The Rockies talked to some free agent 2B this winter before deciding to stay with 30-year old righty swinging Clint Barmes as the starter. He played in 154 games for the Rockies last season and he was 135 for 550 (.245 avg, .734 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 23 homers, 76 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Barmes has a lot of punch in his bat for a 2B and the Rockies love that. He is a converted shortstop so he has excellent range at 2B. He made 12 errors there in 139 games for the Rockies last season. Look for him to have a solid 2010 for the Rockies.

28-year old lefty swinging Omar Quintanilla will likely backup Barmes this season. He played in 58 games for the Rockies last season and he was 10 for 58 (.172 avg, .480 OPS) with 7 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Quintanilla has never been much of a hitter as his career norms are a .220 batting average with a .567 OPS. Quintanilla only made 1 error in 25 games at 2B for the Rockies last season while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2009: B

The Rockies have signed 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Bronson Sardinha to a minor league deal. He played in 2007 for the Yankees appearing in 10 games in which he was 3 for 9 (.333 avg, .750 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Sardinha has also played in 953 games in his minor league career in which he is 941 for 3,517 (.268 avg, .757 OPS) with 521 runs scored, 88 homers, 472 RBIs and 87 stolen bases. This was a organizational depth signing for the Rockies and little more.

The Rockies have signed 31-year old righty swinging Josh Phelps to a minor league deal. He played in 17 games in Rookie + A-ball last season and he was 13 for 53 (.245 avg, .748 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Phelps last played in the majors in 2008 with the Cardinals. He has now played in 465 games in his major league career and he is 380 for 1,394 (.273 avg, .815 OPS) with 198 runs scored, 64 homers and 244 RBIs. I like this signing for the Rockies as it gives them quality depth in AAA.

The Rockies have signed 31-year old righty swinging outfielder Alex Escobar to a minor league deal. He last played in the majors in 2006 with the Nationals. He played in 33 games that season for the Nationals and he was 31 for 87 (.356 avg, .959 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 4 homers, 18 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Escobar has now played in 125 games in his major league career and he is 100 for 388 (.258 avg, .743 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 13 homers, 52 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Escobar was once one of the brightest prospects in all of baseball but injuries really hurt his development. Maybe he can find himself with the Rockies as it never hurts to give a guy like him a chance on a minor league deal.

The Rockies have signed 33-year old lefty starter/reliever Damian Moss to a minor league deal. Moss pitched in 59 games (4 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 8-3 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Moss last pitched in the majors in 2004 with the Rays. He has pitched in 74 games (61 starts) in his major league career and he is 22-19 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Moss has good enough stuff to pitch in the majors as he has only given up 340 hits in 361 2/3 innings in the show but he has walked 195 batters which is the biggest reason he is back pitching in AAA.