The Denver Nuggets are your 2023 NBA champions. That is their first championship in 47 years of existence. Their title win over the Miami Heat now means that the Colorado Rockies are the last of the four major sports teams in Denver without a ring.
The Rockies have been around since 1993 and have had their opportunities to get that ever-elusive ring. They have made the playoffs five times since the ball club was created. Most notable was the 2007 run where they made the World Series before getting swept by the Boston Red Sox. Their most recent playoff run happened in 2018 where they got swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
What’s next for the Colorado Rockies?
Since that 2018 appearance, the Rockies have been on a steady decline. The 2019 season saw a 20-win decline from the season before. 2020 was a whatever season as it was the shortened 60-game COVID-19 season. Before the 2021 season though is where it started to go downhill.
February 1, 2021 is a day Rockies fan want to forget about. They sent cornerstone third baseman Nolan Arenado and around $50 millionto the St. Louis Cardinals in return for a handful of players who haven’t panned out. Since that day, nothing has been going the Rockies way with two straight abysmal seasons and another horrific start in this first half of 2023.
If the Rockies want to be able to compete for a title in the upcoming seasons they need a lot, but mainly their young prospects need to become what they are touted to be. Most of their top prospects are still a couple years away from making it to the show, but the rookies they have called up now need to perform.
Ezequiel Tovar, who was a September call-up last season, started off this season slow but has been turning it up as of late with a 1.3 WAR as of Saturday’s action. Brenton Doyle was called up on April 24 and has been looking like he can be the center fielder of the future. He’s been playing elite defense and has shown flashes at the plate. Lastly is Nolan Jones, who was acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians and has shown insane pop at the plate. He looks like a good outfielder for the future.
Obviously the Rockies need more than just those three players. However, if they step it up and the Rockies can develop their prospects, that is how they can compete for a championship in the coming years.