This is the twelfth post in a series of 30 which, at the rate I'm going, should wrap up right around the same time Jedd Gyorko's contract does. The basic premise is that I look up players who played for both the Padres and their current opponent on Baseball Reference, then create a 25-man roster out of the good and not-so-bad. Of the dozen of these I've done so far, this team is one of the worst. It makes sense, since the Rockies have only been around since 1993, leaving a smaller pool of players to choose from.
Starting Lineup:
C- Sandy Alomar, Jr.
1B- Brad Hawpe
2B- Eric Young
SS- Vinny Castilla
3B- Jeff Cirillo
LF- Greg Vaughn
CF- Steve Finley
RF- Seth Smith
It pained me so much to write Brad Hawpe in at first base, but to quote W. Axl Rose in Civil War, "My hands are tied." He actually hit well for a spell in Colorado, but it's hard to look past his brief stay in San Diego. I know Vinny Castilla made his name and his money as a third baseman, but he started out as a shortstop, and it was either that or Desi Relaford.
Bench:
C- Yorvit Torrealba
IF- Todd Walker
OF/IF- Ron Gant
OF- Jay Payton
OF/1B- John Vander Wal
There's not much drop-off from the starters to the reserves. If this theoretical team were to play a season, all of these guys would get their fair share of starts, and then some.
Starting Rotation:
Bruce Hurst
Jon Garland
Andy Ashby
Pedro Astacio
Jason Marquis
Not the most exciting bunch of guys, but in their primes they'd keep you in the game.
Bullpen:
Alan Embree
Greg Harris
Matt Herges
Marc Kroon
Mark Grant
Steve Reed
Huston Street
Harris would be the long-man and spot starter. Herges had a solid, under-the-radar career, as did Reed to a greater extent in both regards. Kroon was largely unsuccessful in the majors, but was a superstar closer in Japan. Street would render every lead after eight a sure victory.
Who would you sit or start instead? Was there anyone I left in the minors who you'd call up?