3 Colorado Rockies who need to bounce back in 2023
Spring training is now underway and we are just over a month away from the start of the 2023 MLB season. The Colorado Rockies are poised for another disappointing season and a possible last-place finish in the National League West. Even with that being said, there are three Rockies who are in need of a bounce back season.
These Colorado Rockies players need to return to form in 2023
First off is Colorado’s big free agent acquisition in 2022, Kris Bryant. Going into the 2022 season, Bryant had signed a seven-year, $182 million contract before only playing in 42 games because of injuries. While in those games, he did perform well (slash line of .306/.376/.475 and an OPS+ of 125). However, he is getting paid to put up these numbers across a full season. Some Rockies fans are already starting to grumble about the contract, so Bryant will have to show he is worth the money in 2023. While he doesn’t have to return to his 2016 MVP season, what I would consider a bounce back would be a 25-homer, 80-RBI season with an OPS+ of 120.
Next is the considered ace of the team, Germán Márquez. Márquez, who was an All-Star in 2021, had the worst season of his career in 2022. In 181.2 innings, he posted an ERA of 4.95, only 7.4 SO/9, and 9.2 H/9. Márquez is going into a contract season and needs to perform before he hits the market. While pitching at Coors will expand your ERA a good bit, he has had an ERA of 4.40 or lower in every other full season of his career. To bounce back this season and be able to make good in the market, he needs to put up a stat line around 4.40 or better ERA, get his SO/9 back above 8, and have a SO-BB ratio of 3-1 or better.
The final person who needs to bounce back in 2023 is one of the bigger pieces in the Nolan Arenado trade, Austin Gomber. After an above-average first year in Colorado in 2021, his 2022 season was something we’d all love to forget. In 124.2 innings, he pitched to a 5.56 ERA, ERA+ of 84, and only 95 strikeouts. Gomber is set to be a free agent after the season and, with him being a main piece of one of the biggest fleeces in MLB history, he needs a big bounce back. In 2023, he needs to get his ERA below 5.00, his strikeout numbers way up, and a WHIP below 1.300.
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It will likely be a long season for the Colorado Rockies and their fans this upcoming season, but let’s all hope these players can return to their prior form.