Rock Bottom

 

In a year where the A's have more young talent, the White Sox at the very least have better pitching, the Pirates have Paul Skenes and the Nationals are in fourth, the Colorado Rockies have found themselves looking at the 'worst team in the bigs' designation, at least for a bit. And it's not like the Rockies haven't tried to elevate themselves from this. They currently have Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle, Adael Amador and Zac Veen up in the majors, and that's not working either.

The main issue with the Rockies, even if the organize great teams or bring the talent in the right places, is that it's very difficult to get all of them on the same page. Kris Bryant was not a good fit for this team when he signed, and he's not a good fit for it now. Once again he's struggling to hit for average, hitting .154 with 1 RBIs and 6 hits so far. As recently as 2022 this guy was a reliable, consistent hitter with amazing versatility and great production. Something about Denver just does not fit Bryant's sensibilities, and I don't know if there's going to be a moment where everything clicks. It's like Josh Hamilton in Anaheim or Anthony Rendon...in Anaheim. Or Justin Upton in...okay maybe Anaheim's the problem in those cases. Bryant's dragging the team down, cause I don't know how he and Zac Veen could even be on the same page, despite both not hitting for average right now.

Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Ryan Feltner are all healthy, reliable...and have yet to record a win. The only starting pitcher to record a win thus far has been Chase Dollander, a rookie I have never heard of. All the veteran starters have ERAs of 4.50 or higher, just trying to at least get out there consistently and do their best. I hate that even Marquez looks like the best days are behind him. He's striking less people out, less wholly dominant. Kyle Freeland might be the closest to good, with a 1.208 WHIP, but even he's given up 13 earned runs thus far. The bullpen isn't much better, as only Jake Bird seems to be getting out unscathed at the moment. 

The big stat with this team belongs to Kyle Farmer, who is batting .333 with 17 hits, including 8 doubles...and only one run. 4 RBIs as well. Kyle Farmer gets on base a ton but there's nobody to bring him home. In Denver, land of a thousand power hitters. When the nearest power hitters are Michael Toglia, who's streaky as hell, Bryant, who's in his 'couldn't hit water if it fell out of a canoe' era, and Mickey Moniak...it's not great. McMahon and Doyle are more well rounded and they're being relied upon for power numbers. So's Hunter Goodman, who's basically being slotted in at catcher to control Drew Romo's service time. 

Nothing's working. It's a 3-14 team, just getting done playing the Dodgers. It's...bad. I don't think this team will be 2024 White Sox bad, but it might be similarly difficult to get through.

Coming Tomorrow- The longest tenured Tampa Bay Ray, which is a lot like being the oldest cast member on a Disney Channel Original Series. 

Many Frazzled Returns

 

I don't think I ever pinpointed which last place team was the most fun to cover. I mean, I probably will formally in a superlatives post in a few weeks. But...honestly, it was harder than usual to really pinpoint which of the six counted as fun. There were GOOD last place teams, like the Jays and Pirates, and insanely depressing last place teams, like the White Sox and Angels, but nothing really evoked the scrappy, enjoyable feel of several last place teams of the past few years, at least not til very late in the year.

The Rockies may be the single most passable last place team in the league. In that there's stuff that works, clearly, and there's players they can bank on, but there's so much dullness elsewhere that it's hard to really savor it.

Okay, so there are good starters this year, right? Austin Gomber and Cal Quantrill. But of course, because they have to pitch in Denver all year they're gonna end up with high ERAs and no wins, and it's all gonna even out after really strong starts. There's a chance for the three contracted veterans to make it back this year, right? Yeah, but only one's gonna actually factor into the season. Kyle Freeland started 19 games this year, had a 4.89 ERA and struck out 79. There's really not that much you can say about that. German Marquez came back for one game then immediately went back on the IL. Antonio Senzatela just had his first start of the season, but I think it's safe to say it's too late for him to have any actual impact on the team.

