a starter
Ben Paulsen, 16th - Exclusively a first baseman, not a good runner, but it's his bat that will carry him. Very aggressive at the plate.

BaseballAmerica.com: South Atlantic League Top 20 Prospects
None, but Christian Friedrich would have been high on the list had he qualified.

BaseballAmerica.com: California League Top 20 Prospects
Christian Friedrich, 2nd

BaseballAmerica.com: Texas League Top 20 Prospects
Jhoulys Chacin, 4th - Didn't always show plus command of his fastball, but still one of the most polished pitchers.
Esmil Rogers, 7th - Easy mechanics, willing to go after hitters. Still needs to work on changeup.
Michael McKenry, 14th - There are scouts who believe he has reached his potential, but would be a good backup catcher.
Samuel Deduno, 20th - Scouting report says that the life on his pitches causes confusion for batters, catchers, and umpires because they don't know where the ball will wind up.

BaseballAmerica.com: Pacific Coast League Top 20 Prospects
Esmil Rogers, 12th

New Arms of the Week: September 7-13

Harry Pavlidis — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:45:08 -0000

A week after the bumper crop, only four pitchers made their Major League debuts last week. If Tim Lincecum's back wasn't balky, it would've been three.

Madison Bumgarner was called-up to start in place of The Freak. The Giants' prospect showed his true velocity (high 80s), surprising many (myself included) who had read reports of 94-96 mph fastballs. Not so much, only once did he top 91 - and by an eyelash. The soft tossing lefty has a funky cross-over step in his delivery, bringing the ball from the first base side after the long stride across the mound.

Esmil Rogers got the ball for the Rockies on Saturday, featuring a mid-90s fastball. Rogers had a good half-year in Double-A, and a bad half in Triple-A. For whatever reason, a pristine BB per 9 of 1.8 turned into a hideous 5.2. It wasn't all bad, according to MLB.com:

There were five extremely bad games in which he gave up 31 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings. The rest were decent or better.

Dusty Baker called for Pedro Viola three times last week, and the hard throwing lefty has done OK, other than a quick home run in his debut. Viola was first property of the Giants, but, well, he was signed at one position under one name at a fake age. RedLegs Baseball says this about the prospect they ranked 21st in the Cincinnati system:

Viola was originally signed by the San Francisco Giants as an outfielder, but was promptly released when they discovered that Pedro had used a cousin's birth certificate to appear younger than he was.

The fourth debut is someone who, in a perfect world, would be under the tutelage of Rich Dubee*: Tobi Stoner. Stoner has made a couple relief appearances for the Mets.Throwing a little harder than Bumgarner, and from the right-side, Stoner is the sinker-baller of the group.

*I wish I could remember/find the twitterer who I'm stealing that line from

Here are the basics on their stuff. PFX_X and PFX_Z are the movement on the pitch caused by spin. X is side-to-side (negative is to the catcher's left) and Z is vertical, compared to a ball under the influence of gravity alone. A negative PFX_Z indicates top-spin (curveball) and a positive value (all in inches, BTW) indicates "rise". Not literally, gravity wins, but it's effects are dampened.

Esmil Rogers	#	vs LHH	vs RHH	MPH	PFX_X	PFX_Z
Change-up	8	8	0	85.9	-5.6	9.0
Fastball	53	27	26	94.7	-4.8	10.4
Slider	19	9	10	80.6	5.8	-2.6

While the outing was short (four innings), Rogers was throwing very hard for a starter. Big gap to the change, and the slider is slurvey. Rogers did throw strikes (55% in the wide zone) and got ground balls (54.5%).

Madison Bumgarner	#	vs LHH	vs RHH	MPH	PFX_X	PFX_Z
Change-up	4	0	4	82.5	6.1	4.1
Sinker	4	0	4	88.5	7.9	3.8
Fastball	49	9	40	88.8	3.7	7.7
Slider	19	6	13	78.3	-3.8	2.3

Bumgarner (pictured above) threw everything slow, with a slider that's a sweeper without much sink. He threw even more strikes than Rogers (56.6%) and got even more ground balls (62.5%). That's a pretty good start to a career, if you ask me.

Pedro Viola	#	vs LHH	vs RHH	MPH	PFX_X	PFX_Z
Change-up	2	0	2	85.2	7.7	5.1
Sinker	1	0	1	93.2	12.1	1.6
Fastball	38	20	18	93.1	8.1	6.3
Slider	8	7	1	79.5	0.3	-1.8

I read somewhere on the interwebs that Viola could throw 98. He topped out around 95 in his three outings. His control looks about average (55.1% in the zone, 2.1 B:CS) but seems to be a fly ball pitcher (30% ground balls).

Tobi Stoner	#	vs LHH	vs RHH	MPH	PFX_X	PFX_Z
Change-up	16	12	4	75.8	-6.0	4.8
Curveball	10	9	1	71.9	2.4	-4.3
Sinker	17	9	8	90.1	-9.2	6.1
Fastball	16	10	6	89.9	-5.1	8.9
Slider	11	6	5	81.9	2.2	0.1

Mostly threw two-seam fastballs that didn't sink all that much. He'll get to play Winter Ball this year and his name will be easy to find in the box scores, so I'm sure this isn't the last I'll hear about this guy. Well, his results are memorable, too. 65.7% in the zone and a .258 whiff rate. His ground ball rate has been nondescript (42.9%) but he's been hit hard (SLGCON .786, which is 250 points higher than average).

