Rumors for Colorado Rockies
Injury updates: Jones, Fister, Crawford and de la Rosa
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Here’s a running list of injury updates around the Major Leagues:
– Third baseman Chipper Jones could be back from his arthroscopic knee surgery before the Braves’ home opener or even sooner according to manager Freddi Gonzalez (via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution). “Definitely the home opener, based on [Friday's] workout,” Gonzalez said, “and maybe even sooner than that. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of days with him.”
– The Detroit Tigers have placed right handed pitcher Doug Fister on the 15-day Disabled List with a “left costochondral strain” reports Tom Gage of the Detroit News. The team will recall Brayan Villarreal from Triplpe-A to replace Fister on the roster.
– Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said that outfielder Carl Crawford will begin playing very soon according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Crawford, who underwent wrist surgery back in January remains in Fort Myers and will participate in extended spring training games. Speier adds that he will remain there at least through Friday.
– According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, left handed pitcher Jorge de la Rosa expects to be back from his Tommy John Surgery by June. “The (simulated game) went well. And (Friday) I threw an aggressive bullpen. I really think I can be back in June.”
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
PRO Rumors 2012 Predictions
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The sweetest time of the year has come upon us with the start of Major League Baseball. We hope that you all take time to visit your favorite ballpark in the coming days (we know we will).
In the spirit of predicting the future, here are PRO Rumors’ 2012 predictions:
| Writer | National League West |
| Allan | Rockies |
| Ryan | Diamondbacks |
| Juan | Giants |
| Writer | National League Central |
| Allan | Cardinals |
| Ryan | Brewers |
| Juan | Reds |
| Writer | National League East |
| Allan | Marlins |
| Ryan | Phillies |
| Juan | Phillies |
| Writer | NL Wild Card |
| Allan | Dodgers, Reds |
| Ryan | Giants, Marlins |
| Juan | Rockies, Braves |
| Writer | American League West |
| Allan | Athletics |
| Ryan | Angels |
| Juan | Angels |
| Writer | American League Central |
| Allan | White Sox |
| Ryan | Tigers |
| Juan | Tigers |
| Writer | American League East |
| Allan | Red Sox |
| Ryan | Yankees |
| Juan | Yankees |
| Writer | AL Wild Card |
| Allan | Rays, Yankees |
| Ryan | Red Sox, Rangers |
| Juan | Rays, Rangers |
| Writer | MVP (NL, AL) |
| Allan | Buster Posey, Alex Rodriguez |
| Ryan | Joey Votto, Albert Pujols |
| Juan | Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera |
| Writer | Cy Young (NL, AL) |
| Allan | CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay |
| Ryan | Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander |
| Juan | Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez |
| Writer | RoY (NL, AL) |
| Allan | Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish |
| Ryan | Devin Mesoraco, Yu Darvish |
| Juan | Bryce Harper, Yoenis Cespedes |
Do you agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Image by Sean Winters under the Creative Commons License.
Waiver claims: Reds claim Simon, Rockies claim Ottavino
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The Cincinnati Reds have claimed right handed pitcher Alfredo Simon according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Simon, 30, was 4-9 with a 4.90 ERA, 1.2 HR/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 6.5 SO/9 in 115.2 innings with the Orioles in 2011.
The Colorado Rockies have claimed right handed pitcher Adam Ottavino according to the Rockies official Twitter account. The 26-years old last pitched in the Majors in 2010 with the Cardinals. In 2011 he was 7-8 with a 4.85 ERA, 0.9 HR/9, 4.5 BB/9 and 7.7 SO/9 in 141.0 innings with the Cardinals’ Triple-A team.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
PRO Rumors Customer Survey
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Hi all,
With baseball season coming up, we’d like to poll our readers regarding our current features and see if you have suggestions regarding future features. We have a really short survey and we’re hoping that you can take less than 5 minutes to help us out. Thanks!
Allan
Right hander Jon Hunton is looking for new representation
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Jon Hunton who was the closer of the year in Venezuela,reached out to PRO Rumors earlier this week and explained that he is looking for new representation. Hunton, 29, had a strong 2011 season both in the summer and the winter leagues respectively.
As part of the Grand Prairie AirHogs (The American Association of Independent Professional Basebal) Hunton was named “Reliever of the Year” in 2011 (link here). Hunton went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, 25 saves, 47 SO, 0.4 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 51.0 innings.
During the winter, Hunton was named “Closer for the Year” again (link here), but this time in Venezuela as part of the Caribes de Anzoategui. He was 2-4 with 3.16 ERA, 18 saves, 0.3 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 7.0 SO/9 in 31.1 games. Then he was selected as a replacement for Tiburones de la Guaira in the Final and was Francisco Rodriguez’s setup man. He also represented Venezuela in the Caribbean Series .
While Hunton was in Venezuela he left a great impression among the other teams, players and the media. He was one of the first foreign players to report and stayed until the last game of the Caribbean Series, his commitment with the Caribes organization and the rest of the league was undeniable.
I had the opportunity to watch Hunton pitch in Venezuela at least a dozen times this winter. The first thing you notice about him is his height, Hunton is 6′9” with a fluid delivery. He’s not a flame thrower, but he will keep hitters off balance with his slider, which has nice movement. Also, his 3/4 delivery makes all of his pitches move. I believe he is a great athlete in good physical condition (he used to play basketball in College), he is also a strong competitor and he definitely showed that in Venezuela.
