A place where Colorado Rockies baseball card collectors (all 3 of us) can waste some time reading about our favorite sport. The Rockies and their cards will be the primary focus, but I like to go off on tangents as well so anything and everything baseball related may be covered here.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Prelude to the 2012 Quarry Unlimited set



A few days back I made an announcement of a comprehensive 2012 custom set featuring every person that played in the majors during the 2012 season.  As shown in the title, it will be called 2012 Quarry Unlimited.  Today I will begin showing it off, well somewhat.  This is going to be more of an explanation for how it's going to work along with the single card above to whet your appetites.

1. As some of you may have figured out from the Jamie Moyer above, this set will be based on 1986 Topps.  I ranked that set #1 on my Best Topps Set Countdown not because it is the best design, but because it is my first and favorite set.  Honestly, I am also doing it because it is also a relatively easy design to replicate.

2. I will be presenting the players by team in a 1-30 order of my feelings toward said team.  I have never done an MLB team countdown and I figured this would be a better way of doing it that just a dry listing.  I will be starting at #1 and working my way down since #1 is not really going to be a surprise to anyone.

3. Because of the sheer amount of players involved (between 39-57 of each team), I will breaking the teams up into two posted in back to back days.  This should take us through the winter dry spell of cards and finish up shortly before 2013 Topps is released.

4. Before I get to the team sets, there are a couple of subsets that I created as well that I will be showing first.  The two subsets are All Stars and Team Leaders.  They will also be in the style of 1986 Topps.

5. I will only be presenting card fronts in this project.  I would have loved to do card backs as well, but the fronts took two months to finish, because I was being OCD-style through.  I just couldn't see putting any more time into it.  I didn't just scan and cut and paste, everything was either drawn from scratch or redrawn for coloration purposes on MSPaint.  I also didn't type the player's names, I cut an alphabet from actual 1986 Topps cards and manually cut and pasted each name.  Needless to say it took a while and card backs would probably take twice as long.

6. DISCLAIMER: These cards are not made as a collectible.  They are nothing but virtual fun.  I do not claim to be the owner of the photographs or the design, I just played around with them.  I will not be making these into actual physical cards, because there would WAY too many legal hoops to jump through.

7. I really hope you guys enjoy this, because this will probably be my biggest contribution to the community ever. 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

A Quick Thought Experiment + a Nice L'il Tease

I will go ahead and say this now.  I have not watched one second of baseball since the Division Series ended with 3 of the 4 teams I was rooting for on the losing end.  Only the Cardinals kept it from being a complete bust, but I wasn't really rooting for the Cards as much as against the Nats.  Needless to say, baseball has not been much fun this month for me.  I have been able to update my complete Rockies checklists in this time though, I only have 4 years to go.

Now, I am hoping the Giants finish out the Series in 4 or 5 games just so they can't win in San Francisco again.  I just want the World Series to be over.  It pains me to say that because I have always considered myself a baseball fan more than a Rockies fan (or any other team for that matter).  Now though, I think I have stepped over the line and become more a Rockies fan and less a baseball fan.  It just kind of snuck up on me, but I think it is established now. 

Let me preface this next discussion with the statement that I have no intention of quitting on my Rockies, although 2012 was really rough.  This is just more of a thought experiment than anything.

The biggest problem with this situation is what happens when the Rockies just keep making horrible decisions that I don't agree with.  I am not a bandwagon fan by any means.  I was born a Kentucky Wildcats fan (and stayed through probation and Billy Gillispie) and have been a Chicago Bears fan by choice since 1985 (and boy were the 90's lean times there).  I have always liked the Rockies, but I have only considered myself a "fan" for about 5 years.  So theoretically, if I changed allegiances it wouldn't be a major change.  However, now that I am a bigger Rockies fan than a baseball fan, if I decided to find another team to root for would I end up leaving baseball behind?  I honestly have no answer for this, but it is interesting to think about. 

Are you a bigger fan of your team or the sport in which your team plays?



Onto the tease.