This ends the current edition of Small Sample Size Theater, please join us again next week.

Fall 2009 Top 30 PuRPs List

Russ Oates — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:38:54 -0000

	Fall 2009 PuRPs List	Ballots	Sum	Pnts
1	Christian Friedrich	28	810	810
2	Tyler Matzek	28	808	808
3	Jhoulys Chacin	28	804	804
4	Esmil Rogers	28	713	713
5	Eric Young, Jr.	28	666	666
6	Wilin Rosario	27	622	622
7	Hector Gomez	27	619	619
8	Mike McKenry	28	608	608
9	Rex Brothers	28	583	583
10	Casey Weathers	28	559	559
11	Chris Balcom-Miller	28	529	529
12	Tim Wheeler	26	504	504
13	Charlie Blackmon	28	501	501
14	Samuel Deduno	27	486	486
15	Nolan Arenado	26	386	386
16	Brandon Hynick*	27	382	382
17	Chris Nelson	28	360	360
18	Juan Nicasio	27	330	330
19	Cole Garner	26	324	324
20	Chaz Roe	27	291	291
21	Kiel Roling	24	240	240
22	Parker Frazier	23	228	228
23	Delta Cleary	24	225	225
24	Darin Holcomb	21	204	204
25	Shane Lindsay	22	178	178
26	Matt Reynolds	16	117	117
27	Mike Zuanich	17	95	95
28	Scott Robinson	12	88	88
29	Edgmer Escalona	11	78	78
30	Ben Paulsen	11	54	54

The last five out were: Kent Matthes, Alving Mejias, Craig Baker, Cory Riordan, and Bruce Billings. Thanks to jlot10 for providing the calculations that determined the list.

* - No longer with the organization.

Purple Row interviews Marc Gustafson, Part 3

RockiesMagicNumber — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:00:35 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

The Present, The Future

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In our final installment of our interview with Rockies Director of Player Development, Marc Gustafson, we round out our questions about the draft and the talent acquired, and ask Marc to give some reflections on the Major League club and how his involvement has shaped the product on the field today.

You can read Part 1 and Part 2 to give you the full experience.

On behalf of Purple Row, we'd like to take a moment and thank the Colorado Rockies and Marc Gustafson for taking time on the road to speak with us and give us some insight into the club's operation, as well as Jay Alves and the people that made this interview possible.

And as always, viewers like you.

RMN: Now, going back to our recently drafted players, we have Chris Balcom-Miller in Casper. We had a user go up to a Ghosts game, and he was able to scout him a bit for us. We're hearing a lot of gopher-killing rumors. Do you envision pushing him to Modesto next season, or will he be a slower developer?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, I think there's a definite conversation we'll be having about him. We try to stay pretty patient with the guys and where they move, and there's nothing wrong with sending someone to a level, and having a lot of success, and THEN moving them. He'll be a hot topic of conversation because of the great start he's having. He's a little bit like Brandon Hynick - Brandon pitched in Casper when he first came out, and did a very great job. Balcom-Miller has a little more arm strength, but definitely pounds the strike zone. Very aggressive, they're not scared. So that's a good situation when you're looking at Balcom-Miller coming out, whether it be Asheville or Modesto.

RMN: Jordan Pacheco: Does he stay as a catcher?

Marc Gustafson: Yes, yes, yes. He's done a tremendous job. We've taken a guy from the middle infield position and put him behind the plate. The way he can receive the ball and run a ballgame, he has confidence behind the plate, he has leadership ability. To have that type of potential behind the plate, we're real happy to have him.

RMN: It's good to hear that have people who have a good sense of the game down there, not ALL raw talent. Now, let me jump to the big name here, Tyler Matzek. Matzek was obviously a huge signing for the club, both in terms of having a top-notch prospect in the system as well as a good PR move for people following the draft. With an advanced young pitcher who already has command of a couple of solid pitches, how is the organization anticipating him starting out? Is he looking to be on the fast track, or what are you guys thinking about him now?

Marc Gustafson: Well, right now we're just getting him settled in. He's on a throwing program in Casper. He hasn't pitched competitively since his High School career came to an end. We're just building up his arm strength and taking it slow. He will not pitch in a game this year for Casper, but he will be ready to pitch in the Instructional League in Tucson. Once he gets settled in, and we get to know him a little bit, he gets to know us, obviously the sky's the limit for him; he's a premium talent. We'll be patient. He's probably looking at an Asheville situation next year to start out, see where it takes him. Right now we're just getting him settled in to the Rockies' system.

RMN: We were looking forward to 2010 anyhow. Now, on draft day, how much was Matzek even talked about as a possibility before the draft happened and he fell to #11?

Marc Gustafson: Well, we didn't think there was any way we were going to have a chance to even select him. Our guys had him very high on the board, and what an awesome opportunity for us to select a left-hander that has the talent that he possesses. When he was there, Bill Schmidt didn't hesitate. He went after the most talented guy on the board.

RMN: How do you balance your selections? How do you balance between filling organizational needs and simply taking the best player available?

