Mile High sabermetrics - A Rockies Dynasty

[bombboy85]

Regular Season in Review
October 7th, 2014

Final Record - W - 84 / L - 78

The final month plus for the Rockies yielded a 17-16 record which was not nearly enough to get into the playoffs. The team had a positive year with many young players coming in to fill in for injured players and perform well but it was those injuries that really hurt them especially down the stretch. Lets look at the stats for this season and see who stood out.

Starters
C - Wilin Rosario - 144 Games - .314/.348/.562 37 HR 124 RBI WAR 3.2
1B - Todd Helton - 136 Games - .280/.369/.418 9 HR 39 RBI WAR 0.1
2B - Wilmer Flores - 65 Games - .340/.376/.523 8 HR 35 RBI WAR 1.2
SS - Troy Tulowitzki - 157 Games - .290/.366/.493 27 HR 99 RBI WAR 5.1
3B - Nolan Arenado - 157 Games - .309/.347/.461 16 HR 82 RBI WAR 3.1
LF - Carlos Gonzalez - 104 Games - .296/.355/.504 21 HR 61 RBI WAR 4.1
CF - Tim Wheeler - 112 Games - .238/.313/.475 19 HR 66 RBI WAR -0.5
RF - Michael Cuddyer - 124 Games - .323/.390/.574 22 HR 74 RBI WAR 2.3

Bench contributors (min. 30 games)
C - Matt McBride - .214/.292/.369 3 HR 12 RBI
1B - Ryan Wheeler - .291/.368/.444 4 HR 25 RBI
IF - Jordan Pacheco - .299/.371/.429 3 HR 28 RBI
IF - Reid Brignac - .242/.291/.326 1 HR 26 RBI
OF - Kyle Parker - .273/.341/.484 9 HR 28 RBI
OF - Corey Dickerson - .251/.304/.369 9 HR 37 RBI

Rotation
RHP Jose Fernandez - 16-7 / 3.94 ERA / 1.46 WHIP / 185.0 IP / 78 BB / 183 K
RHP Brandon Beachy - 12-8 / 3.51 ERA / 1.20 WHIP / 159.0 IP / 58 BB / 164K
LHP Ryan Verdugo - 7-3 / 3.56 ERA / 1.19 WHIP / 83.1 IP / 19 BB / 93 K
LHP Tommy Milone - 11-13 / 5.89 ERA / 1.57 WHIP / 180.1 IP / 58 BB / 109 K
LHP Jorge De La Rosa - 9-15 / 4.92 ERA / 1.41 WHIP / 195.2 IP / 83 BB / 158 K

Bullpen (min. 30 innings)
RHP Jhan Marinez - 65 IP / 3.46 ERA / 1.31 WHIP
RHP Heath Hembree - 60.1 IP / 4.18 ERA / 1.49 WHIP
LHP Joe Ortiz - 73.0 IP / 4.19 ERA / 1.49 WHIP
LHP Sean Burnett - 69.0 IP / 3.26 ERA / 1.45 WHIP
LHP Rex Brothers - 76.0 IP / 3.32 ERA / 1.33 WHIP


The team has a number of offseason decisions to make and some are big. Before I list those out though I wanted to announce a MLB rule change as the Office of the commissioner has announce the years schedule will now be 168 games instead of 162.

Free Agents
SP Jorge De La Rosa - Asking 4 years @ 9.5 mil per year
RP Rafael Betancourt - Asking 5 years @ 9 mil per year
RF Michael Cuddyer - Asking 5 years @ 12 mil per year

Arbitration
SP Tommy Milone - offer - $2,310,000
SP Josh Outman - offer - $850,000
RP Rex Brothers - offer - $2,800,000
C Wilin Rosario - offer - $5,775,000
3B Jordan Pacheco - offer - $750,000
SS Reid Brignac - offer - $850,000

$$$ Available for Free Agents - 30,605,000
$$$ Available for Extensions - 20,605,000

[bombboy85]

Yearly Awards
November 23rd, 2014

It was a World Series win for the Los Angeles Angels this year as they defeated the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 2. This was the Angels 2nd ever championship.

