In a few weeks, we’ll be running a two-team mock expansion draft here at MLBTR – just for the fun of it! Currently, we’re creating 15-player protected lists for each of the existing 30 teams. You can catch up on the rules for player eligibility here.
So far, we’ve covered the Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Rangers, Mariners, Athletics, Angels, Astros, Twins, Royals, Tigers, Indians, White Sox, Rays, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Orioles. The Rockies are up next.
First, we’ll remove free agents Daniel Murphy, Wade Davis, Jake McGee, and Bryan Shaw from consideration. The relievers have 2021 options that could vest, but we’ll assume they won’t or at least that they wouldn’t get protected spots. Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon will take spots on the list, due to their no-trade protection. We’ll add five more players, starting off by protecting these seven:
Nolan Arenado
Charlie Blackmon
Jon Gray
Trevor Story
German Marquez
David Dahl
Brendan Rodgers
That leaves eight spots for the following 22 players:
Yency Almonte
Yonathan Daza
Ian Desmond
Jairo Diaz
Phillip Diehl
Carlos Estevez
Kyle Freeland
Josh Fuentes
Chi Chi Gonzalez
Garrett Hampson
Sam Hilliard
Jeff Hoffman
Tyler Kinley
Peter Lambert
Ryan McMahon
Dom Nunez
Scott Oberg
James Pazos
Antonio Senzatela
Raimel Tapia
Jesus Tinoco
Tony Wolters
With that, we turn it over to the MLBTR readership! In the poll below (direct link here), select exactly eight players you think the Rockies should protect in our upcoming mock expansion draft. Click here to view the results.
You have to protect Ricky Vaughn. That’s not debatable.
Oberg
Senzatela
Wolters
Hilliard
Hampson
McMahon
Tapia
Freeland
I chose everybody except for Wolters and Senzatela quick, those were the last two I chose. I would like some input from Rox fans about if my list is accurate.
I went with Lambert over senzatela. Other than that spot on, not much pitching upside in the group so you have to protect those bats.
I take Lambert over Tapia and Wolters…
Rockies fan here.
I feel they have to protect Lambert. He had a rough first year, but the Rockies can’t afford to give up on top pitching prospects. Also, I know Tapia has never been given a real chance, but he only had one half good season in the minors and hasn’t performed that great as a bench player in MLB. I don’t want them making the same mistake with Hilliard as they made with Tapia, so Tapia is expendable since Hilliard needs to be given a full-time outfield spot to see if he’s here for the future.
Those other 5 locks you had are definitely locks and then Lambert makes 6 locks. The other 2 spots are tossups and I think that you can justify a half dozen of the other guys for those two spots.
I would’ve definatley replaced Senzatela with Lambert like kscheer and you said.
Hilliard and Daza are both deserving of a real opportunity. Tapia should be a non-tender candidate next offseason.
Why are so many people protecting Wolters and his career 63 OPS+?
I know Rockies don’t get much coverage and I watch them all the time so this is biased, but I’d argue Wolters is the best defensive catcher in the league. There’s a reason he has positive WAR despite batting nearly 40% below league average.
I didn’t choose to protect him either, but that is the argument for keeping him around. Watch a few Rockies games and you’ll see what I’m talking about
Lambert yes, Wolters no. Plenty of Wolters-like vets on the waiver wire each spring. Silly to waste a spot on him, especially in a year that the Rox aren’t going to contend.
Neither one of them are even the best defensive catcher is the division
That entirely depends on how much stock you put into fangraphs pitch framing metrics. The majority of Hedges value comes from pitch framing and fangraphs blows that metric out of proportion in my opinion. rWar has Wolters as the better defensive catcher.
After looking at stats, I’ll concede Hedges is better but it’s close. I’m surprised, based on my own observations, Wolters isn’t rated better for framing.
i dont think its coverage really Wolters is a great defender but probably only 3rd best in the NL.
I had to include Jairo Diaz because he has a 0.82 FIP in OOTP 21.
Oberg should be a lock in my opinion. Outside of Nolan, Blackmon, Story, and Dahl, he’s their biggest trade chip
I think they have to protect Freeland, it would hurt like hell if another team grabbed him and saw him transform back into his Cy Young self. Somewhat similar with Hoffman, they need to see if he can succeed. McMahon, Hilliard and Hampson seem like locks, young potential building blocks. I gave a spot to Oberg, likely their best reliever, and a spot to Lambert as a young potentially valuable pitcher. Gave the last nod to Wolters, even though he’s been subpar so far he’s their starting catcher and worth protecting.
Wtf is the point of this? Millions of better things to report then this garbage MLB should be retracting not adding teams. Come on MLB get rid of at least 4 teams get rid of the teams that complain about money if they can’t afford a team give it to someone who can.
uh….
sir this is a Wendy’s
You don’t seem too bright.
Why would you protect Desmond? He is a so-so player, and has a contract that (I would imagine) expansion teams(or any teams for that matter) would run away from. I would leave him open and use that spot for another, younger, cheaper player
You wouldn’t. That’s why he is not among the top 8 vote getters.
The 8 “winners” are
Freeland, Hampson, Hilliard, McMahon, Oberg, Senzatela, Tapia, Wolters
I disagree. Peter Lambert should be ahead of at least half of thse guys. Tapia is a big no for me. For that matter, you don’t need to protect 5 outfielders and only 1 reliever. Hampson is completely superfluous on the roster. He is behind McMahon and Rodgers at 2B and behind Dahl and Hilliard in CF. Sure he is a nice player, but he doesn’t fit on the roster. He would best be used as trade bait both in this fantasy and in real life.
So if it was me, I would protect Lambert and Jairo Diaz ahead of Tapia and Hampson and I would give serious consideration to protecting Carlos Estevez ahead of either Tony Wolters or Senzatela.
Brian Mundell isn’t listed here, but the Rockies should probably add him to the 40 and give an opportunity before too long.
shouldve kept Roberto Ramos.
I get that the team was contending and preferred to lean on veterans, but it’s amazing how many young, talented players have been snubbed.
tough calls for me. i went Freeland, Chi Chi, Hampson, Hilliard, Lambert, McMahon, Oberg, and Tapia. lots of young and promising RP talent there, but you can protect 3 more in the 2nd round and can only lose at most 2 in the 1st. pains me to expose Senz, but i think he’d be a better SP elsewhere.
also rough to potentially lose Wolters, he would have been my #9.
I tossed Wolters and Tapia, kept Lamber and Senzatella, pitching too crucial.