Mile High Dynasty, Take Two!

[HoustonGM]

The first few posts will be a repeat from the other thread, and I will force all the moves in Commisioner mode, and then start up at Opening Day


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February 20, 2006

O'Dowd Steps Down, Names Smith Replacement

Dan O'Dowd, general manager of the Colorado Rockies baseball franchise since 1999, stepped down from his position yesterday. He issued a statement shortly after announcing his resignation. "I've been the GM here in Colorado for seven long years, and it's been fun, yet very stressful. I've lost touch with a lot of my family, and the time has come that I move on in my life. I love baseball, and the Rockies are the blood that runs through my veins, but I'm sad to say that I don't think I can run the franchise anymore." Late yesterday night, O'Dowd announced his replacement in an unprecedented move. Erik Smith, a 17 year old high school junior from all the way out in New Jersey, has been chosen to be the new general manager of the Rockies. O'Dowd refused to comment much on his replacement, but did promise the fans great seasons in the future.

We got a chance to talk to Smith via phone this morning.

DP: Congratulations on being chosen to take the helm of the Rockies, Erik.
ES: Thank you.
DP: There's no doubt that there's going to be critics of Dan O'Dowd's choice. You're 17 and haven't even finished high school. How do you respond to those critics?
ES: What else can I expect? It's not every day that a teenager gets chosen to general manage an entire Major League Baseball franchise. I'm going to ignore the critics, and not respond to their criticism. They can judge me once they see how I handle the franchise..
DP: Are you going to finish high school?
ES: Yes. I plan to get home schooled for the rest of this school year, and do my GM work out of my house in New Jersey. During the summer, I will head out to Denver to do the work like any normal GM. For my senior year next year, I've set up something with my principal where I will take the courses online out in Denver, and fly back to New Jersey to get my diploma next June.
DP: I'll assume you're in this for the long haul, this GMing business. Do you plan to attend college?
ES: I haven't decided yet. I'm gonna see how my last year and a half of high school go, and if I'm comfortable with this job, I don't really see a need to attend college. After all, it's a well-paying job. If I don't attend college during my tenure as Rockies GM, I very well might decide to resume my schooling later in my life.
DP: Do you have any rough plans as to how you're going to manage the team?
ES: Actually, I do. I've followed baseball my entire life, and recently, I've become fascinated with guys like Chone Figgins and Ryan Freel. These guys can play every day, and at any position. I'd like to have at least one or two guys like that on the roster. I also want to focus hard on creating a pitching staff chock full of sinker ball pitchers. I figure, if we can keep the ball on the ground, especially at home where the balls fly out of the field, we stand a better chance at winning. I also plan on testing out some guys with tremendous power up in Colorado, to see how well that goes.
DP: Ok, thanks for taking the time to talk to us, and good luck!
ES: Thanks.

We even managed to get ahold of long-time Rockie and fan favorite, first basemen Todd Helton, to ask him about his thoughts on this. Todd said, "I think it's pretty darn cool. Sure, he's young, but from what I heard, he's a pretty smart kid. It's gonna be cool, especially for the younger players in the organization, to have a guy around the same age as them running the team, I would think. I look forward to this season and all the seasons that follow."

From what we hear, Smith has a few tricks up his sleeve before the season starts. We'll report on each one, and bring you up to date on Opening Day with the Rockies lineup and pitching staff, and we'll write continually about how the Rockies are doing, and the major news around the MLB.

[HoustonGM]

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February 31, 2006

Rockies Nab Burke, Stanton, shed Helton's and others' Contract
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Eleven days after signing on to the job as Rockies GM, the young Erik Smith made his first deal, bringing in one of the utility players he seems to enjoy. In a deal with the Houston Astros, Smith received Chris Burke, who can play nearly anywhere on the field except catcher and pitcher, and also swings a good bat.

Houston will receive six players from the Rockies. Todd Helton is the biggest name to go. Smith's phone line was swamped with reporters after they heard the news that Helton would be leaving Colorado after spending the first nine years of his career there. He said, "Helton's a great player. He's one of the best all-around hitters in the game, and I really don't like trading him. However, as it stood, his contract alone took up nearly a third of our team's payroll, and we were stuck with that contract until 2011. In order to free up financial room, we had to trade Helton. I wish him the best of luck in Houston."

Two other major leagues went to Houston - the injured catcher Danny Ardoin and relief pitcher Ray King. Along with those three major leaguers, the following prospects will head to Houston - SS Chris Nelson, 3B Jeff Baker, and 1B Joe Koshansky.

Burke is expected to start the season as the Rockies primary shortstop, but we have no doubts in our mind that you'll see him everywhere on the field throughout the season.

