Rocky Mountain Low

I've been thinking for awhile that I really ought to change this blog's subhead from "I've got mad hits like I was Rod Carew" to "I've got no hits like I was Kit Pellow." But then Pellow got sent back down the minors as Larry Walker was activated from the DL, and like the rest of the Rockies' farm system, he's got no game. What's up with Colorado's pitiful record in producing position players, anyway? Everyone writes about how tough it is to find the right arms to pitch in that thin air and talks about how great Jeff Francis and Chin Hui-Tsao (who Baseball America named the team's top prospect in 3 of the past 4 years -- suspect) are gonna be, but they've only produced 5 position players in 11 drafts that are in a starting line-up in 2004. In no particular order (but with their current teams in parentheses):

Todd Helton, Neifi Perez(SF), Juan Pierre(FLA), Craig Counsell(MIL), Juan Uribe(CWS)

There's also Quinton McCracken and spare parts like Jason Bates, Trenidad Hubbard, Angel Echevarria et al. And you could argue that Colorado played a formative role in Eric Young's career, though his rookie season was with the Dodgers and he never spent any time in Colorado's farm system. It's besides the point, when you take a look at what the Florida Marlins' scouting department came up with in the same number of drafts:

Charles Johnson(COL), Edgar Reinteria(STL), Luis Castillo, Mark Kotsay(OAK), Alex Gonzalez, Kevin Millar(BOS), Mike Redmond, Randy Winn(SEA), Miguel Cabrera

Wow. I may even be missing a couple. Note that this list includes a couple of players who went undrafted and were signed first by the Marlins. Oh, and that's not even counting two of the biggest names: Derrek Lee (Cubs) and Mike Lowell, both highly-touted prospects who broke out with the Marlins. Hmm...so let's take a look at the two newer expansion teams, both of whom have had 7 drafts to make a mark. Arizona Diamondbacks first:

Travis Lee(NYY), Erubiel Durazo(OAK), Junior Spivey(MIL), Lyle Overbay(MIL), Alex Cintron, Rod Barajas(TEX)

Although he started last year, Matt Kata's not on this list because he's not starting now. And Scott Hairston's not here because I'm only considering players who made a major league debut before 2004. As far as Travis Lee goes, he's a funny case because he actually got drafted by another team and got out of his contract with a loophole that hasn't been exploited since -- BUT he started out in the AZ minors, so he's on the list. I never said this was scientific, it's just an excuse to make fun of the Rockies. Anyway, how about those Devil Rays?

Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall, Damian Rolls, Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli

Tampa Bay's ownership has had notoriously deep pockets when it comes to the draft/amateur signings thusfar, including throwing wads of $$$ at Matt White (last seen working at Wal Mart, according to Peter Gammons) and Josh Hamilton (struggling with cocaine addiction), two guys who may never wear a Devil Rays uniform. Damian Rolls hasn't had much of an opportunity to showcase his stuff because of injuries this season. But Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall, Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli? That's 50% of the offensive starting line-up right there -- and it demonstrates what you can get with great scouting and a fair bit of luck.

I think this article sorta sums up a lot of problems with the Rockies' scouting system. It's overly generous (or rather, expectant) when it comes to folks like Brad Hawpe and Choo Freeman and Matt Holliday (he's looked great this season, though), but the author gets straight to the point when writing "the more comfortable Colorado is with its prospects, the less likely it will trade them before they arrive." I haven't gone back to take a look at scouting director Bill Schmidt's drafts since he took over five years ago, but the article pegs him as a good egg -- and I'm inclined to believe it, since it sounds like he actually has a full-system plan in place.

Take a peek at the team's history in the standings, though. Not good. No one seems to be able to figure out this franchise, and the fans are getting tired of losing teams. Maybe Bill Schmidt's the guy. But if not, I know exactly how to fix things right: move to Northern Virginia.