It’s time for baseball.
I’m taking a quick look at each division and making some predictions
before the season really takes off. For
my overall thoughts about the league and playoff predictions, check out my last
post HERE. Or for my AL West thoughts,
check out THIS POST.
I’ll continue with the NL West. The Dodgers have dominated headlines with
their massive payrolls in recent years, but in an even year many don’t like to
count out the Giants. More important
than the even year is the fact that the Giants had a fantastic offseason, while
the Dodgers had a pretty bad one. But to
throw another wrench into the equation, the Diamondbacks may have had the best
offseason in the division, which makes the NL West very interesting all of a
sudden. Will the Giants offseason
translate onto the field? Will the new
look Diamondbacks be able to make some noise?
Do the Dodgers still have enough talent?
To this point, all of these teams are underperforming so something will
have to change considerably if any of these teams are going to have success.
PRESSING QUESTIONS:
Arizona Diamondbacks- A more talented team than many realized last
season, will their new pitching staff be enough to help them contend?
Colorado Rockies- Is CarGo on the way out?
Los Angeles Dodgers- Are they still talented enough to win
this division with the losses they sustained this offseason?
San Diego Padres- Are they going to sell off more
pieces this year?
San Francisco Giants- Can the even year and big offseason
translate to a division win, and possibly another World Series?
PREDICTIONS:
San Francisco Giants- 91-71
Arizona Diamondbacks- 88-74 SECOND WILDCARD WINNER
Los Angeles Dodgers- 85-77
San Diego Padres- 77-85
Colorado Rockies- 70-92
San Francisco Giants
Projected Lineup/Pitching Staff
CF Denard Span
2B Joe Panik
C Buster Posey
RF Hunter Pence
1B Brandon Belt
SS Brandon Crawford
3B Matt Duffy
LF Angel Pagan
LHP Madison Bumgarner
RHP Johnny Cueto
RHP Jeff Samardzjia
RHP Jake Peavy
RHP Matt Cain
CLOSER Santiago Casilla
The Giants have a lot of buzz around them this year. Many think they are now the best team in the
division. And, of course, it is an even
year. So while some think this dynasty
is destined to win another World Series, they still have to prove it on the
field.
(And for what it’s worth I don’t buy that dynasty
stuff. To be a dynasty you have to have
a sustained run of greatness and be the best team for a while. The Giants won every other World Series in
this span and while that is undoubtedly impressive, they are no dynasty. Many of the odd years saw them really
struggle and miss the playoffs. And the
years they made the playoffs and won, they were always the worst team to get in
and had a hot streak at the end that carried them. Again, very impressive. But you have to be the best team or close to
it to be a dynasty. At no point in this
stretch were the Giants anywhere near the best team, usually not even in their
division. It’s a lucky streak that
includes good postseason baseball. I’m
not actually a huge fan of this team, so the fact that I am picking them to win
the division shows you how impressed I am with their offseason).
The Giants sustain success with strong pitching and just
enough a hitting. This offseason, they
went out and added in both departments.
They already had an ace in Madison Bumgarner and a savvy veteran in Jake
Peavy. With Matt Cain coming back, they
looked to be solid. But they were not
content. They signed Johnny Cueto and
Jeff Samardzjia to major deals and now they have one of the best starting
rotations in the NL. That rotation is
bolstered by a strong bullpen consisting of a good closer in Santiago Casilla
and other strong arms including Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter
Strickland. If Casilla struggles, Romo
is arguably just as good a closer, if not better. Like always, this team will pitch well. I could see Bumgarner threatening for 20 Wins
and Cueto right behind him over 15. And
if Matt Cain has recovered his former mojo, he too could threaten for 15 Wins
with both Samardzjia and Peavy good for double digits in the same department. And those new signings were huge, because
Samardzjia and Cueto are likely the best pitchers on the staff right now. With Cain and Peavy’s struggles, don’t be
surprised if the Giants make an offer to free agent Tim Lincecum, who had a
great public bullpen session and is looking to come back and play with a major
league team again.
