ShareThisBy DAVE KRIEGER
It didn't feel much like April, but the Colorado Rockies' 2007 season began Wednesday night, Aug. 30 by the calendar but a stroke past midnight for the surprisingly popular mirage of '06.
It wasn't just losing for the 16th time in 23 games that signaled the end of '06, nor the shortest outing by a starting pitcher all year, nor even the 10 runs surrendered to the Mets in the first three innings.
It was the arrival of Troy Tulowitzki _ all 21 years, 324 days of him _ straight from Double-A Tulsa, starting at shortstop in place of Clint Barmes, the grizzled 27-year-old who didn't show enough tangibles to go with all those intangibles.
There will be the usual foot stomping in the usual places from many of the same people who thought a month ago, at the trading deadline, that the Rocks were one bat away from the playoffs.
They weren't, and they aren't, as their 17-28 record since the All-Star break has demonstrated quite conclusively.
So they are moving into Year 3 of the homegrown rebuilding plan a little early, the extent of the Year 2 improvement still to be determined.
"I think it's a twofold signal," manager Clint Hurdle said. "No. 1, we're trying to set things up to be the best team we can be next year. We're more than one good series away from getting back into it. We might just be one bad series away from officially being on the outside looking in.
"But I also want to make sure that we understand here in this clubhouse that we're not just going to sit on our hands. We know the areas that we need to improve upon. We need more productivity out of the shortstop position, center field and catcher.
"Internally, we can take two looks at those situations with (catcher Chris) Iannetta and with Tulowitzki. We'll see what we do with the center-field situation internally come September. But we need to get better. And we need to look at guys that have performed well through our minor league system."
This should come as no surprise. Year 2 has shown some progress. The homegrown Rocks have three legitimate starting pitchers in Jason Jennings, Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis. They have four legitimate hitters in Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton and Matt Holliday, all but Helton products of the first homegrown wave.
Now comes the second wave, led by Iannetta and Tulowitzki and, if Hurdle's hint plays out, probably center fielder Jeff Salazar come September.
Whether any of these guys is ready, we should soon discover. Iannetta is the best bet, having put up excellent numbers at Tulsa, then improved upon them at Class AAA Colorado Springs.
"A couple of people have told me that the Rockies haven't developed too many catchers within, and they're hoping that I'm the first one," Iannetta said. "For myself, I hope I can be that guy. It's just going to come down to the next month and a week and see how I do when I get my opportunities and then hopefully improve and see what happens next year."
Tulowitzki's minor league numbers were fine, but not as overwhelming as Iannetta's.
"Nowadays, a lot of guys make the jump from Double-A to the big leagues, so I knew it wasn't out of the question," he said. "I thought maybe I would stop in Triple-A, but I'm glad it worked out this way."
I asked if he thought he was ready.
"You know, it's the game of baseball, and I've been playing for a long time and I feel that I'm ready, but, you know, see what happens."
His debut was forgettable: He took a called third strike from Mets starter Dave Williams, struck out swinging, bounced to second and took another third strike, this one from Guillermo Mota in the ninth.
He did make a spectacular defensive play in the eighth, robbing Paul Lo Duca of a hit when he ranged deep into the hole to backhand a grounder, leaped, spun and threw him out from midair. Two batters later, only a hometown scoring decision spared him an error when a simpler groundball bounced off his glove.
What he does this year doesn't really matter. In a pair of late-season call-ups in 2003, Atkins hit .159. Three years later, he's hitting .313.
Nevertheless, the time is coming _ and soon _ when Rockies ownership will have to prove the kid Rocks are not just a way to field a team cheaply, which is the widespread suspicion.
Although Iannetta and Tulowitzki could be the answers behind the plate and at short, the organization has no one ready to fill the need for a run-producer in center, nor for a fourth or fifth starter.
Unless the Twins spring for a $12 million option on center fielder Torii Hunter, he'll be a free agent. That's the sort of acquisition that could make the Rocks intriguing next year, even if they're still a year away from contention.
Baseball history has shown, in many places over many years, that growing your own talent is not only the right way to build a team, it's the right way to build fan attachment, too. Calling on the second wave now makes sense.
But, at some point, a team that is serious about winning must complement its homegrown talent with strategic acquisitions from outside. The Rocks can now see where the organizational holes are. The question for this offseason will be whether they are willing to do anything about them.
