Colorado Rockies: 2016 Fantasy Preview

N.L. West

Colorado Rockies

Must Own Fantasy Player: Nolan Arenado

Potential Fantasy Bust: Carlos Gonzalez

Rookie Prospect to Watch: Trevor Story

The Colorado Rockies had another rough season in 2015 and turned a page organizationally by finally dishing Troy Tulowitzki. The story has not changed in terms of the Rockies next season, as they will always have a plethora of offensive threats, but continue to lack any semblance of a pitching staff.

Coors Field of course plays into that, and it will always be the center of the conversation when assessing fantasy options on the team. The Rockies are one of the few teams that may actually have three players, Nolan Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon, that you could argue are capable of going in the first or early second round.

What more can be said about Nolan Areanado? He is one of the best players in the league as he has the bat and glove skill that can captivate fans each and every night. Scouts raved that his stick would come around, but no one could have predicted a 42 homer barrage and 130 RBI to boot.

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He is firmly a mid-first round pick, and while last seasons production will nearly be impossible to match, there is nothing to believe that will not continue to produce at a first round level. One other breakout performer for the Rockies the last two seasons, has been Charlie Blackmon. He is one of the few continual 20 HR/20 SB threats, and should be drafted in the first two rounds this spring.

With Tulo out of the picture, Carlos Gonzalez is the last remaining Rockies mainstay. CarGo is one of most talented players in the game and last season was a reminder of just how good he can be when he stays on the field. Above you will see that he is listed as a potential bust and while I do not doubt his talent at all, I cannot bet on him playing over 150 games again in 2016.

Going around the rest of the diamond, there are some other players that will be mid round picks next season. DJ LeMahieu broke out last season at second and looks to be an enticing top 10 option at a weak fantasy position. Gerardo Parra looks to replace Corey Dickerson in left field and the move to Coors makes him a nice sleeper heading into 2016. Nick Hundley quietly had his best offensive season in years as well, so he may be an option for those owners who wait till the last round to fill their C spot.

To put it frank, there is not one Rockies starter worth drafting next season. If owners absolutely had to select one, Jon Gray would be the best bet as a draft day flier. He is young, has the electric stuff that can play at the big league level, but he still needs some time to adjust to the majors before he becomes a viable draft day selection year in and year out.

Colorado did bring in Jake McGee recently to solidify the closer job, and he should be able to post decent numbers even in Mile High. The club shapes up to put up plenty of offensive numbers so there should be a fair share of games where they may be in a position to win.

The Jose Reyes fiasco does not look and I would be surprised if Reyes laces up for the club at all this season. He is in a heap of trouble and he needs to be ignored on draft boards unless something drastically changes legally.

This opens the door for prospect Trevor Story to come in and win the shortstop job with a solid spring showing. He posted a, .279/20 HR/80 RBI/22 SB line last season between AA and AAA, so he would be a nice late round flier if he wins the job this spring.

Next: San Diego Padres: 2016 Fantasy Preview

The Rockies are chock full of talent, but are still plagued by the fact they just can’t assemble a rotation that can surmount Coors Field. Look for more offensive fireworks next season as Rockies fans will still have the pleasure of watching the ball fly in Colorado.

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N.L. West: L.A. Dodgers, San Diego Padres,

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