The Rockies have lost 26-year old lefty swinging 1B Joe Koshansky on waivers to the Rangers. He was the #29 rated prospect in the Rockies’ minor league system heading into this season according to Baseball America. He played in 122 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 137 for 457 (.300 avg, .980 OPS) with 90 runs scored, 30 homers and 121 RBIs. Koshansky also played in 18 games for the Rockies last season in which he was 8 for 38 (.211 avg, .776 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs. Koshansky finished his career with the Rockies playing in 35 games in which he was 9 for 50 (.180 avg, .676 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. The Rockies might regret losing Koshansky down the road but he wasn’t one of their best 25 players heading into the 2009 season.

The Rockies have signed 35-year old switch hitting infielder Tomas Perez to a minor league deal. Perez played in 79 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 84 for 306 (.275 avg, .685 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 1 homer and 25 RBIs. He also played in 8 games for the Astros last season in which he was 2 for 10 (.200 avg, .400 OPS). Perez has now played in 789 games in his major league career in which he is 455 for 1,896 (.240 avg, .632 OPS) with 205 runs scored, 24 homers and 180 RBIs. This was a good depth signing for the Rockies who will likely stash Perez at AAA ball in 2009.

The Rockies have signed 32-year old lefty starting pitcher Damian Moss. Moss pitched in 41 games (15 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 5-9 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. Moss had problems with his control last season as he walked 62 batters in only 96.1 innings in the minors last season. Moss has also pitched in 74 games (61 starts) in his major league career in which he was 22-19 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. This was a low risk signing that could help the Rockies at some point in 2009.

29-year old righty swinging 3B Garrett Atkins will be the starting 3B for the Rockies again in 2009. He played in 155 games for the Rockies last season and he was 175 for 611 (.286 avg, .780 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 21 homers and 99 RBIs. Atkins made 9 errors in 94 games at 3B last season for the Rockies while showing good range. He could shift over to 1B if Todd Helton has more problems with his back in 2009.

Ian Stewart, Clint Barmes and Jeff Baker could get some P.T. at 3B in 2009. Stewart played in 65 games at 3B last season for the Rockies and he made 10 errors while showing good range. Barmes played in 13 games for the Rockies at 3B while making one error and showing poor range. He is a natural shortstop. Baker played 9 error-free games at 3B last season for the Rockies while showing outstanding range. All three of these guys are pretty good hitters leaving the Rockies in great shape at the hot corner for 2009.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B+

24-year old righty swinging shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had a bad year in 2008 for the Rockies. He played in 101 games for the Rockies last season and he was 99 for 377 (.263 avg, .733 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 8 homers and 46 RBIs. He didn’t let his problems at the plate follow him into the field however as he only made 8 errors in 101 games at shortstop last season while showing out of this world range. The Rockies are hoping for another year like 2007 out of Tulowitzki in which he played in 155 games for the Rockies and he was 177 for 609 (.291 avg, .838 OPS) with 104 runs scored, 24 homers, 99 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

Clint Barmes played in 36 games at shortstop last season for the Rockies and he made only 3 errors while showing outstanding range. He could easily fill in at shortstop for Tulowitzki and do a good job. But, he might also be the starting 2B for the Rockies in 2009. Omar Quintanilla could also fill in at shortstop if the need for the Rockies arised. He played in 39 games at shortstop for the Rockies last season and he made 3 errors while showing average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A-