The Colorado Rockies are having a very good season so far in 2010. However, they are entering the time of year where the great teams separate from the rest of the pack --  which leads to one question --  can the Rockies be great this year? When looking at the Rockies roster, I see only one area where the Rockies may not have what it takes to be  great…the starting rotation.

While Ubaldo Jimenez has accounted for nearly 1/3 of the Rockies wins, the rest of the starting rotation has not faired quite so well. Jason Hammel has been pitching very well over his last 10+ starts and is beginning to look like a solid #2 or #3 starter. Aaron Cook looked great yesterday in the Rockies 1-0 win and showed the nasty sinker ball that made him very good over the last few seasons. Jorge De La Rosa has not been effective in his 2 starts since coming back from the DL and may need time to get back to his early season form. Jeff Francis started out well in his first 2 starts after being on the DL for all of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, but has since struggled a great deal since.

While I feel the Rockies rotation has potential to be great, there may need to be a big change for it to happen. The Rockies are in the National League West, which happens to be one of the best pitching divisions in Major League Baseball. If a team cannot send out starting pitchers night in and night out with potential to pitch 6-7 solid innings, it will be tough to compete for the division title. The more the bullpen is relied upon now, the more worn down they will be for the stretch run of September/October. Starting pitching is always important, but this time of year it becomes a key to whether a team will make the playoffs.

My question is how long can Manager Jim Tracy watch Jeff Francis struggle? Francis was once the face of the Rockies pitching staff, unfortunately that was a couple years and a couple injuries ago. Should Tracy put Francis in the bullpen until he feels more comfortable? Can Jeff Francis regain his old form and be a solid member of the Rockies rotation? Should Jhoulys Chacin be added to the starting rotation again? He did fill in pretty well earlier in the year. Whatever the Rockies decide to do with their rotation will most likely determine whether the Rockies will be great in 2010.