Troy Tulowitzki appears healthy again, Dexter Fowler was signed to a long-term deal and Carlos Gonzalez is entrenched in left field. Those names, along with catcher Wilin Rosario, give the Colorado Rockies a formidable core to build around. Based on his explosive performance this spring, 21-year-old third baseman Nolan Arenado could be adding to that core sooner than anticipated.
So far, Arenado has swatted four home runs and has collected eight RBI, hitting .412 (7-for-17). Though the sample size is small, the right-handed hitting Arenado is striving to convince the Rockies that he is Major League ready after a disappointing 2012 campaign that saw him bat .285 with 12 home runs, 56 RBI and a .776 OPS in 573 plate appearances at Double-A Tulsa.
Those numbers might be favorable for many minor leaguers, but entering 2012 Arenado was No. 42 overall by Baseball America and the 22nd best by MLB.com in prospect rankings. Yet Colorado’s second round pick out of high school in 2009 is an above-average defensive third baseman who has shown the ability to hit for average and generate runs during his four minor league seasons, and the Rockies do not have an established player at the hot corner.
The National League West projects to be a three-team race with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Arizona. Even the Rockies front office admits that 2013 will likely be a transition year. Colorado could take a cautious approach and have Arenado start 2013 at Triple-A Colorado Springs, or it could give the lineup another youthful injection and give the pitching staff much-needed run support.
Considering that the Rockies need another run-producing bat and now is an ideal time to give top prospects a chance since the club is not expected to contend, the latter choice makes sense.
