Countdown to Opening Day: #27 Colorado Rockies

By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Lansdale Reporter

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

#27: Colorado Rockies: Health is the key in Coors

PROJECTED LINEUP
2B DJ LeMahieu
3B Nolan Arenado
SS Troy Tulowitzki
LF Carlos Gonzalez
RF Michael Cuddyer
1B Justin Morneau
C Wilin Rosario
CF Drew Stubbs

PROJECTED ROTATION

Jorge de la Rosa
Brett Anderson
Jhoulys Chacin
Tyler Chatwood
Jordan Lyles

PROJECTED BULLPEN

Closer: LaTroy Hawkins

Set-up: Rex Brothers

Top Prospect: Eddie Butler (RHP)

Meet Keith Dugger. He is the Colorado Rockies head athletic trainer and boy has he been busy over the

Troy Tulowitzki

past few seasons. If I could predict or expect the stars that call Coors Field home to stay on the field, then maybe they would be more than a last place team. But the line to Dugger's office in Mile High is a mile long and some and the acquisitions General Manager Dan O'Dowd made this off-season did not really address that issue.
Joining the often injured Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez was Justin Morneau and Brett Anderson. Morneau has battled concussions since winning the MVP award in 2006 and Brett Anderson has been held back by elbow ligament surgery and a stress fracture in his foot last season.
The pitching staff has a lot to prove before I can be confident Colorado can compete with the likes of L.A., Arizona in their own division. Choosing a 41 year-old LaTroy Hawkins to be your closer is not the best idea either. He has not had more than 14 saves in a decade and while it's not the same ol' Coors Field from the early 2000s, it is still not pitcher's park.
The Rockies really need to out-slug squads to win in the National League this season. That starts with having Tulo and Car-Go healthy in the middle of the order.

THEY CALL ME MR. SUNSHINE - Brett Anderson avoids the injury bug and teams up with other ground ball pitchers. At Coors you need arms that can avoid the long ball and it looks like the Rockies finally have done so with Jorge de la Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, and Tyler Chatwood. The group gives just enough quality innings that the bullpen does not get overtaxed and the offense explodes. In his second season as manager Walt Weiss wins Manager of the Year.

Jorge de la Rosa

REAL TALK - I feel like this team could put it all together and surprise me, but there are too many ifs and too many talented teams in their division for me to pick them anywhere but the basement of the N.L. West. They can do some things well, but the Dodgers have more pitching, the D'Backs play stronger defense, the Giants win every other year, and the Padres are a team on the rise. Wrong year to need too much to go right. Maybe in 2015 they are a playoff team, but not this year.

Breakout: Nolan Arenado (3B)

Bust: LaTroy Hawkins (CL)

Fantasy Baseball Sleeper: Drew Stubbs (OF)

LAST YEAR'S RECORD: 74-88 (5th in NL West)

PROJECTED 2013 FINISH: 70-92 (5th in NL West)

**Check back tomorrow for the Minnesota Twins*