Denverboten

 

I just talked about the White Sox stockpiling former Houston catchers [they have three], and I think it's wild looking at how many 'bad' teams have managed to recreate a catching battery from a past 'better' team. For instance, the 2024 Colorado Rockies have managed to reunite Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings, who were a catching battery for a few years in Pittsburgh. Diaz left for Colorado because he lost a starting gig to Stallings, and now Stallings is backing up Diaz, which is poetic justice if you ask me.

Which is to say that the Rockies aren't very good this year. They signed Kris Bryant to be the hero and are now trying to unite behind Ryan McMahon. That's not the same thing.

Look, I don't even know what to tell you. Marquez and Senzatela are injured, Bard's out for the year, and Freeland's cooked. The rest of this pitching staff is just sort of getting by, and that is not what you want in a stadium where balls fly out more than usual. The hopes of this team are resting on the shoulders of Dakota Hudson and Austin Gomber, two people who couldn't be trusted in St. Louis, and Ryan Feltner, a guy who seems to need a full season like he needs a hole in the head [and he very nearly got one of those last year]. And unsurprisingly...it's not going well. 

This Rockies team is a lot better when the pitching staff is sturdier and healthier, and it's decidedly not that this year. So that's already stacked against them. Then you have to factor in that the other 4 teams are much better, even the Giants, who are struggling recently. And then you have the fact that despite the fact that a lot of these guys are actually playing well, like Blackmon, McMahon, Diaz, Tovar and somehow Jake Cave, the guys who you want to start playing well to fuel the next stage of the team are...taking their time. Elehuris Montero hasn't really had his breakout moment yet. Nolan Jones is hitting .200, not quite disputing theories that his 2023 season was his peak. Brenton Doyle is producing a lot but not terrific defensively, which is not something you want for such a young, foundational guy.

There is a chance that things go from 'unbearable' to 'acceptable' with this team, but it probably won't happen in any way that truly challenges the rest of the division. The season for the Rockies is no longer about trying to compete, it's really about making enough progress to not lose 100 games and carry something over to 2025. And with this many contracts, it would be nice to have a palpable vision of a future for a team this dire.

Coming Tonight: A lower-tier young player who's proof that if you want to build a competitor, every step counts.