Rockies in purgatory again
The Colorado Rockies are in a very familiar place. They are too good to be at the bottom o the standings, but have too many holes to be a contender.
It’s the kind of team that people forget about because it never matters. It is never a group that is going to beplaying into October and also the kind of franchise that never has a huge glut of prospects because it just isn’t picking high enough to land a top prospect. Even when Colorado has, it has taken players like pitcher Jon Gray, who to this point seems to be a huge bust.
At 34-36, the Rockies are 10 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West and once again, are saddled with the same issues. The hitting is there, like it always is, but the pitching has a bunch of no-names in the starting rotation.
Throughout the history of the franchise, the Rockies have always been able to smash the ball. When the team first came to be in 1993, Colorado socked the ball over all the park with names like Vinny Castilla, Andres Galarraga and Dante Bichette. The lineup would then see names like Larry Walker and Todd Helton at the turn of the century, with Coors Field always playing like a band box with the thin Colorado air.
However, the pitching history is not nearly as rich. Perhaps Jeff Francis is the best Colorado pitcher to ever lace up the spikes. Ubaldo Jimenez could also lay claim to the mantle, showcasing just how pathetic the plight has been over the first 23 years of Rockies baseball.
This season, the bats are once more alive and well. Guys like DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez are hammering the ball. Arenado already has 21 home runs while Gonzalez has 15, despite the constant chatter that he could be moved elsewhere. LeMahieu’s power is down (only four bombs) but he’s hitting a team-high .324 with an on-base percentage of .388.
However, the rotation has been a blight on the sport of baseball once more. Tyler Chatwood has put forth a nice campaign with a team-best 3.15 ERA and an 8-4 record, but it’s downhill after that. The aforementioned Gray is pitching to the tune of a 4.55 ERA while Chad Bettis iss taring at a 5.44 ERA after a promising start to the season.
Then there is the unforgettable trio of Eddie Butler, Jorge de la Rosa and Jordan Lyles, who are sporting ERAs of 6.26, 7.17 and 8.55, respectively.
Ultimately, Colorado has to finally make some hard choices. Perhaps it moves a couple of good bats for some quality pitching, because the Rockies have shown no ability to develop it on their own.
At some point, something has to change.