But the question in San Francisco is always the same. Will the Giants score enough? This year, they will likely need to score
less. But even so, they had enough money
to address the offense. Posey is a star
good for an AVG around 300 with around 20 HR and 85+ RBI. Hunter Pence does a lot of stuff well and can
be a 270 guy with 15 HR and 10 SB. Joe
Panik improved on his rookie 2014 campaign to hit over 300 again. And Brandon Crawford broke out with a career
high 21 HR and 84 RBI. All those guys
are back and healthy. And now they’ve
added Denard Span, a quality leadoff man good for a 280+ AVG, 20+ SB and a
strong OBP. He very recently led the
league in hits. With him at the top,
this Giants team looks good.
Overall, I like this team.
The defense looks great, the pitching staff looks even better and the
offense, while not a juggernaut by any means, looks better than last year. Add to that the stronger pitching and
weakening of the other teams in the division and the Giants look like the team
to beat. I’m picking them as my division
winner.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Projected Lineup/Pitching Staff
CF A.J. Pollock
2B Jean Segura
1B Paul Goldschmidt
RF David Peralta
LF Yasmany Thomas
C Wellington Castillo
SS Chris Owings
3B Jake Lamb
RHP Zach Greinke
RHP Shelby Miller
LHP Patrick Corbin
RHP Rubby De La Rosa
LHP Robbie Ray
CLOSER Brad Ziegler
This team is going for it now. After more success than anyone expected them
to have, Tony LaRusa looked at the team and thought they were just a few pieces
short of contending. Paul Goldschmidt
might be the third best player in baseball, but is likely top 5 at worst. A.J. Pollock is a really good player, better
than people realized. David Peralta
looks good. So, the Diamondbacks went
out and addressed their weaknesses adding two top of the rotation starters and
another middle infielder with some legitimate potential. Will that be enough?
This team can hit.
Last year, they were one of the top offenses in the NL. Goldschmidt is great. He is almost a lock for 300 with 30 HR, 100
RBI and R with 15 SB tossed in as well.
He also gets on base at a ridiculous rate and plays Gold Glove caliber
defense. For me, he is right after Trout
in Harper in terms of talent. The
difference is that he has a more proven track record. I cannot talk about him enough. He is truly one of the best. A.J. Pollock had a career year last
season. Like many players in the west,
he got overlooked. He hit 315 with 20
HR, 76 RBI, 39 SB and 111 R. He got on
base at a 367 rate. The issue with
Pollock has never been skill it’s been health.
He’s hurt again to start the year.
But I believe if he can come back healthy, he can hit 300 again with 15+
HR, 70 RBI, 100 R and 30+ SB. He is also
great in the field. Pollock and
Goldschmidt are the stars, but there is more talent behind them. David Peralta built on a strong half year in
2014 to his first full season in the majors last year. He hit 312 with 17 HR and 78 RBI. Yasmany Tomas was signed to a big deal and
much is expected from him. In a partial
season last year he hit 273 with 9 HR.
They need more from him, but if he can play left he will get every
opportunity to succeed, and with all his talent many think it’s only a matter
of time. Jean Segura was added to play
some short and some second. He hasn’t
lived up to his big 2013 season that saw him hit 294 with 44 SB. But he’s dealt with some injuries and
personal issues since then, including the loss of a child. However he’s got great talent and is off to a
great start this year. There is a drop
off after those guys, but the team has lots of depth and hopes to ride hot
hands to support the top of the lineup.
But Goldy and Pollock can win many games on their own and with Peralta,
Segura and Tomas helping, they can likely improve on what was already a good
offense last year.
The issue with this team was always pitching. So that’s what was addressed this
offseason. The big move was signing Zack
Greinke to a major deal worth over $200 million. Last year he went 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA in 222
IP with 200 Ks. While moving to Chase
Field will inflate that ERA, I still think he can threaten 20 Wins, with 15
likely his floor. Despite his rough
start to the year, I like him for 200+ IP and Ks with an ERA right around 3,
perhaps lower. The other big move was
trading for Shelby Miller from Atlanta.
