Congratulations to the Giants who have now won World Series Championships in both New York and San Francisco! From the perspective of a non-Giants fan, someone who hasn’t had the priveledge to see them play very often if at all, I’d have to say that I was impressed by the pitching in general on this team. I was especially impressed with Lincecum, now I know why we won 2 consecutive Cy Yong Awards! I was also impressed with rookie Madison Burmgardner and the bullpen. As far as position players go, I love to watch young Posey both behind, in front of (how he handles the pitchers) and at the plate. I was also surprised by the play of Uribe on both sides of the ball and the bat of playoff hero Cody Ross (why the Marlins cut him loose is beyond my comprehension).

For those of you not in town for the parade, here’s a video of the event courtesy of Fox Sports…

For those San Francisco Giants fans who would like a piece of Giants history, the people over at AllPosters.com have put together this collection of 2010 World Series prints that can be framed and purchased. I have picked a few of my favorites below. Clicking on them will bring you to the allposters.com page where you can place your order for the selected print.

San Francisco Giants 2010 World Series Champions Composite

Photo

8 in. x 10 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: Pitcher Tim Lincecum

Photographic Print

Petersen,…

12 in. x 9 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Lincecum w/trophy

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: Tim Lincecum

Photographic Print

., Pool

9 in. x 12 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: (L-R) Brian Wilson #28 and Tim Lincecum #55

Photographic Print

., Pool

12 in. x 9 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: Brian Wilson

Photographic Print

Pensinger, Doug

12 in. x 9 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: Brian Wilson

Photographic Print

Petersen,…

9 in. x 12 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: Buster Posey

Photographic Print

Martinez, Ronald

Buy at AllPosters.com

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: Cody Ross

Photographic Print

Martinez, Ronald

9 in. x 12 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Texas Rangers v. San Francisco Giants, Game 5: World Series MVP Edgar Renteria

Photographic Print

., Elsa

12 in. x 9 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Framed Mounted

Photo taken from Google Images (SI.com)

In our last article examining the Phillies payroll, we found that allowing Jayson Werth to walk essentially maintains the same payroll of $141 million next season.

Re-signing Werth would simply ADD Werth’s salary on top of the $141 million. It originally seemed like $15 million would be enough to keep J-dub. But after listening to Werth’s agent Scott Boras on the radio it sure seems like it would take something in the range of $17 million per year to keep Werth in Philadelphia.

Other than simply increasing the payroll to $156 million or so (which you know the Phillies owners won’t do), the only possible way to keep Jayson Werth is to make a trade. Making room for $15 plus million is no easy task and there are really only two trades I can think of to keep Werth in Philly without simply adding his salary.

KEEP WERTH OPTION #1

Trade Chase Utley, keep Jayson Werth, and find someone (maybe Valdez) to replace Utley.

Rationale: This trade ONLY happens if Ruben Amaro values Werth over Utley. They both will make roughly the same amount next season, making this more of a facelift than an upgrade. Chase Utley has not played up to his potential over the last two season and it is certainly more than valid to question whether Chase’s best years are behind him.

Positives: Re-signing Werth gives right-handed protection behind Ryan Howard in a very “left-handed heavy lineup.” It would also give you flexibility with Raul Ibanez. A team might be willing to take on a portion of Ibanez’s contract if he is coupled with Utley and then you can platoon Brown and Francisco. Or you could keep Ibanez and have an open competition in left field.

Negatives: YOU LOSE CHASE UTLEY! This guy is still one of the premier second baseman in baseball and one of the main core players on the Phillies.

*Quick note about Raul Ibanez. If the Phillies trade Ibanez, there is no chance a team will take on his entire $11.5 million next season. The Phillies could maybe get another team to take on $4.5 million and then pay the rest themselves. Unless Ed Wade would pay the whole thing…

KEEP WERTH OPTION #2

Trade Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez, platoon Brown and Francisco in left, put Valdez or someone else at short, and keep Werth in right.

Rationale: If a team takes on $4.5 million for Ibanez and you trade Rollins (who will make $8.5 million in 2011), that would give the Phillies $13 million to pay for Werth. Jimmy’s game has seriously declined in the last two seasons and Valdez is more than capable to play shortstop and he was decent at the plate. It might be tough to deal Ibanez alone, but packaging him with J-Roll might entice some teams.

