ROCKIES: All-star third baseman Nolan Arenado is confident his team will hit its stride this season.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.» If a grade was handed out for the Rockies’ 2017 offense, it would be a D. For disappointment.
Carlos Gonzalez, Trevor Story and newcomer Ian Desmond performed below expectations, and the offense suffered as a result. There also was a lack of execution on the bases, and through some maddening stretches, Colorado bats went cold with runners in scoring position.
Thursday, second-year Rockies manager Bud Black ticked off the areas the team has worked on this spring training to rectify the problems: situational hitting; scoring runners from third base with less than two outs; cutting down on the number of strikeouts; and improving baserunning and increasing the number of stolen bases.
“Every team, every hitting coach and every manager wants improvement in all areas,” Black said.
On the surface, the Rockies’ offense looked powerful last season, finishing first in the National League in batting average (.273) and runs scored (824). MVP candidates Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon each hit 37 home runs and combined for 234 RBIs, while first baseman Mark Reynolds added 30 home runs and 97 RBIs.
But those numbers belied the reality of the offense. 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 ranked only 27th in the majors.
Arenado, who drove in 130 runs for the third consecutive season, is confident the Rockies will rebound this season, primarily because he believes Gonzalez, Story and Desmond will bounce back.
“Those guys can all hit, I know that,” Arenado said. “And I know CarGo has a lot left, and when he gets hot, he’s the most dangerous hitter in our lineup. He makes our lineup so much deeper.”
Gonzalez’s sizzling finish masked a terrible first half when he batted .221, with six home runs and only 22 RBIs. From Aug. 1 to the end of the season, he hit .325, with eight homers, a .407 on-base percentage, a .583 slugging percentage and 31 RBIs. Still, his final numbers — .262 average with a .762 OPS, 14 homers and 57 RBIs — were his worst since his injurymarred 2014 season (.238, .723, 11 and 38).
“CarGo looks really good to me right now,” Arenado said. “He’s going to give our offense a big boost. We need that; he’s going to expand our lineup.”
Desmond also must produce. Plagued by injuries, Desmond never became an offensive force, hitting .274 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs in 95 games.
“I know some people are down on Ian, but I don’t think they understand that playing a season without spring training is extremely hard,” Arenado said. “But I know Ian; he looks good and he’s working hard. He’s going to bounce back.”
Offensive droughts nearly cost the Rockies a playoff berth last season. During a parched 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.
Black shares Arenado’s faith that the offense will be better, and he’s been thrilled with Story’s approach at the plate this spring.
“We feel good about this group, based on their track record,” Black said. “You hope for bounce back from a couple of players, and there is definitely a strong possibility that will happen. If it does, heads up — a really good offense.”