For Houston, the arrival of Todd Helton will move Lance Berkman back to the outfield. Preston Wilson will move from left to center to make room for Lance. Willy Taveras is expected to start the season on the bench. Jeff Baker will go to AAA Round Rock. Joe Koshansky will head to AA Corpus Christi, and Chris Nelson will be in A Salem. Ray King will start the season in Round Rock, but will likely see a call up to pitch out of the pen at some point in the season.

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In another cost-cutting move, Smith picked up left-handed reliever Mike Stanton from the Washington Nationals, and shed over $7.5 million from the payroll. RP Mike Dejean, RP Jose Mesa, SP Miguel Ascenio, and IF Kazuo Matsui will head to D.C. Smith had this to say: "Stanton is a guy that we feel could really be strong out of the pen in Colorado. He has a nasty splitter to complement a strong slider and should induce a good amount of groundballs. I also love this move because it cuts a bunch of money that was being spent on players who weren't in our plans for either this year or next year.

After these two cost-cutting trades, the Rockies payroll sits at $31.2 million. Only the Florida Marlins have a lower payroll.

[HoustonGM]

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March 15, 2006

Rockies Cut Bunch of Players
Two weeks into spring training, the Rockies have decided to cut a few players. The following players have been released by the team:

IF Jesse Garcia
2B Bo Hart
1B Carlos Rivera
OF Pete Zoccolillo
OF Barry Wesson
RP Jose Acevedo
RP Gabe Molina
RP Nate Field
RP Sun-Woo Kim

Smith also observed that the team was in need of some bullpen help, so he signed righty reliever Antonio Alfonseca to a $1 million contract for the 2006 season. Alfonseca's is another sinker ball pitcher, and although he was just so-so last year with Florida, had a good 2004 in Atlanta.

[HoustonGM]

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April 1, 2006

2006 Opening Day Roster

The Rockies have announced their Opening Day lineup, bench, bullpen, and starting rotation.

.....................Lineup..........................................Bench
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.....................Rotation....................................Bullpen
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[HoustonGM]

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April 3, 2006

Flurry of Transactions Around the Majors

In the days leading up to Opening Day, there were a ton of minor league deals, contract extensions, and other transactions. Below are the ones we feel might have an impact this year.

Florida Marlins signed C/1B Matt LeCroy.
Devil Rays signed RP Cliff Politte.
Indians signed 1B J.T. Snow and 1B Rafael Palmeiro.
Mariners signed 3B Vinny Castilla.


The following player's were signed to extensions:

Ken Ray (Braves, 1 year)
Milton Bradley (Athletics, 3 years)
Jamie Walker (Tigers, 1 year)
Austin Kearns (Nationals, 2 years)
Johnny Estrada (Diamondbacks, 3 years)
Eric Byrnes (Diamondbacks, 3 years)
Juan Rincon (Twins, 2 years)
Michael Cuddyer (Twins, 2 years)
Rafael Soriano (Mariners, 1 year)
Brian Roberts (Orioles, 2 years)
Reed Johnson (Blue Jays, 1 year)
Scot Shields (Angels, 2 years)
Jeremy Bonderman (Tigers, 1 year)
Fernando Rodney (Tigers, 2 years)
Chad Bradford (Mets, 2 years)
Carlos Zambrano (Cubs, 3 years)
Mike Gonzalez (Pirates, 1 year)

[HoustonGM]

Minor League Breakdown

AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox
2B Jayson Nix - 24 - Fringe prospect. Might develop into average starting second basemen.
RF Ryan Spilborghs - 26 - Needs to improve fast if he wants to be more than a fifth outfielder.
CF Jeff Salazar - 25 - See Ryan Spilborghs.
SS Tommy Whiteman - 26 - Probably will frequently ride the bus from Denver to Colorado Springs.
SS - Omar Quintanilla - 24 - On the DL currently. Slated to come back end of April.
SP - Sandy Nin - 25 - Could fit in as a reliever or a starter sometime soon.
RP - Jaime Cerda - 27 - Reached his potential. Insurance reliever.
RP - Bret Prinz - 28 - Had success in the majors in 2001. No MLB future for this guy.
RP - Randy Williams - 30 - AAAA reliever.
RP - Scott Dohmann - 28 - Power arm, not too good though.
RP - Steve Colyer - 27 - AAA lifer.
RP - Manuel Corpas - 23 - Potential to be a top-of-the-line setup man.
RP - Ryan Speier - 26 - Will miss 2006, but might be a fixture in the Rockies bullpen next year.
RP - Chin-Hui Tsao - 24 - Injured for three months, but might make the bullpen once he returns.