Positives: Pretty much the same as with trading Utley.

Negatives: Say what you want about Jimmy’s game, but he is the heart and sole of the Phillies. Trading Rollins could kill the “mojo” that has sent the Phillies to three straight NLCS series.

Jimmy Rollins has the second best fielding percentage among shortstops of all time. Despite how well Valdez played in the field, he is no Jimmy Rollins.

If you don’t like those terrible trade ideas, it might be time to consider life without Werth. If Werth goes, Domonic Brown is set to replace him. The obvious flaw with that system is that it adds another lefty to an already lefty-heavy lineup. One way to resolve that issue is by trading Ibanez, which we already figured would only save you about $4.5 million. Even at $4.5 million, there may not be many buyers out there anyway.

REPLACE WERTH OPTION #1

Trade Ibanez, put Brown in right, Franciso in left, and use the money from Ibanez elsewhere.

Rationale: The Giants once again proved that pitching wins in the playoffs. Removing Ibanez from the picture gives Amaro flexibility to shop around for a reliever, a fifth starter, or maybe bulk up the bench.

Positives: If Brown and Francisco shine in 2011, that’s a pretty good, cheap outfield. That’s about all that I like about this option.

Negatives: How does Francisco, Victorino, and Brown sound to you? It may pan out down the road, but this outfield could very well waste a golden opportunity in Philadelphia Phillies history.

REPLACE WERTH OPTION #2

Trade Ibanez, get another outfielder like Cody Ross to replace him, and platoon Brown and Francisco in right. There are plenty Cody Ross types available (as much as I hate using his name) who could bat in the middle of the lineup from the right side.

Rationale: You can dump Ibanez while getting something in return. Platooning Domonic Brown and Francisco is the best utilization of both players. This is by far the best option in my mind.

Positives: Without trading Ibanez, the Phillies lineup would likely feature four straight left-handed batters 3 through 6 in the lineup. A Cody Ross type could offer some protection behind Howard for a fraction of the cost of Werth.

Domonic Brown is hopefully a future face of the franchise. Platooning him and Francisco not only eases Brown into the majors, but it gives Francisco more playing time.

Negatives: If Brown struggles and your Cody Ross type underperfoms, the Phillies could have a very average offense tin 2011.

Summary

Jayson Werth’s bat has been such an important part of the Phillies’ recent success. Losing him would not only drop your biggest bat from the right side, but you lose his power, speed, defense, and ability to hit with two strikes. But the fact remains that the Phillies cannot afford him. What Ruben Amaro does to replace Werth could very well define his legacy in Philadelphia.

For a more detailed look, visit my 2010 Phillies salaries and Phillies player contracts pages.

Photo of Jayson Werth by Icon SMI

Mere moments after Ryan Howard struck out to finish the Phillies season, the focus quickly shifted to Jayson Werth and the Phillies’ payroll. Will or won’t the Phillies keep Werth? Before even considering re-signing Werth, we need to examine the Phillies payroll.

A quick look at the payroll provides a clear answer.

According to USAToday.com, the Phillies 2010 payroll was $141.928 million. Excluding arbitration increases, the Phillies will immediately add $16.55 million just to maintain players under contract.

Now let’s look at salaries we can drop from the Phillies roster. Here is a list of free agents and option players…

Phillies free agents:

Jayson Werth
Jamie Moyer
Chad Durbin
Contreras
Sweeney

Phillies option player:

JC Romero – $4.5 million club option in 2011 with $250,000 buyout

Let’s assume that the Phillies will allow Jayson Werth and Jamie Moyer walk away. It is unlikely the Phils will exercise JC Romero’s option for 4.5 million next year and will instead buy him out for $250k. And for simplicity sake, let’s say we keep Durbin, Contreras, and Sweeney at the same salary (their salaries shouldn’t change much anyway). This would give the Phillies an extra $17.75 million.

In this scenario in which the Phillies add $16.55 million for increasing contracts and remove $17.75 million, the Phillies would have an extra $1.2 million to add a right fielder, one starter, and one reliever.

Inserting Domonic Brown in right, Kyle Kendrick as the number 5 starter, and grabbing another reliever for $1.2 million brings the Phils to essentially the same payroll next year.

