Rockies who must step up to the plate
OF-1B Ian Desmond
Signed to a $70 million contract a year ago, his first year of a five-year deal was a dud. He hit .274 with a .701 OPS and just seven home runs. And he quickly fell into the pattern of hitting into groundouts (62.7 percent of his contact turned into ground balls, one of the highest marks in the league). That’s not a recipe for success at Coors Field.
But to be fair, Desmond was beset first by a broken hand, suffered in spring training last year when he was hit by a pitch, then by a hamstring injury. He never fell into a routine with his new team. This year, the 32-year-old is healthy. And Colorado manager Bud Black will make him the starting and primary first baseman.
RF Carlos Gonzalez
It seemed that Cargo was a goner after the veteran slugger walked into free agency this past winter. His nine seasons in Colorado were all but over. But then the bottom of the free-agent market fell out and Gonzalez was left without a team. The Rockies came calling again and signed him to a one-year, $8 million deal.
His 2017 was nearly a disaster, as his batting average dipped to .215 in the middle of June. But in the final month, he got on track, hitting .377 with a 1.250 OPS. Cargo will probably enter free agency again after this season. He is playing for both his spot on the team and his future in baseball.
SS Trevor Story
His sophomore season in Colorado was a breeze — in the negative sense. He struck out more than anybody in the league, with 191 K’s in 503 at-bats. The Rockies gave him a long leash because he continued to hit home runs (24), but it will be tough to stomach in the long run.
If Story can make more contact and improve his on-base percentage (.308 last season), he can become the kind of breakout star he hinted at in a terrific rookie season in 2016, when his elite-level defense and .909 OPS marked a significant arrival.
RHP Jon Gray
The 26-year-old right-hander out of Oklahoma is now the tried-and-true ace of the Rockies’ pitching staff, with an upper90s fastball and a wipeout slider. But manager Bud Black is still pushing him to become an ace in the traditional sense: a pitcher who can dominate over time, not just in spurts and spells.
Gray appears to have that ability. He had a 2.44 ERA over the final two months last season, making him one of the best pitchers in the NL in the stretch run. But he faltered in a onegame, wild-card playoff at Arizona, lasting less than two full innings. His potential to dominate is there. The Rockies are waiting for him to really unleash.
RHP Wade Davis
The Rockies have rarely spent big on free-agent pitchers without the pain of disappointments. But general manager Jeff Bridich has found a method. He is willing to spend on relievers. Last season, he lured Greg Holland to Coors Field on an incentive-heavy deal even though the pitcher missed all of 2016 because of elbow surgery.
This year, Bridich gave Davis $52 million over three years. The Rockies expect a lot from their new closer, at least something approaching what he did for the Cubs last year, when he had a 2.30 ERA, 32 saves in 33 opportunities, and a 2.82 strike-out-towalk ratio, with 12.1 K’s and 4.3 walks per nine innings.