24-year old righty swinging catcher Wilin Rosario enjoyed a breakout season in 2012.  He played in 117 games for the Rockies last year and he was 107 of 396 (.270 avg, .843 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 28 homers, 71 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  Rosario is off to a fast start with the bat in 2013 for the Rockies, showing that last year was not a fluke but a glimpse of things to come.  He has played in 15 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 16 for 53 (.302 avg, .874 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 4 homers, 13 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  The Rockies hope that Rosario keeps up the good work with the bat.

The Rockies have placed 25-year old righty starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin on the 15-day disabled list due to a lower back strain.  He has pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP.  The Rockies have called up 26-year old righty reliever Rob Scahill to replace Chacin on the roster.  He pitched in 5 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Rockies so far this year and he was 2-0 with 1 save, a 4.26 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP.  Scahill got his first taste of the majors for the Rockies last year and he worked in 6 games (0 starts) in which he was 0-0 with a 1.04 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.  The Rockies hope that Chacin is ready to return soon, as he has been electric for them so far this year.

39-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton looked like he was toast last year for the Rockies.  He played in 69 games for the Rockies in 2012 and he was 57 for 240 (.238 avg, .743 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 7 homers, 37 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  But this year, it has been so far so good for Helton.  He has played in 12 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 11 for 39 (.282 avg, .769 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs.  The Rockies hope that Helton’s back holds up which could allow him to have a nice comeback year in 2013.

21-year old righty swinging 3B Nolan Arenado came into this season as the Rockies’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America and he’s showing why so far this year.  He has played in 8 games in AAA-ball for the Rockies so far this year and he is 13 for 29 (.448 avg, 1.397 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 10 RBIs.  Arenado has now played in 422 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 490 for 1,638 (.299 avg, .819 OPS) with 218 runs scored, 48 homers, 275 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  Arenado is going to be in Denver playing for the Rockies at some point in 2013, it’s only a matter of time.

25-year old righty starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin is off to a red hot start for the Rockies in 2013.  He has started 2 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.  This is a good sign for the Rockies and Chacin, as he is coming off a rough 2012 season in which he pitched in 14 games (all starts) and he was 3-5 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.  Chacin has now pitched in 84 games (69 starts) in his first five years with the Rockies and he is 24-31 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.  Chacin has the biggest upside of any of the starters on the Rockies, so they need him to remain focused and motivated.

The Rockies are hitting .327 with a .921 OPS as a team so far in the 2013 season.  They have also scored 24 runs and have cranked 10 homers in their first four games of the 2013 season!  27-year old switch-hitting CF Dexter Fowler has played in all 4 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 6 for 18 (.333 avg, 1.202 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 3 homers and 3 RBIs.  24-year old righty swinging catcher Wilin Rosario is also off to a red hot start for the Rockies in 2013.  He has played in 3 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 6 for 12 (.500 avg, 1.500 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs.  28-year old righty swinging SS Troy Tulowitzki is pounding the ball so far this year, as usual.  He has played in 4 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 6 for 16 (.375 avg, 1.234 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is also pounding the ball.  He has played in 4 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 6 for 18 (.333 avg, 1.035 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs.  The Rockies hope that this quartet keeps ripping the ball and they all have the potential to do so.

The Rockies have designated 28-year old righty reliever Will Harris.  Harris pitched in 20 games (0 starts) in his first taste of the majors in 2012 for the Rockies and he was 1-1 with a 8.15 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP.  Harris also pitched in 44 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 4-1 with 1 save, a 2.08 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Rockies as Harris got beat up in his first taste of the show in 2012.

UPDATE:  (4/4/2013) - The Rockies have lost Will Harris to the A’s off waivers.

The Rockies have designated 36-year old righty swinging catcher Ramon Hernandez for assignment as he was beaten out for the backup catcher job by Yorvit Torrealba.  Hernandez played in 52 games for the Rockies last year and he was 40 for 184 (.217 avg, .601 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 5 homers and 28 RBIs.  He has now played in 1,509 games in his first 14 years in the majors and he is 1,335 of 5,057 (.264 avg, .744 OPS) with 576 runs scored, 166 homers, 751 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  The Rockies won’t miss Hernandez too much moving forward.

