Colorado Rockies 2004 Season Preview

By Paul Wysard

With all the furor related to the football problems at the University, we have seen a lot less about Colorado baseball this winter than in recent off-seasons. This is just as well, as there is not as much discussion of potential improvement floating about in comparison to three or four years ago. Let's look at the 2004 Rockies from three perspectives.

1. A Whiff of Deja Vu Management has attempted several makeovers of the team since the later 1990s. There was the move toward free-agent-stud starting pitchers (see Hampton, Neagle, and the late Darryl Kile). Then we saw the employment of line-drive-hitting, established veterans (see Cirillo and Lansing) and the gambles with brittle but talented outfielders (see Hammonds and Payton). There was also an experiment with speed (see Pierre, Brian Hunter, and the Goodwins). None of this tinkering put the team into the post-season, so now we see a retro nod at the group which produced a Wild Card slot in 1995, those Blake Street Bombers. Vinnie Castilla has returned to third base. He won't hit 40 homers anymore, but the homecoming could contribute 25 or so, and he still fields his position very well. Lefty slugger Jeromy Burnitz has come on board after better work last season, and Coors Field could help him end up at .260, 40, 100. One of the game's great hitters, Todd Helton, is in the middle of the lineup along with NL RBI leader Preston Wilson and aging star Larry Walker, but the latter two are hurting as of this writing, bringing some clouds over Opening Day. New shortstop Royce Clayton, impotent offensively for several years, is supposed to move the attack along from the second spot in the order. There are reports of better contact and bat control, but Clayton as a catalyst will have to be seen before it is believed.

2. Urgent Therapy Required Have you ever gone through periodonture? That is a dental procedure involving deep cleaning of the gums to expel bacteria and to prevent jawbone erosion and subsequent tooth loss. At the start, whatever damage one already has is determined by measuring the depths of pockets around the teeth in milimeters. Readings of 1 or 2 are fine, 3 and 4 bear watching, but 5 and 6 are big trouble and usually mean heavy therapy or painful surgery. Those last high numbers, and the grim situation they reflect, are identical to the ERAs of the Rockies' pitching staff, to wit: main man Jennings - 5.11, newcomer Kennedy - 6.13, veterans Estes - 5.73 and Elarton - 6.27, and youngsters Cook, Stark and Tsao - 5.83 to 6.02. To make matters worse, the group's 2003 road ERA of 5.35 exceeded the home number of 5.07, and so the old adage of Coors as culprit may well be open to some debate. Much less arguable is the sense that Colorado pitching is more akin to AAA than to the Major League median.

3. Relax and Enjoy It The Rockies will score runs and give the fans many fun-filled victories, but they will also lose some 20 more games than they will win. Only increased parity in the NL West may keep them from falling below the 73-74 win level of the past three seasons.

Back in 1997 and 1998, the novelty of Rockies baseball began to wear off and the natives were becoming restless about winning. We saw that trend there and reported it here. The last visit, in 2003, revealed less impatience and more resignation to reality, an understanding that this franchise will change only under the most radical of movement or conditions. Right now, it is entertainment, like the Cubs were for many decades, but that entertainment is first class. Coors is clean, family-friendly, and scenic. The food and drink offerings are varied and tasty (but also pricey). If you like pin-ball-machine-baseball, you will almost always get it. It is simply a wonderful place to see a game, but don't expect see one in October.