USA TODAY International Edition
ARENADO, GONZALEZ SEE ROCKIES TURNING CORNER
Powerful lineup, improved staff boost optimism
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. They’re at different stages of their Colorado Rockies careers, one nearly guaranteed to stick around for at least three more seasons, the other possibly on his way out.
Yet their four years together bear an unmistakable common thread — individual success in the midst of team failure.
Nolan Arenado, the National League’s top home run hitter and RBI man over the last two years and a four- time Gold Glove winner, hasn’t come close to seeing the sunny side of .500.
Carlos Gonzalez, a three- time All- Star and the 2010 NL batting champion, has played for a losing club in each of the last six seasons, reaching the playoffs once in his eight years in Denver.
In ways direct and subtle, they’ve expressed their displeasure with the team’s direction.
Now, in perhaps their final year together, Arenado and Gonzalez might see their wish for a franchise turnaround become reality.
The Rockies, despite coming off a 75- 87 season and making few major changes, are a darkhorse pick of many observers to make a run at their first postseason appearance since 2009.
“There’s a lot of expectations that we’re going to perform at a high level, and we feel good about it,” said Arenado, 25. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but I think everyone’s pretty confident about what we have here.”
What they have is a potent lineup — albeit one that gets a considerable lift at home from playing in the thin air at Coors Field — with four 25- plus home run hitters in Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story and Gonzalez. Newcomer Ian Desmond, who is transitioning from the outfield to first base, banged out 22 homers with the Texas Rangers last year.
More so than in recent memory, the Rockies also have the makings of a sturdy rotation with several pitchers hitting their prime, including Tyler Chatwood, Jon Gray, Chad Bettis and Tyler Anderson.
The bullpen, which registered the worst ERA in the majors last year at 5.13, should be improved by the addition of 2013 and 2014 All- Star closer Greg Holland and the return to full- time duties of Adam Ottavino, though both are less than two years removed from Tommy John elbow surgery. Colorado also signed left- hander Mike Dunn, who averaged nearly 68 appearances over the last six seasons with the Miami Marlins.
“This team will hit, but we know our Achilles’ heel has always been the pitching,” Gonzalez said. “They made some good acquisitions for the bullpen.”
And they’ve added a respected figure to the dugout in new manager Bud Black, who brings a sense of stability to a club forever seeking its north.
The Rockies have long known they couldn’t win consistently by merely outslugging other clubs, especially on the road, where their offense typically plunged. Last season, Colorado led the majors in runs and on- base plus slugging percentage at home but ranked 22nd and 25th elsewhere, respectively.
If the Rockies develop more consistent pitching under Black — they have exciting prospects in Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez, Riley Pint and Antonio Senzatela — they might be able to avoid their usual road woes. They’re 210- 357 away from Coors Field this decade.
“He’s a former pitcher, and he was a very good pitching coach,” Gonzalez said of Black. “It’s a big advantage to have a manager like that. I think he’s a perfect fit for this organization, because we needed a manager who knows how to handle the pitching. We’ll take care of scoring the runs.”
Gonzalez, 31, might enjoy the expected resurgence only for a while. His seven- year, $ 80 million contract expires after this season, and he has been the subject of trade speculation for the last four years.
Should the Rockies be out of contention by mid- July, it would make sense for them to explore trading him and opening an everyday spot for promising outfielder David Dahl.
Entering his 10th season in the majors, Gonzalez has learned to ignore those distractions, and he especially wants to remain focused on winning now that it has become realistic.
He and Arenado — who signed a two- year, $ 29.5 million deal in January and can’t become a free agent until after the 2019 season — are the key elements of a solid core Black will rely on for guidance and productivity.
Said Black, “With veteran players, those guys are critical not only to performance but being those leaders in the clubhouse and on the field, on the plane, on the bus, to keep the group moving forward to where you want it to go.”
Jorge L. Ortiz @ jorgelortiz USA TODAY Sports