NL Gold Gloves
P - Mat Latos - Cincinnati Reds
C - Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals
1B - Ike Davis - New York Mets
2B - Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds
SS - Andrelton Simmons - Atlanta Braves
3B - Ryan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
LF - Carlos Gonzalez - Colorado Rockies
CF - Carlos Gomez - Milwaukee Brewers
RF - Oscar Taveras - St. Louis Cardinals

AL Gold Gloves
P - Jeff Karstens - Cleveland Indians
C - Salvador Perez - Kansas City Royals
1B - Brandon Belt - Oakland Athletics
2B - Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox
SS - Francisco Lindor - Cleveland Indians
3B - Matt Dominguez - Houston Astros
LF - Brett Gardner - New York Yankees
CF - Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels
RF - Michael Young - Houston Astros

NL Rookie of the Year - 1B Hunter Morris - Milwaukee Brewers
AL Rookie of the Year - 3B Nick Castellanos - Detroit Tigers

NL Manager of the Year - Fredi Gonzalez - Atlanta Braves
AL Manager of the Year - Ned Yost - Kansas City Royals

NL Cy Young - Stephen Strasburg - Washington Nationals
AL Cy Young - Mat Moore - Tampa Bay Rays

NL MVP - Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals
AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers

[bombboy85]

FYI - for those that have been watching this don't expect many updates the next couple of weeks, starting moving tomorrow and then vacation for a week so not likely to do much with this. Thank for following

[Scottiedog]

Hey dude, I've enjoyed following your dynasties (White Sox and Rockies). Keep up the good work man.

[Jabez54]

Congrats to the Angels ... for they have achieved something that the Red Sox couldn't do ... over the Reds ...

[Scottiedog]

I was kinda heart broken with it. I'm a Reds fan lol.

[bombboy85]

The Rockies say Goodbye
February 1st, 2015

Today the Colorado Rockies and the city of Denver said goodbye to a legend when Todd Helton who retired last month was the honorary star of his own parade through downtown Denver. Helton played for 17 years all of them for the Rockies organization. He won 3 gold gloves at 1B, was a 5 time all star, 4 batting titles but he meant so much more to this organization.

A look at Helton's career stats with all time rank in ()
Games - 2398
Hits - 2661
Runs - 1474
2B - 630 (9th)
HR - 374
RBI - 1440 (61)
Career batting average - .316 (62)
Career OBP - .413 (22)

With the departure of Todd Helton young Ryan Wheeler will likely get his chance to see what he can do playing everyday. As far as the other offseason developments for the Rockies.

Extensions
- C Wilin Rosario earned a hefty extension with his play last year signing a 3 year extension worth $20,520,000 over the life of the deal and $8,840,000 the final year.
- RP Rex Brothers also signed an extension for 5 years worth $22,020,000 and is expected to be the Rockies closer.

Arbitration
- SS Reid Brignac and RP Josh Outman were not offered arbitration and released into free agency.
- The team won arbitration cases for SP Tommy Milone and IF Jordan Pacheco

Free Agency
- RP Rafael Betancourt turned down an arbitration offer and opted to go into free agency.
- RF Michael Cuddyer and SP Jorge De La Rosa were not resigned and have gone into free agency.
- The Rockies agreed to a contract with SP Justin Masterson for 4 years worth $35,440,000. Masterson pitched for Cleveland last season and went 4-1 in 7 games with a 2.76 ERA. What really attracted the Rockies to him was his 75% groundball percentage which is great for Coors Field.
- The Rockies agreed to a contract with RP Eric O'Flaherty for 3 years $3,234,000, he pitched 69.2 innings last season with a 5.17 ERA but it was an off year, his lifetime ERA is 3.25.

[bombboy85]

Spring Training concludes

It was a mediocre spring this year for the Rockies as they went 12-11 but this year was more about looking at who they needed to fill spots from last season. Let's take a look at the expected active roster.

Starters
C - Wilin Rosario
1B - Ryan Wheeler
2B - Wilmer Flores
SS - Troy Tulowitzki
3B - Nolan Arenado
LF - Carlos Gonzalez
CF - Jose Soto
RF - Corey Dickerson

Bench
2B/SS - Matt Wessinger
IF/C - Jordan Pacheco
1B - Ben Paulsen
OF - Tim Wheeler
OF - Kyle Parker

Rotation
LHP Ryan Verdugo
RHP Jose Fernandez
RHP Brandon Beachy
RHP Justin Masterson
LHP Tommy Milone

Bullpen
RHP Jhan Marinez
RHP Heath Hembree
LHP Eric O'Flaherty
LHP Aaron Loup
LHP Sean Burnett
LHP Joe Ortiz
LHP Rex Brothers