While many think they overpaid (the overpay including trading first
overall pick Dansby Swanson), the D’backs want to win now and are happy with
the deal. Miller played for a bad Braves
team last year, which affected his win loss record (6-17…not good). But he is not at all to blame. He pitched really well, but the Braves
couldn’t score. Everyone agrees it was
his best year as he pitched over 200 IP with a 3.02 ERA. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he can get
guys out and is a very strong pitcher, especially as a number 2 in the
rotation. The rest of the rotation
includes Patrick Corbin, Ruby De La Rosa and Robbie Ray. Corbin had one season where he pitched very
well, but then was lost to Tommy John.
While they aren’t sure how he’ll be coming back off that, he’s got
talent and a track record of success. Having
him as a number 3 is a luxury for this team, as he used to be considered their
ace. In addition to the three strong
arms at the top, the bullpen has some good pitchers as well. Tyler Clippard is an All Star level reliever. Brad Zeigler is a solid closer. And both Daniel Hudson and Randall Delgado
are former starters who have the stuff to do well as relievers.
This team is much improved after this offseason. They were better than people realized last
year. They have one of the best offenses
in baseball. They have three strong
starters at the top of the rotation and some good arms in the bullpen. The defense looks strong, especially in the
infield. And with the Dodgers having a poor offseason, things are lining up for
the Diamondbacks to have a solid season.
I like them for 88 Wins and the second wildcard spot.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Projected Lineup/Pitching Staff
LF Carl Crawford
SS Corey Seager
1B Adrian Gonzalez
3B Justin Turner
RF Yasiel Puig
CF Joc Pederson
2B Chase Utley
C A.J. Ellis
LHP Clayton Kershaw
LHP Scott Kazmir
RHP Kenta Maeda
LHP Alex Wood
RHP Ross Stripling
CLOSER Kenley Jansen
The Dodgers are not a popular team right now. Despite winning the NL west for three
straight years and having the highest payroll in baseball, the Dodgers are
being largely overlooked by two other teams in their division. The reason is that things have not gone well
for them since the end of the regular season in 2016. After losing in the playoffs again, the
Dodgers saw their manager get fired, one of their aces go to a division rival and
the teams behind them in the standings get better. Even if they are able to win the division, it
will be closer this year than they likely want it to be.
The Dodgers are not at all a bad team. Their offense features few stars, but above
average to good players at every position.
Adrian Gonzalez is a very good first baseman, still underrated at this
later stage of his career. He hits for
AVG and solid power. But he still gets
on base, drives in runs and plays great defense at first. Last year he hit 275 with 28 HR, 90 RBI and a
350 OBP. I like the AVG and OBP to be
similar with likely 25-28 HR again. The
biggest name with the Dodgers right now may be the young Cory Seager at
short. The younger brother of Kyle, the
Mariners third baseman, Corey is expected to be a star. He only appeared in 27 games in his rookie
year last season, but hit 337 with 4 HR, 17 RBI, 17 R and 2 SB. Hard to know what he’ll do this year, but he
could be a 15/15 or even 20/20 guy with a plus AVG if he learns well on his
feet. The rest of the offense has
questions. Nobody knows what to make of
Yasiel Puig. An incredible athlete, the
free-swinging Puig has seen his AVG drop every season he’s been in the majors. Injuries and ineffectiveness limited him to
79 games last year where he hit 255. But
he still had 11 HR and 38 RBI in that half season of work. He has a cannon for an arm, but make a lot of
mistakes in the field. He also seems to
have maturity problems, whether they are blown out of proportion or not, and is
not popular in the clubhouse. But he’s
only played one full season to this point and will likely still be getting
better as he gains more experience. I
truly have no idea what his AVG will be, but he should be good for at least 20
HR and maybe 75 RBI. Joc Pederson is a
flawed young player. He played the full
season as a rookie last year. But his
solid first half devolved into a bad second half. He hit 26 HR with 54 RBI. But he hit 210 in that time with a 4 for 11
record on the bases. Thought to be a
future 50/50 threat, he has to learn to strikeout less and hit for a higher
AVG. The 346 OBP showed off his good
eye, but they want more from him. Justin
Turner had a breakout season in 2014 and continued to play well in 2015. The question is will this continue. He was a backup on a bad Mets team before
joining LA and having more success than he ever had before. But there are good signs. As a part time player for the Mets, he never
hit below 260. His last season in New
York saw him hit 280. He hit 340 with
the Dodgers in his first season with 6 SB in 109 games. Last year he played a career high 126 games
with a 294 AVG and 16 HR. He’s a bit of
a wildcard, but I think he should be solid, maybe 280 with 10-15 HR. Beyond those guys it’s a lot of depth with
players you have heard of. The Dodgers
have both Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley at second. They have Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford to
go with young Trayce Thompson in the outfield.
