It’s October: the air is crisp, leaves are falling, football is all around us—or the MLB postseason is about to start. But not for the Colorado Rockies. For the 18th time in their 22 years in the big leagues, the Rockies have failed to make the playoffs.
After a promising start to their season in April, the Rockies again tanked and by the time the All-Star Break rolled around in July, their season was effectively over, barring a couple of miracles: Again.
Going into the year, there was some hope. It was general manager Jeff Bridich’s first year and some thought he might infuse some new energy into an otherwise stagnant organization–maybe the Rockies would get a fresh start and turn it around. While Bridich did inject some excitement into the middle of the season with the sudden (or not-so-sudden) trade of the former face of the franchise, Troy Tulowitzki, nothing much else was new about the Rockies. The big off-season signing of veteran right-handed-pitcher Kyle Kendrick turned out to be a bust; he had a 6-13 W-L record and a 6.54 ERA, a perfect metaphor for the Rockies pitching staff.
The bullpen finished off the year with a 4.74 ERA, the worst in the entire league, and with a 26-32 overall record.
The starting rotation was also the worst in the league, besides the Philadelphia Phillies, with a 5.30 ERA and a 40-61 record. However, the Rockies hit the most home runs in the National League, second only to the San Francisco Giants in batting average and they had the most RBIs.
On the bright side, the Rockies avoided a 100-loss season with their 68-94 record, a whole two games better than last year.
But really though, there were some good moments this season. Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez both had great years.
Gonzalez had the second most home runs in the NL with 40, while Arenado tied for the most (42) with Bryce Harper. He also set the single season record for the most extra base hits by a third baseman. Among his other titles, he had the most RBIs (130) in the league.
Rookie catcher Tom Murphy was an emergency call-up, but he worked out great for the Rockies in the last weeks of the season. Pitchers Chad Bettis and Jairo Diaz also showed major growth.
First round draft pick Jon Gray was shut down at the end of the season to keep his pitch count low, and he struggled somewhat in nine games in the majors, but hopefully the experience will prove useful for next year.
The starting lineup should look fairly similar next year, but the starting rotation and bullpen will be in flux, as could be the managerial position. The Rockies have yet to have a winning season under Walt Weiss so his job is on the rocks.
Whichever way it falls, Rockies fans and players are fed up with mediocre season after mediocre season. It’s easy to say “wait until next year”, but if the Rockies don’t show any improvement next year, it will be time to clean house, starting from the top down—if they can afford to wait another year.