AA Tulsa Drillers
LF Matthew Miller - 23 - Nice power. Could be a solid starting outfielder.
CF Joe Gaetti - 24 - Solid power, iffy defense.
RF Seth Smith - 23 - Average across the board.
C Chris Iannetta - 22 - Slated to be the Rockies starting catcher in a few years. Strong defense, needs to improve his hitting.
SS Josh Wilson - 25 - Will probably survive as a utilityman.
3B Ian Stewart - 20 - The best prospect in the Rockies system. Could make an appearance in the majors this year, and might force Atkins to switch positions or be traded in a year or two.
2B Corey Wimberly - 22 - Future as a super-utility guy. Good contact and speed.
SP Mike Esposito - 24 - Projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
SP Juan Morillo - 22 - As a huge upside. If he fulfills it, will be a 2 or 3 starter.

A Asheville Tourists
SS Troy Tulowtzki - 21 - Another top Rockies prospect. Needs to improve across the board, but has a huge potential.
CF Dexter Fowler - 20 - Absolutely blazing speed, but needs to improve everything else.
2B Matt Macri - 23 - Fringe prospect. Future as utilityman seems likely.
SP Ubaldo Jimenez - 22 - Potential to be top-of-the-rotation starter.
SP Greg Reynolds - 20 - First round draft pick over the winter. Could move through the system fast.
SP Shane Lindsay - 21 - Another #2/3 starter in the future.
SP Franklin Morales - 20 - Likely to fulfill a decent career as a longman in an MLB pen.
RP Jim Miller - 23 - Power pitcher, might make a strong reliever.

R Casper Rockies
SP Chaz Roe - 19 - High ceiling, 50% chance he fulfills his full potential.
SP Samuel Deduno - 22 - Iffy prospect. Could end up in major league bullpen.

[HoustonGM]

April 5-7 http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/rockies_45.gifColorado Rockies (0-0) @ http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/padres_45.gifSan Diego Padres (0-0)

Projected Starters
April 5: Jeff Francis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Chris Young (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
April 6: Aaron Cook (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Chan Ho Park (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
April 7: Jason Jennings (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Jake Peavy (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs.

Game Recaps
April 5: Yorvit Torrealba and Matt Holliday led the 10-run hit parade, each providing a home run. Holliday had 4 RBI, and Torrealba had 2. Ryan Shealy also had two RBI. Jeff Francis allowed 4 runs with six strikeouts in 7 innings. Rockies 10, Padres 5

April 6: Aaron Cook and Chan Ho Park both turned in solid games. Cook went the distance, allowing 3 runs on 11 hits. Park pitched 8 innings and allowed 2 runs. Rockies 2, Padres 3

April 7: Peavy and Jennings both pitched well, with Peavy allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 5.2 innings, and Jenning throwing 7 innings of 1-run ball. However, both team's lost it with their bullpen. Antonio Alfonseca allowed 5 runs without recording an out. Jon Adkins gave up 4 runs to the Rockies in 1.1 innings. In the end, the Rockies, led by a 3 for 5 night from Brad Hawpe, came out on top. Rockies 8, Padres 7

Rockies News
-No news to report.

Rockies Leaders
Batting Average: SS Chris Burke (.417)
Home Runs: 4 tied with 1.
Runs Batted In: LF Matt Holliday (5)
ERA (Starter): SP Jason Jennings (1.29)
ERA (Reliever): RP Mike Stanton (0.00)
Wins: SP Jeff Francis/SP Jason Jennings (1)
Saves: RP Brian Fuentes (1)

Division Leaders
AL East: Boston/New York (3-0)
AL Central: Minnesota (3-0)
AL West: Oakland (3-0)
AL Wild Card: Boston/New York (3-0)

NL East: Philadelphia (3-0)
NL Central: Cincinnati/Chicago (2-1)
NL West: Arizona/Colorado/Los Angeles (2-1)
NL Wild Card: 6 tied at 2-1.

League Leaders
Batting Average: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (.692)
Home Runs: Mets LF Cliff Floyd/Angels DH Tim Salmon/Red Sox DH David Ortiz (3)
Runs Batted In: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (9)
ERA: Multiple pitchers tied with 0.00.
Wins: Cubs RP Roberto Novoa (2)
Saves: Marlins RP Joe Borowski/Twins RP Joe Nathan (2)

Around the Majors
-Twins signed 3B Tony Batista, after releasing him during spring training.
-Braves released C Eddie Perez. Shortly after, he announced his retirement.
-Many extensions. We won't be reporting the majority of extensions anymore.