Marc Gustafson: Well, early on, there's no doubt about it: You take the best player available. When you get down into day 2, day 3 of the draft, then you're bringing up the topic of organizational needs. Billy Schmidt and his guys, they spend many, many hours talking about them and where they fit in on the board. That board is set up for a reason, and if they're available, and it's not a situation of a medical concern or a psychological concern, or any issue like that, then they're going to select them.

RMN: Does Bill Schmidt make the final decision on Draft Day?

Marc Gustafson: Yes.

RMN: Now that we have a humidor somewhat equalizing things in Coors Field - we've seen a lot of pitchers coming in the early rounds - should we expect to see less stress on pitching in the first round of the draft in future years, as it's been a tendency since the franchise's inception.

Marc Gustafson: Well, early on when we first started, when Pat Daugherty was our scouting director and Bob Gebhardt the GM, you have to try and find guys that are going to move quick and you have to select for organizational needs, and they did a fine job of that. As we've evolved throughout the years, and we've got some more tools in the cupboard, if you will, and we've got some depth, we're definitely going to try to balance the approach and take a very very close look a pitching mechanics and deliveries, things of that nature, and figure out who doesn't have the best projection, and who has the best potential. We don't even think about the Coors Field factor internally, that doesn't even come up. That's just something...those are the old days for us, personally, and I think I can speak for everybody else on that matter. It's time, it's patience, you've got to develop and hang in there, and really work hard at it. Rolando Fernandez, you have to give a lot of credit to Rolando and his staff in Latin America. You know, Ubaldo Jimenez, [Manuel] Corpas, and Franklin Morales, and now we're looking at [Samuel] Deduno, [Jhoulys] Chacin, [Esmil] Rogers, when you mix in those guys that Bill Schmidt and his scouting department come up with, and that's really a neat situation.

RMN: Now, a lot of the mainstream media doesn't seem to understand that Coors Field doesn't play as it did in the 90s. Do the pitchers in the minors still look at Coors Field as being the Terrordome?

Marc Gustafson: Absolutely not. I always laugh, too, because I still hear it. You turn on ESPN or whatever the show is, and everybody says that you can't pitch at Coors Field. I just don't get it. It doesn't work out that way. If you look at the numbers, and I'm sure you have, Coors Field - you'd rather pitch at Coors Field rather than Citizen's Bank Park, I would think.

RMN: Or Chase, for that matter.

Marc Gustafson: Or Chase, or a lot of different places. No, we don't talk about it internally. We don't even think about it, to be quite honest with you. We're going to teach guys how to pitch down in the strike zone. We're going to make sure they can command the fastball, we're going to make sure they have feel for a changeup. We want guys that are tough, we want guys that have heart, we want guys that compete. That's kind of the philosophy when we look at pitching.

RMN: I have to say, it speaks strongly to the scouting and the development to say that this is - I would argue this is the best pitching the Rockies have ever seen.

Marc Gustafson: It's been pretty solid, you bet.

RMN: I only have a couple more, and we'll let you get back to your day. Dexter Fowler: Obviously a fan favorite now, speedy guy, I met him at Spring Training in Tucson in 2008, seemed like a really friendly guy. You've obviously seen a lot of Dexter Fowler coming up in the minors. What do you feel the next step for his development is? We see a lot of 5-tool potential in him, what's the next step for him?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I'll go back to Day 1 when Dexter came into the system; you've seen it, as you've seen him evolve. It's just the physical strength and maturity; it's the belief that he belongs on the field every day. You're taking a premium athlete and you're running him out there as often as you can. The more he's out there playing, the more ABs he gets, the more confident he gets. Confidence, with a guy like that, sky's the limit for his talent and his potential impact in the game. It's been wonderful to see. I remember when he first started switch-hitting; he could barely hit the ball out of the cage left-handed. Now, you're starting to see him (before he got the knee injury), he was driving the ball the other way. He had power pulling the ball as a left-handed hitter. It's been fun to see his development. Mainly, it's just his strength and being out there every day, and his confidence.

RMN: Well we've definitely seen the improvement as the season's gone on. A lot of the people have settled down on his rookie foibles, and we're really excited to see him and Gonzalez roaming Center Field.

Marc Gustafson: That's a nice combination. Going back to one of your original questions: to be able to acquire Carlos Gonzalez and Huston Street. What a wonderful story that is, because with Carlos, you're looking at the same type of potential impact as Dexter, in a 5-tool type player. Those two out in the OF together...I'd be hard pressed to come up another set of outfielders who can cover as much ground as those guys.

RMN: We know that Brad Hawpe has a bit of trouble with RF range, and I don't mean to speak disparagingly, but it's good to know that we have a little bit of insurance with guys able to cover a lot of ground and cover the gaps well. Now, looking at the major league club, and this is just kind of a fun question for you, out of all the talent, and most of it being homegrown, who was the hottest prospect coming up when they were a prospect?

Marc Gustafson: Wow. That's a tough one. Oh man, there've been so many special memories for me as the guy who introduces them. That's the best part of the job, when you get to meet them, and when you get to see them at the big league level. I think Tulo - obviously Tulo went pretty quick through our system. Just watching him on the backfields in Spring Training and during Instructional League, you knew there was something very very special there. He'd be a highlight for me. Obviously Dexter would be a highlight. Jimenez. Ubaldo Jimenez, to see him evolve into what he's become, that's certainly a great memory for us in the minor league system. That's tough, I don't think I could single out one specific guy.

