Colorado Rockies Recent Bets On Pitching Prospects Have Come Up Empty

The plan behind the Colorado Rockies stunning trade of All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night was to get in return top of the rotation pitching talent to strengthen the franchise's most glaring weakness.

On paper the Rockies received just that in right-handers Jeff Hoffman, 22, Miguel Castro, 20, and Jesus Tinoco, 20. The Blue Jays ranked Hoffman as their third best prospect followed by Castro at No. 5, and Tinoco at No. 29. All three are considered top to middle of the rotation talent with mid-90's fastballs and a mixture of pitches that are becoming more proficient inside the strike zone.

Despite the glowing scouting reports on the three new members of the organization, Rockies fans have to be forgiven if they meet the latest attempt to turn around the fortunes of the franchise through trades involving prospects with a bit of skepticism.

The most recent example of the Rockies trading its stars for pitching prospects came at the trading deadline in 2011. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez was coming off a year to remember in 2010. A 19-game winner, he threw his only no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, and started for the National League in the All-Star Game. Jimenez struggled in the first half of 2011 and was traded to the Cleveland Indians at the trading deadline. The Rockies received back the Indians top pitching prospects in left-hander Drew Pomeranz and righty Alex White.

Pomeranz made his much anticipated Major League debut with the Rockies on September 11, 2011. He pitched five scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds and picked up his first win. Pomeranz finished the season 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA and seemed to be on his way to fulfilling the promise he showed in the minors.

It didn't take long for major league batters to figure Pomeranz out. Without the ability to adjust, Pomeranz struggled through the next two seasons. He appeared in just 30 games, posting a 2-13 record and was traded to the Oakland A's following the 2013 season. Pomeranz's struggles have continued in Oakland.

White (1-0, 3.60) had already made his major league debut before he came to the Rockies, starting three games in 2011 for the Indians before the trade. Over the next season and a half White struggled as a starter and reliever, posting a record of 4-13. The Rockies traded White to the Houston Astros after the conclusion of the 2012 season. White hasn't seen the majors since.

In 2009, the Rockies proved that it was possible to field a playoff caliber rotation at Coors Field that was backed by a stout bullpen. All five starters earned double-digit wins (Jorge De La Rosa, 16-9, Jimenez, 15-12, Jason Marquis, 15-13, Aaron Cook, 11-6, and Jason Hammel, 10-8), the only staff to do so that season, as the Rockies won a franchise record 92 games and clinched the NL Wildcard for the second time in two years.

Since Jimenez's outstanding 2010 season that saw him post a 19-9 record while pitching 221.2 innings, the Rockies have had just four starters win more than 10 games. No pitcher has reached the 200 inning mark since then.

What has kept the Rockies from reproducing the numbers reached in 2009 and 2010? Bad drafts, bad trades, and bad free agent signings have victimized the organization.

The last first round pick to make an impact in the Rockies rotation was Jeff Francis in 2002. Francis was a starter for the Rockies from 2004-2010 and 2012-2013. In 2007, Francis went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA and started game one of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

From 2005-2012, the Rockies have selected nine pitchers in the first round of the draft of which five (Greg Reynolds, 2008, Rex Brothers, 2011, Christian Friedrich, 2012, Tyler Matzek, 2014, and Eddie Butler, 2014) have made an appearance with the Rockies. So far, only reliever Rex Brothers, who is struggling this season, has made a significant contribution to the big league club.

After the expensive flops that were Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle in 2002, the Rockies have shied away from overpaying front line starters to pitch at altitude. They have instead looked to proven veterans who were middle of the rotation starters and could compliment the existing rotation. Two examples were Josh Fogg in 2007 and Marquis in 2009.

Fogg was nicknamed the "Dragon Slayer" due to his ability to defeat opposing No. 1 starters in the 2007 run up to the Rockies first World Series appearance. Marquis was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs before the start the 2009 campaign and went 15-13 in 216 innings that year. Both not only brought veteran leadership, but were also still able to provide significant contributions on the mound that helped propel the Rockies into the playoffs.

The Rockies haven't been able to duplicate that kind of success in free agency or trades since. Over the past several seasons they have focused on inexpensive but injured starters who were hoping for a rebound season that never transpired. Jeremy Guthrie (3-9, 6.35) in 2012, Jon Garland (4-6, 5.82) in 2013, an injured Brett Anderson (1-3, 2.91) in 2014, and Kyle Kendrick (3-10, 6.33) in 2015 have all been busts.

As the 2015 trade deadline approaches on July 31st, it would appear that the Rockies have decided to part with it's established offensive stars. Tulowitzki was only the first as rumors swirl that All-Stars Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon may be next.

Gonzalez, acquired from the Oakland A's in the Matt Holliday trade that took place in November of 2008, has become a superstar over the past six seasons. Hampered by injuries in the last two seasons, he has regained his form in July and was named NL co-player of the week last week along with Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels.

The Rockies will be targeting more pitching if they are able to pull off a trade involving Gonzalez. What they must do is remember the formula that led them to the playoffs two out of three years, including the World Series. They picked up prospects who will be ready in a season or two in the Tulowitzki trade, now they need to focus on the immediate needs of the rotation.

Notes:

The Rockies announced on Tuesday that they have assigned their prospects acquired from Toronto in the Tulowitzki trade to the minors. Jeff Hoffman begins his career with the Rockies organization at Double-A New Britain Rock Cats, Miguel Castro was assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, and Jesus Tinoco will start with the Class-A Asheville Tourists.

Miguel Castro has already seen major league duty, making his debut earlier this season for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 12.1 innings out of the bullpen Castro posted a record of 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA.