Corpas heads Rockies relief corp

Manny Corpas officially gets the nod as Rockies interim closer over other options including Franklin Morales. This wasn't unexpected considering Corpas' success this season, which includes a 1.66 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. That's great, but Corpas has given up runs in two of his last three outings. He's also not your prototypical closer with career 1.31 WHIP and 6.4 K/9 numbers. His 2010 strikeout total (6.6 K/9) is right on pace with typical Corpas numbers. Remember, this is a guy who both won and lost the Rockies closer job two years ago. He'll be counted on only as long as he is effective.

Fantasy Impact: Huston Street, the Rockies regular closer, is expected back at the MLB level within the next two weeks. Corpas is worth the add, certainly, but he's always a risk to struggle.

Morales wins, gets demoted

Rockies starter Franklin Morales tossed six innings of one-run baseball to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-2 but then got shipped back to the Minors. The Rockies wouldn't use their fifth starter for a while in the Majors and want to keep him on schedule that guarantees more starts.

Fantasy Impact: Good fifth starters are tough to come by, because most of them become number fours. If Morales strings together a series of performances like Wednesday, he won't be bouncing back an fourth from Triple-A. Reserve him if you have roster space.

Rockies second base platoon

The Colorado Rockies appear headed for a second base platoon until either Clint Barmes or Ian Stewart emerges as the every day starter. Stewart got the nod over Barmes on opening day.

"Obviously that's what (Hurdle) thought was the best lineup to win. I would like to be in there, but that's just the competitor that I am," Barmes said. "I understand that this is about what's best for the team. Nothing will change my attitude. I will be a professional."

Barmes was the first example of Hurdle's plan to play his best lineup every day, no matter the setting. The choice of Stewart surprised some players, but none spoke out publicly.

Hurdle had math on his side: Stewart's numbers against starter Brandon Webb (2-for-6) were better than Barmes' (6-for-26).

"We have laid it all out. If it's about their ego, it's the wrong thing," Hurdle said. "If they have any questions, they can come in and we will talk about it. You want every one of your players to want to play."

Fantasy Impact: Stewart batted .293 and slugged .524 with a high on base percentage in the minors. He's got a ton more upside than Barmes, who still produces acceptable fantasy numbers for his position. Ideally, you want to own Stewart, but you might be waiting for every day at bats. The good news is the Rockies might eventually try him in the outfield this season.

Street closer

Houston Street earned the Rockies closer job over Manny Corpas. This news is proof that spring stats don't mean a thing. Street produced a 5.23 ERA in 10.1 IP, including a pair of home runs allowed. Corpas gave up one earned run in nine innings and no homers.

Then again, maybe the Rockies saw Corpas lose his closer job twice to Brian Fuentes in 2009 and headed him off at the pass, giving Street the role before Corpas could eventually lose it. Or a loss in velocity for Coraps might explain it

Don’t get me wrong: Street has pitched well since his first couple of disastrous outings in Cactus League action; he hasn’t done anything not to deserve the job. He’s a talented player, and I thought he was ticketed for big-time success after he was selected from the University of Texas.

I don’t believe it’ll be big time anymore, though. He’s inconsistent and doesn’t show the same flare he did early in his career.
Corpas deserves a closer role

Corpas deserves closer role

The main concern with Corpas is a 2 mph drop in the velocity of his sinker, easily his bread and butter. The right-hander is working through a hiccup in his mechanics and has already shown signs of improvement, though.

Given where Corpas was last season and how hard he has worked to get to this point, some minor setbacks along the way aren’t a surprise. Future? He’s the better man for the post. I believe the Rox have made the correct decision for the short term, but will it breed long-term success? I’m not so sure.

On that matter, we'll guess that the Rockies believe they have little to lose at the start of the season in terms of pushing the more accomplished closer into the role. Street's done the job better for longer, and if everyone starts with the same record, you might as well give yourself the safest chance at winning. Corpas will get his when it's time.

Marquis' Rockies role

The Cubs trade of Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino is little more than a salary dump for the Cubs, who acquire a potential setup-type reliever in Vizcaino. Marquis, who earns $9.8 million in 2009, was just to expensive to keep.

Fantasy Impact: Despite his mediocre 4.55 career ERA, Marquis always seems to find a way to win. He's always played for winners, and that helps. If the Rockies can recapture a little magic from 2007, Marquis might be a nice pickup for a fantasy team as a spot starter who is likely to beat lower-end teams on a regular basis.

Vizcaino is nothing more than a middle-reliever. The Cubs have both Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg to handle closing duties.

Luis Vizcaino DUI

The Rockies faced a number of problems with their bullpen this year. Here's one more. Luis Vizcaino was arrested for DUI in Florida.