27-year old lefty swinging Seth Smith is probably the best outfielder in baseball without a starting job. He has played in 59 games for the Rockies this season and he is 44 of 162 (.272 avg, .860 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 10 homers and 31 RBIs. Smith has now played in 266 games in his major league career and he is 175 of 613 (.285 avg, .871 OPS) with 107 runs scored, 29 homers and 101 RBIs. Seth Smith has been a big time player for the Rockies despite not playing every day and that will likely continue at least the rest of this year do to the glut of outfielders on the Rockies’ roster.

When the Rockies signed 31-year old righty swinging catcher Miguel Olivo was signed it was to light a fire under Chris Iannetta. But, Olivo played so well that the Rockies sent Iannetta to AAA and Olivo has been the everyday catcher since then. Olivo has played in 29 games for the Rockies this year and he is 29 of 102 (.284 avg, .897 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 8 homers and 20 RBIs. The Rockies have likely put Chris Iannetta on the trading block with the Texas Rangers definitely a interested party.

Starting 3B Ian Stewart is really swinging a hot stick right now for the Rockies. He has played in 20 games for the Rockies so far this season and he is 21 of 67 (.313 avg, .972 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 4 homers, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. His batting average is a major surprise so far this season and the Rockies aren’t expecting him to hit anywhere near .300 this season. But if he can hit .250-.260 he will be huge asset to the Rockies because of his big time power potential. He played in 147 games last season for the Rockies and he was 97 of 425 (.228 avg, .786 OPS) wtih 74 runs scored, 25 homers, 70 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. The Rockies think he will eclipse all of those numbers in 2010 because he’s not sharing P.T. with Garrett Atkins this year.

Carlos Gonzalez got off to a extremely hot start to open up the 2010 season, getting 11 hits in the first six games.  A hamstring injury cooled off his hot start though, as he missed the next three games in New York against the Mets.  He came back as a pinch hitter the next game against the Braves, before returning to his regular starting role in left field the very next day.  In his first start back he went 2/5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs.  He followed that game up with a homerun the next day, before having his first true “0-fer” against the Washington Nationals on Monday, where he went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts.  He got the day off yesterday, but there are no reports that it is injury related so Gonzalez should be fine.  He still seems to be seeing the ball well and the 24-year-old has  a .333 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 8 Rs, and a .476 SLG so far this season.  He  is proving that his 2009 campaign was no fluke, where in 83 games last year he finished with a .284 BA, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 53 Rs, 16 SBs, .353 OBP, and a .525 SLG.  If Gonzelez can stay healthy he is going to be a great weapon in the Rockies’ lineup all season long, and is going to put together a very nice stat-line for his first full season.

Miguel Olivo is pushing Chris Iannetta for playing time. He has played in 3 games for the Rockies this season and he is 5 for 11 (.455 avg, 1.500 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Olivo’s playing time will likely increase as long as he is playing well at the same time that Iannetta is struggling. Iannetta has played in 3 games this year for the Rockies and he is only 1 for 12 (.083 avg, .548 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He needs to get his act in gear soon or he will be watching Miguel Olivo from the bench.

Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and 3B Ian Stewart are swinging hot sticks for the Rockies so far this year. Gonzalez has played in all 4 games for the Rockies this season and he is 9 for 20 (.450 avg, .950 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 2 RBIs. He is building off his huge performance in the playoffs last October. Stewart is 5 for 14 (.357 avg, 1.375 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs so far this season as he is hitting the ball hard so far this year. The Rockies need both of these guys to keep swinging hot sticks as they are both a big part of the Rockies’ future.

36-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton finished 13th in the voting for the N.L. MVP Award. He played in 151 games for the Rockies last season and he was 177 for 544 (.325 avg, .904 OPS) with 79 runs scored, 15 homers and 86 RBIs. Helton has now played in 1,812 games in his 13 years with the Rockies and he is 2,134 for 6,506 (.328 avg, .994 OPS) with 1,222 runs scored, 325 homers, 1,202 RBIs and 36 stolen bases. The Rockies are glad that Helton appears to be over his back problems but he’s still unlikely to regain the power that once made him one of the most feared hitters in the N.L.

25-year old righty swinging shortstop Troy Tulowitzki finished fifth in the voting for the N.L. MVP Award. He played in 151 games for the Rockies last season and he was 161 for 543 (.297 avg, .930 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 32 homers, 92 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Tulowitzki has now played 4 years for the Rockies in which he has played in 432 games. In those games, Tulowitzki is 460 for 1,625 (.283 avg, .831 OPS) with 268 runs scored, 65 homers, 243 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. As long as Tulowitzki stays healthy he will be a player that the Rockies will be able to build around as only Hanley Ramirez is a better shortstop than he is in the N.L.

Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and catcher Yorvit Torrealba have really been swinging hot sticks for the Rockies. Gonzalez has been really jump starting the offense from the top of the batting order in this series. He is 5 for 9 (.556 avg, 1.223 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 stolen base. The rest of the Rockies have to do a better job of bringing Gonzalez around the bases as he always seems to be on base. Veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba really stepped up with key hits the last time the Rockies were in the playoffs and he’s doing it all over again. He is 3 for 6 (.500 avg, 1.667 OPS) with a double, homer, 1 run scored and 2 RBIs. Torrealba’s clutch bat will likely keep backup catcher Chris Iannetta nailed to the bench. Still, Gonzalez and Torrealba are going to need more help with the bats if they are going to bounce the Phillies in this series.

36-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton has had a really solid year for the Rockies. He has played in 147 games this season for the Rockies and he is 170 for 527 (.323 avg, .897 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 14 homers and 84 RBIs. Maybe his back issues of the past is why his homers are starting to turn into doubles as he has 37 of them this season. The Rockies will be depending on Helton to not only get the Rockies into the playoffs but to help them win when they get there.