They have Yasmani Grandal to start behind the plate. Former starter A.J. Ellis is his backup. The bench is deep. This team will score runs, but the won’t be
the top offense in the division.
The pitching staff is still strong, but weaker than
before. Clayton Kershaw is the best
pitcher in baseball. He went 16-7 last
year with a 2.13 ERA and 301 Ks in 232 IP.
His WHIP was 0.88 and his BAA was 194.
He isn’t talked about as much now, because his greatness has become too
common. It’s almost boring because we
know he will be great. He is the best
pitcher in baseball by far. I like him
for another 220 IP with 15-20 Wins, 270+ Ks and another sub 2.50 ERA if he is
healthy. The question is, what comes
after him? The new number two is likely
Scott Kazmir who had a career rebirth, but struggled at the end of the season
last year, not even making the Astros starting rotation for the playoffs. He struggled in 13 starts for Houston last
year with a 4.17 ERA and 2-6 record. I
don’t think he will be at all successful this year and worry time has finally
caught up with him. I will be surprised
if he makes it to 30 starts or 200 IP. I
frankly don’t think he’ll even make it to 20 starts this year. Kenta Maeda is an international free agent
who is making his MLB debut this year.
He’s been successful in South Korea, but who knows how he will do
here. I like the signing, but don’t
think an unproven international free agent should be a number 2 or 3 starter
for a team that wants to contend, despite his hot start. Lefty Alex Wood is a good pitcher. He is a high-end number 4 who could be a
number 3 on some staffs. But he
struggled moving to LA in 12 starts last year with a 4.35 ERA (as opposed to
3.54 in 20 starts with the Braves). He
also saw his K rate drop last year overall. If he gets to 200 IP, it will be with an ERA
around 4 and maybe 160 Ks. They are
letting rookie Ross Stripling take the number 5 spot to start the year while
Ryu and Brett Anderson recover from injuries.
There is not a lot of depth here and that worries Dodger fans. The bullpen has some good arms, but isn’t
elite. The one great arm is Kenley
Jansen, the closer. But he cant be
thrilled with the Dodgers right now after they attempted to bring in Aroldis
Chapman to close which would make him a setup man, despite his great season. After Jansen, none of those arms are
overpowering or elite.
The Dodgers aren’t a bad team. Kershaw is great. The offense is good and deep. There are other decent arms on the staff and
a good closer on the team. The defense
looks good. There is nothing wrong with
the Dodgers. But they don’t excite
anyone and they play in a division that has gotten better. I like them to win 85 games, but just miss
out on the playoffs. Perhaps that will
be the wake up call they need to make whatever changes they need to make to get
back up to contention, and possibly finally be good enough to win a
championship.
San Diego Padres
Projected Lineup/Pitching Staff
CF John Jay
SS Alexei Ramirez
1B Wil Myers
RF Matt kemp
C Derek Norris
3B Yangervis Solarte
LF Melvin Upton Jr.
