Young pitchers made strides forward, but bullpen needs work next season to find success
Club must reform bullpen, find more clutch hitting
The image lingers: Charlie Blackmon, standing in the center of the jubilant Rockies clubhouse at Coors Field, drenched in champagne and beer and encircled by teammates chanting, “M-V-P! M-V-P!”
The Sept. 30 snapshot captured the night the Rockies clinched the National League’s second wild-card spot and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2009. They finished with an 87-75 record, the third-best record in franchise history.
And, despite an 11-8, oneand-done loss to Arizona in the wild-card game, 2017 was a leap forward for the Rockies, who snapped a streak of six consecutive seasons of losing baseball during which they had averaged 92 losses.
A closer look at key statistics reveals the good and bad, and points to major questions for 2018:
Getting started. General manager Jeff Bridich’s blueprint was clear. He invested money last winter to shore up a collapsed bullpen and counted on his young starters to mature. Despite expected hiccups and some late-season fatigue, the kids for the most part delivered.
Colorado’s four rookie starters — Kyle Freeland, Jeff Hoffman, German Márquez and Antonio Senzatela — started a combined 93 games, with the Rockies going 53-40. The quartet had a combined ERA of 4.65.
Freeland (11-11), Marquez (11-7) and Senzatela (10-5) were the first rookie trio to win at least 10 games for the same team in more than a decade, since Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco and Scott Olsen did it with Miami in 2006.
Overall, Rockies starters went 63-56, the fifth-most wins in the NL and the second-most in franchise history. The starters’ 4.59 ERA was the fifth-lowest in franchise history and the ninthlowest in the NL.
Unless the Rockies sign a veteran starter (unlikely), or engineer a trade for one (possible), three of the rookies will join Jon Gray, 25, and Chad Bettis, 28, in the starting rotation next season. The future is in young hands.
Bullpen rebuild: The Rockies’ 2016 bullpen was a disaster, as evidenced by its Nl-worst 5.10 ERA. To rectify that, Bridich signed right-handed closer Greg Holland to a contract that eventually paid him $15 million. Colorado also signed left-hander Mike Dunn to a three-year, $19 million deal. At the trade deadline, Bridich acquired right-hander Pat Neshek from Philadelphia, and Neshek delivered — until the playoff loss — going 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA and issuing just one walk vs. 24 strikeouts.
On balance, Rockies relievers improved significantly, compiling a 4.40 ERA, the seventh-lowest in franchise history.
Colorado’s 47 saves were the most in franchise history and the fourth-most in MLB. Holland had 41 of those saves, tying a franchise record.
Bridich also had made it clear that he wanted relievers who could get strikeouts when the going got tough. The strategy worked, at times, as the bullpen’s 549 strikeouts were the secondmost in franchise history.
Moving forward, however, huge questions loom, especially with Holland, Neshek and left-hander Jake Mcgee (0-2, 3.61 ERA) all becoming free agents.
That leaves the Rockies without a closer and two key setup men. Holland, who declined his $15 million player option, seems unlikely to re-sign with Colorado. Moreover, there are questions about whether the Rockies should spend big money to bring him back. After a sensational start, Holland slumped. From June 15 on, he went 3-6 with four blown saves in 22 opportunities and a 5.51 ERA.
The Rockies might have a closer on their roster, with hard-throwing but still raw Carlos Estevez a candidate. Or the club could convert one of their young starters into a closer. The bottom line: The bullpen needs shoring up, again.
Hit or miss. On the surface, the Rockies’ offense looked powerful, as it finished first in the NL in batting average (.273) and runs scored (824). MVP candidates Nolan Arenado and Blackmon each hit 37 home runs and combined for 234 RBIS, while first baseman Mark Reynolds, 34, added 30 home runs and 97 RBIS.
Dig a bit deeper, however, and it’s clear that the Rockies’ offense was a disappointment. Despite playing half their games in a hitter-friendly park, Coors Field, their 192 home runs ranked 21st in the major leagues during a season in which an all-time record 6,105 home runs were slugged.
According to the Fangraphs category of weighted runs created plus (WRC+), which attempts to rate offensive efficiency while accounting for ballpark effects, the Rockies finished with a score of 87, which was 27th in the major leagues.
There were glaring clutch-hitting droughts during the second half of the season that nearly cost Colorado its playoff spot. During a rough stretch in late August and early September, the Rockies lost 10 of 14 games, averaging just 3.4 runs while hitting .241 and .152 with runners in scoring position.
Also troubling was the Rockies’ lack of a dynamic running game. They stole just 59 bases, tied with Philadelphia for the secondfewest in the NL, and their 63.4 percent success on steals was dead last in the league.
Veteran right fielder Carlos Gonzalez, who’s red-hot September masked a terrible first half (.221 average, six home runs, 22 RBIS), will become a free agent and is unlikely to return. That means the Rockies must count on oft-injured David Dahl or Raimel Tapia (fast, but little power) to blossom in 2018.
Although it would be out of character for the Rockies, perhaps they will pursue a power hitter like Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer to add some punch to their lineup.
$70 million question. Other than Holland, no Rockies player was under more scrutiny in 2017 than Ian Desmond, who signed a five-year, $70 million freeagent deal last winter. The end result was a disappointing, injury-marred season which saw Desmond slash .274/.326/.375 with seven home runs and 40 RBIS.
Desmond was expected to drive balls into the gaps at Coors Field and use his speed to full advantage. Instead, he was a groundout machine, with an ugly 62.7 groundball percentage.
The Rockies trumpeted Desmond as a first baseman when he was first signed, but a broken hand near the end of spring training, combined with Reynolds’ hot bat, turned Desmond into a utility player at first base and in left field. He never looked completely comfortable at either position.
The Rockies signed Desmond to be an immediate, high-impact player. He was not. At age 32 he has a lot of prove in 2018. Unless the Rockies make a major offseason signing, Desmond will likely spend a lot of time at first base, but with prospect Ryan Mcmahon ready for full-time bigleague play, that’s not a given.
It’s possible the Rockies envision Desmond as a Ben Zobrist-type utility player. If so, Desmond must prove he can thrive in that role.