The Rockies hope that 27-year old lefty swinging Carlos Gonzalez can stay healthy in 2013.  Gonzalez played in 135 games for the Rockies last year and he was 157 of 518 (.303 avg, .881 OPS) with 89 runs scored, 22 homers, 85 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  Gonzalez played in 131 games (all starts) in LF for the Rockies last year and he had 7 assists and 4 errors there while showing below average range.  Gonzalez has now played in 581 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 648 of 2,166 (.299 avg, .874 OPS) with 376 runs scored, 99 homers, 349 RBIs and 86 stolen bases.  26-year old lefty swinging Charlie Blackmon, 27-year old switch-hitting Eric Young and 27-year old lefty swinging Tyler Colvin could also play LF if needed.  Blackmon played in 42 games for the Rockies last year and he was 32 of 113 (.283 avg, .732 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 15 games (12 starts) in LF for the Rockies last year and he had 2 assists and 0 errors there while showing out of this world range.  Blackmon has now played in 69 games in his first two years with the Rockies and he is 57 of 211 (.270 avg, .659 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 3 homers, 17 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.  Young played in 8 games (5 starts) in LF for the Rockies last year and he made o errors and didn’t have any assists there while showing poor range.  Tyler Colvin played in 10 games (5 starts) in LF last year for the Rockies and he had 0 errors or assists while showing pretty terrible range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LEFT FIELDERS IN 2013:  A

27-year old righty swingers Chris Nelson and Jordan Pacheco are going to duke it out this spring for the starting job at 3B for the Rockies in 2013.  Nelson played in 111 games for the Rockies last year and he was 104 of 345 (.301 avg, .810 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 9 homers, 53 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Nelson played in 92 games (68 starts) for the Rockies at 3B last year and he had 12 errors there while showing poor range.  Nelson has played in 191 games in his first three years with the Rockies and he is 156 of 550 (.284 avg, .754 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 13 homers, 69 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.   Pacheco played in 132 games for the Rockies last year and he was 147 of 475 (.309 avg, .762 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 5 homers, 54 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  He played in 82 games (80 starts) at 3B for the Rockies last year and he had 9 errors there while showing pretty poor range.  Pacheco has now played in 153 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 171 of 559 (.306 avg, .751 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 7 homers, 68 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  24-year old lefty swinging Ryan Wheeler will be a longshot to win the starting job this spring.  Wheeler played in 50 games for the D-Backs last year (his first taste of the majors) and he was 26 of 109 (.239 avg, .634 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Wheeler played in 23 games (21 starts) at 3B last year and he had 2 errors and showed pretty poor range there.  Wheeler 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.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THIRD BASEMEN IN 2013:  B-

The Rockies have placed 25-year old lefty starting pitcher Edwar Cabrera on the 60-day disabled list due to a left shoulder impingement.  Cabrera pitched in 2 games (both starts) in his first taste of the majors with the Rockies last year and he was 0-2 with a 11.12 ERA and a 2.82 WHIP.  He also pitched in 21 games (all starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 11-5 with a 3.05 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.  This is a bad break for Cabrera, as he was going to get a shot to win a job in the Rockies’ rotation this spring.

The Rockies need to find a way to keep 28-year old righty swinging SS Troy Tulowitzki in one piece in 2013.  He only played in 47 games for the Rockies last year and he was 52 of 181 (.287 avg, .846 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 8 homers, 27 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  He played in 47 games (all starts) at SS for the Rockies last year and he had 8 errors there while showing out of this world range.  Tulowitzki has now played in 744 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 822 of 2,813 (.292 avg, .868 OPS) with 471 runs scored, 130 homers, 470 RBIs and 53 stolen bases.  27-year old lefty swinging Reid Brignac could win the backup job for the Rockies this spring.  He played in 16 games for the Rays last year and he was 2 for 21 (.095 avg, .232 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.  Brignac has now played in 256 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 152 of 671 (.227 avg, .586 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 10 homers, 67 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  Brignac played in 11 games (5 starts) at SS last year for the Rays and he had 1 error while showing out of this world range.  23-year old righty swinging Josh Rutledge could also fill in at SS if he’s not starting at 2B for the Rockies.  He played in 57 games (56 starts) at SS for the Rockies last year and he had 11 errors while showing good range there.  23-year old righty swinging Charlie Culberson is a longshot to make the team this spring.  He played in 6 games for the Giants last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 3 for 22 (.136 avg, .273 OPS) with 1 RBI.  He also played in 121 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 125 of 476 (.263 avg, .719 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 12 homers, 65 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.  29-year old righty swinging Tommy Manzella will likely start this year in AAA-ball for the Rockies.  He played in 91 games in AA+AAA-ball last year for the White Sox, Brewers and D-Backs in which he was 66 of 299 (.221 avg, .562 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 1 homer, 36 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Astros.  Manzella has now played in 90 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 59 of 263 (.224 avg, .528 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 1 homer and 21 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHORTSTOPS IN 2013:  A

The Rockies have acquired 27-year old lefty swinging infielder Reid Brignac from the Tampa Bay Rays for either a player to be named later or cash considerations.  Brignac played in 16 games for the Rays last year and he was 2 for 21 (.095 avg, .232 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.  He also played in 99 games in AAA-ball for the Rays last year and he was 80 for 346 (.231 avg, .676 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 8 homers, 46 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Brignac has now played in 256 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 152 of 671 (.227 avg, .586 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 10 homers, 67 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  This was a good pickup for the Rockies as a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered to revive Brignac’s career.

