Former Rockies settling into work with new teams
The Colorado Rockies faced a number of tough decisions this offseason and eventually parted ways with a number of key players from the 2010 team. Here’s how players who appeared with the Rockies last season are faring with their new teams in spring training:
Jeff Francis, LHP, Kansas City Royals: In two spring starts covering five innings, Francis has a 5.40 ERA and has allowed eight hits and walked one. Most of the damage was done in his first start on March 2, when he allowed three runs in two innings. In his second start Monday, Francis allowed three hits and a walk in three shutout innings. Francis is expected to be part in the middle of the Royals’ rotation.
Joe Beimel, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: The left-handed reliever has yet to pitch in a spring game. He has been sidelined with soreness in his forearm, but an MRI last week showed no damage.
Clint Barmes, IF, Houston Astros: Barmes is hitting .167 with two walks and two doubles and leads the Astros in at-bats this spring. He is likely the Astros’ Opening Day shortstop.
Brad Hawpe, 1B/OF, San Diego Padres: Hawpe, who is trying to move back to his original position at first base and claim an everyday job with the Padres, is hitting .545 (6-for-11) with a home run and three RBI in four games.
Miguel Olivo, C, Seattle Mariners: Olivo was hitting .100 (1-for-10) before he strained an abductor muscle trying to score on a sacrifice fly in a game over the weekend. Olivo, who was expected to be the Mariners’ starting catcher, will be sidelined indefinitely by the injury.
Melvin Mora, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks: Mora is hitting .214 (3-for-14) but could miss as much as a week after suffering a neck injury in a car accident on Monday. Mora is competing for the starting third base job with the Diamondbacks.
Samuel Deduno, RHP, San Diego Padres: The right-hander has a 6.00 ERA in three spring appearances. He has allowed two runs on four hits, and three walks in three innings, but has struck out six. Deduno, who the Rockies lost on waivers, is likely to start the season in the minors.
Randy Flores, LHP, San Diego Padres: The left-hander signed late in the offseason and is trying to crack the Padres’ bullpen. He has a 4.50 ERA in four appearances.
Paul Phillips, C, Cleveland Indians: Phillips is hitting .429 (6-for-14) in five games with the Indians. He is competing for the backup catcher job.
Taylor Buchholz, RHP, New York Mets: The right-handed reliever, who since being let go late last season by the Rockies has bounced to the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox before settling with the Mets, is having a strong spring. He has pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings in three games and is competing for a job in the Mets bullpen.
Octavio Dotel, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays: Dotel has a 15.00 ERA in three spring appearances. He has allowed five runs on nine hits in three innings. Dotel is competing to be the Blue Jays’ closer.
Manny Delcarmen, RHP, Seattle Mariners: In four spring appearances, Delcarmen has a 4.50 ERA and has two hits and walked four while striking out one. He is competing for a job in the Mariners bullpen.
Brad Eldred, 1B, San Francisco Giants: Eldred is hitting .133 (2-for-15) in 10 games with the Giants.
Thanks steve! I can’t tell you how much I loved this post. Catching up on players I’ve watched and fallen love with is great. It is bittersweet because I want the best for them, but not when it comes to playing for our rivals.
I understand why everyone on this list other than Francis (he was not worth a 1yr/$2M contract with $2M in incentives?) and Buchholz (his prior performance did not earn him patience through his recovery?) were let go. Does anyone have the Rox rationale for those two?
Any of the others, Hawpe in particular, may look like a mistake in hindsight. However, I am not sure Francis and Buhholz were not mistakes going in to the decision.
Francis would have been $2 million for a guy who has won exactly 8 games in the last 3 seasons. The Rockies have much stronger rotation options than Francis. Buchholz has pitched in 9 games (12 innings) in the last 2 seasons, and has had a major injury. He’s had only one really good season in the Majors, and in his absence has been replaced by Betancourt and Belisle. How strong is he? He was released by 3 teams (Colorado, Toronto & Boston) in a span of 4 months. Both players have recently missed large amounts of time to injury, and in the process, lost their jobs. As for Hawpe…I believe that this was the worst move the team has made in a long time. They released a hitter who was due to break out with a strong arm, and in the process, turned what were huge strengths in outfield and bench depth into weaknesses. More than anything, the move exposed Seth Smith for what he truly is…a bench player who should not be seen by pitchers on an everyday basis.
I’m starting to see this site as a “support group” of sorts for us Rockies junkies to help us try, and get through what always seems like an eternal off-season. It’s getting so bad for me, that I’m considering playing hooky from work one day next week, and going down to lodo and doing the Coors Field tour, followed by a lenghty stop over at the Sports Column, or Swankys.
Is this winter, ever going to end??
Actually, I think that the mistake with Hawpe was not trading him last winter when he still had value.
I wish we hadn’t lost Deduno without at least getting something in return for him.
If we still had Paul Phillips would he rank higher than some of the catchers that we have in camp? I’m sure he saw better opportunities elsewhere given that Rosario and Pacheco are coming.
I think that it made sense, from the Rockies’ perspective, for all of these players to not be Rockies at this point, although it’s inevitable that one or more of them will perform well enough to make that decision by the Rockies look bad. That’s baseball.
For me the regrets include Francis, Beimel and Deduno. If Francis is healthy that’s a lot of pitching depth to have lost, and I especially liked the the lefty relief experience that Beimel brought to the club.
It is a small limb to climb out on, but I would bet that at least one of these guys is a Rockie again vefore the year is out.