There was nothing positive to take away from 2003. The Rockies finished 47-115, worst record in all of baseball and the franchise pushed forward with the status quo, retaining all staff. Since April, the team has taken a dramatic turn towards a brighter future. The team picked up a future superstar in Hanley Ramirez with the first pick in the draft and followed it up with Andre Either in the second round and Shaun Marcum in the third. Then in July, the team made arguably their most important move, bringing in a new GM in the form of Gabe Freimund.

“I had a few offers, but the Rockies had the most talent of all, the talent just wasn’t being used properly,” Freimund said, reflecting on the state of the roster at his hiring, “Youk and Sanchez came up immediately and they started making an impact. We were able to properly use some of the bullpen arms and put together a more efficient line-up. We still have a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction.”

Positional Review
Catcher
The catcher position is one that Freimund is looking to upgrade. Ben Patrick has held his own offensively. Despite his .246 average, he’s managed to put up an average .776 OPS, 5th among NL catchers, and slugged out 22 homers, 4th among NL catchers. His $8.5 million salary is expiring, but the Rockie’s currently have a one year extension offer out for him. Assuming he accepts the offer, it’ll likely be his position to lose until an upgrade is found.

First Base
A huge strength in the organization. Todd Helton is one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball. In the NL, only Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixiera outperformed him. At 31, his future on the rebuilding Rockies is yet to be determined. When asked, Freimund stated that everyone had a price on the roster, but Teixiera is most certainly a part of the future and they don’t see his skills declining anytime soon. Despite the reassuring tones, rumors are running rampant around the country that Helton will be made available. Young third baseman Kevin Youkilis’ natural position is probably at first, although he’s an average defensive third baseman. The Rox aren’t going to force anything, it’ll all be dependent on how the market plays out for Helton’s services.

Second Base
Another strength for the Rox. Juan Uribe led NL second basemen in homers with 25 and posted a solid .903 OPS in limited time. He’s among the top defensive players at second base and shortstop and yet, he’s likely on the block. Why? Young Freddy Sanchez made his debut. A great defensive second baseman, established himself as one of the top hitters for average. The Rockies love the look of a 1-4 of Sanchez, Youkilis, Ramirez and Helton. That top four is a great mix of excellent contact hitters, patient hitters, speed and power and is likely capable of being one of the most productive top of the orders in all of baseball. Uribe has hinted that he maybe willing to give up some at bats, but would probably prefer to start full time and feels as though he has shown he deserves to. A lot of speculation has Helton being traded, Youkilis to first, Sanchez to third and Uribe taking over again as full time second baseman, but Freimund is rumored to prefer to keep the roster as is, keeping Uribe as a partime starter and defensive replacement. This is going to depend on the trade market, but Freimund is already taking calls from other GMs.

Third base
As discussed earlier, another strength in Colorado. Depending on how things turn out, third will be manned by either Youkilis or Sanchez for the long term. One thing you can count on, Freimund will ask for a king’s ransom for the Greek God of Walks, so don’t expect him to be the one to be dealt.

Shortstop
Freimund wasn’t around for the first overall pick, but he’s always quick to rave about Ramirez. The defensive isn’t quite where he wants it but the 20 year old has just as much potential at the plate as anyone in baseball and is always a threat to steal. Initial rumors speculated that Freimund would have picked 18 year old Orioles righty Felix Hernandez with the pick, but don’t expect Ramirez to leave for a long, long time.

Outfield
A productive but unsatisfactory position of the Rox. Corner Outfielders Larry Walker, Butch Huskey, and Todd Hollandsworth were all productive, but don’t expect them to be long term options, same goes for Juan Pierre in center. Freimund wants Pierre to be the fourth outfielder and the corners all expected to walk as their contracts expire. Time will tell how it all turns out, but right now it’s tough to predict the future.

Starting Pitching
Ugh. We’ll ignore the negatives for now, because there’s just too many. Aaron Heilman won 18 games and posted a 3.95 ERA in his rookie year and looks like one of the top young starters in a pitching starved NL West. Shaun Marcum and Runelvys Hernandez are waiting in the wings. They’ll both get an extensive look in the AFL and are expected to start behind Heilman next year. The 4th and 5th spots in the rotation will be a point of emphasis in the off season. Bobby Madritsch came up in August and put up solid performances, but he’s not expected to be a long term answer in the rotation.

Relief Pitching
Well, Chad Cordero looks good. It wouldn’t be shocking to see an entirely new bullpen with the exception of Cordero. The only other standout player is Tyler Yates, but his future is up in the air following a torn triceps injury suffered on the 17th of August. He’s not expected to begin throwing for another 2 months. His role next year will be dependent on his performance in spring training. Freimund has recognized the bullpen as a major weakness, but has stated that it’s the least of his worries. Bullpen arms are cheap and easy to find.

Look for future articles reviewing off season moves in the coming months.