It's time to look back at every team from around the MLB and what they showed us during the 60 game sprint!
We are going to explore a few things for each team: Review in-season transactions, what we learned, what we loved, what we didn't love, the most significant need(s), and lastly, the biggest takeaways.
Let's jump over the NL with the Colorado Rockies today. We talked about the Padres, A's, Marlins, Yankee's, Cardinals, Whitesox, Cubs, Twins, Reds, BlueJays, Brewers, Indians, Giants, Phillies, and Mariners thus far; you can find all posts on the homepage https://www.theballboyblog.com/.
What moves did the 2020 Rockies make?
Colorado Rockies traded RHP Jesus Tinoco to Miami Marlins for RHP Chad Smith.- This was a depth move for the Rockies, and didn't use Chad Smith at all.
Baltimore Orioles traded RHP Mychal Givens to Colorado Rockies for 1B Tyler Nevin, SS Terrin Vavra, and Player To Be Named Later. J- Givens struggled in his 9.1Ip for the Rox and pitched to a 6.75ERA.
Boston Red Sox traded CF Kevin Pillar to Colorado Rockies for Player To Be Named Later and Future Considerations.- Pillar was perfect for the Rockies hitting 2HR, 13RBI, 4SB and a .308BA over 91AB.
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What did we love about the 2020 Rockies?
Do you guys remember when Charlie Blackmon was hitting almost .500 for the first third of the season? That was pretty sweet, and the Rockies looked like contenders in the tough NL West. I loved all that, but I did love Raimel Tapia finally putting things together for the Rockies; he hit a team-leading .321BA with 1HR, 17RBI, and 8SB .369OBP. I loved the season we saw from SS Trevor Storey as he was a Gold Glove finalist; hit .289BA, 11HR, 28RBI, 24BB-63K, 15SB, 68H for a 122TB. We then saw a great season to start from Charlie Blackmon, and I was so hoping he would keep it up and keep the Rockies in contention before finishing at 26-34 to my 34-26 projection. It looked promising after the hottest start in baseball from Blackmon; he returned to earth to finish the season with a .303BA, 42RBI, 6HR, 67H, and 2SB. Between German Marquez(4W, 3.75ERA, 73K) and Antonio Senzatela(5W, 3.44ERA, 41K) and Yency Almonte(1S, 2.93ERA, 23K, 27.2IP), there wasn't a ton to love about the Rockies pitching that lead them to pretender status.
What did we not love about the 2020 Rockies?
We saw what we thought would be a tight NL West starting the season, but it's not a sprint. It's a marathon still in a 60 game season. The Rockies fell off about mid-season and were out in a tight NL race before the last couple of weeks. This fallout would be due to a .257BA, 543K to only 161BB, and a team .311OBP. But it wasn't just the offense; the pitching had a 5.59ERA, 1.4WHIP, 6.7K/9, and only 393k-205BB those are just not great numbers to swallow even if Coors Field is a very hitter-friendly park. We also did not love the season-ending injury for Arenado, who only hit 8HR, 26RBI, and a .253BA.
What was the biggest takeaway from the 2020 Rockies?
We have seen the Rockies struggle without Arenado on the field. The pitching struggles because they don't have a safety net and gold glove 3B out there can be nerve-racking as you don't have a go-to spot you can pitch to get the hitter to make contact and hit it to the left side where you have a Gold Clove 3B and Gold Glove Caliber SS. That gives a pitcher a lot of comforts. The pitching needs to be fixed, especially the bullpen where all but one player can pitch below a 3.00ERA that doesn't win you many games.
What is next for the 2020 Rockies in 2021?
Much like the Indians with Lindor, what do the Rockies do with Nolan Arenado? He had a down year, has $200MIL due to him through 2026, a no-trade clause, and an opt-out option after 2021. He has said he isn't happy in Colorado multiple times: https://www.mlb.com/news/nolan-arenado-responds-to-trade-rumors and https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/20/rockies-nolan-arenado-maybe-final-home-game-coors-field/
With Arenado wanting out possibly, he could be willing to waive his no-trade clause to the right team and decline his player option in 2021 and stay with whatever team takes him. The Rockies will have to pay part of his salary, give up a high-end prospect or two to get an adequate return.
The Rockies need pitching help terribly. They need guys who can get ground outs at a high rate and keep the ball in the park. They don't need any of those high-end names; they need guys who can get K's and keep the ball on the ground at a high rate.
Thank you guys for reading to the end. I love taking the extra few seconds to read how much I appreciate you and how grateful I am for the time you have spent with me in this post, listening to the podcast, participating in the forums, and sharing with friends. It all means so much to me, and I appreciate it and am so beyond grateful! Thank you!