RMN: Which is very fair. It's very encouraging to see Ubaldo really filling out that talent he has. For years we heard "Oh, this Ubaldo Jimenez kid, he's going to be all the big deal" and then in '07 he was struggling in AAA, and we thought "Oh no" and he's proved every doubter wrong.

Marc Gustafson: Right, right. That's a great point that you make, and it brings up maybe Eric Young Jr., and they said, "You couldn't do it" and now look at him; he's there. Matt Daley, a non-drafted player, he's up there. There's just so many wonderful memories of guys who've spent their time in the minor league system and they believed in themselves, they worked hard, and they got there.

RMN: Speaking of Eric Young, we hear the reports from FSN and the Post: How active has Eric Young Sr. REALLY been in making sure that Eric Young Jr. has his nose to the grindstone?

Marc Gustafson: I don't think words can describe how hard this guy works, and what he has done in the minor league system to prepare himself each and every day. I have to give his father the credit. He brought him up, he taught him the work ethic, he taught him the ability to focus each and every day. EY Jr. grew up in that type of atmosphere, and you know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when you compare the two. Really a special family and a great story.

RMN: We have a lot of fans who were original Blake Street Bombers fans who've fallen a bit out, and don't know the farm as well, and when they say "Eric Young's playing again?!" and we say "No, no, it's his son! And he looks just like his daddy!"

Marc Gustafson: Haha, it's pretty neat.

RMN: I have one last question for you, Marc, and we'll call it quits here. What is your proudest moment of personal direct involvement on the organization? It's a bit of a broad question, but let's give you some credit.

Marc Gustafson: I think so far, throughout these years, when we got to the World Series, and we looked out on the field, and they were all playing together, and it wasn't long before that they were all playing together in the minor league system. Probably the proudest moment was when we were all together as a player development staff and a scouting staff and we were up in the Mountain Ranch club together as a group, and we were looking out on the field at World Series competition, and they were a bunch of the guys that spent a lot of hard work and time with, and that was probably my proudest moment.

RMN: It makes us proud to be Rockies fans. We pride ourselves - the real fans - as being very patient, and we feel like we're rewarded just as much by saying "I remember that guy when he struck out 4 times as a rookie, and now he's in the All Star Game."

Marc Gustafson: That's a neat feeling. Like I mentioned, when you're with your guys together watching and giving high fives and clapping and cheering, and you're so proud of them, when you see them compete at the highest level. That's a neat feeling.

RMN: Well, I think that's all I have for right now, Marc-

Marc Gustafson: I can't believe you didn't ask me about Christian Friedrich!

RMN: Well, I actually did have a question about Friedrich! [Marc laughing] But we veered away from a bit, and I didn't-

Marc Gustafson: No, I'm teasing you. He's done awesome. His numbers speak for themselves. He's a premium left handed starter, he's going to be in the mix very very soon.

RMN: We're very excited about Christian as well. Especially watching him dominate Asheville and Modesto.

Marc Gustafson: He has done a great job.

RMN: Marc, I really want to thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

Marc Gustafson: It's been my pleasure, thanks.

Padres 3, Rockies 2: Padres show Rockies what a walk-off loss feels like

Poseidon's Fist — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:36:54 -0000

More photos » by K.C. Alfred - AP

Heath Bell blew his second straight save, but unfortunately, Bell's outing proved the better of the two teams' closers.

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The Rockies have won in dramatic fashion of late, a walk-off win here, a come-from-behind victory there. It was only a matter of time before Colorado was victim of the same. Franklin Morales (3-1, 2.75) gave up an infield single in the bottom of the tenth, then walked three straight batters for his first loss of the season. By the way, his name anagrams to "Minor Flake - Snarl."

The walk-off win - literally - was fitting for a game in which hits were at a premium. The teams went 11-for-64 (.172) in the game. Barring a reliever losing control, this game had the feeling of a late-inning marathon, but Morales' 18 pitch effort (only for five strikes) proved to be the elixir to chase away insomnia at PetCo again.

Still, even in a game the Rockies lost (and they do lose games from time to time), they completed a dramatic comeback. Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo home run in the sixth to halve the deficit. In the ninth inning, Brad Hawpe blooped a single and was replaced by Dexter Fowler on the bases, who promptly stole second before Yorvit Torrealba singled on a grounder off the mound up the middle, scoring Fowler and tying the game. It was Heath Bell's second blown save in as many days, both off hits by Torrealba. Bell had not blown a save at PetCo Park until this weekend.

82 - 61

NL West: 3.0 GB

WC: 5.5 Game Lead

Streak: Lost 1

Pyth W-L: 82-61

2008: 67-76

2007: 74-69

Esmil Rogers was impressive in his MLB debut, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in four innings, striking out four by tossing 80 pitches. Everth Cabrera led off the bottom of the first with a 30-foot swinging bunt for a single. With the speedy Rockie on first, the unnerved Rogers walked David Eckstein. Adrian Gonzalez drove in Cabrera with a single, followed by a sac fly from Chase Headley, both on flat elevated fastballs. Then Rogers put his foot down.

