The 4th NL West team I am previewing are the dumpster fire known as the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are coming off a a 4th place finish with a 26-34 record. But this year they took like 5 steps back by trading away their franchise player and cornerstone Nolan Arenado. And I expect for shortstop Trevor Story to walk and sign elsewhere this coming offseason when he becomes a free agent. As for how the season goes for the Rockies, I expect them to finish in last. For the simple fact that they didn’t better themselves. You can’t trade away one of, if not the best 3rd baseman in MLB in the offseason and expect fans to think you will finish anywhere but last place.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | German Marquez |
| 2 | Kyle Freeland |
| 3 | Jon Gray |
| 4 | Antonio Senzatela |
| 5 | Austin Gomber |
The Rockies have had some good pitchers in recent years, many of which are listed above. However, no pitcher has yet to consistently thrive in Colorado because of the thin air. The one pitcher that can possibly do so is Kyle Freeland. I say this because he was born and raised in Denver and pitched in the high altitude all of his life, so he has had to have figured it out by now. Another one who is close to figuring it out has been German Marquez. Marquez has been the one consistent starter in the rotation, as Freeland and Gray have dealt with setbacks by injuries and underperformance. I kind of expect Marquez to have a setback this year, but who knows. I for sure expect the rotation and the pitching in general to be bad this year because of the effect that Colorado has.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | 2B Brendan Rodgers | R |
| 2 | RF Charlie Blackmon | L |
| 3 | SS Trevor Story | R |
| 4 | 3B Ryan McMahon | L |
| 5 | 1B C.J. Cron | R |
| 6 | CF Sam Hilliard | L |
| 7 | LF Raimel Tapia | L |
| 8 | C Elias Diaz | R |
| 9 | P Pitcher | – |
The lineup has potential but only 4 names standout; Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, Brendan Rodgers, and C.J. Cron. The other names I don’t expect to have big seasons from. Trevor Story is in his walk year and thus is playing for a contract. There is a 0% chance he re-signs with Colorado, so in order for him to get the contract he wants he will have to perform well. Charlie Blackmon is an underrated player that any team will want to have. Sucks that he chose to sign an extension with the Rockies, only to have them start a rebuild about 2-3 years later. Once Story walks, I expect Blackmon to be traded as well. In terms of expectations, I see Blackmon to have a D.J. LeMaheiu-esque season with a lower batting average and less RBIs. Lastly, C.J. Cron is someone who will benefit well in Colorado because he gets a chance to play everyday. He showed in Tampa several years ago that he can be an everyday player, but they released him because he was going to make too much money. Cron will also benefit from the thin air in Colorado and may in fact be in the hunt for the NL Home Run crown.
2021 PECOTA NL West Projections
I’m going to keep this section short; like stated in other Blogs, I 100% agree with the PECOTA NL West projections. And as I stated above, I don’t expect them to perform well, outside of 3-5 players. As well as the pitching will once again be horrendous.
