Mile High sabermetrics - A Rockies Dynasty

[bombboy85]

AL wins home advantage
July 1st, 2018

W - 47 / L - 29 / 1 Game Lead

We are midway through summer and midway through the season and even with a 14-8 record in the month of June the Rockies and Dodgers are neck and neck at the top of the National League. The Rockies offense kept up it's torrid pace leading the league in every offensive category except for stolen bases but the pitching did trail off a bit as the starting rotations ERA sits at 3.93 and the bullpen at 4.16.

The American League won this years All Star game 6-3 over the NL all stars giving the AL home field advantage for the World Series. The Rockies sent 3 /layers this season to the game. Catcher Stryker Trahan went hitting .324/.427/.578 with 16 HR and 47 RBI and is 3rd among NL catchers throwing out 37.3% of runners this season. 2B Marco Hernandez earned his 3rd straight all star team selection as he is hitting .346/.431/.557 with 12 HR and 50 RBI. Finally rookie LF Glenn Mackie made his first all star game with a stat line of .273/.343/.619 with 30 HR already and 69 RBI.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - LF Glenn Mackie - .280/.348/.634 9 HR 25 RBI
MLB Pitcher - RP Rex Brothers - 6 Saves 0.82 ERA 1.00 WHIP

AAA Hitter - C Tom J. Murphy - .258/.377/.449 3 HR 5 RBI 17 Runs Scored
AAA Pitcher - RP Sean Burnett - 13.1 IP 0.68 ERA 0.90 WHIP

AA Hitter - 1B Bill Decker - .296/.413/.633 10 HR 22 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Thom Patton - 13.0 IP 0.69 ERA 0.85 WHIP

[bombboy85]

The Race is on
August 1st, 2018

W - 61 / L - 44 / Tied for 1st

The Rockies had a rough month of July as they went 14-15 in the month including a 6 game losing streak at one point early in the month. Even taking 2 of 3 from the Dodgers they ended the month tied for first with Los Angeles. One of the biggest reason may have been rookie LF Glenn Mackie trailing off a little bit and slowing down on his HR hitting. Also with 1 week left in the month the Rockies lost 2B Marco Hernandez to a strained oblique and he is expected to be back late August or early September. The Rockies did however make a few moves to bolster their middle relief in the bullpen before the trade deadline passed.

Trade #1 - On July 14th the Rockies traded 29 year old RP Robert Carson to the New York Mets. Carson had a fantastic season for St. Louis last season which led the Rockies to acquire him in the offseason but he struggled in the thin air of Coors Field gathering a 7.00 ERA before being sent down to AAA where he had an ERA of 7.57 over 54.2 innings. He has returned to form for the Mets as a starter. It's not bad though for the Rockies as they got 24 year old RP Robert Whalen who through 47.2 innings for the Mets had a 1.89 ERA and led all relievers in FIP at that point.

Trade #2 - The same day the Rockies made their 2nd of 3 trades that afternoon as they sent 21 year old minor league RP Jose Cruz to the Houston Astros. Cruz was recruited as a teen into the Rockies international complex and was in their rookie league currently. The Astros sent 26 year old rookie RP Braden Shipley to Colorado. Shipley pitched 41.2 innings this year with a 1.73 ERA.

Trade #3 - The final trade of the day for Colorado involved 29 year old RP Chris Withrow who was having a rough season with a 6.08 ERA and had no more minor league options. Instead of sending him through waivers the Rockies sent him to Tampa in exchange for 25 year old minor league SS Rodrigo Vigil who hit .310/.426/.413 with 2 HR and 20 RBI in Durham (AAA) this season.

The Rockies hope to have bolstered their bullpen with these moves for the late dogfight with the Dodgers and also save about $8,000,000 on next years payroll with the moves.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - 1B Anthony Rizzo - .409/.488/.709 7 HR 22 RBI
MLB Pitcher - RP Jose Suarez - 19.1 IP 1.86 ERA 0.78 WHIP

AAA Hitter - RF Raimel Tapia - .315/.393/.426 1 HR 11 RBI
AAA Pitcher - SP Evan Anderson - 2-2 2.13 ERA 0.84 WHIP

AA Hitter - LF Cody Bellinger - .283/.349/.535 5 HR 20 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Rayan Gonzalez - 13.0 IP 2.08 ERA 1.62 WHIP

[bombboy85]

Breathing Room
September 1st, 2018

W - 78 / L - 52 / 5 Game Lead

It took a little getting hot and change in the lineup and the Rockies blew up in the month of August going 17-8 and gaining ground. The Rockies bullpen also improved with newcomer Robert Whalen pitching well in his first month in Colorado. More than anything though the month of August was a month of achievement for players in the Rockies organization just check out the timeline below.

