2007 vs 2009 Colorado Rockies -- Infield

October 18, 8:46 PMColorado Rockies ExaminerTravis Lay

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Stewart has more talent than Atkins and more power.  (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

In 2007 Colorado Rockies fans were left watching the Boston Red Sox celebrate the World Series victory on their home field. At the end of the 2007 season Rockies fans were hopeful that they finally had a team that could contend year in and year out.

In 2008 the Rockies were 74-88 and 10 games behind the Division winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 2009 Colorado Rockies fans were left watching the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate the National League Division Series win on their home field. At the end of the 2009 season Rockies fans are hopeful that they have a team that can contend year in and year out. After all, in 2009 the Rockies did set a franchise record with 92 wins.

Which is better? The 2007 squad or the 2009? I will review each team and compare them: starting with the infield first.

Catcher: Yorvit Torrealba exploded into Colorado relevance in the postseason run in 2007. While his year end numbers in 2007 were not far off his career norms, Colorado fans loved him. In 2009 he finished scorchingly hot batting over .300 in the final two months. Chris Iannetta was the starting catcher to begin the 2009 season and my guess is that the Rockies will look to him to start in 2010. With Yorvit a free agent the Rockies let him test the market again and hand over the catching duties to Iannetta. Iannetta is better defensively than Yorvit and has a lot more pop in his bat. In 2009 Iannetta got on base 34% of the time and Yorvit reached base 35% of the time, but Iannetta hit 14 more home runs.

Advantage 2009.

Tulo led all shortstops with 32 home runs in 2009.  (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

First base: Todd Helton had almost identical years when looking at 2007 and 2009. In 2007 he hit 17 home runs, in 2009 he hit 15. His batting line in 2007 was .320/.434/.494 and in 2009 it was .325/.416/.489. Almost identical seasons. In 2008 Helton suffered from back injuries and there is no reason to think he will experience the same issues in 2010. However, no one knew he would experience those issues in 2007.

No advantage.

Second base: In 2007 Kaz Matsui manned second base for the Rockies. He was solid defensively and got on base frequently enough to steal 32 bases and score 84 runs. In 2009 Clint Barmes filled the spot. Going into 2009 the Rockies were desperate for a second baseman, so desperate that Ian Stewart tried playing there early on. Barmes took over the job full time after Jim Tracy took over as Manager. All Barmes did was make special plays defensively and hit 23 home runs. Barmes is a free agent going into the off season and with Eric Young Jr making great strides in 2009 my guess is the Rockies let Barmes go and continue with the youth movement. I think EY2 will get on base at a higher rate than Barmes, but his glove isn’t as good. Going with a young guy like EY2 is always a risk.

Advantage 2007.

Third base: Garrett Atkins was the magical age of 27 in 2007 (some stat heads believe that players peak at the age of 27). He batted over .300 and had 25 home runs. While his numbers weren’t as good in 2007 as they were in 2006, the Rockies and their fans figured they had a player for years to come. In 2009 Ian Stewart took third base from Atkins. Stewart played better D and hit for a lot more power. While both struggled to hit consistently in 2009, Stewart certainly provided more pop. Stewart is younger in 2009 than Atkins was in 2007. Stewart is only 24 and he was a first round pick (10th overall). Atkins was drafted in the fifth round in 2000. Stewart has been listed as a top prospect in baseball each year of his minor league career, Atkins came out of nowhere. While it is hard to argue that Rockies fans should feel better about Stewart in 2009 than they did about Atkins in 2007, I am going to say Rockies fans should. Stewart will get better at recognizing pitches and he will be more selective at the plate. While he might never hit better than .270 or .280, he will produce consistent 30+ home run power.

Helton, the grizzled anchor of the Rockies infield. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Advantage 2009.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki had just made a very strong case to be Rookie of the Year in 2007 and lost out to Ryan Braun of Milwaukee. In 2009 he hit eight more home runs than any other shortstop in baseball. He fell just short of hitting .300 in 2009 but he did drive in 92 and score 101. He did slug 80 points higher in 2009 than he did in 2007.

No advantage, Tulo is Tulo.

Overall the infield gets younger in 2010 than it was in 2008. Stewart is three years younger than Atkins was, EY2 is much younger than Kaz and while Tulo and Helton are a bit older, the Rockies will get younger at catcher too.

With more experience under Tulo’s belt and the talent of Stewart and pure speed of EY2 the Rockies are better off. If all goes well EY2 will bat lead off in 2010 and Carlos Gonzalez can drop down to a run producing spot.

All of this and the Rockies will save money. Atkins and Yorvit drop off the payroll and young players like EY2 and Stewart are so cheap it is laughable.

Advantage to the 2009 team in the infield.

Next stop, the Rockies outfield.