Mile High Magic Returns: A Rockies Dynasty Is Born

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Rockies end spring on high note with walk-off win

ARIZONA -- It's safe to say that the "Walt Weiss Era" is off to a pretty solid start in Colorado. The Rockies finished their first spring training under the leadership of their new manager on a high note, rallying for a walk-off win against the Brewers in Salt Lake City.

After the team got off to a slow start in late February and early March, things started to heat up and the Rockies rolled off two separate winning streaks of 7 and 8 games. Their 19-8 finish put them in first place in the Cactus League, 2.5 games ahead of the NL West rival Dodgers.

The offense was explosive at times, and the pitching more than held its own. There were several pleasant surprises, especially the consistency of newcomer Jon Garland, and the transition of long-time starter Chris Volstad to the bullpen.

Of course, when it's all said and done, all of this means nothing when the calendar flips to April and the regular season gets underway. But, you often hear about the importance of momentum, and the Rockies should have plenty of that behind them as they head to Milwaukee to kick off the season. It should be an entertaining season in the Rocky Mountains.

New hitting coach, and former Rockies outfielder, Dante Bichette has worked to establish a "Blake Street Bullies" mentality in the clubhouse. "We want opposing pitchers, opposing teams in general, to be afraid to come to our house. We want to establish our dominance at home," Bichette said at the beginning of camp.

The Rockies will be making their final roster decisions in order to trim the active roster to 25 by Opening Day.

Milwaukee Brewers at Colorado Rockies
Mar 28, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (14-12)	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	2
Colorado (18-8)	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	4	10	0
W: W. Lopez L: M. Gonzalez S: None

Milwaukee Brewers
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
BATTING: 2B: Weeks HR: Braun, Hart RBI: Braun 2, Hart GIDP: Lucroy
BASERUNNING: SB: Segura
FIELDING: E: Weeks, Braun

Colorado Rockies
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
BATTING: 2B: Young Jr. HR: Rutledge, Rosario RBI: Rutledge, Gonzalez, Young Jr., Rosario SAC: Blackmon GIDP: Hernandez, Helton
BASERUNNING: SB: Fowler 2, Cuddyer, Wheeler

Milwaukee Brewers
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Estrada	5.0	5	3	2	2	4	2	3.66
Gallardo	1.0	1	0	0	2	0	0	1.44
Thornburg	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	11.91
Henderson	1.0	1	0	0	1	2	0	0.00
Gonzalez (L, 0-1)	0.2	3	1	1	0	1	0	7.56

Colorado Rockies
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
De La Rosa	5.0	7	3	3	0	6	2	3.72
Nicasio	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.57
Belisle	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Chatwood	1.0	1	0	0	1	0	0	7.10
Lopez (W, 2-0)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.72

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Rosario Wins Abby Greer Award

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario, who followed up a strong 2012 season by hitting .395 this spring while leading the Cactus League with 10 home runs and an unbelievable 27 RBIs, was announced Thursday as the winner of the Rockies' Abby Greer Award.

Rosario, 24, inherited the starting catcher position last season when Ramon Hernandez went down with a variety of injuries. He set a Rockies rookie record with 28 home runs, while hitting .278. Most impressive about Rosario's spring, however, has been the improvement of his defense. He led the league in passed balls last season, and this year there's a new aggressiveness behind the plate that was non-existent before. That can be attributed to the mentoring Rosario has received from backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba.

The award that is given to the best player in Rockies' camp during spring traning is named for Abby Greer, a young Rockies fan who lost her life in an accident while leaving Coors Field on Aug. 22, 2006.

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Torrealba named backup catcher over Hernandez

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies will attempt to recapture some of the leadership that catcher Yorvit Torrealba displayed during the team's playoff years in 2007 and 2009.

The Rockies decided Thursday that Torrealba will be the backup to Wilin Rosario. The club also told Ramon Hernandez -- who was signed before last season as the starter but battled injuries and ended up as Rosario's backup -- that he will be designated for assignment Friday.

