Colorado Rockies Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was

characterized by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run

records leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Colorado Rockies have existed since 1993 with the Florida

Marlins (now known as the Miami Marlins), only the Arizona

Diamondbacks have a shorter Major League Baseball history.

The Rockies have been to the postseason five times, all as a

wild card team. The Rockies won the National League pennant

in 2007. 

Today, I formed a Rockies Dream Team. For openers, to make

this roster, four years as a Rockie are required. No exceptions.

With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen this roster

with 1-3 year rentals. The conundrum with forming a Rockies

Dream Team is that the history is long enough to create a starting

lineup but the players that provide bullpen and bench depth might

be a reach. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven

relievers. For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen.

For position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the

best regardless of era. I’m not picking a designated hitter because

the bench has enough quality depth to choose one on a given day.

For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with versatility being

heavily considered. Merit achievements such as Hall of Fame,

All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered but not

guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a World Series champion or playoff team, there is

no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during a bad

season, that does not deter you from being on this roster. Off the

field baggage is not a deterrent to landing on this team, nor is any

Steroid Era affiliation. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting rotation

Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, German Marquez, Jorge De La

Rosa, Jeff Francis

Jimenez spent parts of six seasons with the Rockies, going 46-34

with a 3.43 ERA. His best season was 2010 when he was fourth

in the Cy Young balloting and an All-Star representative. Cook

spent much of his career with the Rockies. He was a key part of

the 2007 team that reached the World Series and went 27-15 over

the course of 2008-2009. Over the course of five seasons,

Marquez has fashioned a 42-30 record. De La Rosa pitched nine

seasons with the Rockies, recording double victory totals in four

of those seasons. Francis pitched a total of eight seasons with

the Rockies, recording 64 victories, 17 of which came during the

2007 season on the way to helping the team reach the World

Series.

Bullpen

Closer -- Jose Jimenez. 

Rafael Betancourt, Adam Ottavino, Steve Reed, Bruce Ruffin,

Brian Fuentes, Darren Holmes.

In his four seasons with the Rockies, Jimenez recorded 102 saves,

including a franchise record in a single season, 31 in 2002.

Betancourt pitched a total of six seasons with the Rockies and

fashioned a 3.53 ERA, including 31 saves in the 2012 season.

Reed was an original Rockie and pitched a total of seven seasons

with the franchise, compiling a 3.14 ERA. Ruffin was an original

Rockie and pitched five years with the franchise, recording 60 saves

and a 3.84 ERA. Fuentes pitched seven seasons with the Rockies

and was an All-Star in three of them. Holmes was an original

Rockie and pitched five years with the franchise, recording 46 saves. 

Infield

Catcher -- Chris Iannetta, First Base -- Todd Helton, Second Base

-- DJ LaMahieu, Shortstop -- Troy Tulowitski, Third Base -- Nolan

Arrenado. 

Iannetta gets the nod at catcher by default. He played eight seasons

with the Rockies, including which he helped them reach the World

Series in 2007. Helton is the easy choice at first base, playing all 17

seasons with the franchise. He was a five-time All-Star, four-time

Silver Slugger Award winner and three-time Gold Glove winner.

LeMahieu played seven seasons with the Rockies, earning two

All-Star nods and two Gold Glove Awards. Tulowitzki was injury-

prone but in his 10 seasons with the Rockies he was an All-Star

five times, won two Silver Slugger Awards and two more Gold Glove

Awards. Arrenado’s legacy is still in progress since he is still with the

franchise. However, during his eight seasons, Arrenado has been

an eight-time Gold Glove winner, five-time All-Star and four-time

Silver Slugger Award winner.

Outfield

Leftfield -- Matt Holliday, Centerfield -- Charlie Blackmon, Rightfield

-- Larry Walker. 

Holiday spent a total of six seasons with the Rockies, earning three

All-Star appearances and he was also the 2007 NLCS MVP in

helping the Rockies reach the World Series. Blackmon's legacy is

still in progress since he remains with the franchise after 10 seasons.

During that time, he was a four-time All Star, two-time Silver Slugger

Award winner and owns the Major League record for RBIs in a single

season for a leadoff hitter. Walker is a slam-dunk choice for right field.

On the way to a Hall of Fame career, 10 seasons with the Rockies,

Walker was a five-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove Award winner,

three-time Silver Slugger Award, three-time Major League batting

champion and the National League MVP in 1997.

Bench

Wilin Rosario, Trevor Story, Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Andres

Galarraga, Ellis Burks. 