Photo of Jayson Werth by Icon SMI

Therein lies the problem. In order to keep Werth using this scenario, the Phillies would need to ADD $15-17 million to keep him. There is a greater chance that you will see Charlie Manuel playing right field than there is for the Phillies to bump their payroll to $156 million.

The moral of this story is that Ruben Amaro better be pretty darn creative if he wants to keep Werth in Phillies pinstripes.

The first choice of Reds fans would be the popular and powerful Gomes. A fun-loving type, Gomes won over Cincinnati baseball fans much as he had in Tampa Bay, and is regarded as a strong, positive force in the clubhouse. Gomes hit .267 and belted 20 HR in 291 AB during the 2009 season, posting the team’s second highest OPS+ behind only Joey Votto. The knocks on Gomes are a sluggish glove in the corner outfield spots, and a bat that performs better against lefty pitching than right-handers. Most of Gomes’ work in 2009 was against lefties. There is also the matter of cost. Gomes would be the most expensive of the LF options, requiring either a multi-year agreement, arbitration, or exposure to the free agent pool. After his solid season, Gomes figures to get a seven- figure deal. He has indicated he would accept arbitration if the Reds offer it, but wants to go where he can play full-time.

Balentien is a choice similar to Gomes, though he is four years younger and has a less impressive track record. Unfortunately, Reds manager Dusty Baker did not see fit to use Balentien regularly down the stretch to test his readiness, instead favoring lesser choices like Darnell McDonald and Laynce Nix. Balentien is a better fielder than Gomes, but has had struggles at bat even though he has shown excellent power potential. He has the highest ceiling of any candidate, but also carries the most risk.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The other two candidates and their availability also depends on how the center field job is awarded. If youngster Drew Stubbs is awarded CF on the basis of his solid audition at the end of 2009, then both are available for LF duty. If that is the case, Dickerson would be a strong candidate for LF, and to lead off. Dickerson kept pushing himself into more playing time last year, doing good things every time he was in the lineup. He also has good speed and excellent on-base skills, plays strong defense, and hits for some power. If Gomes is not retained, the most likely situation is a Dickerson/Balentien platoon, as Dickerson is the only left-handed hitting candidate for the job. In any case, Dickerson will get plenty of playing time in center and/or left, if he can stay healthy enough to remain in the lineup. This was his biggest problem last year.

The wild card in this situation is veteran Willy Taveras, signed for $4 million for 2010. Taveras was signed to fill the center field and leadoff roles, but played badly in 2009 and was also sidelined for a great deal of time, which allowed first Dickerson and then Stubbs openings to impress. Now, given
manager Dusty Baker’s love of veterans, Taveras might get a lot of center field play anyway, but a Juan Pierre-like move to left field with Stubbs in center is not out of the realm of possibility. This is the true unknown for 2010, what will be done with Taveras. Many Reds fans would just as soon he be tarred and feathered, but if the club cannot move him, he is likely to be on the roster, and if he is Baker will find ways to play him.

The first marker to look for is whether Gomes is offered arbitration. If he is, the other dominoes will fall. If he is not, then things will only have begun to get interesting.

September General Overview:

September Record 13-15

Season Record 77-81 (with 4 games to go)

The Brewers came into September clearly outside of playoff contention. However, they did have a couple opportunities to impact the Wild Card chase as they had a couple of the front-runners on the schedule in September. In their first chance, they lost 2 of 3 to a Giants team that had legitimate playoff hopes at the time. In their second chance to play spoiler, they fared even worse. They got swept by a Rockies team that finds new ways to win on a daily basis. It was a disappointing but not surprising way to finish off what has been a disappointing season. A season which started very promising and even included about a solid month of being in first place turned into a disappointing season where the Brewers were battling (unsuccessfully) to at least get back to .500. With that in mind it’s time to hand out some bests and worsts for the month of September.

Bests And Worsts of September:

Best Hitter — Casey McGehee .337./394/.565

Casey McGehee ended his rookie year with a bang. He has strengthened his case for both the Rookie of the Year and to hold down third base for the Brewers for 2010 and beyond.

Best Pitcher – Trevor Hoffman 1-1 1.80 era 7/8 saves

Since Hoffman was handed this award last month, I tried the best I could to justify handing it to another pitcher. I almost gave this to Chris Narveson but considering he couldn’t make it out of the 6th the other night against the Rockies, I had to look elsewhere. Sure, Hoffman did have a blown save in September but he has been so dominant and so much better than the rest of the pitching staff that he gets the pitcher of the month award.

