Colorado Rockies: Most Surprising, Yet True Team

Amongst many early season surprises, the Colorado Rockies have been baseball’s most unpredictable team, jumping out to first place in the NL West.

The Colorado Rockies are on top of the world. Well, in the National League West, at least.

Surprised? You should be.

Colorado, led by their first-year skipper Bud Black, are 39-23, fresh off of their fifth straight win this time coming at the hands of the defending champion Chicago Cubs. Their first place advantage in the division now sits at two games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the past, the Rockies have never really been taken seriously in a division boasting two of the game’s best clubs in the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. They’ve always been the basement dwellers out of the West, finishing in third place or worse in the last seven seasons. Their last playoff appearance came in 2009, when they were edged by the Philadelphia Phillies in the divisional series.

Is this just an early fluke? Something that will fade away when summer turns to fall? Nope. It can’t be. The Rockies are for real, and here to stay in the NL West.

Sluggin’ at Coors

From top to bottom, the Rockies compose a sneaky, yet filthy lineup. They boast All-Star caliber talent across the board with guys like Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, and Trevor Story.

Part of their success thus far relies on their ability to build around their stars. They’ve added guys like Gerardo Parra, Mark Reynolds, and Ian Desmond in recent off-seasons to bolster an already potent lineup.

Reynolds’ 16 home runs are two shy from league leader Aaron Judge, while his 51 RBI leaves him two short of Jake Lamb‘s MLB-best 53. His coworker Blackmon is right behind him with 49 runs driven in of his own and a team-high .333 average.

The rest of the crew’s got the hang of it, too. Arenado hits at a .302 clip with 14 dingers and 42 ribbies. The former batting champ LeMahieu slashes a respectable .277/.346/.357 and has played in all 61 games.

Even 24-year old catcher Tony Wolters, who has only been with the team for 36 games, bats .302.

What might be most impressive is how they’re winning without much production from two key bats in the lineup. CarGo and Story have combined for just 13 homers and a dismal .227 average through the first two months of play. Their track records are too good to suggest these will become season-long slumps, though.

In nearly every offensive category, Colorado can be found near the top of the leaderboard behind the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros. You may have heard about these clubs, otherwise known as the best teams in baseball. It’s no coincidence the Rockies are in the thick of it.

While it may be early June, it’s evident what the theme of the season will be for Black’s Rockies: a season-long hit party, and everyone’s invited.

Pitching a Fit

Pitching in the heart of Denver can be hard to come by. Good pitching, that is.

Rockies’ pitchers have always been plagued with the elevation and how much the ball flies. While it’s a dream for hitters, it’s a nightmare for pitchers. The revolving door that has been Colorado’s past rotations can be a good testimony to this.

The 2017 season seems to be a bit of a break from the norm, and is beginning to tell a different story.

The rotation is anchored by a couple of youngsters in their rookie campaigns. Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela have combined for a 15-5 record and a 3.45 ERA.

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Tyler Chatwood, German Marquez, and Jeff Hoffman currently round out the rest of the starting five in the rotation. Hoffman owns a 3-0 record with a dazzling 2.61 ERA through 20.1 innings pitched. Marquez has struck out 44 batters in 45.2 innings of work. Chatwood’s first two starts in June have seen him pitch a total of 14 innings and allow just two earned, one each to the Padres and Cubs.

Call Chatwood the veteran arm of the bunch, if you will. He’s the staff oldest pitcher at 27 years young. Freeland, Senzatela, Marquez, and Hoffman are no older than 24.

Just a few weeks before pitchers and catchers reported, general manager Jeff Bridich added one of the game’s most elite closers, who was still a free agent. He signed Greg Holland to a one-year deal worth $7 million. A steal, really, given his six-year track record with the Kansas City Royals.

Holland has been lockdown out of the ninth inning, converting 21 saves in as many opportunities. He’s held batters to a .139 average, and has surrendered just three runs in 21.2 innings. Throw southpaw Jake McGee into the mix, another late-inning man, and the Rockies have an impressive one-two punch out of the eighth and ninth innings.

The DL Club

It’s pretty amazing to see how well the Rockies have played, considering how injury-plagued they’ve been this year.

Currently on the 10-day disabled list is Parra, Adam Ottavino, David Dahl, and Jon Gray. Chad Bettis is sidelined on the 60-day DL with testicular cancer.

Mike Dunn, Desmond, and Story have also spent time on the disabled list this season.

Next: Don't Overlook the Colorado Rockies Outstanding Bullpen

One season ago, the Rockies had one of the worst starting rotations in all of baseball. It had been a continuous trend that lasted years, something that was just expected out of the club. Now a handful of promising young talent is flipping the script.

The Rockies finally have a rotation that goes hand-in-hand with their mighty lineup. You might not have expected them to own one of the best records in baseball, but don’t be surprised when they stick around to contend in October.

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