August 3rd - The Rockies 4th Round pick in the 2015 draft, a player who wasn't expected to do much with a 1.5 star rating being his average from MLB scouts. He has since through hard work moved his way into being the #13 prospect in the major leagues at the start of this season. On the 3rd of the month he threw a complete game no hitter for the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Expect to see this kid sometime next season.

August 7th - Another young Rockies pitcher, Bryant "Human Ripcord" Reed in his second major league season pitched the game of his life. Starting against the Miami Marlins Reed K'ed 19 batters leaving him one shy of the MLB record. He earned the MLB pitcher of the month going 5-0 with a 1.02 ERA in the month.

August 11th - Last seasons NL MVP and Colorado Rockies rockstar SS Troy Tulowitzki at the age of 33 joined the 300 Home Run club a rarity among shortstops.


Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya - .333/.425/.586 6 HR 23 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Bryant Reed - 5-0 1.02 ERA 0.96 WHIP

AAA Hitter - 1B Bill Decker - .295/.355/.563 9 HR 25 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Joe Ortiz - 13.2 IP 1.32 ERA 1.02 WHIP

AA Hitter - C Jose Briceno - .250/.347/.489 4 HR 17 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Antonio Senzatela - 13.1 IP 0.68 ERA 0.98 WHIP

[bombboy85]

Regular Season in Review
October 2nd, 2018

W - 93 / L - 63

The Dodgers made the end of the year intersting for the Rockies as even though they finished 15-11 the final month the Dodgers at one point came within .5 a game of the Rockies in the division before faltering the final week and falling 2 games back to end the regular season. The Dodgers did earn a wild card berth easily though with the second best record in the National League. The Rockies hitter had a tremendous season though finishing first in every offensive category except for stolen bases. They showed great patience at the plate as they finished the season with almost 100 less strikeouts than any other team and it showed as they finished with a team OBP of .352, the second best team was Milwaukee with .338.

The team had several individual players either leading or competing for MLB offensive category leads 2B Marco Hernandez took home the NL Batting title with his .349 batting average but Elvis Andruz of the Rangers beat him out for tops in the majors and it is his 2nd straight season being tops in the NL hitting .351 last season. Outfielders Yasukazu Tsuchiya and Rookie Glenn Mackie led the national league in HR (Tsuchiya 47, Mackie 48) but were beat out by Oakland Athletics Chris Bostick with 49 on the season. Overall it was a great season at the plate for the Rockies starters. Their pitchers were not as good but overall they were great with Bryant Reed leading the NL in wins with 20. Let's see how the players did overall.

Starters
C Stryker Trahan - .296/.388/.522 32 HR 91 RBI WAR 3.5
1B Anthony Rizzo - .300/.371/.566 37 HR 118 RBI WAR 4.5
2B Marco Hernandez - .349/.433/.529 15 HR 64 RBI WAR 4.5
SS Troy Tulowitzki - .271/.344/.445 21 HR 63 RBI WAR 1.4
3B Rosell Herrera - .277/.336/.461 17 HR 64 RBI WAR 3.1
LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya - .314/.389/.632 47 HR 127 RBI WAR 5.5
CF Jose Soto - .297/.389/.395 4 HR 56 RBI WAR 3.2
RF Glenn Mackie - .261/.328/.553 48 HR 121 RBI WAR 0.7

Bench (min 30 games)
1B/C -Braden Schlehuber - 57 AB - .456/.492/.632 2 HR 12 RBI
IF/C - Jordan Pacheco - 406 AB - .298/.343/.421 5 HR 45 RBI
OF - Max White - 94 AB - .223/.257/.277 1 HR 12 RBI
OF Jorge Soler - 249 AB - .185/.243/.329 9 HR 33 RBI

Starting Rotation
Jose Fernandez - 9-13 / 3.78 ERA / 1.32 WHIP / 216.2 IP / 111 ERA+ / 3.15 FIP
Drew Pomeranz - 17-7 / 4.15 ERA / 1.29 WHIP / 199.2 IP / 101 ERA+ / 3.37 FIP
Bryant Reed - 18-8 / 3.66 ERA / 1.27 WHIP / 204.0 IP / 115 ERA+ / 3.31 FIP
Hirokazu Araki - 14-7 / 4.35 ERA / 1.35 WHIP / 175.2 IP / 96 ERA+ / 3.22 FIP
Kevin Gausman - 13-10 / 4.53 ERA / 1.43 WHIP / 174.2 IP / 92 ERA+ / 5.36 FIP