Consensus Season Prediction - 83-73

[bombboy85]

Young players carrying their weight
May 1st, 2015

W - 13 / L - 8 / Tied for 1st

Before the season it was widely criticized that the Rockies did not re-sign Michael Cuddyer after the great season he had last season although many did note that even without spending time on the DL that he missed almost 50 games due to decreased stamina. In his place the team decided to start Corey Dickerson and he has most certainly stepped up as he hit .382/.415/.776 hitting 6 HR and knocking in 17 runs in the month of April. The Rockies also may have finally filled their black hole at second base, a position they have never been able to effectively fill since Eric Young Sr. left in 1999. Wilmer Flores has continued to hit well from last season hitting .333/.374/.452 this season and scored 18 runs.

On top of their offense playing very well (despite Tulowitzki and Gonzalez being off to a rough start) their starting pitching has been phenomenal with the best overall ERA in the NL as well as team ERA even though the bullpen is sitting at 8th best in the NL. Their starting rotation's ERA sits at 2.86 and it's not just one pitcher very low, 3 of the 5 have ERA's in the 2 and the others are below 3.5. If the Rockies can continue to play this well and get the slumpers in the lineup to get back to normal it could be a very good year for them.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - RF Corey Dickerson - .382/.415/.776 6 HR 17 RBI
MLB Pitcher - Closer Rex Brothers - 5 Saves 10 IP 0.00 ERA 0.50 WHIP

AAA Hitter - LF Charlie Blackmon - .375/.433/.727 6 HR 20 RBI
AAA Pitcher - SP Will Bateman - 2-0 3.18 ERA 1.52 WHIP

AA Hitter - RF Julian Yan - .277/.344/.578 7 HR 20 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Hugh Stephens - 10.2 IP 0.84 ERA 1.03 WHIP

[bombboy85]

Trying to Pull Away
June 1st, 2015

W - 33 / L - 17 / 3 Game Lead

May was a fantastic month for Colorado as they went 20-9 during the month while the Dodgers went 19-7 to maintain the pace but still fell to 3 games back of the Rockies in the west. The starters continue to pitch well although they did drop off a bit to 2nd in the league in ERA behind those pesky Dodgers. The offense though is on a tear with a team batting average of .283 and leading the league in every category that is good to lead in.

The teams superstar LF Carlos Gonzalez once again has gone on the DL for 5 weeks with a herniated disc. His injury problems over the past 2 seasons have been well noted and the team is making sure to work with the team trainer to find a way to keep their superstart and town favorite LF on the field. The team has several good outfield prospects and young players but Cargo is irreplaceable. Prospect Jorge Soler was called up to take the backup outfielder spot while Kyle Parker gets the start in RF and Corey Dickerson moved to LF.

The team also promoted SP Drew Pomeranz from AAA and demoted SP Tommy Milone who has had trouble getting his ERA below 5.00 the last 2 seasons, with Pomeranz and top pitching prospect Kevin Gausman waiting in AAA something had to give. The team also made 2 trades on the final day of the month.

Trade #1 - The organization trade SP Tommy Milone shortly after sending him to AAA to the Chicago Cubs including 2 other players. They also included CF David Dahl, the #52 overall prospect in the majors who has been very slow to progress and with Jose Soto being drafted last season and already starting in Center they didn't have a lot of space for him on the major league roster. Also included in the trade was 19 year old international prospect SP Miguel Gallegos. In return the Rockies received the 20th overall prospect in the MLB 2B Marco Hernandez. Hernandez is 22 years old and in AA this season was hitting .331/.414/.503 with 4 HR 24 RBI and 9 stolen bases. Wilmer Flores is playing incredibly well at 2B so not totally sure where Hernandez fits in the puzzle. He is considered nearly major league ready though so we may see him soon.

