3 years ago
274
I person an email pen pal named Thomas who is the eventual Rockies optimist.
He’s a beauteous savvy shot guy, but erstwhile it comes to his Rockies, helium dons purple-colored glasses. If I constitute thing helium considers excessively harsh, helium inevitably chastises maine for “being negative.” As for Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla and Sean Keeler, let’s conscionable accidental that Thomas doesn’t similar them precise much. I’ll permission it astatine that.
Late Friday night, aft the Rockies pummeled the Phillies, 11-2, successful Philly, Thomas opined that the Rockies “are precise adjacent to getting backmost to the playoffs.” He added: “Next year, Bud Black could person his champion team.”
Hmm …
Black was named manager of the Rockies connected Nov. 7, 2016. He inherited a squad from Walt Weiss that had gone 75-87 and had suffered six losing seasons successful a row.
In 2017, Black steered the Rockies to an 87-75 grounds and a wild-card berth. They got thumped, 11-8, by the Diamondbacks successful the wild-card game.
In 2018, the Rockies went 91-72 and made the playoffs again. Had they defeated the Dodgers successful Game 163, the Rockies would person claimed their archetypal National League West title. Alas, they didn’t. The Rockies did bushed the Cubs successful the wild-card crippled but were unceremoniously swept by the Brewers successful the NLDS.
Since then, good …
But backmost to Thomas’ main point. Are the Rockies truly adjacent to being a playoff squad again?
The 2021 squad is connected gait to decorativeness 74-88, fundamentally the aforesaid grounds arsenic the 2016 team. The cardinal players successful ’16 were Nolan Arenado, D.J. LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra, and starters Chad Bettis and Jon Gray. The bullpen, with a large league-worst 5.13 ERA was a mess. The starters’ 4.79 ERA was the fifth-highest successful the majors.
The cardinal presumption players Black inherited successful 2017 were Arenado, LeMahieu, Blackmon, CarGo, Para and Mark Reynolds. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, a commercialized deadline acquisition, helped immensely down the stretch.
The biggest betterment came connected the pitching side, wherever starters German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Gray began to emerge. The starters posted a 4.59 ERA, 15th successful the majors. With the summation of free-agent person Greg Holland, the resurgence of lefty Chris Rusin, and the commercialized deadline acquisition of Pat Neshek, the bullpen posted a 4.40 ERA (solid by Coors Field/Rockies standards).
So, what astir the 2022 Rockies? I reached retired to a mates of respected shot men who cognize the Rockies very well.
One of them told me: “This play is fool’s gold. I truly privation the Rockies had mislaid 100 games to unit bigger changes.”
The different said: “Outside of the starting rotation, determination are excessively galore questions. They request to adhd a batch of pieces.”
No statement here.
In bid to marque Thomas’ playoff phantasy a reality, here’s what would person to hap this coming offseason, and what would person to hap connected the tract successful 2022:
• Convince Story to motion a team-friendly declaration hold oregon judge the qualifying offer. I complaint that arsenic ultra unlikely.
• Re-sign C.J. Cron, who’s been Colorado’s champion violative subordinate and has turned into a decent archetypal baseman. There’s a accidental Colorado keeps Cron, but with the National League apt to follow the designated hitter, contention for Cron volition thrust up the price. If the Rockies tin support Cron, helium could divided DH duties with Blackmon.
• Sign starter Jon Gray to a team-friendly deal. He’s the 3rd oregon 4th starter for astir prime teams, but he’s proven helium tin triumph astatine Coors Field and that makes him much invaluable to the Rockies than to different teams.
• Sign, oregon commercialized for, astatine slightest 2 prime relievers. On a playoff team, Carlos Estevez and Daniel Bard are sixth- oregon seventh-inning pitchers, not closers oregon set-up men.
• Sign a prime free-agent outfielder who could boost the offense. The Reds’ Nick Castellanos tops the list, but helium mightiness beryllium retired of Colorado’s terms range. The versatile Chris Taylor, who plays infield and outfield for the Dodgers, would beryllium a bully pickup, too.
• Hope that Connor Joe is the existent woody successful near field. Hope that Colton Welker rapidly emerges arsenic a coagulated big-league hitter who provides a prime mitt astatine archetypal and third. Hope that Sam Hilliard figures it retired and cuts down connected his strikeouts. He’s the Rockies’ champion enactment successful halfway field.
That’s rather a privation list. So, sorry, Thomas, I’m doubting that 2022 is simply a playoff twelvemonth for your Rockies.
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