YOUR Colorado Rockies, Part II: Electric Bugaloo

Part II in the series chronicling the Rockies potential 2009 lineup. Check out Part I. WWCD = What Will Clint Do.

1. CF - Ryan Spilborghs
   The departure of Willy Taveras means that Spilly and his awesome facial hair are officially taking over in center field. Also, the Rockies are left without a prototype lead-off man. Spilly is an upgrade over Taveras offensively, as he'll get on base more and produce more extra base hits to start games. He is average defensively and will cover far less ground than Willy in center field. This is a trade the Rockies are obviously willing to make. I say this assuming that the front office realizes that Taveras is even gone.
   WWCD: Clint Barmes


2. 1B - Todd Helton
   While his power has clearly decreased since the Mitchell Repor-- uh, I mean stomach virus a few year ago, Helton is still the best contact hitter and OBP guy on the squad. He'll be a part of roughly 83 double plays if he hits in the 2-hole, but Rockies fans will take that if it comes with a .300 average and 100+ walks.
   WWCD: Troy Tulowitzki


3. 3B - Garrett Atkins
   Clint Hurdle is a fool if he doesn't hit Atkins third. I say this knowing he will probably bad Todd Helton third. Because he is a fool.
   WWCD: Todd Helton


4. RF - Brad Hawpe
   Again, the young-ish lefty deserves a chance in the middle of the order. Give him the opportunity to succeed and see what he does.
   WWCD: Atkins


5. SS - Troy Tulowitzki
   The 5-spot might be the ideal place for Young Tulo to blossom into a productive RBI guy for the Rockies. There's less early-game pressure than hitting #2 and historically there's a lower expectation to produce than there is in the 3 or 4 slot. He might not be ready to bat any higher than this and he's too good to bat any lower.
   WWCD: Hawpe


6. C - Chris Iannetta
   I reference the stats listed in Part I: "Ianetta hit .391 with a .506 OBP with RISP and 2 outs last year. Conversation over."
   WWCD: Spilborghs


7. LF - Ian Stewart
   Right now the Rockies don't have anyone listed as a left fielder, which leads one to assume the position is up for grabs. Stewart proved his bat belongs in the bigs last year, so if he can prove he can catch fly balls in left, he would round out a dangerous top 7 in the batting order for the Rockies. Being a slightly above-average third baseman, he should be able to make the transition fairly easily.
   WWCD: Iannetta


8. 2B - Clint Barmes
   Again, for lack of a better option, Barmes will probably be the guy to win the job coming out of spring training.
   WWCD: Leftfielder who isn't as good as Ian Stewart.

Starting Rotation:

1. Aaron Cook
   WWCD: Cook


2. Jeff Francis
   WWCD: Francis


3. Jason Marquis
   The Rox went out and got Jason Marquis last week, who is the dictionary definition of a number 4 starter... which means he's a number three starter on this team. The Rox are hoping for a repeat of his 2004 season when he went 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 201 innings. They also hope for a repeat of losing to the Red Sox in the World Series. Having done that already, Marquis seems like a logical pickup.
   WWCD: Marquis
   
4. Ubaldo Jimenez
   Baldy, if you're reading this, stop it and go practice throwing the ball over the plate.
   WWCD: Jimenez


5. Greg Smith
   WWCD: Smith

The Bullpen:

• Lefty Specialist - Alan Embree
  What did I say last time? "All of the Rockies lefty pitchers are starters or long-relievers. Dan O'Dowd, go get yourself an Arthur Rhodes." Lo and behold O'Dowd signs Alan Embree, also known as the white Arthur Rhodes. Totally unspectacular signing, but much needed.

WWCD: Embree

• Setup Man - Manny Corpas
  WWCD: Corpas
  
• Closer - Huston Street
  It's looking less and less like the Rockies are going to flip Street, which is great. I have high hopes for Street this season and think that he'll be a reliable closer for the Rockies in 2009.
  WWCD: Street