Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB Rankings: Projecting the worst teams for 2021

By Adam Taylor McKillop

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Chris Davis #19 of the Baltimore Orioles walks to the dugout after striking out in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Chris Davis #19 of the Baltimore Orioles walks to the dugout after striking out in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story
(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

Colorado Rockies: worst offseason in MLB history?

It’s time to be blunt. The Colorado Rockies suffered one of the worst offseasons in MLB history this past winter. In fact, Colorado hasn’t done much of anything during the offseasons dating back to 2018. The last time the Rockies signed a free agent to a major league contract was at the end of 2018. What’s worse? Colorado let their most prized possession, Nolan Arenado, essentially walk to St. Louis.

Arenado’s walking away came in the form of a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, but Arenado is not only a superstar but a smart guy. He saw the writing on the wall. That writing? It’s time for an exodus from Colorado because this team has many long years of miserable baseball ahead.

The Rockies finished just eight games below .500 baseball last season and fourth in the NL West. But, all of the expert models project the Rockies to finish dead last in the NL West this season, with slim to no chance at the postseason. The loss of Arenado is the biggest factor, as Colorado will have to fill his five-time All-Star caliber talent without any tangible solutions. Arenado owns 162-game averages of a .293 batting average, 35 home runs, 114 RBIs, and 181 hits.

Last season, Colorado ranked 22nd in the MLB with 63 team home runs. Take out Arenado’s eight home runs last year and the Rockies rank second to last with 55. Trevor Story is playing in his final contract year, which may indicate he’s in for a successful season. However, power hitters struggle without lineup protection, and Story may be pitched around quite often next year.

The pitching staff is a question mark, mostly because of the bullpen. Last year, Colorado ranked 29th in the MLB with a total team ERA of 5.59. The bullpen owned a 6.67 ERA in comparison to the starting staff’s 4.83 ERA. And, giving up home runs is always an issue when playing half of your games at Coors Field. Colorado gave up 83 home runs last season, 45 attributed to starters and 38 to relievers. That number will need to stay as low as possible for Colorado to retain any success this season.

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