Torrealba, 34, was seen as a positive influence over pitchers and had some clutch hits during his first run with the Rockies (2006-09). He had success with the Padres (2010) and Rangers (2011-12). But last season, the Rangers went with Mike Napoli as their starter and Torrealba struggled while being forced into backup duty for the first time in years. He hit .236 in 49 games with the Rangers, .214 in 10 games with the Blue Jays, and had five hitless games with the Brewers.

Ready to accept a backup role to Rosario, who hit 28 home runs last year, Torrealba signed a Minor League deal with the Rockies this winter. By making the team, he will get a $900,000 salary under a one-year contract.

The signing put Torrealba in competition with Hernandez, a friend from Venezuela and a former winter ball teammate. Torrealba sizzled this spring with a .526 batting average and one home run in 12 Cactus League games. Hernandez hit .148 this spring and .217 in a 2012 season interrupted early by a strained left hand and ended prematurely by a ruptured hamstring. The decision wasn't based purely on stats, though. The Rockies' deep knowledge of and affinity for what Torrealba has brought figured into the decision.

The Rockies were reportedly looking to make a trade involving Hernandez, who is set to make $3.2 million this year to complete a two-year contract, but nothing has materialized. By designating him, the Rockies have 10 days to trade or release Hernandez or outright him to the Minors.

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With O'Dowd Out, Changes Coming In Colorado

With Colorado's surprising announcement that Dan O'Dowd is out as the GM of the Rockies, and that a new, untested exec will be taking over the reigns in the front office, the rumor mill has already started to heat up.

According to sources, the Rockies are in talks with free agent closer Brian Wilson. Wilson is recovering from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, so it stands to reason that any deal that might be worked out would be heavily based on incentives. It will be at least the end of April before Wilson might work his way onto the big league roster and be ready to go.

It also sounds as if the team might look to move veteran reliever Matt Belisle. Belisle has been a workhorse out of the 'pen for Colorado the last couple of seasons, but he's 32 and his velocity has dropped each of the last 2 years. With it being the final year of his contract, the Rockies may look to capitalize on his recent success while they can still get something in return. Wilson would provide an option to replace Belisle at the back end of the bullpen, but they would need a temporary solution to fill that role while Wilson works his way back, should the Rockies actually sign him.

In another move, the Rockies have traded veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for pitcher Aaron Harang and cash considerations. However, the Rockies made it clear that they have no intention of keeping Harang in purple pinstripes as they immediately designated him for assignment. Front office officials confirmed that the team has already started shopping Harang's services. It remains to be seen what sort of return Colorado will get, but it's a fair to assume that they'll be looking for a young pitcher to add depth at the minor league level.

Maybe it's the thin mile high air, but things have gotten a little crazy in Denver the last couple of days. Could make for an interesting season.

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Rox in discussions with St. Louis, Chicago

As we mentioned earlier, it was only a matter of time before the Rockies began talking to other teams about trade possibilities. The new GM in Colorado has made it very clear that he wants to upgrade the talent on the roster while making the team younger and more athletic.

The White Sox are lacking depth in the outfield and behind the plate, two areas where the Rockies have done well in securing some solid prospects over the years. It appears Colorado has its eye on a pair of lefties: RP Hector Santiago and Santos Rodriguez. Santiago would provide a power lefty to compliment Rex Brother at the back end of the 'pen. Santiago would provide some depth at AAA, and could be a nasty left hander on the big league club in the near future.

There's also rumor that the Rox are looking at a pair of hard throwing prospects out of St. Louis. Sam Freeman would be another lefty for the 'pen, something new GM Chris "Bull" Brom is big on. Also, Colorado has serious interest in Maikel Cleto. A hard, and we mean hard, throwing righty. He's got the potential to be a dominant set-up/closer type in the near future.