Rogers permitted just a leadoff single from Henry Blanco and a walk to pitcher Tim Stauffer in his last 3.2 IP, highlighted by a perfectly painted 94mph fastball on the corner for a strikeout of Oscar Salazar. He retired the last seven men he faced. If not for that cheap Cabrera hit, that complexion of that first inning completely changed, and Rogers might have been unscored upon. He was quoted after the game as having had confidence issues with his breaking ball in the first inning, which he regained in the second. That confidence was palpable, as Rogers exhibited a notable swagger on the mound.

Aside from Morales, the Rockies' bullpen was very strong. Matt Belisle, Randy Flores, Matt Daley, Joe Beimel and Rafael Betancourt threw five scoreless innings, while an Adrian Gonzalez single off Belisle in the sixth represented the only baserunner the Padres managed in innings 5-9.

The Rockies offense was decent considering the smothering confines of PetCo, which is fitting given "Rockies offense" anagrams to "Fierceness of OK." Yorvit Torrealba broke up Tim Stauffer's no-hitter in the fifth inning, but several Rockies - including Tulowitzki, Fowler, Jason Giambi and Ian Stewart - retreated to the dugout after deep flyballs that would have been home runs in a fair major league park.

This one hurts, especially given the effort of the bullpen, the gutsy performance of Esmil Rogers and the perpetual resiliancy of the offense in late innings. What is important to remember though, is that this game was San Diego's most winnable game of the series, and the Rockies will be heavily favored tomorrow. What's also important to remember is the Giants lost again tonight, keeping the Rockies 5.5 games ahead in the wild card chase.

Comment of the Night

Yorvit Torrealba.

Heath Bell’s Worst Nightmare.

by Shoemaker on Sep 12, 2009 10:25 PM MDT

Join after the jump for the fangraph and the row call.

WPA Heroes:

Yorvit Torrealba (.257) - 2-for-4, Game-tying RBI in 9th
Troy Tulowitzki (.157) - 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R
Rafael Betancourt (.143) - 1.0 IP, K
Matt Belisle (.084) - 2.0 IP, H, K

WPA Zeroes:
Franklin Morales (-.357) - 0.1 IP, H, 3 BB, R, LOSS
Carlos Gonzalez (-.212) - 0-for-5
Ian Stewart (-.166) - 1-for-3, K, BB
Seth Smith (-.151) - 0-for-4, 2 K, BB.

Row Call

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1764 comments, 56 Rowbots

Saturday Rockpile: Injury updates, Rogers debuts tonight, more.

theoldgrizzlybear — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:16:48 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Stew should be back in the lineup this weekend.

Browse more photos »

Better health, off days ease rotation woes - The Denver Post
The Rox, not-so-desperately trying to get back to health, got Troy Tulowitzki back last night and will get Ian Stewart back either tonight or tomorrow. Pitching-wise, there is an open start on Friday in Arizona, and Troy E. Renck says that Aaron Cook is progressing well and could be in the mix for that start. Huston Street participated in some long toss for the second straight day and will join the club in San Francisco to throw a bullpen session and will be re-evaluated at that point.

Smith gets a breather after feeling fatigued - The Denver Post
Luckily, this doesn't fall under the same category as the previous link; Seth will be back in the lineup tonight.

Undesirable list of free-agent starters this offseason - ESPN
Jason Marquis appears in Jayson Stark's list of lackluster pitchers who will be free agents this off season. Stark chalks Marquis' successful season, to this point anyway, to performing well at the right time (in a walk year) and having "a better ground game than Michael Turner." A quote from one team official regarding Marquis:

"He's having a great year, but I'm just not sure how to look at it. Was this a turning point in his career? Or do you look at it as somebody who turned it up and figured it out when he had the most to gain? I really don't know."

MLB - Setting the rotations for the eight playoff teams - FOX Sports on MSN
In his somewhat premature article, Ken Rosenthal digs into the starting rotations for each of the eight teams who would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Rosenthal goes with Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, Jorge De La Rosa, and Jason Hammel (doesn't mention Aaron Cook). He believes that the Rockies have a good chance to advance whether they face the Phillies or the Cardinals in the first round.

Giants' season comes down to next six games - MLB News - FOX Sports on MSN
John Paul Morosi thinks the Giants' chances of making the playoffs will evaporate if they don't play well in their upcoming six game stretch, which began last night with the loss to the Dodgers in which SF did NOT look very good. Hopefully, they're buried a week from now.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum plays catch to test back - ESPN
Timmay says his injured back is nearly normal again and he hopes to pitch Monday against the Rockies.

Rogers to make debut under fire | ColoradoRockies.com: News
Esmil Rogers will make his first start tonight, and he makes it in a high-pressure situation. Let's hope we don't see Jhoulys Chacin, pt. II. In this park and against this offense, if Rogers can simply throw the ball over the plate, he will have a chance to pick up a victory in his debut.

Purple Row interviews Marc Gustafson, Part 2

RockiesMagicNumber — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:33 -0000

As you read in our first in this 3-part series, Rockies Director of Player Development Marc Gustafson took time to answer some questions for Purple Row. In this installment, Mr. Gustafson answers a lot of questions about specific farmhands, and we begin to touch on players recently drafted.

Apologies for the delay in Part 2, but here we have it.