Trade #2 - The Rockies on the same day traded RP Aaron Loup and 22 year old minor league SP Peter Tago to the Milwaukee Brewers. Loup had pitched 14.2 innings this season with a 7.98 ERA. In return the Rockies received 27 year old 1st year player RP Thomas Keeling. Keeling has pitched 28 innings this season with a 1.29 ERA and FIP of 1.74.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - 2B Wilmer Flores - .353/.377/.647 10 HR 27 RBI
MLB Pitcher - RP Sean Burnett - 14.2 IP 0.61 ERA 1.02 WHIP

AAA Hitter - C Matt McBride - .274/.314/.566 9 HR 25 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Chris Withrow - 10.1 IP 0.87 ERA 0.77 WHIp

AA Hitter - CF Delta Cleary Jr. - .312/.391/.468 2 HR 11 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Nelson Gonzalez - 12.0 IP 0.00 ERA 0.75 WHIP

[bombboy85]

2015 First Year Player's draft
June 6th, 2015

Round 1 - The Rockies first overall selection was 21 year old SP Bryant "Human Ripcord" Reed out of Arizona State College. His senior season he went 9-2 with a 1.98 ERA who projects as a front of rotation starter. He is a leader on the field and could pitch well at Coors Field with a number of high velocity pitches with good movement as he showcases a Cutter, Curveball, Changeup and Forkball all plus pitches.

Round 2 - The second pick for the Rockies was another SP as the Dodgers who are already great with their rotation have a number of good pitching prospects. Their pick was was RP Jose Suarez who looks like a late innings setup man and someday closer. He only has 2 pitches in his repertoire currently but they are good ones and he has very good control of those pitches. He is 22 years old currently and could move very quickly up the minor league system.

Round 3 - The 3rd pick for Colorado was 20 year old SP Andrew "King Bill" Cameron out of Memphis University. Cameron could either end up in the bullpen or as a starter depending how he develops.

Round 4 - The 4th round pick went to 19 year old SP Travis O'Bryan out of Immanuel Baptist High School in El Paso, TX. He was 9-2 with a 1.47 ERA his senior year.

Round 5 - The 5th round pick for the Rockies was 1B Bill Decker who is 19 years old and at 6'4" 220 lbs he projects to fill out into a good power hitter someday.


Only time will tell if the Rockies have found more diamonds in the rough like they did in the 7th round of the 2013 draft with Closer Hugh Stephens who went from barely on the radar to someone who could turn into an all star closer someday. He is currently in AA and has pitched 29 innings with a 2.17 ERA and could be in AAA by summers end.

[bombboy85]

Early All-Star Game
July 1st, 2015

W - 46 / L - 26 / 3 Game Lead

The month of June was not as good as May was for the Rockies although they still went 13-9. Seem like not many games? Well as a result of the lengthened regular season the MLB All-Star game is now held at the end of June. The Rockies sent 2 players to the midsummer classic, 2B Wilmer Flores and RF Corey Dickerson.

Also as we have seen Colorado Rockies GM Matt Hill never seems to be satisfied and is always looking to improve the team anyway he can whether it be at the ML level or by gathering more top notch prospects. We saw that again this month when the Rockies traded 2 of their starters, one signed in the offseason and one that came up through their own farm system. The team sent SP Justin Masterson whom they signed in the offseason and was 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA this season and 3B Nolan Arenado (.226 8 HR 27 RBI) to the Chicago Cubs for All-star 1B Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo is just 25 years old and is hitting .348/.401/.559 with 14 HR and 54 RBI this season.

This moved paved the way for top pitching prospect Kevin Gausman who was 11-1 with a 3.02 ERA in AAA this season but on top of that is a local celebrity of sorts as he grew up in Centennial, CO where he played at Grandview High School. The team wasn't sure how well Gausman would pitch after returning from a torn ligament last season but he has done well. With the moves at the Major League level we will see Wilmer Flores move to 3rd base and Marco Hernandez take over the starting job with Rizzo starting now at 1B. Also Rosell Herrera was promoted to be the backup middle infielder.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - RF Corey Dickerson - .385/.430/.670 5 HR 24 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Drew Pomeranz - 2-1 1.85 ERA 1.11 WHIP

AAA Hitter - 3B Rosell Herrera - .327/.368/.636 7 HR 21 RBI
AAA Pitcher - SP Kevin Gausman - 5-0 1.80 ERA 0.93 WHIP

AA Hitter - C Will Swanner - .237/.304/.484 7 HR 18 RBI
AA Pitcher - SP Tyler Gagnon - 1-0 0.64 ERA 1.29 WHIP

[bombboy85]

It's a Hit Parade
August 1st, 2015

W - 60 / L - 38 / 5.5 Game Lead

While their 14-12 record for the month of July may not reflect it, it was an incredible month for the Rockies hitters as 6 players combined to knock in over 100 runs and had multiple players finish the month hitting well over .300. SP Kevin Gausman after being called up from AAA as the local boy was great going 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA.