And, it sounds as if the club is nearing a deal with former Giants closer Brian Wilson. Wilson is recovering from Tommy John surgery, the second of his career, so it will be at least the end of April, perhaps May, before he can return to the big league club. The signing may allow the team to make some moves later in the year.

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Rockies, Wilson Agree To Minor-League Deal

From "The Beard" to "The Mountain Man," Brian Wilson brings his unique personality to the Rocky Mountains.


DENVER -- For the last few weeks, there have been rumors that the Rockies were looking to add some strength to the back end of the bullpen. Specifically, they were looking at former Giants closer Brian Wilson.

Wilson, 30, is coming off the second Tommy John surgery of his career, which seemed to scare off a number of teams. When healthy, Wilson can be one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball. The Rockies are obviously hoping that he is healthy, and that he can be effective for them in 2013.

The signing adds another power set-up arm for closer Rafael Betencourt. It also provides some insurance for the 9th inning, should Betencourt need a breather or get hurt. With Wilson, Wilton Lopez, and Rex Brothers, the Rockies now have 3 guys capable of closing out ballgames. A luxury few teams can boast about.

Wilson will start the season in AAA as he continues to build his arm strength. He is expected to make it back to Colorado by late April, early May.

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Rox Build Pitching Depth Heading Into Season

Matt Belisle will take his talents to Chicago in 2013.


DENVER -- New GM Chris "Bull" Brom made it a priority from the time he took over in the front office, to build the pitching depth in Colorado, both at the big league level and in the minors. He did just that with a flurry of moves heading into the regular season.

Brom addressed the team's below average depth of starting and relief pitchers by picking up six new names in a pair of deals with the White Sox and Cardinals. In an effort to build a bullpen around youth and power arms, Brom sent veteran reliever Matt Belisle, reserve outfielder Eric Young Jr., outfielder Charlie Blackmon, and top catching prospect Will Swanner to Chicago. In exchange, the Rockies received 3 talented lefties: starter John Danks, setup man Hector Santiago, and prospect Santos Rodriguez. Danks is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and isn't expected back until early May, but the Rockies are hoping he can slide into the middle of the rotation and develop a strong core along with Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa. The move could open the door to Juan Nicasio pitching out of the bullpen, a move that many experts believe may be beneficial for the young righty as he develops his secondary pitches.

The other move, or moves, the Rockies made this week involved a pair of trades. The Minnesota Twins, who are desperate for starting pitching gave the Rox young infield prospect Eddie Rosario in exchange for starter Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood had sort of been the odd man out in Colorado the last couple of seasons, and the Twins thought highly of his potential, especially in their pitcher friendly ballpark in Minnesota.

Colorado then packaged Rosario with a pair of talented middle infield prospects, Rosell Herrera, who can play both second and shortstop, and Cristhian Adames, a solid SS prospect who could make an impact at the big league level in the near future. Both players will fill a shallow position in the Cardinals organization.

In return, the Rockies get a right handed starter who could work his way into the big league rotation sooner, rather than later, in Joe Kelly. Kelly will start the season in AAA, but could be near the front of the line for a call up should injuries arise. Colorado also added another talented lefty for the bullpen in young Sam Freeman. Freeman will also begin the season in AAA, but has the talent level to make the jump to the majors very soon. And, finally they picked up hard throwing right hander Maikel Cleto. Cleto averages 95-98 mph on his fastball, and has reached triple digits at times. It's not unreasonable to believe he may actually make it into the big league bullpen when the team heads to Milwaukee.

Brom promised some major changes in the philosophy of this team, and he hasn't disappointed thus far. The fans are excited about the prospects of 2013, as the Rockies celebrate their 20th anniversary. With the offense the Rockies have in Denver, if the pitching staff can keep games close, this team could be the biggest surprise of the season, much like the A's and Orioles in 2012. Needless to say, all eyes are on the Rocky Mountains this season.