Colorado Rockies
2015 Win/Loss Record:
68-94, 5th in National League West
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2009
Last World Series
Championship: None
Key Arrivals: Gerardo
Parra (OF), Jake McGee (P)
Key Departures: Corey
Dickenson (OF), John Axford (P)
Manager: Walt
Weiss, 3rd Year, W/L 208-278
Overall Review: The Colorado Rockies
have finished in last place in the NL West in three of the last five seasons. In the
other two, they were fourth. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they will be
moving up any time soon. In a division that has the Giants and Dodgers
challenging for the division crown, and the D-Backs and Padres doing all they
can to improve their team, the Rockies didn’t do anything of significance to
improve upon 2015.
The biggest transaction of the
off-season was a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rockies sent outfielder
Corey Dickenson and prospect Kevin Padlo to the Rays for relief pitcher Jake
McGee and prospect German Marquez. Not exactly something worth shouting from
the rooftops.
Offense: One thing is for certain with
the Colorado offense: playing in the mile-high city with the dense air will
always make for impressive stats. Third baseman Nolan Arenado led the charge
for the Rockies last year when he blasted 42 home runs and added 130 runs while
batting .287 and hitting 43 doubles. The All-Star proved he was more than just
a slugger when his fielding earned him a Gold Glove Award.
Also helping to provide offense
is right-fielder Carlos Gonzalez (.272, 40 homers, 97 RBIs), centre-fielder
Charlie Blackmon (.287, 27 homers, 58 RBIs and 43 stolen bases) and catcher
Nick Hundley (.301, 10 homers, 43 RBIs.) A source of concern will be shortstop
where Jose Reyes was pencilled in to start. Reyes, without even taking his legal
troubles into consideration, is on the downswing in his career. Once an standout
player with the Mets, his skills seemed to start to diminish after injuring his
ankle in 2013 while with the Toronto Blue Jays. His offense is still solid, but
he’s no longer the defensive player he was six or seven years ago.
Pitching: Jorge De La Rosa will be the
ace of the Colorado pitching staff. A 9-7 win loss record was accompanied by a
4.17 ERA (pretty decent when pitching half of his games in Coors Field) and he
struck out 134 batters in 149 innings. He will be joined in the rotation by
Chad Bettis (8-6, 4.23 ERA and 98 strikeouts) and Tyler Chatwood, who missed
all of 2015 while recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
Closer John Axford (4-5, 25
saves, 4.20 ERA and 62 strikeouts) is gone and will be replaced by former St.
Louis Cardinal and Chicago Cub, Jason Motte. While with the Cardinals in 2012,
Motte enjoyed his best season when he recorded 42 saves, had a 4-5 record with
a 2.75 ERA and 86 strike outs. Injuries wiped out his 2013 season and limited
his work in 2014, but he rebounded with a decent season in 2015 while with the
Cubs. In 57 games, Motte posted an 8-1 record, had six saves, a 3.91 ERA
and struck out 34 batters. If he can return to his 2012 form, the Rockies will
have a solid back-end of the bullpen.
 |
| Third baseman Nolan Arenado |
Prediction: The Rockies will,
unfortunately, finish in last place in the NL West again in 2016. The rest of
the division is too tough and Colorado didn’t look to make any significant
upgrades in the off-season. A decent showing, say 76 wins, will probably be
required for Weiss to keep his job as a manager for the 2017 season, but even
that many victories might not be able to help him.
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