Worst Hitter — Craig Counsell .205/.279/.282

As recently as Tuesday, Jason Kendall was penciled in for this “award”. Overall, Kendall wasn’t great this month but he did just enough in the Colorado series to avoid this dubious distinction. That led me to look elsewhere, eventually leading to Craig Counsell. Counsell obviously isn’t known for his bat but he still needs to produce more offensively to justify the playing time he has gotten this year.

Worst Pitcher – Dave Bush 2-4  7.85 era

This was a disappointing end to a less than ideal season for David Bush. He just hasn’t been the same pitcher since being struck by a line drive in May and his struggles in September has been a microcosm for the 2009 season.

Best Game — September 6 (2-1 win over the Giants)

For this award, it was a toss up between this game and the win on the 26th over the Phillies. This game got the nod due to a better pitching performance. While the Brewers were out of contention this year, this game had a playoff feel to it. A strong pitching duel (between Braden Looper and Jonathan Sanchez), key defensive plays (Pablo Sandoval robbing the Brewers of a game winning hit in the 10th) and Most importantly, this game also involved the Brewers getting the last word. Prince Fielder capped this game by hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th. To top it off, the Brewers followed up on the walk-off homer with the rest of the team greeting him at home plate and falling down like bowling pins when he stepped onto home plate.

Worst Game — September 7 (3-0 loss to the Cardinals)

How did the Brewers follow up this epic game? Well, they pretty much got steamrolled by Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals. Granted Carpenter was on his game but when the only thing separating your team from a no-hitter is a Jody Gerut double, it’s pretty hard to play any worse.

Since the baseball season is winding to a close I will add another set of awards to the normal monthlies: pleasant surprise/biggest disappointment.

Pleasant Surprise – Casey McGehee .304/.365/.507 128 OPS+

This call isn’t even close. McGehee was picked up off of waivers from the Cubs in the off-season. When the Brewers signed him it was more or less an afterthought. For the first couple months of the season, he was “that guy” that they let come off the bench for an at bat or two a week. However, with Rickie Weeks being lost for the season in May, McGehee got more opportunities to play and he made the most of it.

Watching Casey McGehee play has been one of the few bright spots in what has been a disappointing year. He’s had to deal with playing on a bad knee and having to split playing time with Craig Counsell and Mat Gamel. Still he gave it his all, hasn’t missed a beat and proven to be more than capable of hitting Major-League pitching.

Biggest Disappointment — Manny Parra 11-10 6.16 era 68 ERA+

I could have gone in many directions here since there were many others “worthy” of this distinction (Hall, Hardy, Looper, Suppan, Kendall, Bush, etc.), but Manny Parra trumped them all. After losing Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia after the 2008 season, the Brewers were counting on Yovani Gallardo and Parra to be the 1-2 pitchers in the rotation if the Brewers were to have any hopes of contention this year.

Gallardo did his part but Manny Parra was inconsistent for most of the season and downright terrible in the other parts (even by Brewers rotation standards). Instead of building on a decent 2008 season, Parra seemed to regress backwards. He fell off so deep that he ended up being sent back to Nashville for a while. While he showed some signs of life after coming back, the damage had already been done to his season.

What’s Next for Current Brewers Players?

With the 2009 season winding down and a return trip to the playoffs not happening, it is time to look ahead to what’s next heading into the 2010 season. The first step towards that is what’s going to happen to the players with expiring contracts. While it is too early to speculate who the Brewers will try to sign from other teams, we can look ahead to which Brewers players may or may not be moving on between now and April.

Mike Cameron .249/.343/.454 108 OPS+

Mike Cameron has held down center for the last couple seasons. He’s done what he has always done, hit around .250 with some power and defense mixed in. While he has his flaws, he still is one of the better center fielders in the league and is a better option than the reserve outfielders that the Brewers have (Jody Gerut, Frank Catalanotto). With Cameron I wouldn’t be too surprised regardless of whether he’s brought back or let go.

Braden Looper 13-7 5.10 82 ERA+

Looper does have a club option for 2010 that would pay him $6.5 million. Based on his performance this year, I’m not too crazy about Braden Looper coming back AND being paid more to do so. He’s managed to stay healthy and attain a good win-loss record (due primarily to strong run support). Still, his performance this year led a lot to be desired and he was still one of the poster children for the Brewers pitching struggles.

