Saunders is Colorado’s Sportswriter of the Year

Denver Post reporter Patrick Saunders was named the National Sports Media Association’s 2018 Colorado Sportswriter of the Year on Monday.

The award is given annually in each state and is voted on by peers. Saunders has worked at The Post since 1998 and will be entering his 13th season covering the Rockies when he heads to spring training next month.

“In my first year on the beat, Patrick’s guidance and expertise were critical in me sliding into the gig after the regular season started and immediately finding some footing,” said Kyle Newman, who also covers the Rockies for The Post.

“Patrick knows how to leverage relationships in the clubhouse to get the perfect quote or angle for a story. He can write about big, broad topics with masterful confidence Patrick or home in Saunders on the fine

details with intrigue like a baseball bard. Either way, he consistently brings the readers closer to the action and off-the-field story lines better than just about any sportswriter I know.”

Some of Saunders’ more notable stories in 2018 include spending a day behind the scenes with Rockies manager Bud Black during the team’s playoff race; explaining how a youth coach in Texas fixed shortstop Trevor Story’s swing; a heartwarming feature on Rockies broadcaster Taylor McGregor; and breaking the news that outfielder Matt Holliday was returning to the Rockies for the pennant chase.

A Denver Post reporter or columnist has won the NMSA’s sportswriter of the year award for 10 consecutive years and 17 of the last 20.

Also Monday, the NMSA named Vic Lombardi of Altitude the Colorado Sportscaster of the Year. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was named the national sportswriter of the year, and Doris Burke won national sportscaster of the year. Burke is the first woman to win the award. —