Rosario played just four seasons with the Rockies but would be the

backup catcher on this team by default. He finished fourth of the

National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2011. Story’s legacy is

also still in progress since he is still with the franchise after five

seasons. During which time, Story has become a two-time All-Star

and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He was also the fastest

shortstop to reach 100 career home runs in Major League history.

Young played 16 Major League seasons, including four with the

Rockies and he was an original member of the franchise. Galarraga

was an original Rockie. In his five seasons with the franchise,

Galarraga was a two-time All-Star and twice led the National League

in RBI. Castilla was also an original Rockie. He was a two-time All-

Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

Bichette was also an original Rockie, spending five years with the

franchise. Bichette was a four-time All-Star and  in 1995 was a Silver

Slugger Award winner, National League leader in home runs and

RBIs. Burks played five seasons with the Rockies with 1996 being

his best. Making an All-Star appearance and winning a Silver

Slugger Award.

Manager

Clint Hurdle

Hurdle gets the nod by default. He spent eight seasons managing

the Rockies. His record of 534-625 and the fact that the Rockies

had just one winning season in his tenure may not be impressive.

Hurdle, however, guided the Rockies to reaching the World Series

in 2007, something that might take a long time to be duplicated. 

Team

2007. 

This team defined what it was like to make a mad dash to the

playoffs.  On September 16th, the team's record was 76-72 but the

Rockies won 14 of their last 15 regular-season games. Colorado

then defeated San Diego 9-8 in 13 innings in a one-game playoff to

earn a wild-card berth. The Rockies swept Philadelphia in the NLDS

and later the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS before getting

swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. 

Arizona Diamondbacks Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized

by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until the

late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run records

leading to exorbitant salaries.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have existed since 1998, the shortest

history among existing Major League Baseball teams. In their fourth

season, the Diamondbacks were World Series champions in 2001,

outlasting the New York Yankees in seven games. The Yankees

had won four of the previous five World Series. The Diamondbacks

have won the National League West five times. 

Today, I formed a Diamondbacks Dream Team. For openers, to

make this roster, four years as a Diamondback are required. No

exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen this

roster with 1-3 year rentals. The conundrum with forming a

Diamondbacks Dream Team is that the history is long enough to

create a starting lineup but the players that provide bullpen and

bench depth might be a reach. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. I’m not picking a designated hitter because the

bench has enough quality depth to choose one on a given day. For

the bench players, it’s the best of the rest with versatility being

heavily considered. Merit achievements such as Hall of Fame, All

Star appearances and Gold Gloves are considered but not

guaranteed. General impactfulness on the franchise is also

considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a World Series champion or playoff team, there is

no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during a bad

season, that does not deter you from being on this roster. Off the

field baggage is not a deterrent to landing on this team, nor is any

Steroid Era affiliation. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting pitchers

Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Zach Greinke, Brandon Webb,

Patrick Corbin

Any discussion of a Diamondbacks Dream Team starting rotation

begins with Johnson, Schilling and Webb but especially Johnson

and Schilling. That dynamic lefty/righty duo were the ringleaders

that delivered the lone World Series championship in franchise

history. They shared the World Series MVP honors and finished

first and second in the Cy Young balloting, with Johnson one and

Schilling finished second. Schilling is also tied for third for most

300 strikeout seasons. Johnson is in the Hall of Fame and a strong

case for Schilling could be made as well. 

Webb's career was short-lived at seven years because of multiple

shoulder surgeries but he enjoyed an accomplished career with a

Cy Young Award and three All-Star appearances. Greinke only

spent four seasons with the Diamondbacks but was an All-Star

three times in that span. Corbin, who is now a Washington National,

spent seven seasons with Arizona, two of which were All Star

appearances.

Bullpen

Closer -- Byung-Hyun Kim

Brad Ziegler, Jose Vaverde, JJ Putz, Archie Bradley, Greg Swindell,

Andrew Chaffin

Kim gets the nod as the closer by default since 70 of his 86 career

saves came in a Diamondbacks uniform. He also had one All-Star

appearance in an Arizona uniform. 

Ziegler spent four seasons with the Diamondbacks and fashioned

a 2.57 ERA and 44 saves. Valverde was inconsistent but led the

franchise in career saves. Putz recorded 83 saves in four years

and also compiled a 3.07 ERA. 

Bradley compiled a 3.91 ERA in a Diamondbacks uniform for five

seasons and also had a strikeouts two walks ratio of 2.5 to 1.