The biggest problem for the Rockies? Too many players getting better and better and performing well but are stuck in the minors or as backups. Some examples? Jorge Soler is playing the role of 4th outfielder right now but in 31 games has hit .321/.362/.604 with 3 HR and 11 RBI and could be a starter on any team but with the play of Corey Dickerson, Jose Soto and superstar Carlos Gonzalez in LF they have nowhere to put him. Another outfielder with nowhere to go is Tim Wheeler who has hit .330/.422/.614 this season and last but not least Rosell Herrera has jumped this season from mid level talent to possible star but he sits behind 3 players, 3B Wilmer Flores, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 2B Marco Hernandez. Only time will tell what happens with these players but I would imagine once they are up for arbitration they may move elsewhere sadly. The only thing the Rockies are worried about right now though is continuing this great season they are having, well on their way to their best as a franchise.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - 1B Anthony Rizzo - .371/.452/.794 11 HR 23 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Ryan Verdugo - 3-1 2.84 ERA 1.17 WHIP

AAA Hitter - 3B Darin Holcomb - .329/.436/.553 4 HR 22 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Jose De La Torre - 16.2 IP 2.16 ERA 0.96 WHIP

AA Hitter - CF Brian Humphries - .340/.459/.649 4 HR 21 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP TJ Oakes - 15.0 IP 0.60 ERA 1.00 WHIP

[bombboy85]

The Home Stretch
September 1st, 2015

W - 79 / L - 48 / 4 Game Lead

The Rockies finished the month of August with a 19-10 record yet those pesky Dodgers just won't go away as they went 19-7. SS Troy Tulowitzki who has hit to his usual standards all season finally picked it up in August hitting .333/.393/.528 with 4 HR and 24 RBI helping lead the offense. The pitching meanwhile has slowly gone back to the Rockies usual, early in the season they led the majors in ERA but have fallen all the way back to 11th in the NL among team ERA.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - 1B Anthony Rizzo - .385/.489/.633 7 HR 26 RBI
MLB Pitcher - RP Sean Burnett - 17.1 IP 2.60 ERA 1.15 WHIP

AAA Hitter - RF Julian Yan - .306/.366/.586 7 HR 26 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Chris Withrow - 13.1 IP 1.35 ERA 1.13 WHIP

AA Hitter - CF Brian Humphries - .259/.336/.560 7 HR 19 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Hugh Stephens - 11.2 IP 2.31 ERA 0.94 WHIP

[bombboy85]

Regular Season ends
October 6th, 2015

Final Record - W - 99 / L - 57

So before I go into this the message I got in the offseason said increase to 168 games but apparently it shortened to 156 games lol so who knows. And on to the news


The Colorado Rockies finished strong in September and October going 20-9 to finished 11 games ahead of the Dodgers in the west and take home their first division title in their 22 year history.

Before the playoffs get started lets see how the team did statistically.

Starters
C - Wilin Rosario - 138 Games - .275/.304/.486 31 HR 87 RBI WAR 1.6
1B - Anthony Rizzo - 159 Games - .347/.419/.617 43 HR 131 RBI WAR 8.2
2B - Marco Hernandez - 94 Games - .293/.364/.471 7 HR 35 RBI WAR 2.3
SS - Troy Tulowitzki - 140 Games - .251/.321/.425 21 HR 81 RBI WAR 2.0
3B - Wilmer Flores - 153 Games - .334/.362/.555 33 HR 98 RBI WAR 4.4
LF - Carlos Gonzalez - 99 Games - .264/.317/.420 13 HR 40 RBI WAR 0.8
CF - Jose Soto - 150 Games - .300/.377/.445 10 HR 80 RBI WAR 3.9
RF - Corey Dickerson - 140 Games - .310/.351/.568 33 HR 109 RBI WAR 3.9

Bench (minimum 30 Games)
1B Ryan Wheeler - .309/.384/.444 6 HR 45 RBI
IF Jordan Pacheco - .266/.305/.350 1 HR 16 RBI
SS/2B - Rosell Herrera - .331/.368/.492 4 HR 18 RBI
RF Jorge Soler - .338/.373/.601 9 HR 39 RBI
OF Kyle Parker - .277/.317/.446 5 HR 19 RBI
CF Tim Wheeler - .312/.383/.596 16 HR 46 RBI

