Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Filed Under: Colorado Rockies | Playing Pepper

That didn't go exactly as expected.

Riding a strong 2010 and having players like Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies were expected to threaten to at least win the NL West, if not go even further than that.  The future seemed as bright as a Colorado sunrise.

Instead, players got injured and underperformed and Jimenez was shipped off to Cleveland.  While the Rockies got future pieces, the team they are putting together for the present remains the toughest challenge.

To make sense of what's expected for this team, I asked Michelle Hoag to give her opinions on what happened in the offseason and whether a certain old-timer can make an impact in today's game.  Michelle writes for Rox Pile on the FanSided network and can be followed on Twitter at rockieswoman1.  Keep reading to see what she has to say!

RP: Dan O'Dowd really shook things up this offseason. It's clear he felt some pressure to make significant changes. He has talked a lot about "clubhouse culture" and justified many of his decisions based on that. In general, I like a lot of the moves that were made. It's always hard to say goodbye to homegrown players, but it's true that in 2011 things just didn't come together. A change was necessary. I think Michael Cuddyer and Marco Scutaro will really contribute, and a lot of the young pitchers we have now could potentially be great (particularly Jeremy Guthrie and Tyler Chatwood). However, the new position players are old and the new pitchers are largely untested, so this 2012 team is an unknown. It will be impossible to truly judge the success of the offseason until we see how successful the regular season is. 

RP: I don't really understand the Jamie Moyer conversation. In my mind, there's absolutely no way he makes the squad as a starter. He might make it in the bullpen, but there are so many young pitchers that need service time and development at the big league level, I don't see how there's room for him there either. I think Moyer was signed because of Dan O'Dowd's "get as many veterans as possible" crusade, but at the end of the day, we need guys who will win games. Moyer is just a tad past his prime. He's insurance. Unless a lot of guys really struggle or get injured in camp, I don't see him on the active roster. 

RP: I do think Cargo will have a resurgence this year. I'm glad he struggled in 2011 because I think he learned a lot. Two things in particular: one, the importance of plate discipline, and two, how to avoid avoidable injuries. He was shuffled around in the lineup a lot when he didn't produce early last season, and he took that in stride and really worked on his approach to the plate. Toward the end, he wasn't expanding the strike zone as much and his situational hitting got better. I see him starting this season off much more strongly than he did last season, and carrying that momentum through the end. As for his injuries, he knows that he's kind of a kamikaze outfielder and that he needs to occasionally not catch the ball if the choice is between that and the 60-day DL. Once he got his mojo back in the second half last year, he injured his wrist, and the playing time he missed hurt his numbers. He needs to find a way to keep that from happening so he can play in as many games as possible next year. But he knows that, and I expect him to make the necessary changes. 

RP: All eyes are on Nolan Arenado, who was a superstar in the Arizona Fall League and seems as though he'll be big-league ready sooner rather than later. It's encouraging because Ian Stewart, a former first-round pick, had so much trouble living up to his potential. And now he plays for the Cubs. To have another third baseman so close to making an impact is exciting. Arenado's approach at the plate belies his years. He hits for power and contact, he works the count, he does not give away outs. He is showing all the signs of being an elite player for the Rockies in the future. The future could be as early as 2012. 

RP: I'm not that optimistic about where the Rockies finish at the end of 2012. I just think there are too few sure things on the current roster. We can be sure that Troy Tulowitzki will be brilliant, Carlos Gonzalez, if healthy, will be excellent, and Todd Helton will make the absolute most of whatever playing time he's able to put in. But I wouldn't put money on anybody else. The pieces could come together and this team could surprise a lot of people. I prefer to be pessimistic, though, so as not to be disappointed, and in my opinion the Rockies finish third in the NL West, behind Arizona and Los Angeles. 

For 2012, I'm most excited about finally getting these guys off paper and onto the field. I want to see what they can really do instead of continuing to hear about what they might do. The lineup and the defensive arrangement is so different from what it was last year that I'm just eager to get these guys out there so I can actually see how they'll perform as a unit. Let's get this season started already!

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My thanks to Michelle for chiming in on what we can expect out West this season.  The Rockies have been known for making a run when they are least expected to, so perhaps they can do it again this year!