Swindell was an original Diamondback and a member of the 2001

World Series championship team. He was an effective left-hander

out of the bullpen who had a better than 2-to-1 strikeouts to walks

ratio. Chafin delivered a 3.67 ERA and a 2.7 walks to strikeouts

ratio in his five seasons with Arizona. 

Infield

Catcher -- Miguel Montero, First base -- Paul Golschmidt, Second

base -- Ketel Marte, Third base -- Matt Williams, Shortstop --

Stephen Drew. 

The Venezuelan-born Montero played 13 seasons in the Major

Leagues, nine with the Diamondbacks. Both of his All-Star

appearances came in a Diamondbacks uniform. Choosing

Goldschmidt at first base is about as easy it gets. Goldschmidt, now

a St Louis Cardinal, was a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger

Award and three-time Gold Glove Award winner.

The Diamondbacks have been through multiple second baseman in

their 22 years but to this point Marte appears to be the top choice.

He was an All-Star in 2019. Williams, who is known for his years of

stardom with the division rival San Francisco Giants, was an original

member of the Diamondbacks when the franchise opened in 1998

and helped them deliver a 2001 World Series championship. Drew

played seven seasons with the Diamondbacks and even though he

never earned any All-Star recognition, his value to the team was

quite significant. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- Luis Gonzalez, Centerfield -- Steve Finley, Rightfield --

Justin Upton.

Gonzalez can eat for free for a long time in Arizona. He spent seven

seasons with the Diamondbacks, five of which were All Star

campaigns. His game winning RBI in Game 7 of the 2001 World

Series will resonate forever with Diamondback fans. That season,

Gonzalez hit 57 home runs. Finley spent five seasons with the

Diamondbacks and helped deliver a championship in 2001. Finley

was a five-time Gold Glove Award winner. Upton spent six seasons

with the Diamondbacks, two of which were All Star campaigns and

one of which he won the Silver Slugger Award.

Bench

Damian Miller, Craig Counsell, Jay Bell, Nick Ahmed, Greg Colbrunn,

Danny Bautista. 

Miller was an original member of the Diamondbacks and spent five

seasons with the franchise. During which time, he earned an All-

Star appearance and helped deliver the 2001 World Series

championship. Counsell spent four seasons with the Diamondbacks.

Versatility was the name of his game and he helped deliver the 2001

World Series championship. After eight seasons what's the Pittsburgh

Pirates, Bell became an original member of the Diamondbacks and

helped deliver the 2001 World Series championship. He also earned

one All-Star bid and its five seasons with the franchise.

Ahmed recently completed his seventh Major League season, all

with the Diamondbacks. During his career he is a two-time Gold

Glove Award winner. Colbrunn spent five seasons with the

Diamondbacks and was particularly a strong player off the bench.

He helped deliver the Diamondbacks 2001 World Series

championship. Bautista spent five seasons with the Diamondbacks,

one of which was the 2001 season. In 2004, he had a 21-game

hitting streak. 

Manager

Bob Brenly. 

Buck Showalter, the Diamondbacks original manager, has sweat

equity in the Diamondbacks winning their 2001 World Series title.

However, Brenly is the easy choice because he was the right

manager at the right time for the Diamondbacks. Though Brenly

was dismissed midway through the 2004 season after a 29-50 start,

delivering a World Series championship and consecutive National

League West titles gives him the top spot. Brenly was a perfect

mixture of taking into account analytics and also managing from his

gut. 

Team

2001. 

The Diamondbacks were World Series champions just four years

into their existence. Arizona went 92-70 during the regular season,

outlasting the Giants, who had a 73 home run season by Barry

Bonds. The Diamondbacks accomplished their World Series on the

strength of one of the best 1-2 pitching combinations in major

league history with Johnson & Schilling along with Gonzalez's 57

home runs. The Diamondbacks defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in

the NLDS and the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. Their crowning

achievement, however, was beating the Yankees in seven games

in the World Series. 

Lasorda was a one of a kind

 

There are heroes and there are villains. 

Then there are villains that you loathe in the moment of rooting for your

team but over time, you gain a level of respect for them. That person for

me is Tommy Lasorda, the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a lifelong

San Francisco Giants fan, that would be “the hated Dodgers.” 

Lasorda died on Thursday night at age 93 with 71 of those years being

deeply tied to the Dodgers franchise. The Dodgers released a statement that

Lasorda had suffered heart failure at his home in Fullerton, CA, and

resuscitation attempts while en route to the hospital were made before his

passing. Lasorda had heart problems in the past, including heart attacks in

1996 and 2012. 

