Originally Posted by
gut
Rockies add Shaw, Mcgee, and Wade Davis for a combined 3/106. For every other team I would think this is horrible, but for the Rockies it is great. They've finally figured out that starting pitchers that are not used to pitching at altitude generally suck ass in CO, unless they are extreme ground ball pitchers. Analytics has benefited this team perhaps more than any other team due to the unique altitude situation.
Their new plan is great: Ignore the FA market for starters (added bonus of saving money on the most expensive position), draft and develop ground ball inducing SP's, spend big on the bullpen/bats. They have 1 of their rookie league teams, their low A team, and their AAA team all at altitude as well, so these kids get used to pitching in the thin air. Once they make the show, hope that those SP's can give you 5 innings of decent pitching then turn it over to the bullpen. This started working last year, and they should be even better this year. It helps that their recent high draft picks for hitters have all developed well. The next one, Brendan Rodgers, looks like the best hitting prospect in all of baseball right now, and is a SS.