Thursday, March 8, 2012

Plain and simple: Ubaldo Jimenez acted unprofessionally

The big story involving the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday centered around the article Tracy Ringolsby wrote for Fox Sports where we learned more details about the departure of Ubaldo Jimenez last July.

Among the new pieces of information revealed by Ubaldo Jimenez himself...

1. He felt disrespected when the Rockies chose to extend Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez and not him.

"I read in the paper that the Rockies said they were only going to sign two guys, they couldn't do three guys," Jimenez told FOXSports.com. "I was the third guy. They signed the two guys they were going to sign and they gave them more (years) and bigger (salaries). "

2. He arrived to spring training with the intention of being traded.

3. He forced himself to pitch through an infected cuticle on his thumb and a strained groin because "I was not going to get traded if I was on the disabled list."

4. He then continued to pitch with a fatigued arm for the Cleveland Indians after the trade.

Listen, I can completely understand why a person would feel slighted when overlooked for a promotion or an opportunity they felt they earned, especially if they felt like the employer wasn't doing a good enough job communicating their plans and his status directly. It's not fun. Most of us have been there ourselves or we've seen someone close to us being put in that position, so it's very easy to sympathize with that.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 4 vs. San Francisco

Hits

Charlie Blackmon

Hey, any time you can take Tim Lincecum out of the yard - spring training, postseason and all times in between - you've had a good day. So that means Blackmon's day was a good day just a couple pitches into the game as he led it off with a solo blast off the Giants ace. He then added a single, a stolen base and a run scored in the second, again off Lincecum, making it an excellent day.

Michael Cuddyer

Jim Tracy wanted to get Cuddyer into the lineup today to get him a look at Lincecum. It didn't take him long to get comfortable as he knocked a two-run triple over the head of right fielder Nate Schierholtz to cap a three-run first. Cuddyer would later add a run scoring single, giving him a three RBI day batting out of the sixth spot.

Jamie Moyer/Rex Brothers

Opposite ends of the age and velocity table, but equally as effective on the mound today. Moyer tossed a pair of scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. Brothers followed with his own scoreless frame. Good start for each in active competition.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 3 vs. Chicago

Hits

Dexter Fowler

The newer, stronger version of Dexter Fowler muscled up from the right side for his first home run of the spring. According to the Cubs radio broadcast the ball traveled over well 400 feet, so that's pretty impressive and maybe even encouraging. Unless, of course, you don't want your lead-off hitter swinging for the fences.

Tyler Colvin

Colvin's solid day began with an RBI groundout in the second. He then singled in the fourth and concluded his day with a triple in the sixth. That had to feel good for Colvin against his former club, especially on the heels of his three strikeout game on Saturday. He remains a guy to watch closely throughout spring training because of his intriguing upside and versatility.

Misses

Guillermo Moscoso

Moscoso's high flyball rate made his addition to the Rockies pitching staff a head scratcher this offseason. His performance on Tuesday did nothing to change that. Well, aside from maybe leading fans and writers alike from scratching their head to banging it on a desk repeatedly. Yes, the Cubs hit the ball in the air a few times again Moscoso in his two innings, including an Alfonso Soriano home run that traveled 450+ feet and struck the scoreboard on the fly, and a Brett Jackson three-run homer which capped Chicago's four run second inning.

Tuesday Links and Things: A little fun from Tulo and more on Alex White's DUI

The Cactus League is officially underway with the Rockies sitting on a very NHL like 1-0-1 record. I invite you to check out my quick reviews of both games (Saturday and Monday).

Of course there's always more than a few things going on off the field during the spring. Most of them fun, but unfortunately for the Rockies, they're dealing with not so pleasant off the field issues pertaining to Alex White and his DUI.

I commented on the situation a little bit during Monday's game recap, but since then some new information has been reported by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

According to his report, White may be charged with an "extreme DUI", which would indicate his blood alcohol level was over 0.15. The Scottsdale police are awaiting blood test results before going forward with their changes, but unless his sample was left overnight in someone's basement refrigerator, White's probably got some trouble on his hands. Not to mention the fact he flat out told general manager Dan O'Dowd he only had a couple drinks before getting behind the wheel.

DUIs, lying to the GM... yeah, not exactly the way you want to start a spring in which you're battling for a spot on a Major League roster. Now White has just as many questions surrounding his character as he did his performance, which usually means your days in Denver are numbered. I'll wait to see where this story goes from here before commenting further, but I reiterate that I'll support whatever the Rockies decide to do especially in light of the latest information.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Spring Training Hits & Misses: Game 2 vs. Arizona

Hits

Nolan Arenado

Baseball player. Good at-bats all day. Fine defense. We're two games in and I'm already ready to pencil him into the Opening Day lineup.

Will it happen? Not likely.

Should it happen? People smarter than me will say no, but I just know the idea is to have the best players on the field when the season starts, and I have a difficult time believing he won't be the best option at third base. We shall see.

Christian Friedrich

Big first outing for Friedrich as he looks to reestablish himself as a top level prospect and future fixture in the Rockies rotation. Over his two innings of work, he allowed one hit while striking out two, and according to Troy Renck, worked quickly and calmly throughout. For now, consider Friedrich a real longshot in the starting rotation mix, but that could easily change to sleeper if he strings a few more outings like this together. A little consistency will go a long way for him.