MLB: OFF-SEASON BOOSTS; COLORADO ROCKIES

sports-notebook.blogspot.com . . . FOR MORE ANALYSIS, GO TO "MILE HIGH SPORTS RADIO," AM1510 or FM93.7, and to Denver’s best sports blogging team---milehighsports.com. SPORTS NOTEBOOK posts its columns Tuesday and Friday of each week. Ed., Publ., Marvin Leibstone; Copy & Mng. Ed., Gail Kleiner. . . // . . MLB: OFF-SEASON BOOSTS; COLORADO ROCKIES . . . // . . MLB-- MLB teams “tinker” all year long and it gets more intense starting the last moment of the last day of the World Series. Owners and managers, well, they just can’t let go, like sculptors who can never see or believe that their work is finished. Of course, the scrambling, the contracts and payouts, they matter most for teams across the lower depths, even if a club way below in the standings like the Houston Astros, which has averaged more than 100 losses of 162 games per year over the last several years, still made a profit in 2013 of nearly $99 million. That’s almost $1.0 million per loss, enough to begin spending for the future, and the Astros front office has been trying to get that right since off-season “tinkering” for MLB’s 2014 season began, this by emphasizing defense with the acquisition of three RH pitchers and an above-the-margin outfielder/hitter. Another low in the rankings team, the Seattle Mariners, paid large during the off-season for star power, acquiring 2B Robinson Cano from the N.Y. Yankees (BA, .314), in spite of such moves not having met expectations in the recent past, example: 1B Albert Pujols and LF Josh Hamilton to the L.A. Angels from the Cardinals and Rangers not being last season’s WS heroes. Meanwhile, last year’s WS winning team, the 97-65 Boston Red Sox, during the off-season purchased IF Jonathan Herrera from the Colorado Rockies, catcher J. Pierzynski from the Texas Rangers and RH Edward Mujica from the St. Louis Cardinals, which appears to be only slightly added punch to a line-up that includes the still batting well enough DH David Ortiz and 2B Dustin Pedroia, but more of a kick for a Red Sox pitching staff ERA above 4.0. Yet a much better pitching staff ERA is that of the St. Louis Cardinals, 3.4, sure to receive help for sustainment from starter/RH Adam Wainwright (ERA, 2.9), therefore the Cards absented new hurler acquisitions during the off-season, even with team ace Chris Carpenter retiring. The Cardinals placed off-season emphasis on defense and hitting power by acquiring 2B Mark Ellis from the L.A. Dodgers, SS Johnny Peralta from the Detroit Tigers and OF Peter Bourjos from the L.A. Angels. The Sox finished the post-season ahead of the also 97-65 Cardinals last year, though the Cardinals had the better team batting average, .269, better OBP, .332 and had accrued more runs per regular season game, 4.8. Now, and in sum, the above-cited changes, additions and deletions that have occurred since last October are just a smattering of the MLB total. To what great avail, an observer might ask? Across the board, it’s quite rare when off-season machinations produce giant upward moves, such as that of a change in managers and new acquisitions helping the Red Sox go from a meager 69 wins in 2012 to winning the WS the following year. Even so, off-season “tinkering” has kept those teams that have done their homework and worked trades well from folding badly in the coming season; in fact, such teams usually go up a notch or two on the 162 game ladder. BUT ALL TOLD, no-one has figured out how to eliminate the crapshoot and wheel of fortune aspects from off-season deal-making, and probably that won’t happen, so let the games begin, Play ball! . . . // . . . COLORADO ROCKIES ---LABELING the Rockies as one of baseball’s current big mysteries is easy. How could a team land so low in consecutive years when its line-up included the National League’s top 2013 batting average holder, RF Michael Cuddyer, at .331, and ninth in that category, SS Troy Tulowitzki, .312. These two also held eighth and ninth position within best OBP for 2013. And, OF Carlos Gonzalez was last season’s seventh best home run hitter with 26 HR’s, Tulowitzki was ninth, 25 HR’s. Too, OF Dexter Fowler was ninth in number of steals “least caught,” nine. Add, 3B Nolan Arenado, first NL rookie 3B to win a Gold Glove. Also, RH Juan Nicasio had the ninth best number of earned runs among NL hurlers last season, just 90, and LH Juan De La Rosa came in third for most wins during 2013---16; and, De La Rosa was second regarding win/loss percentage, .727. Moreover, Rockies RH Jhoulys Chacin came in 11th re. number of wins, 14. Except for Fowler over to the Astros, these players are back for 2014. The boost? It begins with faith in injury prone Tulowitzki not getting injured, with Gonzalez dealing out errorless defense as CF and matching or surpassing Cuddyer’s and Tulowitzki’s 2013 BA’s, to Arenado having gained more power for his swing and being able to run faster, to the return of LH Franklin Morales to the Rockies from the Red Sox as successful reliever and perhaps as closer, maybe alternating in these roles with LH Rex Brothers. Additionally, faith is being shown in LH Brett Andersen over from the Oakland A’s, who suffered from injuries last season but has had an ERA below 4.0 for around 85 career games. And keep in mind that retired Rockies player Todd Helton’s superb fielding at 1B was overshadowed by his hitting prowess. If replacement Justin Morneau, over from the Pittsburgh Pirates, can field nearly as well as Helton, then, with Arenado at 3b, Tulowitzki SS, D.J. LeMahieu at 2B plus Morneau at 1B, the Rockies will have the defense needed to back up the team’s rotation and relievers when at mid-game mound-vulnerabilities begin to show. Note, too, that the Rockies have a more complex mystery to solve, the RISP at third outs problem. END/ml