Rotation
LHP Ryan Verdugo - 18-9 / 3.71 ERA / 1.26 WHIP / 216.0 IP / 43 BB / 206 K
RHP Jose Fernandez - 12-9 / 4.27 ERA / 1.34 WHIP / 183.1 IP / 47 BB / 172 K
RHP Brandon Beachy - 15-6 / 3.65 ERA / 1.23 WHIP / 207.1 IP / 68 BB / 197 K
LHP Drew Pomeranz - 11-6 / 4.39 ERA / 1.35 WHIP / 145.2 IP / 52 BB / 136 K
RHP Kevin Gausman - 3-5 / 4.37 ERA / 1.27 WHIP / 90.2 IP / 16 BB / 84 K

Bullpen
RHP Jhan Marinez - 40.1 IP / 3.35 ERA / 1.07 WHIP / 16 BB / 55 K
RHP Marcus Stroman - 50.2 IP / 6.93 ERA / 1.78 WHIP / 27 BB / 49 K
LHP Eric O'Flaherty - 49.1 IP / 3.83 ERA / 1.34 WHIP / 16 BB / 56 K
LHP Thomas Keeling - 62.2 IP / 4.02 ERA / 0.91 WHIP / 11 BB / 87 K
LHP Sean Burnett - 84.1 IP / 2.45 ERA / 1.21 WHIP / 28 BB / 100 K
LHP Joe Ortiz - 83.1 IP / 2.59 ERA / 1.21 WHIP / 16 BB / 87 K
LHP Rex Brothers - 35 Saves / 3.56 ERA / 1.24 WHIP / 27 BB / 96 K

NL Playoff Teams
Colorado Rockies - 99-57
Chicago Cubs - 98-61
Los Angeles Dodgers - 88-68 (wild card)
St. Louis Cardinals - 85-71 (wild card)
Washinton Nationals - 81-75

AL Playoff Teams
Los Angeles Angels - 100-56
Boston Red Sox - 86-70
Detroit Tigers - 84-72
Tampa Bay Rays - 82-74 (wild card)
New York Yankees - 82-77 (wild card)

[bombboy85]

Divisional Series



Game 1 - Dodgers win 11-8

The Rockies came into the series with the second best record in baseball but were just 3-6 this season vs the Dodgers and that continued in game 1 as both teams got to the offense early with the Rockies going up 6-5 after the 1st inning. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the first before Jose Fernandez walked in a run then gave up back to back 1 run singles followed by a wild pitch and a RBI ground out. The inning finally ended up with Zack Greinke striking out. The Rockies followed with a lead off home run by Jose Soto, a 2 run double by Wilin Rosario with the bases loaded and a 3 run home run by Carlos Gonzalez. The Dodgers ended up putting the game away though in the 8th going up 11-8.

Game 2 - Rockies win 11-8

The Rockies turned the tables on the Dodgers beating them by the same score the Dodger beat them by the night before but this time it was different as the Rockies were down 8-2 at the end of 6 innings. The bottom of the 7th innings was started with an infield bunt single by Marco Hernandez and a single by pinch hitter Rosell Herrera. Wilmer Flores drove Hernandez home with a single and then Corey Dickerson loaded the bases with a single. 1B Anthony Rizzo droves home Herrera and Flores with a single and the bases were cleared when Wilin Rosario hit a 2 run triple. 2 more walks to Tulo and Marco Hernandez loaded the bases when the rare 2 pinch hits in the same inning came as Rosell Herrera walked to walk in a run. Soto then walked getting a second walk run before Wilmer Flores knocked in Hernandez with a single but Herrera was thrown out at home to end the inning leaving the Rockies scoring 8 in the inning. Rex Brother came in and got the easy save in the ninth.

Game 3 - Dodgers win 7-6

Game 3 was another hit fest as the teams both scored 2 in the first and the Rockies were up 6-3 until the end of the 7th when the Dodgers put 4 on the board to take a 7-6 lead. A lead they would not give up.

Game 4 - Rockies win 4-2

The Rockies gave the ball to Drew Pomeranz for game 4 and he was fantastic pitching for 8 innings giving up just 2 runs and striking out 10. The bullpen needed a break after the slug fests of the first 3 games. The Rockies got all the offense they needed with a home run from C Wilin Rosario as well as 2 HR from 1B Anthony Rizzo.