Jason Kendall .244/.333/.308 71 OPS+

Jason Kendall seems to be a good person, team mate and the pitchers seem to like him. However, on a team that usually needs to out-slug the other team to win, letting someone like Kendall start 130+ games a season isn’t the best idea. To put it another way, there are 86 National League players with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. When you sort those 86 player by OPS+ Kendall ranks 84th. In other words, the Brewers are better off looking elsewhere for next year’s starting catcher job.

Granted, his backup Mike Rivera hasn’t hit much better (.227/.328/.345 79 OPS+), but with Rivera hitting there’s at least an outside chance that he can do something productively offensively. While Rivera isn’t starting material, Rivera is still an upgrade over Jason Kendall in case the Brewers can’t find another catcher through Free Agency.

Trevor Hoffman 2-2 1.76 era 238 ERA+

The Brewers NEED to bring back Hoffman. When the Brewers signed him for a reasonable price last winter, I knew it was a good move. I just didn’t realize it was a brilliant move. Hoffman has been a rock at the back of the Brewers bullpen. This is something that definitely hasn’t been taken for granted (this happens when the predecessors in this job include Dan Kolb, Derrick Turnbow, Eric Gagne and Solomon Torres). While it’s tough to say if he’ll be this dominant in 2010, Hoffman is still one of the elite closers in this league.

Craig Counsell .279/.350/.404 99 OPS+

Counsell has historically been known more for his defense and grittiness than his bat. Armed with an adjusted batting stance, he turned in one of his better years at the plate. It’s likely the Brewers will bring him back. Personally, I’m not too crazy about Counsell coming back as he’s unlikely to replicate these numbers. I don’t mind him coming off the bench occasionally but when he’s in a platoon with Casey McGehee, he’s probably getting too many at-bats. I would prefer to see the Brewers go in a different direction here (i.e. re-sign Felipe Lopez instead).

Felipe Lopez .318/.406/.449 126 OPS+

Lopez was acquired from the D-Backs in July and has held down the second base/lead-off spot ever since. He had a nice 4-hit game in his first Brewers appearance and he hasn’t stopped hitting since. There’s been nothing dominant about his hitting, but he has a knack for finding his way on base.

It’s tough to see where the Brewers would have room for him on the 2010 team (assuming Weeks is healthy) but I would rather see Lopez fill-in the starter/platoon infielder role that’s likely to go to Craig Counsell. He’s just as versatile defensively, younger, a better hitter and even has a little bit of pop in his bat.

I recently had the privilege of asking Dodger great, Steve Garvey (1B) a few questions. I was put in contact with Mr. Garvey by Athlete Promotions.  
AthletePromotions manages the website, corporate appearances, speaking engagements and endorsement deals for 10 time All-Star, Steve Garvey. To see who else Athlete Promotions represents please visit their website: www.AthletePromotions.com.

Steve Garvey: Raising three children (Ryan16, Olivia 15 and Sean 10). Also continuing to help others through charity and foundation work.

SG: Albert Pujols in the NL and Mark Teixeira in the AL

SG: My favorite pitchers were all lefties and least favorite was knuckleballer Phil Niekro

SG: Without a doubt, my family

I would like to thank Steve Garvey for his time and answers as well as Ryan at AthletePromotions for making this interview possible.

Look for more player interviews thanks to AthletePromotions periodically here at Baseball Reflections.

With seven weeks left in the baseball season, the young Florida Marlins seem to be poised to stay in the hunt down to the wire in the National League East. However, the question is whether the Marlins have the experience needed to catapult pass the Phillies and claim the title.

At the start of the season, it was clear that the Marlins had enough talent to be competitive in the National League East. However, with a roster that included only four players in their 30s (none of whom were regulars) the question was whether the Marlins had the leadership needed to make it through a tough 162 game season.

The recent acquisition of 30-year old first baseman Nick Johnson gives the team another solid offensive player while also providing some veteran clubhouse presence. Johnson has postseason experience having helped the New York Yankees reach the World Series in 2003.

He also is a solid left-handed bat and among the best in the game at getting on base. In his 13 games since joining the Marlins, he is hitting .308 with a home run, 6 RBIs and a .500 on base percentage.