23-year old Josh Rutledge, 24-year old D.J. LeMahieu and 28-year old switch-hitting Jonathan Herrera will duke it out for the starting 2B job this spring.  Rutledge likely has a small edge heading into spring training.  He played in 73 games for the Rockies last year and he was 76 of 277 (.274 avg, .775 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 8 homers, 37 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  He is hacker at the plate though as he whiffed 54 times while walking only 9 times last year.  He only played in 7 games (all starts) for the Rockies at 2B last year and he had 0 errors while showing slightly below average range.  He is a natural SS, so he should be able to adjust to playing 2B.  Rutledge also played in 87 games in AA-ball for the Rockies last year and he was 109 of 356 (.306 avg, .846 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 13 homers, 35 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.  D.J. LeMahieu played in 81 games for the Rockies last year and he was 68 of 229 (.297 avg, .742 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 4 homers, 22 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 67 games (60 starts) at 2B for the Rockies last year and he had 2 errors there while showing out of this world range.  LeMahieu has now played in 118 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 83 of 289 (.287 avg, .702 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 2 homers, 26 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Herrera played in 86 games for the Rockies last year and he was 59 of 225 (.262 avg, .668 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 3 homers, 12 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  He played in 19 games (12 starts) at 2B for the Rockies last year and he didn’t have any errors there while showing slightly below average range.  Herrera has now played in 294 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 204 of 789 (.259 avg, .647 OPS) with 96 runs scored, 7 homers, 50 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.  27-year old righty swinging Chris Nelson has a good shot of winning the starting 3B job this spring, but he could handle playing 2B if the need arose for the Rockies.  He played in 21 games (18 starts) at 2B for the Rockies last year and he had 1 error there while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SECOND BASEMEN IN 2013:  B-

Back injuries have hampered 39-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton lately and it might cause him to have to accept that his starting days are behind him.  Helton played in 69 games for the Rockies last year and he was 57 of 240 (.238 avg, .743 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 7 homers, 37 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 67 games (64 starts) at 1B for the Rockies last year and he had 2 errors.  Helton has now played in 2,123 games in his first 16 years with the Rockies and he is 2,420 of 7,565 (.320 avg, .964 OPS) with 1,360 runs scored, 354 homers, 1,435 RBIs and 37 stolen bases.  27-year old lefty swinging Tyler Colvin is likely Helton’s biggest challenger this spring at 1B.  Colvin played in 136 games for the Rockies last year and he was 122 of 420 (.290 avg, .858 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 18 homers, 72 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Colvin played in 31 games (18 starts) at 1B for the Rockies last year and he had 2 errors.  Colvin has now played in 357 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 247 of 1,001 (.247 avg, .763 OPS) with 140 runs scored, 44 homers, 150 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  27-year old righty swinging Jordan Pacheco and 34-year old righty swinging Michael Cuddyer can also play 1B for the Rockies if needed.  Pacheco played in 43 games (35 starts) at 1B last year and he had 4 errors.  His main position last year was 3B.  Michael Cuddyer played in 26 games (24 starts) for the Rockies at 1B last year and he had 2 errors.  Cuddyer does most of his work in RF for the Rockies.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE FIRST BASEMEN IN 2013:  B-

The Rockies have signed 32-year old righty swinging 1B Ryan Garko to a minor league deal.  Garko played in 77 games in AA+Independent ball last year and he was 95 of 289 (.329 avg, .909 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 12 homers and 56 RBIs.  He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Rangers.  Garko has played in 463 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 427 of 1,552 (.275 avg, .781 OPS) with 190 runs scored, 55 homers and 250 RBIs.  Garko will be a longshot to win a bench job with the Rockies this spring.

The Rockies have signed 27-year old righty swinging outfielder Greg Golson to a minor league deal.  Golson played in 109 games in AAA-ball for the White Sox last year and he was 124 of 449 (.276 avg, .721 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 6 homers, 52 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  He last played in the majors back in 2011 with the Yankees.  Golson has played in 40 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 8 for 41 (.195 avg, .548 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 0 homers, 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Golson will get a shot to win a backup outfield job this spring.

The Colorado Rockies look in solid shape behind the plate for the 2013 season. 23-year old righty swinging Wilin Rosario will be the starting catcher for the Rockies. 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. He needs to improve behind the plate defensively as he was horrid with the glove in 2012. Rosario played in 105 games (100 starts) behind the dish for the Rockies last year and he had 13 errors and 21 passed balls. He did throw out 24 of 88 (27.3%) base stealers last year, but Rockies’ pitchers had a 5.01 ERA with Rosario behind the plate. Rosario has now played in 133 games in his first two years with the Rockies and he is 118 of 450 (.262 avg, .824 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 31 homers, 79 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 36-year old righty swinging Ramon Hernandez and 34-year old righty swinging Yorvit Torrealba will duke it out in spring training to see who will back up Rosario at catcher for 2013. Hernandez played in 52 games for the Rockies last year and he was 40 of 184 (.217 avg, .601 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 5 homers and 28 RBIs. He played in 46 games (45 starts) behind the plate for the Rockies last year and he had 2 errors and 1 passed ball. He also threw out 7 of 43 (16.3%) runners trying to steal on him last year and pitchers had a 5.45 ERA with him behind the dish. Hernandez 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. Torrealba played in 64 games for the Rangers, Brewers and Blue Jays last year in which he was 44 of 194 (.227 avg, .623 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 4 homers, 17 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He played in 60 games (53 starts) behind the plate last year and he had 2 errors and 4 passed balls. He also threw out 7 of 42 (16.7%) base stealers and pitchers had a 4.04 ERA with him behind the dish.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CATCHERS IN 2013: B