Game 5 - Rockies win 5-4

It was a pitcher's duel early as Ryan Verdugo for the Rockies and Jon Lester both held the other team to just 1 run until the 6th inning when with 2 outs the Dodgers managed to put 3 runs on the board to chase Verdugo from the game making it 4-1 Dodgers. The Rockies played small ball in the bottom of the 6th when they got lead off singles from 2B Marco Hernandez and pinch hitter Jorge Soler. Manager Walt Weiss called for a perfectly timed hit and run and CF Jose Soto pulled one through the left side of the infield to score Hernandez and move Soler to 3rd. Soto then stole 2nd base on the 1st pitch and RF Corey Dickerson obliged by hitting a double into the gap scoring both runs to tie the game at 4. It wasn't till the bottom of the 8th though that the Rockies took the lead on a first pitch lead off home run by 3B Wilmer Flores.

The Rockies will move on to play the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. They played each other 12 times this season with the Rockies getting the upper hand going 7-5 against the Cubbies. Notably this game will see Anthony Rizzo play the team that traded him this season as well as Justin Masterson and Nolan Arenado play their former club.

[bombboy85]

Has nothing to do with any of this other than involving Tulo and Jose Fernandez but this is awesome from the game a couple nights ago.



Tulo - "Did you just catch that?!"

[bombboy85]

National League Championship Series



Game 1 - Chicago wins 10-6

Game 1 of the series was a marathon as the Cubs jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after innings but the Rockies battled back eventually tying the game at 6 in the bottom of the 8th. Both teams bullpens came in to pitch phenomenally going back and forth going scoreless for 6 more innings until the top of the 16th when LF Brett Jackson hit a grand slam to put the Cubs up 10-6 for good.

Game 2 - Colorado wins 3-2

It was a pitchers duel in Game 2 as both starting pitchers went a solid 7 innings each giving up just 2 runs. The Rockies were down 2-1 until the bottom of the 8th when RF Corey Dickerson tied the game with a Solo Home Run. This game went extra innings again into the 10th inning until the bottom of the 9th when 2B Wilmer Flores led off the inning with a double. C Wilin Rosario was there 2 batters later to knock him home on a single with a close play at the plate.

Game 3 - Chicago wins 4-2

It was another rough outing for second year pitcher Ryan Verdugo who was so good all season long leading the league in wins but has wilted under the pressure of the playoffs. He went 6 innings and gave up 4 runs, better than his previous outings but his ERA sits a 7.98 for the playoffs. Those 4 runs were all the Cubs needed as SP Kyle Hendricks gave up 2 runs and the bullpen was flawless.

Game 4 - Colorado wins 4-2

SP Drew Pomeranz has been the opposite of Ryan Verdugo in the playoffs as he pitched 6 innings giving up just 1 run lowering his ERA to 1.93 in the playoffs. Opposite him on the mound was former Rockie Tommy Milone who has played well in the playoffs with a 2.25 ERA but he gave up 2 runs and his bullpen gave up 2 in the top of the 9th on a home run by Jorge Soler to put the game away for the Rockies. Series tied 2-2

Game 5 - Colorado wins 8-6

The Rockies held a commanding lead of 7-0 after their half of the 7th inning when an error by SS Troy Tulowitzki cost the Rockies and started a 4 run rally. The Rockies would score one more in the top of the 9th to make it 8-4 and on came RP Eric O'Flaherty in the bottom of the 9th but a rough start of it as the Cubs loaded the bases before a base hit by SS Starlin Castro knocked in 2 runs and left 2 on base. A walk to Javier Baez loaded the bases before Rex Brothers was able to stop the bleeding and end the game to put the Rockies up 3-2.

Game 6 - Chicago wins 8-5

The game started honestly enough for both teams as the Rockies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run from Wilmer Flores in the first. The Cubs got a 2 run home run from Johnny Giavotella in the second to take a 2 -1 lead and had a 3-1 lead in the 6th when the Rockies scored 3 to go ahead 4-3. The top of the 7th doomed the Rockies though as pinch hitter and former rockie Nolan Arenado knocked a 3 run home run as part of a 5 run inning that put the Rox away for good.

