Cliff Corcoran at SI.com goes into the startling depth of the 2010 rookie class in the National League, and puts together a team which, according to the WARP stat he slightly peculiarly uses, would have achieved more wins than any other MLB team this season.

Only one Rockie makes the roster, but it's quite an eye-opener. Worth checking out.

A fascinating article on the past, present and future of the sport in America.

This excellent run-down of the top players in today's game has just started at BtB, and the Rockies have 2 entries between 41 and 50, posted earlier today. Have a look - will be fascinating to see which other Rox make it in higher on the list.

An unusual article in The Guardian (my British newspaper of choice) about the attack on personal freedom currently in force in Arizona which suggests boycotting the Diamondbacks. Any thoughts?

Beyond the Boxscore's excellent new article (and apologies to those of you who will already have read it) is about the value or otherwise of signing contract extensions that delay free agency.

15 of them were signed over the off season, and the contract rated #1 in "bang for your buck factor" (defined as "surplus value of extension minus surplus value of the contract the day before the extension was signed divided by total guaranteed dollars. The more surplus value an organization is able to extract per invested dollar, the better") is the signing of Chris Ianetta.

This is a lengthy and fascinating (if you're a geek) interview with long-time Red Sox scorer Chaz Scoggins. It's an aspect of the game I've certainly never thought about, and a fascinating insight into an overlooked but important area of the game.

(NB this interview is from 2004, recently republished at Baseball Prospectus, so apologies if it's been linked before. A great read nevertheless)

Sky Andrecheck has an article on SI about how there is a small but real correlation between performance in ST and performance in the real deal. A team that tears it up in spring training might be worth about 3 wins more over the full season than predicted. Take a look.

A good article from SI about how the Orioles appear to be successfully rebuilding to the point where they have a shot at a winning season. Their (apparent) role model? The Colorado Rockies.

Woah. This article is horrific - perhaps exaggerated for dramatic effect, but even so it's a real "wtf??" experience to read it. Steroids suddenly don't seem like the easy option.

As ever, apols if this has been mentioned already. Is this a good thing? A bad thing? What might change?

True Blue LA seems to think so. I'd rather the Rox won through their own talent, but the condition of the club looks extremely positive compared to LA.

Doug Glanville discusses what free agency meant to him. Interesting to hear how unique each player's situation must be, and to get an honest appraisal of a tough decision from someone who's been there.

A really good article on the problems and issues facing clubs looking for players in the off-season, from the A's blog.

It's rare to get UK newspapers publishing opinion pieces on baseball, so here's a link to the Guardian's website. I missed the game last night, but he does seem to have a point about the tactics. We applaud Todd for fouling off pitches and wearing out the pitcher, but is it good for baseball?

Unusual to find a big baseball story in a UK newspaper, but since I hadn't seen it on the Row I thought I'd share.

Sal Fasano played this season hoping for nothing more than membership of the major league's health plan. He didn't get it. Breaks your heart (possibly poor choice of words).

Not relevant to the Rox, but I love this graph - it's a shame it's, by necessity, so big, and therefore not all visible in one go, Not only does it demonstrate the Mets' huge injury misfortune, but it shows the complexity of appearances, especially among the pitching staff. I'd love to see a Rockies version.

Here's a fascinating article on the inflexibility of the 5-man rotation. I agree with the author - why aren't teams making real efforts to understand the individual needs and abilities of their pitchers, and optimising their line-up that way?

An interesting NYT article (I don't think you need to eb a subscriber) on what's going through Jeff Francis's mind as he recuperates. I like his attitude.