When I came back from my darkness, I mentioned that I had a huge completed project that would encompass this blog for the majority of the off season.  Let's just say that I was (and still am) a huge fan of both the Topps Total and Upper Deck 40 Man sets.  Topps has not produced a set like this since 2005 and we all know what became of Upper Deck.  Therefore, I customed my own 1494 card set that I will showing off IN FULL over the next 2-3 months.  What well-known design did I use?  I'm not going to say yet, but if you have paid attention to this blog over the past year, you might be able to guess it.

I am going to start sometime this week and I hope it is something that you guys like, because it took me countless hours to finish this thing.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Blog Bat Around 2012-13 Rockies Off Season Wish List




I have never started one of these Blog Bat Around posts, but I think I actually had a good idea for one this time.  I absolutely love the BBAs because it brings the community together and gets us all thinking about the same specific subject at the same time.

The Question

What are the ideal moves to be made by your favorite team or teams this offseason and what would you want the Opening Day roster to look like in 2013? 






I realize it is a bit early since the playoffs aren't even over yet, but I have no interest in any of the remaining teams so let's look forward to next year.  There is a lot of work to do in Denver after the worst season in franchise history.  A lot of the problems could be solved with a winter of healing for Tulo, Helton, De La Rosa, Fowler, CarGo, and the rest.  However, there are some problems that require more than just a band-aid.



WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED

Jim Tracy resigned

Front office restructured


The team has gone downhill every year since Tracy led them to the playoffs in 2009.  I never really liked Tracy's style of management, he was always just too laid back for my tastes.  But if he had the Rockies winning, I would have been okay with him staying.  That being said, I am personally thrilled he is gone and a shake up is needed for this team.

The front office "restructuring" is pretty much a joke.  GM (since 1999) Dan O'Dowd stepped down as GM over the summer and was replaced by longtime assistant Bill Geivett, well sort of anyway.  It is more of a two-headed GM monster now.  Geivett is in charge of the day-to-day business of the major league team, while O'Dowd is in charge of the minor leagues.  Geivett also has to have O'Dowd's final approval before making acquisitions and such.  It is pretty much just a joke at the moment.


WHAT I HOPE HAPPENS

Ideal Managerial Hiring
Sandy Alomar Jr. OR Brad Ausmus  (NOT Jason Giambi)

Either of these two would be able to help Wilin Rosario defensively.  He is without a doubt the weak link of the Rockies defense and could use all the help he could get.

Hiring Giambi, which looks more and more likely, could easily be a catastrophic mistake for the franchise.  Firstly, Giambi is good buddies with Tulo and several other players and that almost never works out well in any job let alone manager/player relations.  Next, he has no experience at any level.  I have no problem letting him manage short season A or single A, but the big leagues should not be his first ever job.

Ideal trades

Rockies trade                                                    Mets trade
Dexter Fowler                                                   Ike Davis
Alex White                                                        Jonathan Niese
Jordan Pacheco                                                 Jeurys Familia
Matt Reynolds
Josh Outman

This trade would be wonderful for the Rockies.  Ike Davis could take over at first for Todd Helton letting him play the Jason Giambi role in 2013.  Niese could be a #2-3 starter next year with Familia in the battle for the 4-5 spots.  Plus it would be cool to have a team with both a Jeurys and a Jhoulys in the rotation.

Fowler would give the Mets one major league caliber outfielder, just two to go.  Matt Reynolds is someone the Mets were rumored to be interested in in the summer so I included him here.  Alex White and Josh Outman would give the Mets two live arms with good upside that just aren't working out for the Rockies.  Pacheco could move back to catcher and give the Mets something they need there.


Rockies trade                                                      Rangers trade
Michael Cuddyer                                                 Ian Kinsler
Jonathan Herrera                                                 Luke Jackson
Tyler Chatwood

This would give the Rockies instantly their most talented 2B ever.  Kinsler could slot in next to Tulo for the next few years and I would be thrilled.  Jackson would give the Rockies a high upside pitcher that is not too close to the bigs.  The Rockies are kind of clogged with starters at the AAA/5th starter level right now.