Bullpen (minimum 30 innings)
Yakamochi Ishida - 34.1 IP / 3.67 ERA / 0.96 WHIP / 114 ERA+ / 4.86 FIP
Braden Shipley - 65.2 IP / 2.33 ERA / 0.90 WHIP / 150 ERA+ / 3.13 FIP
Robert Whalen - 77.2 IP / 2.78 ERA / 1.07 WHIP / 142 ERA+ / 2.27 FIP
Thomas Keeling - 68.0 IP / 3.31 ERA / 1.07 WHIP / 127 ERA+ / 3.24 FIP
Jose Suarez - 75.0 IP / 3.36 ERA / 1.16 WHIP / 125 ERA+ / 2.96 FIP
We-Sheng Mar - 53.1 IP / 5.06 ERA / 1.50 WHIP / 83 ERA+ / 3.59 FIP
Rex Brothers - 36 Saves / 2.97 ERA / 1.07 WHIP / 141 ERA+ / 2.57 FIP


The Rockies will head into the divisional round of the playoffs against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 2 players short though as in the last week of the season they lost 2B Marco Hernandez and SP Jose Fernandez to injury. Both of them are expected back in 1-2 weeks so if the Rockies advance they would be back at earliest for the NLCS but at least by the World Series. That is an if though as the Rockies face the second best team in the NL the Dodgers who the Rockies were actually 5-7 against this season and without their best hitter and the ace of their rotation.

NL Playoff Teams
Colorado Rockies - 93-63
Los Angeles Dodgers - 91-65 (wild card)
Chicago Cubs - 81-75
San Francisco Giants - 81-75 (wild card)
Atlanta Braves - 79-77

AL Playoff Teams
Texas Rangers - 98-58
Houston Astros - 91-68 (wild card)
Seattle Mariners - 88-68 (wild card)
Minnesota Twins - 84-72
Boston Red Sox - 83-73

[bombboy85]

Divisional Series - Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers



Game 1 - Colorado Wins 10-8

With SP Jose Fernandez out with an injury the Rockies handed Bryant Reed the ball for game one although he got roughed up a bit it wasn't a bad outing. Reed gave up 5 runs in 6 innings but Clayton Kershaw was far worse giving up 7 runs in the first inning and lasting just 1 out. The bottom of the first saw the Rockies send 11 players to the plate and a grand slam home run from 3B Rosell Herrera on the first pitch he saw. Herrera would add a second, solo, home run in the 4th inning and they also got 2 home runs from CF Jose Soto. RP Thomas Keeling gave up 3 runs in the 6th inning before the other pitchers in the bullpen came on to provide scoreless pitching the rest of the way.

Game 2 - Colorado Wins 5-4

Game 2 pitted Drew Pomeranz against Jacob Tuner and Pomeranz had the better start, both pitchers lasted 6 innings with Pomeranz giving up 2 runs with 10 strikeouts while Turner gave up 5 runs. It turned out the Rockies got enough from their offense as they got another HR from Herrera and the first from Tsuchiya. The Dodgers made a late push scoring one run in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings but Rex Brothers was able to pitch out of a 9th inning jam for his 2nd straight save.

Game 3 - Colorado wins 1-0

Game 3 was a pitchers duel throughout and Hirokazu Araki and 2nd year phenom and cy young candidate Maxwell Turner went head to head. There were still gooseeggs (0-0) on the scoreboard until the top of the 9th inning when CF Jose Soto got a leadoff double. A 1 out single from Glenn Mackie would score Soto from second to put the Rockies up 1-0 and Rex Brother ensured it stayed that way.


The Rockies will move on to the NLCS to face familiar playoff opponent the Chicago Cubs whom they have played in 3 of the past 4 postseasons. This seasons against the Cubs they were 6-3.

[bombboy85]

NLCS - Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago Cubs



Game 1 - Colorado wins 6-5

Game 1 of the series turned into a familiar back and forth between these two common foes as the Cubs jumped up 2-0 after 3 innings but the Rockies battled back to make it 3-2 after 5. The Cubs would tie it in the 6th. In the top of the 8th with Wu-Sheng Mar on the mound for the Rockies, LF Brett Jackson of the Cubs hit a 2 run double to make it 5-3 Cubs. It didn't last long though as the Rockies got those 2 runs right back in the bottom of the 8th. Rex Brothers who was perfect through the series with the Dodgers kept it tied in the 9th before in the Rockies half, 3B Rosell Herrera got a solo home run to give the Rockies the win and the early series lead.

Game 2 - Colorado wins 7-2

SP Bryant Reed was once again great as he pitched 8 innings while giving up just 2 runs on 6 hits, both runs coming on solo home runs. The Rockies offense was in full go though as they finally scored in the 4th inning when they got a double from CF Jose Soto followed by an RBI triple from 2B Marco Hernandez finally back from injury. It didn't stop there though as they got back to back home runs from 1B Anthony Rizzo and SS Troy Tulowitzki. From there it was cruise control for the Rockies to an easy 2 game lead.

Game 3 - Colorado wins 6-2

SP Drew Pomeranz was a little wobbly early as he gave up a few hits the first few innings including a second inning 2 run home run by CF Anthony Gose. He was able to calm down after that and keep the Cubs off the board. It took a while but the Rockies offense finally started going with 1 run in the 6th before they were able to add 3 more in the 7th and 2 in the 9th.