Johnson joins a Marlins team that seems to have withstood their up-and-down early season to now emerge as a playoff contender.

After starting the season 11-1, the Marlins found themselves below .500 by mid-May. The team spent the next two months flirting with .500 before finally breaking the mark for good on July 21.

At that point they trailed the Phillies by 7 games in the NL East, but since them have shaved the advantage in half.

If there was any doubt about who the offensive leader is for the Marlins, those questions have been erased this season by Hanley Ramirez. The 25-year old shortstop has clearly established himself as one of the best players in the National League and will certainly be on the short list for the National League MVP Award.

Ramirez is hitting .356 with 18 home runs, 82 RBI, 36 doubles and 76 runs scored. He leads the national league in batting average and doubles and ranks among the top 10 in RBI, slugging percentage, runs scored and stolen bases.

Josh Johnson (12-2, 2.85 ERA) has been the leader of the pitching staff, but Chris Volstad, Ricky Nolasco and Andrew Miller have all been solid starters.

The strength of the pitching staff has been in the middle relievers as Kiko Calero, Brian Sanches, Dan Meyer and Renyel Pinto have been lights out. Overall, the bullpen has an ERA of 3.82.

Given the experience the Phillies gained a year ago during their run to the World Series, it would be easy to assume that they will be able to withstand the charging Marlins and repeat as NL East Champions.

So far this season, Philadelphia holds a slight 7-5 advantage in head-to-head match ups, but the Marlins swept three straight in Philadelphia August 7-9 and punctuated the sweep with a 12-3 win in the final game.

The two teams don’t meet again until September 22 for a 3-game series in Miami. They also meet for the final 3 games of the season in Philadelphia.

The Marlins also have 10 games remaining against the Atlanta Braves, who lurk just 2 games behind the Marlins in the standings. Florida is 5-3 against the Braves so far this season.

Florida was in a similar position last season as they trailed the division leading New York Mets by 3 and a half games on August 15th. They went 21-17 over the remainder of the season, but ended up 7 and a half games out of first as the Phillies caught fire and passed the Mets on their way to the championship.

The expectation is that this time around with a year of experience as well as the addition of Johnson and others with a postseason resume, the Marlins will be able to stay in contention and perhaps this season be the team that gets hot down the stretch.

Editor’s reminder:

To buy a virtual raffle ticket and enter for a chance to win one of the 9 MLB keychains please send a $1 donation by cllicking the button below.

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail at peter@baseballreflections.com.

Amidst the ups and downs of playing for a small-medium market club for your

On July 22, Todd Helton became the fastest MLB player to reach 500 doubles in a career.  There have only been 49 players to previously reach the mark and 46 of them are in the Hall of Fame.  Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez and Pete Rose are the only players from the 500 Double club to not currently be in the Hall.  Both Biggio and Martinez are not eligible yet and Rose of course is ineligible at this time.  To me this makes this club one of the most prestigious in baseball history and to be the fastest player to reach it in history is a remarkable feat. All the numbers prove that Helton should be the first Colorado Rockies player to be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In the era we are in today with all the acquisitions of performance enhancing drugs being used, Helton has managed to by pass all of them.  Although some remarks were made of Helton in 2007, nothing was proven.  Sure his power numbers dipped a little bit throughout the years but he also was sidelined with a pretty serious back injury which could have contributed to the decline of those stats.

The Rockies made a remarkable run in 2007 and are in the hunt for the wild card this year.  Todd has provided this team and franchise with much needed leadership and has proved to be the greatest Colorado Rockies player to date.

Throughout the years in town Helton has battled many trade rumors and skeptics.  And although the owners have managed to rid themselves of high priced players throughout the years Helton has never bad mouthed the organization.  The team has been known to lose more than win throughout Helton’s playing career and he has still played hard throughout.

Helton has been a staple for the team since 1997 at the plate and at first base.  Tallying three gold gloves and providing leadership to the organization on and off the field, Helton has helped Colorado gain notoriety as a MLB franchise.  We can only hope the baseball writers out there see it the same way. So I can only say as a fan, we hope for many more years with Helton at first, and we thank him for his contributions to date.

Editor’s reminder:

To buy a virtual raffle ticket and enter for a chance to win one of the 9 MLB keychains please send a $1 donation by cllicking the button below.

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail at peter@baseballreflections.com.