Injuries
-Tigers SS Carlos Guillen will miss two weeks after spraining his lower back.
-Dodgers C Russell Martin will miss two weeks with a pulled groin.

[HoustonGM]

April 5-7 http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/rockies_45.gifColorado Rockies (2-1) @ http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/dodgers_45.gifLos Angeles Dodgers (2-1)

Projected Starters
April 8: Josh Fogg (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Mark Hendrickson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
April 9: Byung-Hyun Kim (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Chad Billingsley (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
April 10: Jeff Francis (1-0, 5.14 ERA) vs. Brad Penny (1-0, 1.13 ERA) vs.

Game Recaps
April 8: 5 innings from Josh Fogg preceded a patchwork of 4 relievers in the final 4 innings. The Rockies had six extra base hits, with Jamey Carrol going 3 for 4 and providing a double, home run, and two RBI. Rockies 8, Dogers 5

April 9: This 12 inning game was eventually ended by a squeeze bunt by Jamey Carroll in the top of the 12th, and a scoreless bottom of the inning from Antonio Alfonseca. Byung-Hyun Kim allowed 2 runs in 7 innings. Rockies 3, Dodgers 2

April 10: Brad Hawpe drove in five runs on a homer and a double to lead the Rockies in a sweep over the Dodgers. Rockies 8, Dodgers 7

Rockies News
-The Rockies will frequently change the order of their lineup. We will not report on each change, but right now, Jamey Carroll has moved up to leadoff with Chris Burke batting second, and Cory Sullivan dropping to 8th (Yorvit Torrealba moved up one to 7th).

Rockies Leaders
Batting Average: LF Matt Holliday (.440)
Home Runs: RF Brad Hawpe (2)
Runs Batted In: LF Matt Holliday (8)
ERA (Starter): SP Jason Jennings (1.29)
ERA (Reliever): RP Mike Stanton/RP Ramon Ramirez (0.00)
Wins: SP Jeff Francis/SP Jason Jennings/SP Josh Fogg (1)
Saves: RP Brian Fuentes (3)

Division Leaders
AL East: New York (6-0)
AL Central: Minnesota (5-1)
AL West: Oakland (5-1)
AL Wild Card: Boston (5-1)

NL East: Philadelphia (5-1)
NL Central: Houston (3-2)
NL West: Colorado (5-1)
NL Wild Card: San Francisco (4-1)

League Leaders
Batting Average: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (.615)
Home Runs: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (6)
Runs Batted In: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (12)
ERA: Multiple pitchers tied with 0.00.
Wins: Seven pitchers tied with 7.
Saves: Marlins RP Joe Borowski/Twins RP Joe Nathan/Rockies RP Brian Fuentes (3)

Around the Majors
-Cardinals CF Jim Edmonds drove in the 1000th run of his career.
-Mets released OF Michael Tucker, and he announced his retirement from baseball.

Injuries
-Cardinals 3B Scott Rolen will miss a month with a shoulder seperation.
-Athletics SP Joe Blanton will miss two weeks after pulling a groin having sex with his girlfriend.
-Rangers CF Gary Matthews fractured his finger while making a diving play in center and will miss two weeks.

[Jman]

I m so gonna have to steal your newspaper logo. Just with the houston chronicle

[HoustonGM]

I m so gonna have to steal your newspaper logo. Just with the houston chronicle
I used: http://linuxenvy.com/bprentice/Banners/Banners.html

And just set the font to Old English. You'll have to save the picture, as it seems it deletes after a day. So save it and then host it at ImageShack or Photobucket.

[HoustonGM]

April 12-13 http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/padres_45.gifSan Diego Padres (1-5) @ http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/rockies_45.gifColorado Rockies (5-1)

Projected Starters
April 12: Chan Ho Park (1-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Aaron Cook (0-1, 3.38 ERA)
April 13: Jake Peavy (0-1, 3.18 ERA) vs. Jason Jennings (1-0, 1.29 ERA)

Game Recaps
April 12: Chan Ho Park is finally pitching like he deserves 15 million dollars a year, as he held the Rockies to 2 runs in 7 innings. The Padres knocked up Aaron Cook for 7 runs (4 earned) in 1.2 innings. Padres 7, Rockies 2

April 13: Jason Jennings allowed 7 runs in 2.1 innings, as the Padres blew out the Rockies for the two-game sweep. Padres 10, Rockies 5

Rockies News
-No news to report.

