Chicken Friars » Yorvit Torrealba

Scouting The Opponent: Colorado Rockies

Robert Moreno — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:05:04 +0000

Every series, we at Chicken Friars will ask the editor of the FanSided team the Padres are playing some questions. We call this segment Scouting The Opponent because we are asking the questions to get to know the opposition. For our this Scouting The Opponent segment, we interviewed Rox Pile Editor Hayden Kane.

Troy Tulowitzki has caught the injury bug the past few years. How’s his health going into 2013?

Apr 1, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) watches his 2-run home run in the 3rd inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA Today Sports

Word is that he is finally 100% healthy again after shutting it down last season to have surgery. Through spring training we received updates about Tulo’s ability to swing the bat, run the bases, and make the dipping and leaning plays that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him. Those reports were all good news and he certainly appeared to be his old self, both offensively and defensively, in the opening series against the Brewers.

Will future hall of famer Todd Helton retire at season’s end?

Because Helton is not one for fanfare, he did not officially announce that this is his final season. By all accounts it is, and most fans seem ready to treat this as his farewell tour. He is still considered part of the starting lineup, but he will get plenty of rest with Michael Cuddyer, Jordan Pacheco, and eventually Tyler Colvin able to fill in at first base.

Walt Weiss has no managerial experience. Why in the world was he selected to manage the Rockies?

The interesting thing is that the Rockies front office actually sought him out for the open position. Their interest in Weiss seemed to be based on a combination of the following factors: the successes of Robin Ventura and Mike Matheny, a desire to re-connect with some of the key figures from the Rockies’ short history (Dante Bichette joined the staff as hitting coach as well), and a belief that Weiss’s down-to-business approach will resonate right away. The biggest thing Weiss has going for him is his connection to Tony LaRussa, who provided a ringing endorsement for Weiss and whom Weiss identifies as his mentor.

Yorvit Torrealba is back as a Rockie. Are fans excited to have him back?

Lukewarm excitement, I suppose. The most important contributions Torrealba can make will come in the clubhouse in the form of mentorship. Wilin Rosario‘s defense and game-calling must improve. In a word, Rosario’s defense was atrocious last season. Torrealba will try to help him and then reconnect with pitchers such as Jorge De La Rosa as they try to get back on track. If he can do those things, the fact that he is over the hill will matter less.

What’s the biggest issue surround Rockies camp?

Starting pitching. Starting pitching. And then starting pitching. The bullpen is quietly a really solid group. The offense, health pending, will produce a bunch of runs. None of that will matter if the starting pitching is historically bad again. Part of the problem last season was health and part of it was ineffectiveness. The Rockies need an immediate turnaround in both cases if they want to be relevant in 2013.

Yorvit Torrealba to the Rangers

Ernie Padaon — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:12:16 +0000

Source: YardBarker.com

Yorvit Torrealba will be playing for the Texas Rangers next season. He signed a 2 year contract worth $3 million in 2011 and $3.25 million in 2012. Torrealba will now be the starting catcher in Texas and will take over for Bengie Molina.

That will give the Padres another supplemental draft pick in the upcoming draft. The Padres already have received a draft pick for Jon Garland signing with the Dodgers.
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Black Friday: The Shopping List

Ernie Padaon — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:00:53 +0000

Source: YardBarker.com

It is Black Friday and its time to look at what the Padres have on their shopping list this and would like to bring to the team.

Middle Infielders

The Padres currently do not have a second baseman or a shortstop and are looking for athletic defensive minded players to plug into those positions. Its possible that we bring back Jerry Hairston and Miguel Tejada, BUT the Padres have also been linked to Jose Reyes, Jason Bartlett, and Japanese star Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

Starting Pitchers

Currently we have Mat Latos, Clayton Richard, and Tim Stauffer lined up to be the starters in the rotation and the rest of the rotation up in the air. We could bring up Cory Luebke to start the season in the rotation and we still have Wade Leblanc. We offered arbitration to Kevin Correia and there is a possibility that Correia accepts that offer to stay on the team. It also looks like Chris Young would like to stay on the Padres staff. The Padres are enticing for free agent pitchers looking to upgrade their value in the open market and could look to draw in some different names.

Catcher

Nick Hundley would be the starting catcher at this time, but there is no backup to him. It would be nice to bring in a veteran player to split time with Hundley and also have the veteran handle the young pitching staff. Yorvit Torrealba did an amazing job last season and was offered arbitration.