RMN: Now, since a lot of fans don't get a chance to watch the guys - I mean, we can follow the box scores, we do a near-daily report on what the minor league clubs have been doing - is there a particular player that might not be having that great of a year that Rockies fans should be more aware of?

Marc Gustafson: Wow, that's a tough question. If you look at box scores and you look at team statistics and stats and things like that, I think that we should all be very proud of the year that we've had. In terms of an individual, you know, we've had some success there too. Maybe a guy under the radar screen would be Darin Holcomb, 3B in Tulsa, starting to hit, starting to put up big numbers. He's a guy that we think - coming out of his season last year in Asheville, he was voted the Most Valuable Player, he went to Hawaii, he struggled, we jumped to Modesto with him, we sent him to Tulsa. He struggled early, but now he's starting to hit. He's going to go to the Arizona Fall League. So he might be one example of a guy...the batting average isn't going to jump out at you - I think it's about .275 right now, he has 13, 14 home runs, but those numbers are starting to build up, starting to rise to the top. He was just voted to the postseason All Star team in the Texas League. Maybe a guy like that would be somebody early on that was under the radar screen that is now starting to surface a little bit.

RMN: I know that Rox Girl and Russ keep an eye on these guys a lot closer than a lot of the other people do. How do you feel about Holcomb's glove at 3B?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, he's solid. He's a solid major-league defender. He's got a very strong arm, he's got an accurate arm, he moves well, he's an athlete at 3B. He loves to play the game, he's a grinder. He's a tough guy over there. Definitely, he'd be in the "prospect" category, as he moves into what we would hope to be a AAA situation next year.

RMN: AAA would be a big jump, definitely exciting to hear that we have more coming, given our depths. Where would you say the strongest and weakest positional groups are in our farm? Obviously, in the majors we have a glut of solid Outfield.

Marc Gustafson: Well, I would have said Middle Infield. Obviously, we lost Cabrera, we loved Everth Cabrera, and I hope he has a wonderful career, because he's such a special person. He's with the Padres right now.

RMN: I promise you we're aware of Everth Cabrera on Purple Row!

Marc Gustafson: Hector Gomez is a very talented SS, and he'll be in the AFL as well. I would probably look to the middle infield as being a strength in the organization. I would also look at the pitching depth in the bullpen, some big-time arm strength guys. Shane Lindsay, Edgar Escalona with the Tulsa Club, Alberto Alburquerque with the Tulsa Club, Andrew Johnston, Craig Baker with Modesto. We've got some really good arms and bullpen depth in the minor league system.

RMN: Oh, so we're pretty high on Alburquerque. We didn't know much about him when we heard about the [Jeff] Baker trade. It's good to hear that he's a guy that everybody has their eyes on. Speaking of Hector Gomez, we kind of lump Hector Gomez and Wil Rosario into the same category: a couple of years out, but these guys have a lot of raw stuff. When do you see them being able to contribute?

Marc Gustafson: Well, I would think a couple of years. They're high-end talent. You look at prospect categories, and each organization is a little bit different, but they'd be in the "top tier" category in our system in terms of position player prospect talent. Hector and Wilin Rosario are going to play in the AFL, and that's a very very talented league. So if they go and they handle that league well, you're looking maybe at a AA situation next year, and shortly thereafter, you'd hope they'd be knocking on the door at the big league level.

RMN: We're all looking forward to it as well. We all know 2B has been a little bit of an interesting situation the last couple of years.

Marc Gustafson: Yep.

RMN: In terms of other prospects we were expecting to be seeing soon, what do you expect of the injured guys like Chris Nelson, Casey Weathers, Greg Reynolds, or even Greg Smith? What's the word on them right now? What do we think about them going forward?

Marc Gustafson: I'd put Jeff Francis in that category as well. I know he's been there and done that, but those guys are looking at the Arizona Instructional League Program, they're going to participate in that program very soon as we head to Tucson on the 19^th of September. To get them back onto the field, that makes us even better, to have that caliber talent helping and contributing and getting ready for next year. Really, their focus is on their health number one, getting back on the field this fall and being full-strength and ready to go for Spring Training next year.

RMN: Speaking of injured players rehabbing, my understanding is Casey Weathers is with the Dust Devils right now. How is his rehab coming along?

Marc Gustafson: He's doing well. He had a couple of setbacks here and there throughout the rehab process. In terms of his strength and range of motion and how he's feeling right now, he's feeling as good as he's ever felt since the surgery. He's throwing in a long-toss program; he'll be off the mound before too long as we get into Tucson. To have a guy like that back and contributing in the bullpen, that gives us the depth we're looking for.

RMN: Obviously being injured and coming back from Tommy John, it's always a bit tricky to try and forecast in general. A lot of people have complained that all our relief pitchers seem to be rentals. It's important to remind them that we do have Corpas and Buchholz coming back next season, but can we consider Weathers to be someone in the 2010 mix?

Marc Gustafson: Yeah, I think definitely. This is a guy that competed in the Olympics and had a great season in Tulsa, and was getting real close, and unfortunately, he had the injury. He's going to rehab and get back and be ready for Spring Training next year. That's his primary focus. Sometimes to go through some adversity - it might sound crazy, but it's not the end of the world. It's getting the arm fixed at a young age and come back and have a successful major league career. We're very confident he's going to be in that category.