Game 7 - Colorado wins 9-7

Game 7 was a nail biter from start to finish as the Cubs jumped all over starter Ryan Verdugo with 4 runs in the top of the 1st. The Rockies were able to get 2 of them back with a Corey Dickerson home run in the bottom half of the frame. They got a home run from Marco Hernandez in the second to make it 4-3 before back to back home runs in the third from Carlos Gonzalez and former Cub Anthony Rizzo tie it up 5-5 in the 3rd. It wouldn't last long though as the Cubs went ahead 6-5 in the 5th inning. The Cubs were then able to take a 7-5 lead.in the top of the 8th making things look bad for the Rockies. On came RP Arodys Vizcaino and immediately got Troy Tulowitzki to stirke out on a 3-2 pitch. 2B Marco Hernandez got an infield single but was injured on the play, diagnosis still pending, forcing the Rockies to pinch run Rosell Herrera as well as pinch hit Tim Wheeler for the pitchers spot. Wheeler came through with a double moving Herrera to 3rd. Rookie Jose Soto came through with an RBI single the moved Wheeler to 3rd and made it 7-6 Cubs. A well hit ball from Wilmer Flores scored Herrera on a sacrifice fly from 3rd to tie it up. RP Carlos Gutierrez came on but made one mistake as he gave a monster 445 foot 2 run Home Run to Corey Dickerson, his second of the game. Closer Rex Brothers went on to strike out the side and send Colorado to their second ever World Series.

The Rockies will be taking on the Detroit Tigers who beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 2.

[bombboy85]

2015 World Series



Game 1 - Detroit wins 2-1

It was a pitcher's duel throughout game 1 as Justin Verlander shut down the Rockies hitters giving up just 2 runs though 6 innings. Jose Fernandez was nearly just as good for the Rockies, giving up more hits but getting out of several jams. LF Andy Dirks got to RP Sean Burnett in the top of the 10th with a 2 out solo home run and closer Al Alburquerque closed the Rockies out to give the Tigers game 1 in Colorado.

Game 2 - Colorado wins 4-0

SP Brandon Beachy was phenomenal for the Rockies although 5 walks cost him as he reached a high pitch count early and left in the 7th innings. He gave up just 3 hits through those 7 innings. 2B Wilmer Flores was exceptional for the Rockies on the offensive side providing all the Rockies offense as he hit 2 home runs driving in all 4 of their runs. Closer Rex Brothers came on and closed out the game lowering his playoff ERA to 0.87 and tying the series at 1 each.

Game 3 - Colorado wins 7-3

It was a tough fought game for both teams as the starters got shelled in the second and third innings leaving the score at 4-3 after 3 innings. The Rockies were able to put the game away with great pitching from the bullpen and 3 run home run from SS Troy Tulowitzki in the 8th inning putting the Rockies up 2 games to 1.

Game 4 - Colorado wins 6-3

Colorado jumped out to an early lead in the first inning of game 4 with a 3 run home run from 1B Anthony Rizzo and a 2 run HR from Corey Dickerson in the 4th to go up 5-2. SP Drew Pomeranz was once again fantastic as he went 8 innings giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Closer Rex Brothers lowered his ERA even further with a scoreless ninth putting his ERA at 0.75.

Game 5 - Colorado wins 8-0

SP Justin Verlander shut down the Rockies in game 1 but they got to him early and often in game 5 chasing him in the 5th inning as they went up 7-0. The Rockies got 2 solo home runs from 1B Anthony Rizzo as well as a 2 out 3 run homer from LF Carlos Gonzalez. SP Jose Fernandez was spot on and went within 1 out of a complete game just giving up 5 hits before handing the ball to Sean Burnett who got a 1 pitch out as Alex Avila grounded out to SS Troy Tulowitzki giving the Colorado Rockies their first ever world championship.



It was an incredible year for the Colorado Rockies who showed that the moneyball approach still works as they defeated the Detroit Tigers and the 6th highest payroll in the majors with a team that ranked 23rd in the big leagues in payroll. They got major contributions from a number of second year players and rookies they will be able to keep for a while longer freeing up money to make a run at back to back titles next season. We will have an offseason preview coming up soon.

[bombboy85]

Offseason Preview
November 3rd, 2015

Arbitration
SP Jose Fernandez - offer $5,000,000
RP Joe Ortiz - offer $1,800,000
3B Jordan Pacheco - offer $850,000
1B Anthony Rizzo - offer $3,500,000

Free Agents
RP Sean Burnett - requesting 4 years average of $7,000,000 per year