2B Corey Spangenberg
RHP Tyson Ross
RHP James Shields
RHP Andrew Cashner
RHP Colin Rea
LHP Drew Pomeranz
CLOSER Fernando Rodney
The Padres went for it all last offseason, signing James
Shields to a major deal and trading for both Upton brothers, Matt Kemp and
Craig Kimbrel. Early on into the season,
it became clear that things weren’t going to work out. The Padres punted on the season, agreeing to
trade away Craig Kimbrel this offseason and letting Justin Upton go to the
Tigers. This is a transitional year for
San Diego. They are re-setting, but
still have plenty of talent on the team.
I doubt they are successful, which may free them up to ship some other
players off, specifically Shields, Andrew Cashner and perhaps even Alexei
Ramirez (an offseason signing) and Derek Norris (with young Christian Bethancourt
on the bench). If they have some
success, they need to fight the urge to go for it in the present, instead
focusing on re-tooling for the future, a future that may not be that far off
with some good pieces already in place.
With San Diego, the issue is always offense. Even with all the bats they added, this team
didn’t hit enough (though they were significantly better last season than before). Part of the reason is that they lacked a true
leadoff hitter. They also had too many
outfielders, necessitating the move of Wil Myers to first base. Injuries hurt him and the position move
didn’t help him either. Last year he hit
only 253 with 8 HR in 60 games. Matt
Kemp is eating up a major portion of their payroll. He didn’t have a bad season, but for the
money he is making it is tough to like his production. He hit 265 with 23 HR, 100 RBI, 80 R and 12
SB. I’d expect more of the same this
year. Melvin Upton Jr. (the former B.J.
Upton) is still playing too. But for all
the grief he gets, he actually improved significantly last year. He only played in 57 games, but hit 259 with
5 HR and 9 SB. Not nearly worth what
he’s being paid, but it was enough to earn him a starting job this year. The Padres signed Jon Jay this
offseason. He is a guy who hits for good
AVG consistently. But he lacks power or
significant speed. And last year he was
limited to 79 games. His 210 AVG didn’t
help. I’ll predict a bounce back, but to
the tune of 270 with 5-8 HR and maybe 10 SB.
Playing time will help the numbers, but he is not an impact player at
all. Yangervis Solarte has proven to be
more than a flash in the pan with the Friars.
He hit 270 last year with 14 HR and 63 RBI. They like him at third and I think he can be
a solid player there. Think 270 again
with 15 HR and 70 RBI. The big offensive
addition this offseason was Alexei Ramirez.
He is a rare shortstop with a consistent ability to provide offense. But he’s fallen off in recent years. His 249 AVG in 2015 was a career low. He still hit 10 HR and stole 17 bags, but
he’s getting older and moving to San Diego won’t help that power come
back. I’ll say he’s a 260 hitter with
maybe 8 HR and 15 SB. Catcher Derek
Norris has been the San Diego All Star the last few years. But he is another limited offensive player. After his career year in 2014 where he hit
270 with 10 HR and 55 RBI, he saw his AVG drop 20 points but 4 HR get added to
the tally. He is likely going to split
the difference this year at 260 with 12 HR. That’s the offense. There are a number of young players in the
starting lineup and on the bench for depth.
There are a number of older veterans that may or may not be at the top
of their game. But there is also not a
single bat you are nervous about if you are an opposing pitcher. There is talent, but I suspect they will lose
a lot of low scoring games.
The pitching should be solid once again. Part of that is the park, but there are three
very talented arms at the top of the rotation.
James Shields is their ace. While
he isn’t the pitcher he used to be, he still had a good season last year going
13-7 in 202 IP with 216 Ks with a 3.91 ERA.
The ERA climbed, which was a surprise moving to the NL and Petco. But the Ks went up, which was a nice
surprise. I like him to reach 200 IP
again with close to 200 Ks, 12 Wins and perhaps a 3.75 ERA. Andrew Cashner is another talented arm who
needs to stay healthy to have success.