RMN: Along with him, are there any other AA/AAA players that we see making an impact or being a surprise for us next year?

Marc Gustafson: You guys have already probably seen and talked about Jhoulys Chacin, he's a special talent; he's going to be back in the mix in the very near future. Esmil Rogers, starter in AAA Colorado Springs, he's a very talented right-handed starter. You go to Sammy Deduno, who was just named Texas League Pitcher of the Year, he's going to be in the mix. You know, you keep those pitchers coming, and then you mix in a few guys who have done well in the bullpen - Matt Reynolds from Tulsa, Andrew Johnston from Tulsa, the Colorado Springs group that we have there now, we do have a few veteran guys, but at the same point in time, you're looking for as many quality arms as you can find, and I think we've got a few.

RMN: Does Deduno look more to be in the rotation mix or the bullpen mix?

Marc Gustafson: Right now we're going to keep him in the rotation, just because he has such premium stuff, he deserves the opportunity to start. But it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that next year he could be in the bullpen mix coming out of spring training.

RMN: Given the amount of starting talent we have coming up the pipe pretty soon, that wouldn't be a surprise at all. Now, a personal favorite of mine, Keith Weiser in AA - I'm not sure why, but I just latched onto the guy - tell me how awesome Keith Weiser is, please.

Marc Gustafson: He's an awesome guy. You picked a good one to have as a favorite; he's just as great off the field as he is on! He had a great outing last night, in fact. He's had some rough ones here and there, but you know what, he's at the AA level, and there's some good hitters, so you have to give credit to them. It's a matter of making adjustments, and he certainly did last night against the Springfield club.

RMN: Absolutely. In terms of adjustments, let me jump to a more extreme case. Is Scott Beerer the next Rick Ankiel?

Marc Gustafson: Haha, it's interesting you bring that up, because this has been a wonderful story. This guy has so much heart and he has so much passion to play the game, I wouldn't put it past him. He's at Modesto and his numbers still are great. We're trying very hard to get him a winter ball job so he can continue to play - because that's what he needs, he needs ABs, he needs to play. I wouldn't put it past him, just because he believes he's a big leaguer and he's gone out and done a pretty good job each and every night. I love the kid, personally, and the organization is very proud of what he's been able to do. We'd like to see him play winter ball and see where that takes him as we go into spring training next year.

RMN: That's very encouraging. Everyone loves to watch the hard worker type. Now, Russ told me to say that he asked this specifically: "I'm a really big fan of Joey Wong's, but I realize he has a tough road ahead of him. Can he be the organization's David Eckstein?"

Marc Gustafson: Yes.

RMN: ...Alright!

Marc Gustafson: Yes, this kid can play defense. He might be the best defender that we've had at Tri-Cities level or rookie ball level. He knows how to play the game, without a doubt. He's a wonderful talent in terms of his glove, his ability to make throws off-balance, his ability to move around in the field to get himself in the right position. And you know what, his bat, we're going to work very hard with his bat in the Instructional League and we'll see where it takes him, but I would say Yes.

RMN: Alright, I'm sure Russ will be excited to hear that. He brought up another player in Jeremiah Sammy, says "He came out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent. What is the strongest aspect of his game?"

Marc Gustafson: Well, we got him based on his defense and his arm strength, thinking that if we didn't see development with the bat, then we'd put him on the mound and see what we could do with his arm strength because he's got premium arm strength. He's shown up extremely well, and he's put together a great season up here in Tri-Cities. We're going to take him to Instructional League and keep working with him, and let him - I guess the best way to say it is let's let him fail first, if he does fail at the infield position, and then we'll see what he can do if that point in time comes. And who knows, that time may not come!

RMN: It's always a possibility! Now, Tri-City being the lowest A-ball level, where does it fit into the organization in terms of what players are sent there? You hear about a lot of people jumping right over Tri-Cities, or jumping right over Casper and going straight to Tri-Cities. Can you speak a little bit to that?

Marc Gustafson: Well, Tri-Cities is a step higher, in our opinion, above Casper. Casper is our lowest entry-level club. Tri-Cities and Casper, we try and find a balance. When we go into the draft we put the names on the board of who we have in spring training and then we fill in with what Bill Schmidt and the scouting department takes in the draft. A lot of it is based on age and where they've played. For example, the high schoolers: Nolan Arenado and our 1^st round pick Tyler Matzek, they're in Casper. The older, maybe college players, for example Tim Wheeler and Rex Brothers, they started in Tri-Cities, although Rex Brothers is now with Asheville. It's more, in our organization, age and where they've played.

RMN: Well, I'm glad you brought up the guys in the draft, because we have a handful of questions about them. What are the club's plans for Arenado, position-wise? I know he's been playing 3B as we're a bit thin there, but are there any plans to try him out as a catcher?

Marc Gustafson: We're not going to rush into that. We know that is an option for us, but this kid can play 3B. He doesn't have the straight-ahead running speed that some of the others do, but he has wonderful hands, and he can throw. So that's an option behind the plate with him, but our primary focus right now is let him play 3B and let him swing the bat. Because he can really swing the bat.

RMN: I'll save my Matzek questions for the end, as he's the biggest story there. What kind of power is the organization projecting for Tim Wheeler?