Pretty much every Rockies team since Story left has rolled into a routine. Okay, Bryant's gonna be disappointing, the rotation's gonna fall apart, the bullpen's gonna start decent and hit a landmine, Blackmon's not gonna do anything close to his prime, maybe a couple young people will do something cool but not the ones we're truly banking on. And even with Tovar, Doyle, Toglia and McMahon having great seasons, there's a ton more routine than anything. Just run of the mill stuff for these Rockies. Team average of .242, team ERA over 5. That's just...how it is. 

Next year might be the same, even if there's more pieces ironed on now. The rotation seriously needs to improve, and it takes all three of the contracted guys actually staying healthy. Marquez is off the payroll after 2025, and while it'd be hysterical if he pitched well the moment he has the potential to no longer play for the Rockies, you have to worry that the same outcome's gonna happen again. Same with Bryant, you just really can't trust him anymore after he's pulled this shit three years in a row. Even if there's more improvement, even if Drew Romo comes into his own, you've still got so many of the same problems that could persist.

And all of this while the rest of the NL West continues to improve. So unless a lot of things suddenly spring to life in Denver, it may be another long season for the Rockies' fans.

Coming Tomorrow- He was hurt for a few months, but he's healthy again in time for a playoff run. 

Kyle-On

 

I think it's, at the very least, an impressive achievement for the Rockies to have 3 guys in the rotation that have been there for 7 seasons. A pitching climate like this is subject to a quick turnaround, and even guys like Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez, that stayed for a while, eventually had to get out. Meanwhile, Marquez, Freeland and Senzatela are still Rockies starters.

Now...granted, Kyle Freeland is only one that's currently healthy, but...the other two are still Rockies [against all odds, honestly].

Freeland is, thankfully, having his best season in a while. Not that he's been bad since 2018, his breakthrough season, but he hasn't been the same. This current climate, you have as good of a season as Freeland's 2018 and your arm is gonna take a while til you're back there. Not every pitcher is Justin Verlander and can do that every year til 35. Freeland was injured for part of 2019 and 2021, and has at least been more consistent since then, especially last year, but his 2023 start, where he's already sporting a 1.4 WAR with 2 wins and a 0.96 ERA through 3 starts, is his best stuff in years.

I think what's obvious is, because of the altered emphasis, Freeland's not striking out as many guys as he was in 2018, because I think starters are beginning to realize that it's not wise to throw as hard as that if they want 15-year careers. Freeland has only struck out 11 guys through his first 3 starts, which, compared to Gerrit Cole's numbers through 3, isn't much at all. The bottom line is he's still efficient, even if the occasional hitter [in last night's case, Andrew McCutchen] can get the best of him. And with the Rockies now stuck starting people like Jose Urena, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner for a while, they need somebody like Freeland who can be consistent and reliable. With all his post-2018 struggles, I'm glad he can be that guy again.

Other than that, not a ton of true triumphs for this Rockies team. Elehuris Montero's hitting well, Blackmon's at least spending the last year of his contract contact-hitting, Bryant's apparently an enemy of the statisticians and Noah Davis delivered some intriguing stuff in his 2023 debut. Not close to the rest of the pack but not terrible. I think they have enough to escape 100 losses, but time will tell if that ends up being accurate.

Coming Tonight: A guy that already has 20 RBIs. 

21 Stuns

 

I still think it's very funny that in all the rebuilding the Rockies have done over the past few years that the only homegrown starter they've managed to let leave has been Jon Gray, and that was just last year. 

It's admirable. German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela all still pitch for the Rockies. Now I think what's made them stick around is that they haven't all been good at once. Freehand had his big 2018 and then fell off only to slowly build back over time. Marquez had some huge years towards the end of the 2010s then has struggled in the last two. Senza's been all over the place, going from unreliable in 2019 to the closest thing the Rox had to an ace in 2020. And this season, all three are relatively okay. Freeland's having the best season, with a 4.56 ERA and 89 Ks, but this isn't as good as it was in 2018 under a better team and a younger arm. Marquez, with his 5 ERA, is either cooked or just sick of pitching in Denver. Senza has improved in his last few starts but still has an ERA around 4.5 and a 3-6 record. 