Game 4 - Chicago wins 3-1

Game 4 saw the Cubs fighting for their postseason lives and they showed as the teams both scored 1 run in the 2nd inning but weren't able to get more as Rockies SP Hirokazu Araki was good but the Cubs Millard White was better. The Cubs finally got to the Rockies in the bottom of the 8th inning with a 2 run double by Javier Baez putting them up 3-1 and the Rockies could not come back. There will be at least 1 more game in this series.

Game 5 - Colorado wins 5-2

Rockies pitcher Jose Fernandez and the Cubs Christopher Rusin had a duel that was fun to watch as both players went 8 innings giving up 2 runs a piece before the game went to extra innings. It was a scoreless 10th inning before the Rockies got a 3 run bomb from RF Glenn Mackie to give the Rockies the lead. RP Robert Whalen came on in the 11th and was able to shut down the Cubs and send the Rockies back to the World Series.

[bombboy85]

Well crap I just made a big old post and somehow got deleted or lost on the interwebs and don't really want to do it again lol.

Summary We won the World Series against the Red Sox 4 games to 2 and got revenge for 2007.

[bombboy85]

Offseason update #1
November 25th, 2018

It is officially free agency filing day and before we look at some of the top free agents lets see what the Rockies did to this point.

Arbitration

The Rockies only had 4 players up for arbitration and no pending free agents.

SP Kevin Gausman - was not offered arbitration and let go into free agency
SP Drew Pomeranz - was offered $8,500,000 but won his case getting $10,625,000 on the season
3B Rosell Herrera - was arbitration eligible but instead the Rockies signed him to a 5 year extension worth $19,820,000 a steal for a player of his caliber.
CF Jose Soto - Also signed a contract extension instead of arbitration as he sign for 4 years and $42,120,000. Soto as a lead off hitter had an OBP of .385.

Even with the signings the Rockies still have $32,850,000 in budget room for this year and $25,665,000 for next season and extensions.

While it has been an uneventful month in the offseason money wise there was a lot to talk about when it came to the yearly awards. Rockies players will be highlighted in bold among the winners.

NL Gold Gloves
P Jacob Turner - Los Angeles Dodgers
C Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants
1B Justin Morneau - St. Louis Cardinals
2B Chase Utley - Cincinnati Reds
SS Carlos Torres - Arizona Diamondbacks
3B Rosell Herrera - Colorado Rockies
LF David Dahl - Chicago Cubs
CF Manuel Leon - Arizona Diamondbacks
RF Yasiel Puig - San Francisco Giants

AL Gold Gloves
P Derek Holland - Baltimore Orioles
C Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
1B Drew Ward - Baltimore Orioles
2B Odubel Herrera - Texas Rangers
SS Thairo Estrada - New York Yankees
3B Jurickson Profar - Texas Rangers
LF Hersin Martinez - Seattle Mariners
CF Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels
RF Ryan Boldt - Minnesoa Twins

NL Rookie of the Year - RF Glenn Mackie - Colorado Rockies - .261 48 HR 121 RBI's
AL Rookie of the Year - 1B Jeff Browing - Toronto Blue Jays - .280 36 HR 82 RBI's

NL Cy Young - Noah Snydergaard - New York Mets - 16-10 1.87 ERA
AL Cy Young - B.J. Hermsen - Minnesota Twins - 19-5 2.95 ERA

NL MVP - Yasukazu Tsuchiya - Colorado Rockies - .314 47 HR 127 RBI's
AL MVP - Odubel Herrera - Texas Rangers - .333 34 HR 124 RBI's

[Jabez54]

Congrats to you and the Rockies ...

[Scottiedog]

Great work brother! I'm buying another season ticket pack ASAP.

[bombboy85]

Offseason wrap up
March 1st, 2019

It ended up being a fairly uneventful free agency period for the Rockies as they failed to sign any free agents. They did however go after 1 big name in free agent pitcher Shelby Miller. While the Rockies did participate in a bidding war for Miller they were unwilling to pay him the $26,000,000 per year that he ended up getting. They truly could have afforded him this year but it could have hindered their ability to keep some of the other young players who are up for arbitration soon or have contracts coming to a close next season.

