Torrealba finally finds home with Rockies

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TUCSON, Ariz. -- Finally, after 13 professional seasons, Yorvit Torrealba feels like he has a baseball home with the Colorado Rockies.He was the catcher of the future for nearly a decade in San Francisco, and then went to Seattle, where the Mariners billed him as their eventual every day backstop. It wasn't, however, until last year, his second with the Rockies, that Torrealba's future finally became the present.And truth be told, Torrealba said, what the Rockies got from him a year ago, when they won the first NL pennant in franchise history, was only a tease of what he is capable of doing."It was frustrating for me last year because the Rockies gave me a chance, nobody else had done that, and I was not 100 percent," said Torrealba. "It was a big year for me, but I think I can be even better."The Rockies are counting on it.After top catching prospect Chris Iannetta had his development slowed last year by spending the bulk of the season backing up Torrealba, the expectation is that Torrealba will be the starting catcher again this year, but Iannetta will be sent to Class AAA Colorado Springs so he will get a chance to play regularly. If something goes wrong with Torrealba, Iannetta would be game-ready for a promotion. If nothing happens this year, the hope is Iannetta would be ready to step in next season.For now, though, the focus is on Torrealba and what he can do to help the Rockies repeat as the NL champions.A year ago, despite a nagging problem with his right shoulder, Torrealba did play in 113 games, 47 more than in any previous big-league season. He hit .255 with a career-best eight home runs and 47 RBI. He also was consistently praised for the way he handled the Rockies young pitching staff, which compiled the lowest ERA in the National League after the All-Star break last year.However, he struggled throwing out runners, something that had been a strength throughout his career. He managed to throw out only 13 of 74 runners attempting to steal when he was behind the plate, including just two of the final 32.There is an emphasis this spring on Rockies pitchers holding runners better, but Torrealba admits his problems were as much self-induced as anything else."My shoulder didn't hurt me, but the strength was not there," he said. "One day it would be good, but the next day it was tight. This winter I worked a lot, playing a lot of long toss, to get my shoulder strength back. It's something I know needs to be better."But at least Torrealba knows he is going to get a chance to prove he's better with the Rockies, a team he came close to leaving as a free agent in the fall. With the Rockies unwilling to give him ore than a two-year deal, he was headed to the Mets with a three-year guarantee. Before it was finalized the Mets withdrew the offering, saying it was one year longer than they wanted.Torrealba didn't hesitate. He told his agent to call the Rockies back and get a deal done before anything else happened."It worked out for me because this is where I always wanted to stay," said Torrealba. "I never thought about any other team until the Mets came up with the three-year deal. Inside, I knew this is where I needed to play. This is where I was given a chance. It's where I knew they wanted me and liked the way I play."And while the one concern about Torrealba has been is that he has been known to display emotions, which irritates umpires, Torrealba said that's not something he expects to change."It is something I have to work on, but I have to speak up for my pitcher and do what I can to help him," said Torrealba. "If I feel I need to say something I will. I don't want a bad reputation with the umpires, but my concern is the pitcher."(Tracy Ringolsby writes for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colo. E-mail ringolsbyt(at)RockyMountainNews.com.)