He had recently returned home after having been hospitalized since Nov. 8.

Less than two weeks earlier, Lasorda witnessed the Dodgers’ Game 6 win

over the Tampa Bay Rays in Arlington, TX, giving the Dodgers their first

World Series title since 1988. 

The Dodgers have had many legendary names associated with the franchise:

Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Roy Campanella to name a few. I could

list enough names to measure a 330-foot home run down the leftfield line.

Lasorda, however, is the most identifiable Dodger not just of the modern

vintage but perhaps ever -- right up there with Dodgers broadcaster Vin

Scully, who retired after 67 years in 2016. 

Most remember Lasorda’s 20-year career as the Dodgers’ field manager from

1976-1996, during which time he led the franchise to 1,599 wins, two

World Series championships (1981 and 1988), four National League

pennants and eight National League West titles. Keep in mind, for most of

Lasorda’s career, only division champions went to the postseason. Lasorda

was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 and led the United States

baseball team to a gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 

Lasorda’s 61 postseason wins are fourth in Major League history. In

Lasorda’s tenure, the Dodgers had nine players win National League Rookie

of the Year honors. He was also a two-time Manager of the Year recipient.

Besides his on-field managerial career, Lasorda spent his career in various

capacities with the Dodgers: player, scout, minor league manager, third base

coach, vice president, and special advisor. The only thing he did not do was

drive the team bus. 

As a Northern California sports fan, we are conditioned to despise teams

from Los Angeles. When Lasorda was managing, in the moment, I loathed

him because I wanted my Giants to beat his Dodgers. That rivalry is a West

Coast version of Yankees vs. Red Sox. However, as years passed and I got

older, I grew to appreciate his passion for not just the Dodgers but baseball

at large. 

While I never met Lasorda, I found him relatable on a few levels. For openers,

he was the son of an Italian immigrant and came from a working class family.

Welcome to my family. Lasorda was emotional whether in acts of love or

discontent. Lasorda’s passion was infectious whether it was hugging his

players after good plays or waving his arms in the air after Dodger victories.

Lasorda’s managerial style was such that he knew which players needed a pat

on the back and which ones needed a kick to the rear end. 

The Giants and Dodgers rivalry could get contentious. I remember vividly a

Giants-Dodgers game at Candlestick Park, which no longer exists. As the

Dodgers made their way from the tunnel on to the field, Giants fans were

lustily booing the Dodgers. In the process, Lasorda was smiling and blowing

kisses to the same fans booing and exclaiming profanity at him. That gesture

was a prime example of having perspective. Yes, it was a rivalry and the two

teams and fan bases oozed contempt for each other but there can be a fun

element. 

The irony was that Lasorda’s personality was the polar opposite of his

predecessor, Walter Alston, for whom Lasorda served as a third base coach

for four years before taking over as manager. While Lasorda was loquacious,

Alston was more contained. 

When I look at the success of people, I see the value of their journey. Lasorda

was an accomplished Triple A pitcher but had a short-lived Major League

career. However, it was not based on lack of effort.

When Lasorda’s playing career ended, he labored in the vines before eventually

taking over for the legendary Alston. That position is normally unforgiving

but all Lasorda did was carve out his own legacy. 

As beloved as Lasorda was publicly, he was full of piss and vinegar behind

the scenes. The most notable pertained to a reporter asking Lasorda for his

opinion of Dave Kingman’s performance after the Chicago Cubs’ slugger hit

three home runs and drove in eight runs along with another pertaining to Kurt

Bevaqua after he referred to Lasorda as “that fat little Italian.” The comment

came after Dodgers pitcher Tom Niedenfuer was fined for hitting Joe Lefebve

with a pitch. Listen below, colorful language involved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rUy9FmzsxY

Rants like these today would go over like a screen door in a submarine. 

Lasorda’s appetite was also a source of irony. Some would refer to him as

“Tommy Lasagna.” Lasorda once said, “When we won, I’d eat to celebrate.

And when we lost games, I’d eat to forget.” When Lasorda’s waistline

expanded, he became a weight loss advocate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6LN9Kz8XO4

Regardless of sports fandom, Lasorda was one that I loathed because of the

team he managed but at the same time I respected deeply because I felt like

I had a lot in common with him. Maybe one day when I reach heaven, I can

enjoy an Italian meal with a glass of red wine or three with him.