With the start of the 2019 season rapidly approaching, I believe it’s time that we give you the ultimate breakdown of each division and predict their position in the standings come season’s end. It’s hard to predict record, so we’ll just give you their placement in the standings. Of course, this is coming from a fan’s perspective and what we think it could look like, not what it will. Today, we focus on the National League West and the Colorado Rockies:
Colorado Rockies
2018 record: 91-72, 2nd in NL West, 2nd Wild Card
Projected Lineup:
LF Charlie Blackmon
1B Daniel Murphy
3B Nolan Arenado
SS Trevor Story
CF Ian Desmond
RF David Dahl
2B Ryan McMahon
C Chris Iannetta
Pitcher
Starting Rotation:
LH Kyle Freeland
RH German Marquez
LK Tyler Anderson
RH Jon Gray
RH Chad Bettis
Key Bullpen Pieces:
RH Wade Davis
RH Bryan Shaw
RH Scott Oberg
LH Jake McGee
RH Seunghwan Oh
Key Bench Pieces:
C Tony Wolters
IF Mark Reynolds
The Rockies ended the 2018 regular season with 91 wins, the first time since 2009 that they reached the 90 win plateau. They were bested by the Dodgers in game 193 for the NL West title, defeated the Cubs in the NL Wild Card game and then finally were swept by the Brewers in the NLDS. A heartbreaker for Colorado fans, but if it told you anything, it was that the Rockies are a force to be reckoned with heading into 2019. The Rox hope to continue to ride this wave into the new season. They signed Daniel Murphy to be their everyday 1B. I anticipate him having a huge bounce back year after injuries derailed his 2018 season. Trevor Story had a breakout year in 2018 crushing 37 home runs and 42 doubles, along with a .291 average and OPS of .914. Charlie Blackmon had a down year to Charlie Blackmon standards, but he still batted .291 with 119 runs. And Nolan Arenado continues to put up MVP caliber numbers, which warranted his 8 year, $260 million extension. Sure, they lost LeMahieu and Cargo, but they still have the offensive tools needed to make another run at the division title.
What could hurt their chances will be their starting pitching. Both Kyle Freeland and German Marquez led the way for Colorado’s rotation, but it was quite a drop off after them. Jon Gray, the 3rd overall pick in the 2013 Draft, has not lived up to his ace potential since making his debut in 2015. He was at one pointed option to Triple A and was not even named to their NLDS roster after ending 2018 with a 5.12 ERA, 27 home runs and 98 earned runs allowed. If you ask me, 2019 is a make or break year for Gray, who will be entering just his age 27 season.
With the loss of Adam Ottavino, the focus of the Rockies’ bullpen will be back to Wade Davis who, despite saving 43 games last season, held a 4.13 ERA, 30 earned runs given up and a FIP of 3.65. Bryan Shaw also looks to bounce back to his form as a member of the Indians during their 2016-2017 run. Last year, his ERA of 5.93 was second worse to only Jake McGee’s 6.49 among relievers who appeared in at least 60 games. One bright spot of the pen is on Scott Oberg, who appeared in 56 games and held a 2.45 ERA, 2.87 FIP and 0.989 WHIP.
As I said before, the offense seems to be there, but the Rockies do have some questions when it comes to the center of the diamond-the mound. If guys like Gray, Chad Bettis, Shaw and McGee can find their form, then the Rockies can once again become serious contenders for their first ever NL West title. As of right now, I see another Wild Card game appearance is in their future, but it will be a battle for that in the NL, as well.
2019 prediction: 2nd in NL West