And the thing is, they have these three locked up for a little while. Marquez could leave after next year, but Freeland and Senzatela will be here until roughly 2026. So the goal is to keep these guys here, competitive streak or no, and train the new guys. And...look. I am fine with the current strategy of bringing in cheap options and hoping the prospects eventually blossom, but it's less than trustworthy so far considering that the prospect in question is Ryan Feltner and he still hasn't figured it out. The Rox have been trying Jose Urena, and while he's been responsible for some hair-raising defensive plays, he's only sporting a 4.86 ERA in 7 starts. Austin Gomber is alright but he's not quite playing as well as he did in St. Louis. 

That's the main problem with the Rockies. Yes, they have a lot of guys pinned down for a while, but the room they're leaving for new talent isn't always letting the right people come through. The Rockies have put their eggs in the baskets of a lot of people like Pat Valaika, Peter Lambert, Sam Hilliard and Dom Nunez, who haven't exactly repaid them. Am I just gonna assume some of these people like Ryan Feltner, Elehuris Montero, Alan Trejo and Colton Welker are in danger of falling into that category as well. There's a good core in place right now with Cron, McMahon, Joe, Rodgers and co, but what this team really needs is a steady roll of people who can carry the team afterward, like what's happening in Houston right now. I hope they can get that, and that Freeland and Senza will be able to help.

Coming Tonight: Last year they said he was a bust. And yet here he is. 

Free Fallin'

 

One of the interesting things about the Rockies is that even after the sort of dissolution of the core of the competitive lineup, the starting rotation continued to stay pretty much the same, only really losing lower pieces like Tyler Anderson and Jeff Hoffman. With the exception of Austin Gomber, netted in the Arenado trade, the Rockies' rotation of Kyle Freeland-German Marquez-Jon Gray-Antonio Senzatela-Chi Chi Gonzalez has been the same since 2018. 

I mean, you think that some of these guys would have changed hands by now. Marquez has been a trade target for the last few seasons, Freeland could have gone after 2018, and Senza was hot last year. And yet they're all still here, and they're all in decent condition. Marquez and Gray have had the bigger years, but Freeland is slowly rebounding into his former self, with 81 Ks and a 4 ERA. I do think he's going to really need to pull something together soon in order to keep from being a one-season wonder, but he's not terrible. Senza is even beginning to have some nice starts lately, and is slowly lowering his ERA. But currently, Marquez and Gray are the big guns, even if Gray is currently hurt. And Gomber is slowly moving towards their caliber, with a decent season under his belt.

Hell, there's also been some fine activity from C.J. Cron, bringing in some much needed offensive production and boosting his 2021 resume. And you're also seeing people like Connor Joe, Brendan Rodgers and Elias Diaz step into the ring with some decent action. So while this team isn't anywhere near contending, they're also definitely not a completely awful team, and there's a lot of promise left.

Which begs the question...for the offseason, do the Rockies split up the rotation and fully commit to tanking for a few years, or do they try to work their way back up the division with this lower-budget core? True, a lot of this plan would involve the majority of this team to repeat success next year, and this would need to happen without Trevor Story, who will likely be signing somewhere depressing during the offseason [way-too-early guess? Angels], but...with the right moves, this Rockies team could be a sleeper hit next year. 

It's a long way off, and it probably might be too crazy to happen, but there's this slim chance of them turning it around in 2022. I fully expect to be wrong, but...stranger things have happened.

Coming Tonight: A catcher who will likely be out of a job next season. 

Thrown Off Coors

The Rockies are winning games at home. The pitchers are winning games at home.

The  core rotation has gone around 3 times, and all 4 pitchers have ERAs lower than 4, Antonio Senzatela has 3 wins and is off to his best start since his come-up in 2017, and Kyle Freeland...is proving last year was a fluke, and getting right back to kicking ass on the mound. He's got 2 wins, a 3.41 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and  a 1.071 WHIP. Compared to last season, it's a needed improvement and a sign of good things to come.