Marc Gustafson: The power is going to come. It's going to be a bit like Charlie Blackmon. I don't know if you're familiar with Charles Blackmon at Modesto right now, but these guys are line drive type hitters, meaning gap-to-gap, hit the ball where it's pitched. With some maturity and some strength developing, I think the home run potential and their ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark is going to come. But that's going to come a little bit later in their career, maybe a little bit like [Garrett] Atkins or even Matt Holliday, and they came from the system. But both Tim Wheeler and Charlie Blackmon, they're athletes, first and foremost. They can play CF with ease, they've got great arms, they move around well, they can steal bases, they get on base. They really do everything that you're looking for a CF to do.

----

That will be the end for this time, but we'll have one final installment covering the draft, some other favorite farmhands, and some parting words from Mr. Gustafson!

Friday Rockpile: Rockies head west for nine-game road trip

Russ Oates — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:32:50 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Elbow bump, yeah!

View full size photo »

Rockies sweep Reds, stretch streak to seven - Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
The Rockies have won seven in a row, but now a nine-game NL West road trip will test the Rockies' mettle.

De La Rosa ready to get back on track | ColoradoRockies.com: News
Jorge De La Rosa hopes that going to the video and meeting with Bob Apodaca will have helped him overcome the problems he had in his last start.

Bullpen trio throws zeros in six-inning stint vs. reds - The Denver Post
Jim Tracy praises his unheralded relievers for their performance yesterday.

Rogers set for debut as Rockies juggle rotation - The Denver Post
Esmil Rogers will make his major league debut this Saturday. It's been a winding journey for Rogers as he was a shortstop for three years before making the move to the mound. Also, there are updates on Cook and Street at the end.

Krieger: Rockies in rare role as front-runner - The Denver Post
Dave Krieger writes that the Rockies are in unfamiliar territory--actually having others chase after them. The one thing I disagree on with him is his position on how the Rockies arrive at the playoffs: Win the division or win the wild card? He's right that there isn't much difference there, but the Rockies still haven't won an NL West championship. Win one and then there won't be much of a difference in how to arrive at the playoffs.

The Rockies' postseason odds are now just under 92% at BP.

At 11 ET/9 MT, RockiesMagicNumber will have Part II of his interview with Marc Gustafson. Part I can be found here.

Wednesday Pebble Report: Tri-City and Casper have trouble playing defense

Russ Oates — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:43:08 -0000

Colorado Springs, W 3-2
A Jonathan Herrera two-run single and a Matt Miller RBI force out in the bottom of the fifth provided all the runs for the Sky Sox last night. And it was all nearly undone in the top of the sixth when Esmil Rogers allowed back-to-back sac flies. Rogers was uneven, having allowed those two runs and also allowing five hits, walking four, and striking out four.

Tulsa, W 4-2
Darin Holcomb hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second as part of a four-run inning. He also hit his 25th double of the season in this game. Daniel Carte hit a solo homer, his fifth, in the fifth inning.

Keith Weiser allowed two unearned runs on a homer in the sixth inning, but other than that he was pretty good. He went seven innings, saw two hits, and struck out nine.

Modesto, W 9-4
The Nuts scored at least one run in each of the first four innings and none after. Score early and often worked here. Jeff Cunningham went 2-for-2 with a double, a three-run homer (8), three runs scored, and three walks. Jay Cox hit a two-run homer earlier in the second inning. Charlie Blackmon, Hector Gomez, and Scott Beerer each had two hits, and the latter two drove in a run each.

Cory Riordan went five innings, allowed all four runs, walked two, and struck out four. Xavier Cedeno and Austin Chambliss each pitched two innings of effective relief.

Asheville, L 1-3
Alan Deratt, Kurt Yacko, and Rex Brothers each allowed a run, but depending on how you see things Brothers had the worst of it. Deratt allowed his run on a double play with no outs and Yacko served his up on a homer. Brothers, though, walked the first batter he faced and then hit the next two to load the bases. After a strike out, Lexington hit into a sacrifice double play to score a run before the third out was recorded.

Mike Zuanich had two hits, one for a double.

Tri-City, W 9-5
Sheng-An Kuo wanted some better defense behind him in the bottom of the second when he allowed five runs. Joe Sanders committed back-to-back errors (throwing then fielding), and the second one plated the first run. Singles and a sac fly scored the rest. Other than that, Kuo went a full four innings and struck out five. Aaron Weatherford struck out three over the next two innings.

Leonardo Reyes drove in three runs as aprt for his 2-for-3, 2 BB night. Ben Paulsen went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Joe Sanders, who committed a total of three errors in the game, collected two hits and scored a run.

Casper, L 2-11
Jared Clark hits his 10th homer of the season in this dismal outcome for Casper. The biggest culprit on the pitching staff last night was Clint Tilford who allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings. Nicholas Schnaitmann started and allowed four runs, one earned. The Casper defense committed a fielding error, two pickoffs gone awry, and a throwing error.

1.	Dee Gordon, ss
2.	Chris Withrow, rhp
3.	Aaron Miller, lhp
4.	Ethan Martin, rhp
5.	Josh Lindblom, rhp
6.	Scott Elbert, lhp
7.	Andrew Lambo, of
8.	Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss
9.	Trayvon Robinson, of
10.	Allen Webster, rhp