The Rangers could get a replacement right fielder for Hamilton in Cuddyer.  Herrera is an excellent utility guy that could back up at several different positions and be a competent starter in case of injury.  Chatwood is a young starter that would be a little bit of icing on the cake.  The best thing for the Rangers would be the opening for Jurickson Profar at second base.


Free Agents to Leave
Andrew Brown
Jeff Francis
Jason Giambi
Carlos Torres

Free Agents Signed
none other than minor league filler


I would love for there to be a spot for Jeff Francis, but unless there is a couple of ST injuries I just don't see it happening.  If these two trades were to happen, the Rockies shouldn't need any major free agent help.

To AAA
Josh Rutledge
Matt McBride
Rafael Ortega
Tommy Field
2 of the losing starters listed below
Edgmer Escalona
Zach Putnam


ROCKIES IDEAL 2013 OPENING DAY ROSTER

Primary Lineup (8)
Catcher - Wilin Rosario
First Base - Ike Davis
Second Base - Ian Kinsler
Third Base - Chris Nelson
Shortstop - Troy Tulowitzki
Left Field - Carlos Gonzalez
Center Field - Eric Young
Right Field - Tyler Colvin

Bench (5)
Ramon Hernandez
Todd Helton  (starting Opening Day, but primarily the back up)
D.J. LeMahieu
Tim Wheeler
Charlie Blackmon

Rotation (5)
Jorge De La Rosa
Jhoulys Chacin
Jonathan Niese
2 of Juan Nicasio / Drew Pomeranz / Christian Friedrich / Jeurys Familia / Guillermo Moscoso

Bullpen (7)
Rafael Betancourt
Matt Belisle
Rex Brothers
Josh Roenicke
Adam Ottavino
Rob Scahill
1 of the losing starters (ideally Moscoso)


I would be thrilled with this team next year, but it's probably a pipe dream.  The Rockies really do need to thin the herd just a bit.  They currently have way too many possibilities which usually leads to a lot of flip-flopping throughout the season which usually leads to a lot of losses.  As bad as 2012 was, this team really isn't that far away from contention, especially if they can stay healthy.

Thanx for reading.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

2012 Quarry Cards #'s 43-51

Here we go with the final group of 2012 Quarry Cards.  For those of you that may have missed a day or two, here are the links for the rest.



#43 Jonathan Sanchez

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 10%

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#44 Rob Scahill

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 85%

Yearly Performance Grade - B


#45 Marco Scutaro

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 0%

Yearly Performance Grade - D+


#46 Carlos Torres

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 50%

Yearly Performance Grade - C


#47 Troy Tulowitzki

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 100%

Yearly Performance Grade - C


#48 Alex White

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - C-


#49 Eric Young Jr.

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 60%

Yearly Performance Grade - B


#50 Jim Tracy

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 0% 

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#51 Rockies Team Card


Yearly Performance Grade - D-




Another group and yet more disappointments.  We start with the "franchise" player Troy Tulowitzki who had just an awful year especially on defense.  He only played in 47 games, but had 8 errors which equates to about 30 over a full season.  I hope he gets back to normal very soon because he is entering the payroll eating years of his contract.  If not, the Rockies might have a rough few years ahead.  Marco Scutaro was horribly average (or below) as a Rockie.  Compounding the fiasco for Colorado was Scutaro becoming Tony Gwynn upon arrival in San Francisco.  Much like the other two big pitching prospects, Drew Pomeranz and Christian Friedrich, Alex White also experienced growing pains.  He flashed potential, but for the most part was not very good.  The one bright spot of this group was the under the radar season of Eric Young Jr.  He was injured during the year as well, but he was very good when he was playing.