But he struggled last year, which really surprised me. He went 6-16 with a 4.34 ERA in 31
starts. He only made it to 184 IP with
165 Ks. All his totals climbed
significantly as he recovered from injury.
But he was healthy a lot of last year and still struggled, which was one
of the reasons San Diego didn’t play well overall. I don’t know what to expect from him this
year. He is a true wildcard, but I doubt
we see 200 IP or 15 Wins. Think 170 IP
with 10 Wins and maybe an ERA right at 4. Their best starter may actually be Tyson
Ross. He went 10-12 last year, but with
a 3.26 ERA and 212 Ks in 196 IP. His
numbers from 2014 all climbed, but he was still very good. Unfortunately he is hurt at the start of this
season and will miss some time. Assuming
he comes back healthily and sticks around, I like him for 10 Wins, 160 IP and
180 Ks. If he gets those totals, think
an ERA under 3.50. They have lots of
arms available to hold down the back of the rotation, including the hot
starting Drew Pomeranz and Colin Rea. Fernando
Rodney replaces Craig Kimbrel as the closer.
Rodney is neither what he used to be nor is he Kimbrel. But he should be effective. The road to him isn’t as clear, as many
bullpen spots are currently held by spot starters who may or may not succeed as
relievers.
This Padres team is not as good on paper as it was last
year. And last year injuries and surprising
ineffectiveness from players who were supposed to be better wrecked the
season. They will hit more than people
think they will. They actually won’t
pitch as well as people suspect they should.
And that will only make things worse in a division with 3 teams that
plan to contend. This isn’t a bad team,
but it’s certainly not a winning team. I
have them falling short of 80 Wins and falling well short of the playoffs.
Colorado Rockies
Projected Lineup/Pitching Staff
CF Charlie Blackmon
LF Gerardo Parra
RF Carlos Gonzalez
3B Nolan Arrenado
SS Trevor Story
1B Mark Reynolds
2B D.J. LeMahieu
C Nick Hundley
LHP Jorge De La Rose
RHP Chad Bettis
RHP Tyler Chatwood
RHP Jordan Lyles
RHP Christian Bergman
CLOSER Jake McGee
The Rockies are in a tough spot. They seem unable to re-build and develop
pitchers that can help them win at the major league level. Additionally, not a single quality free agent
pitcher wants to pitch in Coors Field.
They continue to develop a bevvy of offensive talent (and the talent is
great in and out of Coors…it’s just insane at Coors Field) but not a single
pitcher. They know what the issue is,
but don’t seem to be able to fix it.
They have tried, but not committed to anything. They really need to commit to drafting a ton
of pitching prospects and trading for more, letting them develop a deep stable
of starters and trust that they will be able to develop more hitters, as they
have done for years. But that’s a hard
thing to commit to, and as long as they keep bringing in fans, I doubt they
will make such a harsh move and instead will continue to play the same type of
baseball that consistently leads them to finish at or near the bottom of the NL
West.
The offense is great.
Because of that, they can afford to splurge on players that are flawed,
but play well in Coors. Mark Reynolds is
an excellent example. While he usually
hits around 210 with 200 Ks and 15 HR, in Coors he could hit 240 with 200 Ks
and 30 HR. He’s the same player, but
playing in Denver will give him new life.
Carlos Gonzalez is their best player, but with Tulo being traded away in
the middle of the last year, the question is will CarGo follow? The thought was his injury history was going
to limit his return. But the Blue Jays
took the risk with Tulo. There are teams
that will take the risk for CarGo. The
Rockies just have to accept that they won’t get what they want for him and
instead take the best deal they can make.
He was healthy last year and had a strong season, hitting 271 with 40 HR
and 97 RBI. The AVG and OBP were down
and he only stole 2 bags. But that is
one way to keep him healthy and the added power makes him very desirable. I think a healthy CarGo has another 270, 30
HR season with 80+ RBI. The Rockies’ new
star is Nolan Arrenado, a multiple Gold Glove winning third baseman, who
slugged 42 HR with 130 RBI, 97 R and a 287 AVG last year. Obviously Coors helped, but that kind of
talent will play anywhere. He is a star
and I expect another great year from him this season with another Gold Glove and
a 270+ AVG with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI.
