The year was 1995.  It was a year after the World Series was cancelled for the first time in 90 years.  The Colorado Rockies were in the playoffs and the likes of Galarraga, Bichette, Castilla and Walker all hit over 30 home runs.


It’s 11 years later, and the Rockies have been in the cellar of the National League West for quite sometime now and have made no signs of improvement.  The franchise’s biggest concern lies with the health of their All-Star first baseman, Todd Helton.

Helton first injured his back in 2002 when it was revealed he had tissue damage.  He avoided surgery and attacked the problem with physical therapy and exercise.  Spring training of last year he re-injured the back lifting weights causing April and May to be the worst two months of his career.  Helton did bounce back to finish with a .320 average and .445 OBP, but posted a career-low 20 home runs and 79 RBI.

The slugger has been using a massage therapist to help with his on-again, off-again back pains. “It’s flared up on occasion.  I think I have it under control,” Helton said of the injury. He was pain-free last week when he sent a 3-0 pitch opposite way for his first home run this spring against the Diamondbacks.

Helton’s back is hardly the only concern for a Rockies team that finished last year with a 67-95 record.  The Kansas City Royals were only worse.  

Helton's healthy and ready for a big year Colorado’s starting rotation has been undefined with Jason Jennings still not living up to his Rookie of the Year honor he received in 2002, not to mention his 5.02 ERA he posted last year as the Rockies ace.  Byung-Hyun Kim, a former closer for the Boston Red Sox was thrown into the rotation’s second spot when he finished 2005 off with a 4.86 ERA.  The team’s best hope for a starter with an average ERA is Aaron Cook, who posted a 3.67 last year. Left-hander Jeff Francis struggled at times with an ERA over 5.00 last season, but did manage 14 wins in his first season in the big leagues.

The team did make strides in its bullpen though, bringing in veterans Ray King and Jose Mesa to set up their closer Brian Fuentes.  King adds playoff experience along with a powerful left arm while Mesa has been around since 1987 compiling over 300 saves.

The lineup is young to say the least.  Over the past two seasons, the Rockies have set club records for rookies used, with six players born after 1980.  Of that six is LF Matt Holliday.  In his sophomore season of 2005, Holliday batted .307 with 19 home runs and 87 R.B.I’s.  When the team opens up the season April 3rd against Arizona they do not expect to start any rookies, but Todd Helton could be the only starter with more than two years of experience.  

The Rockies 40-man roster holds 19 players with less than two years of playing time.  Their experience adds up to a tad past 16 years, about one year more than newly acquired reliever Jose Mesa has in his career!

The youth movement did put out an unimpressive record last year, but to much surprise finished off the year with a 30-28 record after Aug. 1st.  

Manager Clint Hurdle, entering his sixth season with the club, has high hopes of contention for this season.  

“We’re not going to continually put 20 rookies out there.  That’s why we took the inventory that we took the last two years, to find out what we had, and find a wave that would land and stay on beach, not be sent out to sea,” Hurdle said.

The team is damn young and has a lot of catching up to do.  With Barry Bonds chasing Ruth and Aaron and the Diamondbacks and Dodgers chasing each other, the Rockies and Padres will be overlooked.  

With the right amount of energy exerted from their young guys and a return to form by Helton, the Rockies may have a chance to put themselves back into the limelight and give sports fans surrounding Denver more than just the Broncos to cheer about.    

You can reach Peter Giordano at peter.giordano@atomicsportsmedia.com