The pictures here are mostly average, with the exception of a great play at the plate card for Eric Young.  Did any of you expect a bad picture for EYJ though?  The Marco Scutaro is a happy accident.  I made that card of him in San Francisco's stadium back in May before the trade.  I just liked the Chevron cars in the background.  The Jim Tracy shows him in his usual state of bliss in the dugout.  I hope the next manager actually shows a little bit of fire in his belly because this team needed it badly.


I hope you guys liked this set...it only took seven months to finish hehe.  I am not going to be turning these into actual cards due to photo copyrights and other legal problems.  However, I sized them pixel-wise perfectly for standard cards so if anyone wants a copy for themselves I say go for it.

Thanx for reading.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

2012 Quarry Cards #s 35-42

Here we go with Round 5 of the 2012 Quarry Card Cavalcade.  Have a look.



#35 Jordan Pacheco

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - B+


#36 Drew Pomeranz

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 100%

Yearly Performance Grade - C-


#37 Zach Putnam

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 80%

Yearly Performance Grade - C


#38 Matt Reynolds

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 60%

Yearly Performance Grade - C


#39 Josh Roenicke

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 80%

Yearly Performance Grade - B


#40 Esmil Rogers

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 0%

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#41 Wilin Rosario

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 100%

Yearly Performance Grade - B


#42 Josh Rutledge

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - C+



This grouping is filled with a good chunk of the future of the Rockies organization, for better or worse, along with a pair of veteran relievers.  Let's start the analysis with the relievers.  Josh Roenicke was a very pleasant surprise in 2012 as one of the main "piggy-back" relievers.  Matt Reynolds had a very strange year.  He didn't pitch badly, but from the end of May to the beginning of August, the Rockies went 1-45 in games in which Reynolds pitched.  Reynolds only gave up runs in 7 of those games, so that stat is just weird.  The two best rookies of the year for Colorado were Pacheco and Rosario.  They were really good offensively, but defensively it was a struggle to say the least.  I am giving Rosario the nickname "and J" because you rarely saw his name without PB in front of it.  Rutledge was serviceable for the injured Troy Tulowitzki, although it was probably a year too early for him.  Pomeranz was an enigma in that he had the second best ERA for a Colorado starter, but he went 2-9.  It was just that kind of season.

Picture-wise, this group is rather ho-hum with two exceptions.  The Rosario is great and I am always a sucker for a picture of a catcher in full gear.  I think the umpire add a lot to that pic as well.  My favorite of this group is Pacheco.  That photo has so much in its favor.  The play at the plate, the eyes of both men looking for the call, the elephant patch on the catcher's sleeve, and the runner on second (Fowler I think) sneakily taking third.


Your favorite here?  I will be putting a bow on this year's set tomorrow night.

Thanx for reading.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

2012 Quarry Cards #'s 26-34

Here we go with the Grouping 4 of 6 for my 2012 Quarry Cards.  Hope you like what you see.


#26 Matt McBride

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 85%

Yearly Performance Grade - D


#27 Guillermo Moscoso

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 35%

Yearly Performance Grade - D+


#28 Jamie Moyer

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 0%

Yearly Performance Grade - C+


#29 Chris Nelson

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 85%

Yearly Performance Grade - A-


#30 Juan Nicasio

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 90%

Yearly Performance Grade - C+


#31 Wil Nieves

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 0%

Yearly Performance Grade - C+


#32 Rafael Ortega

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - B


#33 Adam Ottavino

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 80%

Yearly Performance Grade - B


#34 Josh Outman

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 20%

Yearly Performance Grade - F



I mentioned yesterday about showing off 2 of the 3 worst offseason additions for the Rockies in Jeremy Guthrie and Ramon Hernandez.  Well, here is the third in Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman.  The Rockies traded Seth Smith to the A's for these two who promptly proved that Oakland's stadium makes mediocre pitchers look good.  Moscoso will probably be back, but Outman might get non-tendered hopefully.  Chris Nelson really proved to be a nice surprise with his regular playing time at third base.  He was the Rockies 1st round pick in 2004 (the year before Tulo), but had never been given a real shot at the big league level.  Rafael Ortega was called up during the final week of the season and made his MLB debut in 2 games for the Rockies.  In my card collection, he will always be known as "Mr. 300" because he is officially the 300th member of my One of every Rockie collection.  It was tad anticlimactic because I already had his cards before he made his debut.  Finally, we have Jamie Moyer who was a great story not only for the Rockies, but for baseball in general.  Unfortunately, he was a much better story than pitcher and was cut in June.