He’s been considered a good player for a while, but is now elite. The other noteworthy bat is Charlie
Blackmon. The center fielder is
currently on the DL and the Rockies want him back. He had his second straight good year after a strong
half season the year before that. In
2015, he hit 287 with 17 HR, 58 RBI, 43 SB and 93 R. I love him and hope that he continues to
mash, which he has shown that he can do pretty well. The uptick in stolen bases makes him
especially intriguing. The rest of the
offense isn’t overly inspiring, but can be a threat, especially at home. In addition to Reynolds, Gerrardo Parra is
another bat that could excel in Colorado.
A former Gold Glover, Parra has recently been a fourth outfielder a
number of teams. But he hit 328 in 100
games with Milwaukee last year before struggling for 55 more in Baltimore. He has a little pop and some speed. But he will lock down left field defensively
and maybe hit over 270 with 10 HR and 15 SB in this lineup. D.J. LeMahieu is a quality player that often
gets overlooked on this team. He hit 301
last year with 23 stolen bases. He
should do more of the same this year.
The man who has taken all the attention early on this year is Trevor
Story. Tulo’s replacement has been on a
rampage to start the year out, which is why I have him hitting so far up in the
lineup. But he has limited experience
professionally and I wonder how long he can keep it up. It’s easy to nitpick, but the fact is this
offense is great. The defense is also
strong. LeMahieu and Arrenado are great
at second and third and the outfield is stellar. Lots of runs will be scored by this
team. But I doubt it will translate to a
lot of wins.
That is because the pitching staff is abysmal. It always is.
The issue is that it is STILL bad like it has been for years and still
nothing has been done to fix it. They
aren’t committed to a rebuild, which is the only way to get all the pitching
prospects needed to find enough winners to help out the major league club. The also-rans they run out there can’t win,
haven’t before and still won’t. It’s
frustrating to watch, especially for Rockies fans. The ace is Jorge De La Rosa. He is at best a number 3 on other teams,
probably a number 4 on most of them. He
went 9-7 last year in 26 starts with a 4.17 ERA. The year before was 14-11 in 32 starts with a
4.10 ERA. The consistency is nice, but
he’s not a star. At best he can eat
innings. I’d expect more of the same
this year, if he can get to a full slate of starts, which is not
guaranteed. There is not a single other
name that pops on this pitching staff.
Chad Bettis started on a full-time basis for the first time last year
going 8-6 wit a 4.23 ERA in 20 starts.
It’s a small sample size, but it was his best work after two years
starting and relieving before that. It’s
also very mediocre. Tyler Chatwood
didn’t pitch at all last year after returning from injury. He only made 4 starts in 2014. He made 20 starts in 2013 going 8-5 with a
3.15 ERA, but who knows if that pitcher is coming back. Jordan Lyles and a
series of others will take the last two spots, but little is expected due to
their track records of subpar play. The
bullpen has some good arms (Boone Logan, Jake McGee), some veterans (Chad
Qualls) and some arms trying to make a comeback (Jason Motte). But even the good arms will be so overused
that they will lose effectiveness and the others are nothing special.
This is a team with issues.
They also play in a competitive division. The issues are the same as always. They can’t pitch. They won’t be able to out hit everyone
else. They never have been. To fix it, they have to take a nuclear
approach, but they won’t. They are okay
with the status quo. As long as fans
keep showing up, they have no incentive to fix things. It’s fun to watch a bunch of high scoring
games, no matter who wins. So who cares
if the team is always in last and is awful on the road? Most fans only see the exciting home
games. It’s hard to blame Colorado, but
until they make a change they will get the same result. Right now, I am curious to see if CarGo
finishes the year on the Rockies.
Outside of that, I have little reason to watch this team as I see them
really struggling and finishing last in the NL West.