Rockies Leaders
Batting Average: LF Matt Holliday (.485)
Home Runs: LF Matt Holliday/RF Brad Hawpe/SS Chris Burke (2)
Runs Batted In: LF Matt Holliday (10)
ERA (Starter): SP Byung-Hyun Kim (2.57)
ERA (Reliever): RP Mike Stanton (0.00)
Wins: 5 tied with 1.
Saves: RP Brian Fuentes (3)

Division Leaders
AL East: New York (9-0)
AL Central: Minnesota/Cleveland (6-3)
AL West: Oakland (6-4)
AL Wild Card: Boston (7-2)

NL East: Philadelphia (7-2)
NL Central: Houston (6-2)
NL West: San Francisco/Colorado (5-3)
NL Wild Card: San Francisco/Colorado (5-3)

League Leaders
Batting Average: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (.538)
Home Runs: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (9)
Runs Batted In: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (17)
ERA: Yankees SP Sidney Ponson (0.00)
Wins: Marlins SP Dontrelle Willis (3)
Saves: Marlins RP Joe Borowski/Yankees RP Mariano Rivera (4)

Around the Majors
-Cardinals 1B Brian Daubach announced his retirement.

Injuries
-Rangers RF Kevin Mench sprained his finger on a play in right, and will miss two weeks.
-Cubs closer Ryan Dempster will miss a month after rupturing a ligament in his knee.
-Yankees SP Sidney Ponson is having more off-the-field troubles, and is expected to return to the Yankees in two weeks.
-Orioles SP Kris Benson fractured his wrist while covering home and will miss at least five weeks.
-White Sox LF Scott Podsednik will miss four weeks due to a broken collar bone.

[HoustonGM]

April 15-17 http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/diamondbacks_45.gifArizona Diamondbacks (5-4) @ http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/logos/rockies_45.gifColorado Rockies (5-3)

Projected Starters
April 15: Claudio Vargas (1-0, 3.12 ERA) vs. Josh Fogg (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
April 16: Enrique Gonzalez (1-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. Byung-Hyun Kim (0-0, 2.57 ERA)
April 17: Brandon Webb (2-0, 0.53 ERA) vs. Jeff Francis (1-0, 5.84 ERA)

Game Recaps
April 15: Claudio Vargas held the Rockies to one run, while once again, the Rockies were forced to use the majority of their problem, which held the Dbacks to 1 unearned run in the final 6 innings. Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 1

April 16: Jeff Francis got pushed up a day, and 7 different Rockies pitchers were used and 3 of them gave up at least 4 runs. Matt Holliday went 3 for 4 with two home runs, but it wasn't enough. Diamondbacks 15, Rockies 8

April 17: Aaron Cook and four relievers were able to hold the Diamondbacks off as the Rockies scored 9 runs. Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 9

Rockies News
-No news to report.

Rockies Leaders
Batting Average: LF Matt Holliday (.488)
Home Runs: LF Matt Holliday (4)
Runs Batted In: LF Matt Holliday (14)
ERA (Starter): SP Byung-Hyun Kim (2.57)
ERA (Reliever): RP Mike Stanton (1.35)
Wins: 6 tied with 1.
Saves: RP Brian Fuentes (3)

Division Leaders
AL East: New York (12-0)
AL Central: Minnesota (8-4)
AL West: Oakland (8-5)
AL Wild Card: Boston/Cleveland (7-5)

NL East: Philadelphia (9-3)
NL Central: Houston (7-4)
NL West: Arizona (7-5)
NL Wild Card: 4 tied at 6-5 (including Colorado).

League Leaders
Batting Average: Rockies LF Matt Holliday (.488)
Home Runs: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (10)
Runs Batted In: Red Sox DH David Ortiz (19)
ERA: Yankees SP Sidney Ponson (0.00)
Wins: 5 tied with 3.
Saves: Marlins RP Joe Borowski/Yankees RP Mariano Rivera/Twins RP Joe Nathan (5)

Around the Majors
-Diamondbacks RF Shawn Green scored his 1000th career run.

Injuries
-Rangers C Gerald Laird will miss one month with a stretched knee ligament.
-Reds SS Royce Clayton will miss one month with a broken collarbone.
-Future Hall of Famer, Astros SP Roger Clemens will miss two months after tearing an elbow ligament.

[HoustonGM]

Eh...this isn't as fun as it used to be.

For now, no more dynasty from me. Maybe I'll do one another time.

[Tigers 94]

yeah,same with me.After doing 2 dynasties,I lost interest as soon as I started the 3rd one.I might start one later,but now I just am playing for fun!

[Jman]

I used: http://linuxenvy.com/bprentice/Banners/Banners.html

And just set the font to Old English. You'll have to save the picture, as it seems it deletes after a day. So save it and then host it at ImageShack or Photobucket.

thanks. And being on my first dynasty i am far from bored. lol

[slowpokemcgee]

LOL that didn't last long.