As far as photos, surprisingly (aside from one) the best of this lot are all pitchers which usually make for the most boring cards.  I like the Moscoso just because it is an angle that is not usually shown on cardboard.  It is a bullpen shot, just in case some of you were wondering how they got over the mound.  The Moyer photo shows off the fielding of a pitcher, something that is very underrepresented with cards.  I also love the Nicasio simply because of the light "aura" that surrounds him.  It really seems to be somewhat of a supernatural type card (well maybe that's a bit of overselling).  However, my favorite of the group is without a doubt the Chris Nelson.  I love a good photo of sliding into the base, especially this close up. 

Just 17 to go and this year's Quarry Cards output is finished.  What do you think so far?  Any favorites here?


Thanx for reading.

Monday, October 15, 2012

2012 Quarry Cards #'s 18-25

It's time for the 3rd grouping of 2012 Quarry Cards.  Have a look.



#18 Jason Giambi

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - (2% as player) (10% as manager)

Yearly Performance Grade - D-



#19 Carlos Gonzalez

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 98%

Yearly Performance Grade - A-


#20 Jeremy Guthrie

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 0%

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#21 Will Harris

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 5%

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#22 Todd Helton

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - D+


#23 Ramon Hernandez

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 75%

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#24 Jonathan Herrera

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 45%

Yearly Performance Grade - C-


#25 D.J. LeMahieu

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 80%

Yearly Performance Grade - B-



This group could easily be called CarGo and the Disappointments, because aside from Carlos Gonzalez (and D.J. LeMahieu to an extent) everyone here had a 2012 that was disappointing at best.  At the head of the disappointment list are 2 of the 3 horrible offseason acquisitions by the Rockies, Jeremy Guthrie and Ramon Hernandez.  Guthrie, now a former Rockie, is a good guy but was a horrible fit with the Rox.  Coupled with the fact that Colorado traded 50% of Baltimore's playoff rotation to get him (in effect once Matt Lindstrom was flipped for Joe Saunders), it was one of the biggest disasters in team history.  Honestly, Hernandez wasn't much better.  Brought in as a mentor for young Wilin Rosario, Hernandez ended up being hurt and/or extremely ineffective.  The pair of veteran first basemen, Giambi and Helton, also had rough injury-plagued years.  It could be the end of the line for both of them, but I hope Helton will have a farewell tour in 2013.


As far as photography, there are some epic pics here.  The Todd Helton is a great moment-in-time shot that shows his pinch-hit grand slam against the Mets.  I really like the Carlos Gonzalez photo as well, but as good as that one is, there is going to an even better one co-starring Pirates catcher Michael McKenry later.  The Jonathan Herrera would have to be my favorite of this grouping though.  The colorful background, the look on his face, and of course the flying third baseman combine to create a very memorable photo.


How is this group?  Are you bored to tears yet?  Hopefully not, because I am only halfway through.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

2012 Quarry Cards #'s 9-17

Here we go with round 2 of the 2012 Quarry Cards set.  Let's take a look.