UPDATE:  (4/6/2013) - The Rockies have sent Ramon Hernandez to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 34-year old righty starting pitcher Aaron Harang and cash considerations.  Harang pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Rockies last year and he was 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  This was an outstanding deal for the Rockies as Harang will give their starting rotation a nice boost in 2013.

UPDATE II:  (4/7/2013) - The Rockies have designated Aaron Harang for assignment.  They planned on flipping him in a trade before they acquired him, which makes perfect sense as the Rockies can get more for Aaron Harang than they would have gotten in return for Ramon Hernandez.

UPDATE III:  (4/11/2013) - The Rockies have dealt Aaron Harang to the Seattle Mariners for 26-year old righty reliever/starter Steven Hensley.  Hensley pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Mariners in AAA-ball in 2013 and he was 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 123 games (72 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he is 30-30 with 2 saves, a 4.48 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.

The Rockies have signed 34-year old righty starting pitcher Aaron Cook to a minor league deal.  He pitched in 18 games (all starts) for the Red Sox last year and he was 4-11 with a 5.65 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  Last season was the first year of Cook’s major league career that he didn’t pitch for the Rockies.  Cook has pitched in 238 games (206 starts) in his first 10 years with the Rockies and he is 72-68 with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  Cook is the Rockies’ all-time leader in games started (206), wins (72) and innings pitched (1,312 1/3).  He is also # in ERA (4.53), #7 in WHIP (1.47), #5 in strikeouts (558), #2 in complete games (11) and tied for #3 in shutouts (2) in Rockies’ history.  With the state of the Rockies’ rotation right now, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cook pitch a lot for them in 2013.

The Rockies have five rookies that could help them at some point in 2013.  Here’s a look at them:

Nolan Arenado:  21-year old righty swinging 3B Nolan Arenado comes into this season as the Rockies’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America.  He played in 134 games in AA-ball last year and he was 147 of 516 (.285 avg, .766 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 12 homers and 56 RBIs.  He has now played in 414 games in his first four years in the minors and he is 477 of 1,609 (.296 avg, .808 OPS) with 210 runs scored, 46 homers, 265 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.

Ryan Wheeler:  24-year old lefty swinging 3B/1B/OF Ryan Wheeler comes into this season as the Rockies’ #10 prospect according to Baseball America.  Wheeler played in 50 games for the D-Backs in his first taste of the majors last year and he was 26 for 109 (.239 avg, .634 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He has also played in 93 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 127 of 362 (.351 avg, .960 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 15 homers, 90 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Wheeler has now played in 428 games in his first four years in the minors and he is 512 of 1,637 (.313 avg, .858 OPS) with 243 runs scored, 49 homers, 287 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

Tim Wheeler:  25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Tim Wheeler comes into this season as the Rockies’ #11 prospect according to Baseball America.  He played in 92 games in AAA-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 115 of 379 (.303 avg, .768 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 2 homers, 37 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Wheeler has now played in 427 games in his first four years in the minors and he is 473 of 1,723 (.275 avg, .790 OPS) with 304 runs scored, 52 homers, 221 RBIs and 60 stolen bases.

Rob Scahill:  26-year old righty starting pitcher Rob Scahill comes into this season as the Rockies’ #12 prospect according to Baseball America.  He pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Rockies in his first taste of the majors in 2012 and he was 0-0 with a 1.04 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.  He also pitched in 29 games (all starts) in AAA-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 9-11 with a 5.68 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP.  Scahill has now pitched in 98 games (97 starts) in his 32-33 with a 4.57 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

Rafael Ortega:  21-year old lefty swinging outfielder Rafael Ortega comes into this season as the Rockies’ #15 prospect according to Baseball America.  He played in 2 games for the Rockies last year and he was 2 for 4 (.500 avg, 1.167 OPS) with 1 stolen base.  He also played in 114 games in A-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 140 of 495 (.283 avg, .754 OPS) with 81 runs scored, 8 homers, 60 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.  Ortega has now played in 420 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 519 of 1,706 (.304 avg, .790 OPS) with 310 runs scored, 25 homers, 221 RBIs and 147 stolen bases.