16. Colorado Rockies

Big Leagues- The Colorado Rockies have come a long way in the past decade. They earned a trip to the World Series in 2007 and their home grown prospects are finally coming of age. Carlos Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez have both found their way onto a roster in every fantasy league in the world, and more importantly for the Rockies, they have earned big league success.The Rockies have a solid combination of youth and experience on their roster and it has led them to success in the NL West in last couple of seasons. Eric Young and Dexter Fowler bring a lot youth and excitement to the club and Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki remain solid players for a club that deserves a lot of respect for their development of players. As far as fantasy is concerned, almost their entire lineup will find their way onto rosters in the 2011 season. Chris Ianetta is an above average catcher and the aforementioned players will all bring something different to a fantasy lineup. Gonzalez and Jimenez are both first round considerations and the rest of the lineup will fit into holes later in the draft. We recommend drafting nearly all 8 of their fielders, with Ryan Spilborghs being left out depending on how deep your league is. These players have done great things for the Rockies, and their development will help your fantasy team the same way it has helped this franchise.


Here is their starting lineup for opening day 2011:

Catcher- Chris Ianetta

1st Base- Todd Helton

2nd Base- Eric Young/ Jose Lopez

Shortstop- Troy Tulowitzki

3rd Base- Ian Stewart/ Jose Lopez

Left Field- Carlos Gonzalez

Center Field- Dexter Fowler

Right Field- Ryan Spilborghs

Pitching- Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Hammel, Aaron Cook, Esmil Rogers

Relief- Huston Street, Rafael Betancourt, Matt Lindstrom

Top 5 Prospects
3B Nolan Arenado- The Rockies took Arenado in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft and the young right hander impressed last year in Single A. Arenado hit .308 in 92 games and had 12 home runs and 41 doubles. As Arenado's body matures so will his power and we expect those double's to turn into home runs. Look for Arenado to be a middle of the order third basemen with 25 to 30 home run power in the next 3 years.

LHP Tyler Matzek- Matzek is another top arm in the Rockies system. The former 11th overall pick in the 2009 draft spent his 19 year old season in Single A for the Rockies. He made 18 starts and had 2.92 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 89 innings. He should began next season at Double A like Bettis, and looks to increase his innings and move through the system.
OF Kyle Parker- Now this is a unique story. Some may recognize the name Kyle Parker, and think of Clemson's starting quarterback, well this is the same Kyle Parker. He is a two sport athlete and the Rockies took him in the first round last year as an outfielder. They signed him to a contract with the stipulation that he could play quarterback his senior year, one of which he just completed. The fact that the Rockies used the number 1 pick on a dual sport athlete is enough for us to have him number 3 on our list. We'll follow him closely once he gets into the minors.

RHP Chad Bettis- Bettis was the Rockies 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft and signed early enough to put up some great numbers in the late part of the season. He pitched in 13 games in Single A having a spectacular 1.07 ERA in 67 innings. He had a 4.31 K/BB ratio and should start his second year at Double A. If he succeeds there the Rockies could push the right hander right through their system quickly.


C Willin Rosario- Although Rosario tore his ACL in late July, his numbers warrant him still being in the Rockies top five prospects. Last year in Double A he hit .285 with 19 home runs and 52 rbi's in only 73 games before his injury. The Rockies have Rosario in their long term plans at catcher, and the injury is just a speed bump.


Payroll and Direction- I love the direction of the Colorado Rockies. They have burst onto the scene as a true contender in a fairly weak National League and they will continue to move up in preseason rankings in the coming seasons. The Rockies fall into the middle of leagues payroll graph, paying out just over 83 million dollars. Their top paid player is still Todd Helton at 16.6 million dollars a year, but they are getting a value on Ubaldo at 1.25 million a year and Carlos Gonzalez just signed a new deal. The Rockies have several strong prospects in the minors and they will likely become the team to beat in the NL West by 2014.