The Rockies also made a somewhat unpopular trade but with some very good starting pitching prospects ready to hit the big leagues it seemed like a good move. The team traded SP Hirokazu Araki to the division rival San Francisco Giants for a number of prospects, maybe not top of the prospect list but they needed to bolster their farms. Araki is 31 years old and in 2 season with Colorado went 25-17 with a 4.70 ERA. Araki was due $12,500,000 this season with a $13,500,000 team option next season and the Rockies paid $3,000,000 of his contract this season as part of the trade. In return the Rockies got 4 players:

• 26 year old minor league RF Charlie Green who hit .261/.371/.560 18 HR and 57 RBI in AA last season.
• 22 year old minor league SP Claudo Martinez is the #97 prospect last season an was selected to the Eastern League All Star Game. Last year in AA he was 14-11 with a 4.08 ERA
• 25 year old RP Felix Encarnacion pitched 35.2 innings for the Giants last season with a 3.53 ERA
• 25 year old minor league RP Jack Jackson pitched 31 innings in AA last season with a 3.48 ERA

The Rockies yesterday also completed a trade for one of the top prospects. They know SS Troy Tulowitzki is beginning to get older and they don't really have any highly touted prospects at SS so they went after one. The Rockies traded with the Houston Astros for 22 year old SS Steve Wallace who was the 7 overall prospect last season. He is an average contact hitter but has a lot of patience and good power. He also is known to be a quick and very solid defender. To get Wallace the Rockies gave up:

• 24 year old minor league RP Hugh Stephens. Stephens was a 7th round pick in 2013 but has had struggles since going to AAA with an ERA over 7
• 28 year old minor league SP Daniel Corcino. Corcino has pitched for the Rockies in spot starts for injured starters but never seen much success.
• 24 year old LF Jose Gonzalez was the centerpiece of this trade, the #33 overall prospect is coming along slowly in the minors but looks to be a star someday but the Rockies have a very full outfield already.
• 27 year old former star RF Jorge Soler was traded. Glenn Mackie took over his position last year on the way to the ROY award while Soler hit just .185 in 250 at bats. He truly only had one good season for the Rockies
• A toss in for the trade was 24 year old SP Ian Clarkin who was 2-4 in 13 games last year for AAA Colorado Springs with a 5.82 ERA.

As we head towards spring training with the trade of Araki and letting Kevin Gausman go in free agency keep an eye on 2 rookie call ups. The Rockies brought up Evan Anderson and Travis O'Bryan. Anderson was the #34 overall prospect last season while O'Bryan was the #13 and had the no hitter last August.

[bombboy85]

Season Preview
March 31, 2019

This spring training was more of a preseason for the Rockies in deciding mostly who their pitchers would be, they gave a lot of players that are basically guaranteed starters spots more rest while giving younger guys playing time which led to a 10-13 record for the spring. Let's take a look at the expected starting lineups.

Starters
C - Stryker Trahan
1B - Anthony Rizzo
2B - Marco Hernandez
SS - Troy Tulowitzki
3B - Rosell Herrera
LF - Yasukazu Tsuchiya
CF - Jose Soto
RF - Glenn Mackie (on DL for 1 more week)

Bench
IF - Jordan Pacheco
1B/C - Braeden Schlehuber
IF - Rodrigo Vigil
OF - Max White
OF - Raimel Tapia

Rotation
RHP Bryant Reed
RHP Jose Fernandez
LHP Drew Pomeranz
LHP Evan Anderson
RHP Travis O'Bryan

Bullpen
RHP Yakamochi Ishida
RHP Braden Shipley
RHP Robert Whalen
LHP Joe Ortiz
LHP Thomas Keeling
RHP Jose Suarez
Closer Rex Brothers.


Consensus Season predictions - 99-60

[bombboy85]

Rockies display their power
May 1st, 2019

W - 18 / L - 11 / .5 Game Lead

If the first month is any indication the National League West could turn out to be a dofight as the Rockies sit .5 a game ahead of the Giants and Diamondbacks with the Dodgers and Padres just behind. Rockies pitchers are off to a rough start though with their 2 new rookies having some trouble but showing promise. Their bullpen though is really having a rough go, sitting at worst in the NL so far with only Rex Brothers doing well so far.

The real story of the first month though was the Rockies power, the team hit 55 home runs through their first 29 games good for most in the big leagues. That charge has been led by 2 players off to an absolutely ridiculous start. 1B Anthony Rizzo hit 13 home runs in April but team LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya went ballistic hitting 17 HR and knocking in 46 runs in the first month. Tsuchiya's total puts him way out in front as the next closest besides Rizzo is Bostick from Oakland with 11.


Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya - .438/.512/.1029 17 HR 46 RBI
MLB Pitcher - RP Rex Brothers - 9 Saves 2.19 ERA 0.73 WHIP

AAA Hitter - RF Charlie Green - .301/.326/.627 7 HR 24 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Jack Jackson - 14.0 IP 5.79 ERA 1.21 WHIP

AA Hitter - LF Cody Bellinger - .329/.383/.571 3 HR 16 RBI
AA Pitcher - SP Carlos Peterson - 1-2 2.18 ERA 0.97 WHIP

[bombboy85]

A NL West Dog Fight
June 1st, 2019

W - 34 / L - 21 / GB - 1

The Colorado Rockies had a good month of May going 16-10 but the Padres were better going 18-8 and jumping from last place in the division to first. The National League West so far this spring has been a doffight. All 5 teams have winning records right now with the Padres, Rockies and Dodgers all within 2 games of each other at the top.