It also helps that German Marquez and Jon Gray are also in good form, but this isn't especially rare for them. I'm just glad they're healthy.

And look, Wade Davis being injured isn't a great thing, but it is great that Jairo Diaz has stepped right into the closer role and has 3 saves, while also working around a tight-knit bullpen where Yency Almonte, Tyler Kinley, Carlos Estevez and DANIEL BARD are all giving excellent innings. The pitching doesn't usually go this well in Colorado, and I'm ecstatic that it is.

The lineup ain't bad either. Not many people just plain  aren't hitting, the core of Arenado, Story and Blackmon is still strong, Daniel Murphy's having his best season in years, and Chris Owings and Matt  Kemp are playing really well off the bench.

This team has 10 wins and is doing great, though as of recently so do the Dodgers, and the fact is the Dodgers with momentum is still very  scary. I fear the Rockies may lose momentum, and first, to inevitability, and as fun as they  are right now, I want the fun to keep going. Remember, the Rockies have never finished a season  in 1st place, and it'd be a nice change of pace, even with the Dodgers and Padres chasing them.

Coming Tonight: The youth movement's hit a curb, but this guy they got from Houston a few years ago is at least doing well.

Don't Count Out the Rockies (or their Pitching)

The Rockies have won 8 out of their last 10 games. Their pitchers have higher WARs than their hitters. And they're still technically in the race. Weird stuff.

Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson and Adam Ottavino are having fantastic seasons, the latter coming from the still-alright bullpen. Anderson, coming off a disappointing 2017, has mastered his fastball, and is looking pretty consistent. Kyle Freeland is still the staff ace, though, and is probably the sharpest pitcher, and the one that would probably do the best if he didn't pitch in Coors Field. I'll also say that Jon Gray and German Marquez, while not faring well at Coors Field, are still fantastic strikeout artists. Gray is averaging 11 strikeouts per game, which is...for a Colorado Rockie, pretty unheard of, even if his ERA is, once again, too high. And Chad Bettis, when healthy, is still pretty nice.

The lineup, aside from Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story, pale in comparison. There's just not a lot of positive momentum here, and this is in a stadium built for home run hitters. Ian Desmond's still slumping, Carlos Gonzalez has gone the way of Jose Bautista, none of the trio of rookies has done anything remotely good in the majors, and neither option at catcher can hit for average.

The Rockies' offense has been coming alive as of late, but I don't think this roster has enough to hold a substantial lead, or to make a playoff effort. There are too many problems, and too many people in the lineup that aren't on. Arenado and Blackmon can't carry the team, and the pitching can't do most of the work, at least at this state.

Still, the race is close enough that anything could happen with this team. I'm just not thinking it'll go well.

Coming Tomorrow- The aforementioned Astros hitter I was supposed to post before the JA Happ thing messed up the order.

The Air's Thinner Than The Lead

There was a Sports Illustrated article recently about pitching in Denver, and how they've tried everything in recent years to keep pitchers from getting chewed up. This year, they decided to try raw talent- Kyle Freeland, Jeff Hoffman, Antonio Senzatela, German Marquez, Tyler Chatwood and Jon Gray are all doing pretty damned well in Denver this year. True, Chatwood and Gray's ERAs are leaving a bit to be desired, and Senzatela's spending some time in AAA to spruce things up, but this is the first time in years that a legitimate collection of talent has been thrown into one Colorado rotation.

The Rockies have the interesting position of being right there with most of the competing NL teams...but still being 10 and a half games out of first. It's an odd position, because they're a great team, and are doing awesome things this season, but aren't even close to catching the Dodgers. They're already just working for a Wild Card spot, which...again, they basically have, unless the grand Cubs comeback that we're all secretly hoping to happen just shows up and clobbers them in September.

Freeland, Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Mark Reynolds and a host of others are making the Rockies watchable in a season where they didn't have to be. I'm just happy that there's at least some progress.

Coming Tonight: The Red Sox closer.