Welcome to the final few weeks before opening day! I hope you have been enjoying spring training as much as I have. Baseball is close! I am overjoyed! March began the official Ball Boy Blog previews of all 30 teams. The previews feature all the Free Agent signings, trades, NRI, bold predictions, and some cool fun facts at the end! We are starting at the top of the 2020 ranks and working our way down from best to worst! Enjoy!
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NL Team: Colorado Rockies
Last Year Record: 26-34 and finished 4th in the NL West
Record x2.7: 70.2-91.8
Vegas Projected: Vegas has the Rockies projected to win 64.5G; I feel for the Rockies because of their home park. I have them slotted to win about 70 games and finish in 4th place in the NL West.
Impact Departures:
OF Matt Kemp(FA), 1B Daniel Murphy(FA), C Drew Butera(FA), RHP AJ Ramos(FA), OF Kevin Pillar(FA), C Tony Wolters(non-tendered), SP Chi Chi Gonzalez(non-tendered), OF David Dhal(non-tendered)
Traded:
INF Christian Koss, 3B Nolan Arenado
Key Arrivals
Free Agent Signings:
C Elias Diaz(tendered -.01WAR, .235/.288/.353 over 73PA in 26games), RHP Jairo Diaz(tendered, -0.6WAR with a 7.65ERA/6.64FIP over 20IP with 17K)
Traded for:
LHP Yoan Aybar- A converted RP can reach triple digits on the mound. In his MiLB work between Single-A and High-A has posted a 4.61ERA with an 11.1K/9 over 56.2IP.
P Robert Stephenson(A once well-regarded pitching prospect who has been inconsistent at best in his MLB time. In 2020, in 10IP, he posted a 9.90ERA/12.19FIP/1.40WHIP)
CF Jameson Hannah(He hasn't played above High-A ball and in 538PA in the MiLB level has slashed a .275/.340/.371 the 23yo could get an extended look in the spring.)
Rule 5 Draft Selections:
RHRP Jordan Sheffield- The 25yo has reached the AA thus far after four seasons in the MiLB. His career numbers in the MiLB aren't great as he holds a 4.56ERA, 5.15RA/9, 1.51WHIP with 240K-128BB over 211.1IP. The career 5.5BB/9 will need to come down if he wants to stay on the MLB roster. His AA work has been much better as he owns a 3.58ERA, 3.82RA/9, 1.54WHIP over 37.2IP with 48K-32BB. Sheffield will fill a need in pen for the Rockies in 2021 and hopefully beyond.
KEY NRI:
INF CJ Cron-
1B Greg Bird- The 28yo has struggled since his excellent rookie season in 2015 due to multiple injuries. Since that rookie season five seasons ago, he owns a .194/.287/.388 slash over 522PA.
UTL Chris Owings- The 29-year-old slashed .268/.318/.439 with 2HR over 44PA. He is a career .241/.285/.367 slash with 36HR, 76SB in 2346PA.
C Jose Briceno- Will enter into the mix at C with Tony Wolters, Elias Diaz, and Dom Nunez. Over his 134 MLB PA, he has slashed .239/.299/.385. Over four seasons in the MiLB, he has slashed .251/.286/.464.
1B/OF Conner Joe- Joe was forced to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in march. Over his 446PA, the 28yo has slashed a .300/.426/.503
SP Chi Chi Gonzalez- after being non-tendered by the club, he was resigned on 12/11 to a MiLB deal with an invite. In 2020 he pitched to a 6.86ERA/5.54FIP over 19.2IP. Gonzalez will be a crucial piece of the rotation for 2021 as they need all the pitching depth they can get going into 2021.
NRI:
C Rocky Gale, RHP Julian Fernandez, RHP Brian Gonzalez, RHP Joe Harvey, RHP Heath Holder, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, RHP Chad Smith, RHP Jesus Tinoco, C Max Geroge, C Willie Maciver, C Chris Rabago, C Brian Serven, INF Eric Stamets, INF Alan Trejo, INF Ryan Vilade,
Tendered Contracts:
2B Ryan McMahon, OF Raimel Tapia, RHP Robert Stephenson, RHP Carlos Estevez, RHP Mychal Givens, RHP Daniel Bard, SP Antonio Senzatela, SP Kyle Freeland, SP Jon Gray.
Selected Contracts
INF/OF Bret Boswell, LHP Lucas Bilbreath, LHP Helcris Olivarez, INF Colton Welker. Welker(No.7) and Olivarez(No. 15) rank among the organization's top prospects.
Returning from IL:
SP Jon Gray, RHP Scott Oberg, RHP Peter Lambert, INF Chris Owings
Prospect Watch to Watch in Camp
-RHP Ryan Rolison, OF Jameson Hannah both are top 30 prospects for the organization. The Rookie I am watching is RHP Ryan Rolison. Rolison is the organization's #2 prospect. The 23yo starter owns an 8-9 record over 160IP in the minors. He has a 3.94ERA with 166K-48BB.
-Also, keep an eye on Colton Walker and Ryan Vilade, who are both looking like legit MLB players in camp. Both will start the AAA season and be up in the bigs once the Rox realizes they aren't a good team.
Fantasy Impact Players
Pitchers- stay away from all ROCKIES PITCHERS in the draft! Maybe look in the direction of Daniel Bard if you are desperate for a reliever.
Position- SS Trevor Story, OF Raimel Tapia, OF Charlie Blackmon
Upcoming 2022 Free Agents:
-The most prominent name is SS Trevor Story, with Story entering the open market and being atop the mega class of SS next winter. Look for the Rockies to get a little bit of value out of Story close to the deadline.
-OF Charlie Blackmon will be 36 come seasons end and hold a $21.3mil player option, which he will most likely take.
-OF Ian Desmond will also carry an option, but he carries a club option next season. It will be interesting to see if Desmond returns this season after his 2nd opt-out.
-P Jon Gray and Mychal Givens will both be free-agents as well.
Storylines to follow
-SP Antonio Senzatela(3.44ERA/4.57FIP), SP Kyle Freeland(4.33ERA/4.65FIP), SP Jon Gray(6.69ERA/5.06FIP). The problem wasn't solely on these three for the woes felt during the 2020 season. However, they all need to bring down the runs if the Rockies even want to have a chance at winning some games. Each needs to bring the ERA/FIP down around 3.5 if they hope to compete and prove to us that the Arenado trade didn't start a rebuild.
-The NRI that I am watching in camp is 1B Greg Bird. Bird has battled injuries since 2015 and has only been able to post a .194/.287/.388 slash over 522PA. Should Bird show he is healthy enough to be on the field, I can see Bird bringing a great value to the Rox.
Bold Predictions
-I was all in on Raimel Tapia last season, and the hype continues for the 27yo outfielder. After playing in 51 games and posting a .321/.369/.402 slash over 206PA. I am all in Tapia to breakout this season.
Fact Check:
Built-in 1995, Coors Field is the third oldest stadium in the National League.
The purple seats at Coors Field are a mile high. The seats in the 20th row of the upper deck at the ballpark mark precisely 5,280 feet. The playing field itself is 80 feet lower at 5,200 feet.
Dinger, the Rockies mascot, is a dinosaur because a dinosaur skull was found on stadium grounds while it was being built.
Thanks for reading today, I am so grateful for your time reading, and I hope you enjoyed reviewing and previewing the Rockies 2021. I also want to thank my partners over at Repp Sports for RAZE Energy. Thanks to this clean and sufficient energy, I can have the intense focus to deliver content to you guys consistently. Click here to save 15% right now with the code "BALL BOY" at check out.