In other Rockies news a surprising story has come out about 26 year old SP Jose Fernandez of the Rockies... or is he 26? Earlier this month rumors started to swirl that he may have lied about his age when he signed his first professional contract. He was drafted at the age of 18 by the Miami Marlins in 2011 but the truth may be that he is actually older than people have been led to believe. At this point though it doesn't make a big difference as the pitcher is still young one way or another and is doing well in his career. He has an overall career record of 80-56 with a 4.03 ERA.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - RF Glenn Mackie - .368/.402/.600 5 HR 23 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Evan Anderson - 2-1 2.06 ERA 0.86 WHIP

AAA Hitter - 1B Bill Decker - .359/.488/.796 12 HR 27 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Rafael Aviles - 19.0 IP 2.37 ERA 0.58 WHIP

AA Hitter - RF Rick Clark - .259/.371/.554 7 HR 17 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Rafael Rodriguez - 16.1 IP 1.65 ERA 1.22 WHIP

[bombboy85]

2019 First Year Player's Draft
June 6th, 2019

Round 1 - Earlier this offseason the Rockies made a trade that garnered them a good Shortstop prospect, with their first round pick this year they got another one. 21 Year old Gordon Connolly out of Florida State University is known for his phenomenal fielding and can play Shortstop, Third Base, and Second Base. He projects to be an average contact hitter with a little bit of power. This year at FSU he hit .293/.392/.622 with 20 HR and 67 RBI in 57 games.

Round 2 - The Rockies second round pick was 20 year old SP Morton Hardy out of Rice University. He will likely turn into a bullpen arm as he really only has 2 pitches. This season he went 10-3 with 2.74 ERA. He has very high intangibles across the board.

Round 3 - The Rockies used their 3rd round pick on 22 year old RF Aubrey Carney out of Texas A&M. He is an average hitter who plays RF very well. His work ethic and high intelligence should help in his development.

Round 4 - The 4th round pick for the Rockies is 18 year old Catcher Pedro Trevino out of Idea High School in Washington DC. He has a long way to go as a player to make the major leagues but his work ethic is high and at 18 he is already 6'2" and 210 lbs so should expect to fill out and become a big power hitter.

Round 5 - The 5th round pick was another catcher in 21 year old Brandon Allen out of South Florida.

[bombboy85]

At the Halfway point
July 1st, 2019

W - 48 / L - 32 / GB - 2.5

The all out battle for the lead in the NL West has continued between the Rockies and Padres while the Dodgers have fallen back a little bit to 5 games back. June saw the Rockies go 14-11 for the month as the offense has cooled off a little bit, especially LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya who had 17 HR in the first month of the season has just 9 since then in the last 2 months. The Rockies rookie starting pitchers Evan Anderson and Travis O'Bryan have started to improve though as they get more experience which is a good sign.

Speaking of pitchers the Rockies could be in for some tough decisions next season again but in a good way. Currently the Rockies have 5 good pitchers making up their rotation but they have 3 pitchers in the top 20 on the top prospects list and 2 are in AAA currently looking ready to come up very soon and another in AA. When it comes to their rotation currently Drew Pomeranz seems to be the odd man out as he is the only player over the age of 30 and who does not have a long term contract or is arbitration eligible, but this season he is 9-0 in 16 starts with a team best 3.56 ERA. It will be interesting to see this offseason.

The Rockies sent 5 players to the all star game this summer:
- SP Drew Pomeranz - 9-0 3.50 ERA
- SP Bryant Reed - 8-4 3.83 ERA
- Closer Rex Brothers - 4-2 20 Saves 3.19 ERA
- LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya - .370/.464/.756 25 HR 69 RBI
- RF Glenn Mackie - .311/.363/.550 14 HR 49 RBI

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya - .320/.422/.600 4 HR 14 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Jose Fernandez - 1-1 1.99 ERA 1.14 WHIP

AAA Hitter - 1B Bill Decker - .327/.437/.692 11 HR 36 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Jack Jackson - 22.2 IP 3.57 ERA 1.15 WHIP

AA Hitter - C Joseph Hdu - .314/.416/.477 2 HR 14 RBI
AA Pitcher - SP Antonio Senzatela - 2-0 1.19 ERA 1.10 WHIP

[bombboy85]

Tulowitzki out for the season
August 1st, 2019

W - 65 / L - 41 / GB - 3

The Rockies had another good month going 17-9 in July to improve their record to 24 games over 500 yet they sit 3 games behind San Diego. The Padres are living on their pitching as they rank 1st in the NL in team ERA with an ERA of 3.34. The Rockies also got some bad news as SS Troy Tulowitzki while making one of his signature diving stops ended up breaking his kneecap effectively ending his season. To supplant him on the field the Rockies recalled SS Steve Wallace from AAA and in 19 games he has hit .254/.356/.397 with 1 HR 4 RBI and 5 SB.