#9 Tyler Colvin

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - B+

#10 Michael Cuddyer

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 75%

Yearly Performance Grade - C-


#11 Jorge de la Rosa

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 99%

Yearly Performance Grade - D


#12 Mike Ekstrom

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 2%

Yearly Performance Grade - D


#13 Edgmer Escalona

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - D+


#14 Tommy Field

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 20%

Yearly Performance Grade - F


#15 Dexter Fowler

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 60%

Yearly Performance Grade - A-


#16 Jeff Francis

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 65%

Yearly Performance Grade - B-


#17 Christian Friedrich

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 90%

Yearly Performance Grade - C



Mike Ekstrom is the first (but not last) former Rockie so far in the set.  He filed for free agency right after the season and it's quite unlikely for him to return.  This group also contain three of the best surprises from the disastrous 2012 season for Colorado.  Tyler Colvin was acquired in a bust-for-bust deal with the Cubs and, all of a sudden, forgot he was a bust in the first place.  Dexter Fowler, in a mild surprise, became a very consistent player.  He is very close to being a star.  The biggest surprise, by far, was the return of the prodigal son Jeff Francis.  He ended up being arguably the most reliable starter for the Rockies.  Of course it says a lot about the Colorado pitching staff that their most reliable starter was released by the Reds' AAA club in June.  However, the biggest impact of this group on me personally was the MLB debut of my former schoolmate Christian Friedrich.  He flashed potential away from Coors, but at home he looked awful before a stress fracture in his back prematurely ended his season.

Photo-wise, this group definitely has some winners.  There are four or five of these pics that I would qualify as great.  My top three in descending order would be the Friedrich, the Fowler, and #1 by far the Michael Cuddyer.  That isn't just a photo, that is fine art.  On the downside of the pictures, this group also contains the only photo that is not from the 2012 season.  Tommy Field only appeared in 2 games this year and 1 was as a pinch runner.  I couldn't find a single photo from this year, so I went with his September call up from 2011.


How does this group look?  Your favorites?

Thanx for reading.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

2012 Quarry Cards #'s 1-8


One of my favorite things to do with this blog is creating my own cards.  With my recent financial situation, creating cards is even more important.  Rather than giving up the hobby until things turn around, I can at least keep up somewhat even without purchasing new cards.  With this year's Quarry Cards offering, I decided to go with a completely unique design of my own.  Unlike last year's mixed design, this year the cards are completely made up of landscape-oriented photos (horizontal cards).  It was inspired by several sets including: 1991 Score, 1960 Topps, and 2001 Fleer Tradition, along with my own imagination.  There are 51 cards in this set and I will be showing them over the next six days in an 8-9-8-9-8-9 format.  I hope you guys enjoy the work.


#1 Matt Belisle

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 95%

Yearly Performance Grade - B

 #2 Rafael Betancourt

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 90%

Yearly Performance Grade - A

#3 Charlie Blackmon

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 60%

Yearly Performance Grade - C

#4 Rex Brothers

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 100%

Yearly Performance Grade - B-

#5 Andrew Brown

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 5%

Yearly Performance Grade - D

#6 Edwar Cabrera

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 25%

Yearly Performance Grade - F

#7 Jhoulys Chacin

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 100%

Yearly Performance Grade - C

#8 Tyler Chatwood

Chance he will be on the 2013 Rockies - 97%

Yearly Performance Grade - C-


Like in 2011, I chose to number the set alphabetically by last name.  Unfortunately, that led to some unmemorable photos to start with, but that tends to happen when it is a group of mostly relievers.  They only tend to have their photo taken when they give up a big hit or something bad happens so the choices are not very plentiful.  Of this group, I think that the Chatwood is the best just because the photo really matched well with the available space.

All of these players are under contract or are arbitration-eligible for the 2013 season.  The reason the percentage is so low for Brown and Cabrera is because I expect them to be at AAA in 2013 although Brown could easily be released.  Blackmon is hard to figure.  He is in the same situation as Eric Young last year.  I could see him being a starting OF (after a couple of trades), a backup OF (after 1 trade), being traded in a package deal, being swapped for another prospect, or going to AAA.  I honestly have no clue what the Rockies plan for him is.  That will not be the last time I write that sentence for this team.  The rest I expect to return unless they are traded.  I hope they aren't traded because the bullpen is one of the Rockies biggest strengths right now.  Although, it was used very poorly in 2012 by Jim Tracy and Co.


Which one of these cards is your favorite?  What do you think of the design?  How could it be improved?

Thanx for reading.