Most of you don’t have an idea of how hard it is to pitch in winter ball. Fans are harsh with their players and they will let you know when you’re not doing your job right. You have to face strong competitors, not only young Minor Leaguers, but also Major Leaguers as well. There’s also a lot of competitiveness here but Hunton cruised throughout the season without a sweat. This league has chewed up and spit out countless top MLB prospects, but Hunton wasn’t one of them.
Hunton was drafted five times during the June Amateur Draft, the last one in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the eleventh round. During his eight years as a professional player Hunton is a career 34-27 with 3.18 ERA, 0.5 HR/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 8.9 SO/9 in 453.1 innings. In 2010, he was 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA, 0.7 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 5.7 SO/9 in 63.0 innings for the A’s Triple-A team.
last offseason we had a Q & A with Hunton. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t.
Having the right representation can sometimes be the key to getting that tryout or invite to Spring Training that can open the door to a big league career. If you wish to contact Hunton you can write or follow him on Twitter (@Big_Jon_Hunton).
Image by Edixon Gamez of LiderEnDeportes.com.
Rockies release Casey Blake
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The Colorado Rockies have released third baseman Casey Blake according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports. The team agreed to a deal with Blake back in December, 2011.
Blake, 38, missed 88 games in 2011 due to injuries, and in 63 games with the Dodgers he hit .252/.342/.371 with 4 HR’s and 26 RBI’s. He is a career .264/.336/.442 hitter with 167 HR’s and 616 RBI’s. His career VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) is 201.8 and his FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) -9.3.
Image by pvsbond under the Creative Commons License.
Fun facts about Jamie Moyer
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Left handed pitcher Jamie Moyer, who by the way pitched four perfect innings Thursday against the Giants at age 49, is competing for a spot in the Rockies starting rotation.
After injuring his elbow while pitching winter ball in the Dominican Republic everybody thought Moyer was going to hang up his cleats. But he decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, lose an entire season and comeback for the 2012 season.
As a baseball fan you have to love his story. A 48-year old man deciding to undergo Tommy John surgery just to have one more year in the majors. You don’t see that kind of commitment anymore.
I’m sure that everybody is rooting for him, we will definitely enjoy watching him pitch this season, and in his honor, I’m going to give you a list of fun facts related to his age.
– Moyer was born on November 18, 1962 and is currently 49 years old. He was 24 years old when Jhoulys Chacin was born, 16 years old when Jeremy Guthrie was born, 22 when Esmil Rogers was born, 18 years when Jorge de la Rosa was born and 27 years old when Tyler Chatwood was born. Some of them are competing with Moyer for a spot in the rotation.
– Moyer was drafted in the 1984 June Amateur Draft. I was only one at the time. He debuted in the Majors on June 16, 1986. He became a Major Leaguer before teammates Chacin and Chatwood were even born.
– Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports, points out that Moyer pitched in 141 Major League games before the Rockies even existed. By the way, their entering their 20th season in 2012.
– Calcaterra also adds that he’s currently older than the entire regular starting rotation of that 1993 Rockies team and the only guy from the regular lineup older than him is Andres Galarraga.
– Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says that Moyer is older than 8 current managers and 16 current General Managers and that he started the last game at Wrigley Field before lights were installed there.
– Moyer has pitched 4,020.1 innings, exactly 2,000 more innings than Guthrie (32) and 1,746 more innings than Guthrie, Chatwood, de la Rosa and Chacin combined.
– The lefty was six-years old when the Eagle landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969 and was one year and four days old when president John F. Kennedy was shot.
– I’m pretty sure Moyer is the only active Major Leaguer to pitch to Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. I believe he was around when baseball was invented, and I don’t have a doubt that he actually invented the stirrups in uniforms.
I would like to conclude this article by wishing Moyer all the luck in the world this season as he continues his journey to secure the last spot in the Rockies rotation as he faces players that could be considered his children and grandchildren.
Image by furnstein under the Creative Commons License.
Rockies will discuss Dontrelle Willis
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Yesterday, the Philllies released Dontrelle Willis who they had signed to a $1mm deal back in December. Willis was attempting to earn a spot in the Philly bullpen but allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings this spring and had a 16.88 ERA.
Today, Troy Renck of the Denver Post notes that the Rockies will internally discuss signing Willis. “It’s tough at this point in camp, but we will take a look at it,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said when asked about Willis.
Renck mentions that if the Rockies did sign Willis, he could probably be signed for on a minor league deal, which is a very low risk signing if he doesn’t work out.
Willis did have some success last season as he held left-handers to a .127 average in 55 at-bats.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Alex White arrested for driving under the influence
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Colorado Rockies pitcher Alex White was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Scottsdale, Arizona last night, White revealed via his twitter account.
“I embarrassed myself, my family and the Rockies organization. I am so thankful no one was injured or harmed by my actions. Most importantly I would like to apologize to the fans of the Rockies. My conduct was inappropriate and not who I am. I will learn from this difficult lesson and be a better man because of it.”
White is the first player so far this season that has been arrested for DUI.
White was the 15th overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Indians. He was traded to the Rockies at the trade deadline that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians.
Last season, Miguel Cabrera, Austin Kearns, Coco Crisp, Adam Kennedy, Derek Lowe and Shin-Soo Choo all were arrested for DUI.
Image taken by Ken Lund and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Yankees sign Manny Delcarmen to a Minor League deal
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According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the New York Yankees have signed right handed reliever Manny Delcarmen to a Minor League deal.
The 29 year old last pitched in the Majors in 2010 with the Rockies and Red Sox. That year he went 3-4 with a 4.99 ERA in 52.1 innings. He also posted a 1.4 HR/9, 5.5 BB/9 and 6.5 SO/9 that season.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