Before the trade deadline the Rockies did a little bit of shuffling to try to make up some ground on the Padres in the final 2 months. 1B Bill Decker in has had a year in AAA that was hard to ignore. In response the Rockies demoted 1B/C backup Braeden Schlehuber who was hitting just .226 with the club this year and Decker was brought up. Decker was the Rockies 5th round pick in 2015 and in AAA this season was hitting .309/.432/.647 with 29 HR and 79 RBI in 86 games.

Another move for the future was made in July as the Rockies signed Closer Rex Brother to an extension for 3 years $21,250,000. Brothers has consistently been in the top leaderboards among relievers for ERA and saves in his career.

On July 28th the Rockies made their only trade before the deadline. OF Max White was the Rockies 2nd round pick in 2012 and has turned into a very good player but the Rockies didn't really have a space for him and his fielding was a major handicap. The Rockies trade White to the Seattle Mariners where he can be a DH and be very effective. In return the Rockies got 26 year old RP Antonio Baez and 19 year old catching prospect Juan Gonzalez. Baez has been fantastic in his 2.5 years in the majors has pitched 197.1 innings, made 102 saves and an incredible 1.96 ERA. Catcher Juan Gonzalez was ranked the #14 overall prospect in the major leagues.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - C Stryker Trahan - .330/.394/.795 12 HR 25 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Travis O'Bryan - 4-0 1.59 ERA 0.78 WHIP

AAA Hitter - SS Matt Clark - .271/.379/.482 4 HR 14 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Lonnie Daniels - 37.1 IP 4.58 ERA 1.39 WHIP

AA Hitter - 1B Kevin Butler - .290/.333/.500 3 HR 11 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Carlos Garcia - 11.1 IP 1.59 ERA 1.23 WHIP

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Starting Pitching makes big turn around
September 1st, 2019

W - 85 / L - 46 / 6 Game Lead

Last month the Rockies and Padres were neck and neck but then August rolled through and the teams went opposite directions. The Padres went 11-14 in the month while the Rockies starting pitchers went from middle of the pack in the league in ERA to first in the league lowering their ERA 3.55 and leading the Rockies to an incredible 20-5 record in August. As a collective group in August the Rockies pitchers went 18-4 in 25 starts with an ERA of 2.03 in the month.

One thing to attribute to the improvement of the Rockies pitchers has been the gradual improvement of their 2 rookies who started off the year in a rough way but have since recovered. Evan Anderson one of the rookies has improved to 12-5 with a 3.27 ERA and leads the majors in strikeout to walk ratio with 8.52 K's for every walk. He has 195 strikeouts this year with just 27 walks. Also 3rd year starter Travis O'Bryan leads the majors with 215 strikeouts this season.

Top Team Performances

MLB Hitter - RF Glenn Mackie - .310/.352/.770 11 HR 29 RBI
MLB Pitcher - SP Travis O'Bryan - 4-0 1.02 ERA 0.99 WHIP

AAA Hitter - 3B Cavan BIggio - .325/.368/.581 6 HR 15 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Andres Garcia - 23.0 IP 1.17 ERA 1.00 WHIP

AA Hitter - CF Julian Ridings - .342/.417/.547 5 HR 17 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Javier Palacios - 15.2 IP 1.15 ERA 0.70 WHIP

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Regular Season in Review
October 1st, 2019

Final Record - W - 102 / L - 57

Why the Blake Street bombers? Well for the first time since 1999 the Rockies had 4 players reach the 30 HR plateau this season, something the Rockies have done 4 times and something done only 12 times in major league history with this season making it 13 and the Rockies own 5 of those years.

While we are on the topic of home runs something amazing happened this year in the American League and it involved a player that was offered in a trade to the Rockies but the trade was turned down. Likely to win the AL MVP, Toronto Blue Jays LF Jeff Browning mashed 57 HR's this season while driving in 143 RBI's. Let's take a look back at the Rockies stats for the season.

Starters
C Stryker Trahan - 129 Games - .289/.355/.532 33 HR 101 RBI WAR 3.0
1B Anthony Rizzo - 159 Games - .284/.350/.550 41 HR 114 RBI WAR 3.8
2B Marco Hernandez - 155 Games - .297/.369/.475 23 HR 95 RBI WAR 3.2
SS Troy Tulowitzki (DL) - 84 Games - .252/.359/.476 14 HR 41 RBI WAR 1.1
3B Rosell Herrera - 143 Games - .270/.326/.446 20 HR 65 RBI WAR 1.1
LF Yasukazu Tsuchiya - 134 Games - .330/.422/.668 43 HR 116 RBI WAR 6.8
CF Jose Soto - 137 Games - .272/.363/.348 2 HR 35 RBI WAR 2.7
RF Glenn Mackie - 146 Games - .283/.334/.556 40 HR 119 RBI WAR 1.7

Bench (min 30 games)
1B Bill Decker - 43 AB - .209/.300/.442 3 HR 7 RBI
IF Jordan Pacheco - 212 AB - .250/.307/.358 3 HR 20 RBI
SS Rodrigo Vigil - 109 AB - .248/.346/.275 1 HR 13 RBI
SS Steve Wallace - 227 AB - .220/.318/.388 7 HR 26 RBI
OF Blake McKinney - 122 AB - .336/.404/.492 3 HR 14 RBI

Rotation
Bryant Reed - 20-8 / 3.33 ERA / 216.0 IP / 1.12 WHIP / 270 K / 3.10 FIP
Jose Fernandez - 11-8 / 3.74 ERA / 202.1 IP / 1.27 WHIP / 168 K / 3.34 FIP
Drew Pomeranz - 15-1 / 3.13 ERA / 184.0 IP / 1.20 WHIP / 167 K / 3.72 FIP
Evan Anderson - 12-7 / 3.38 ERA / 192.0 IP / 1.05 WHIP / 219 K / 3.68 FIP
Travis O'Bryan - 15-9 / 3.85 ERA / 177.2 IP / 1.21 WHIP / 156 K / 4.25 FIP

Bullpen (min 30 innings)
Braden Shipley - 46.0 IP / 3.91 ERA / 1.22 WHIP / 3.05 FIP
Joe Ortiz - 68.2 IP / 4.06 ERA / 1.43 WHIP / 3.42 FIP
Robert Whalen - 64.0 IP / 3.38 ERA / 1.19 WHIP / 4.03 FIP
Jose Suarez - 72.0 IP / 4.38 ERA / 1.36 WHIP / 2.28 FIP
Antonio Baez - 29.1 IP / 4.30 ERA / 1.43 WHIP / 2.51 FIP
Rex Brothers - 45 Saves / 3.36 ERA / 1.12 WHIP / 2.59 FIP

Other Notable Stats

• Don't look at Soto's low RBI's as a leadoff hitter he score 103 runs and stole 38 bases.
• Bryant Reeds 270 Strikeouts was best in the majors, Chris Sale was the next closest with 254
• Evan Anderson finished the season issuing just 26 Walks while striking out 219

Top Performer of the Year - Minor leagues

AAA Hitter - RF Charlie Green - .287/.344/.582 44 HR 126 RBI
AAA Pitcher - RP Andres Garcia - 30.2 IP 1.17 ERA 0.98 WHIP

AA Hitter - LF Cody Bellinger - .317/.388/.531 11 HR 42 RBI
AA Pitcher - RP Lonnie Daniels - 20 Saves - 1.80 ERA 1.60 WHIP

High A Hitter - SS Anastasio Cortez - .243/.368/.428 20 HR 56 RBI
High A Pitcher - SP Tyler Herb - 13-7 2.29 ERA 1.09 WHIP

Low A Hitter - CF Emery Hall - .301/.384/.446 11 HR 50 RBI
Low A Pitcher - RP Dustin Hagy - 64.2 IP 1.39 ERA 0.65 WHIP

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Divisional Round - Colorado Rockies vs. San Diego Padres



Game 1 - San Diego wins 7-3

In game 1 of the divisional series the Rockies handed the ball to their ace SP Bryant Reed but it did not go so well for him as he lasted just 2 innings and gave up 4 runs. SP Travis O'Bryan who was designated to the bullpen while the Rockies use a 4 man rotation in the playoffs faired no better giving up 3 runs in 2.1 innings. The bullpen gave up no runs the rest of the way but it was already too late for the Rockies who could muster just 6 hits.

Game 2 - San Diego wins 10-7

After a break down from their starter in game 1 the Rockies hoped Jose Fernandez could have a better game, but it wasn't to be so as the Rockies were down 3-0 before ever coming to the plate. It was 6-1 in the bottom of the 5th when the Rockies offense came alive scoring 5 runs in the inning to tie it up. It didn't last long though as the Padres got 4 runs in the top of the 6th to make it 10-6. The Padres ended up winning the game 10-7 to go up to 2 games to none.

Game 3 - San Diego wins 8-4

The Padres ended the Rockies streak of World Series titles as they jumped all over the Rockies starters in this series with Drew Pomeranz fairing no better giving up 6 runs in 5.2 innings.

We will see you next year but before we go here are the results from the rest of the playoff series.

Divisional Round
New York Yankees defeat Houston Astros
Boston Red Sox defeat Minnesota Twins
Atlanta Braves defeat Cincinnati Reds

League Championship Series

Boston Red Sox defeat New York Yankees
Atlanta Braves defeat San Diego Padres

World Series

Boston Red Sox defeat Atlanta Braves