Colorado Rockies: 2017 MLB season preview

The Colorado Rockies look to 2017 as the start of a new season and the start of a new era for Colorado baseball with a new manager and fresh perspective.

With the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers vying for supremacy in the National League West, the Rockies, along with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, have been in three-way way to stay out of the basement.

With San Diego rebuilding over the next few seasons under their manager Andy Green, who is in his second year at the helm, the competition for the Rockies turns to the Diamondbacks, who are also under a brand new manager. Incidentally, the Rockies’ new manager, Bud Black, was fired from the Padres during the 2015 season following a lackluster performance after the team had invested a lot of money for big name players who turned out to be duds.

The Rockies had a solid third place finish last season even with a sub-.500 record; their 75-84 was six games ahead of the fourth place Diamondbacks, who were a single game ahead of the fifth place Padres.

The Rockies were also shaken by Chad Bettis and his cancer diagnosis. 27-year old Bettis began chemotherapy after his testicular cancer was found to have returned. Social media support poured in from other MLB, college, NFL, and NHL teams as the Rockies rallied behind their teammate, who hopes to return later in the 2017 season.

We know the Rockies will be fighting this season in honor of Bettis, and so far the Rockies are in fifth place out of the entire National League at spring training with a .519. Will the new leadership be enough to get the Rockies into first or second place contention in the NL West? Let’s take a look.

Sep 5, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chad Bettis (35) and catcher Nick Hundley (4) celebrate a win over the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Giants 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitching

With Chad Bettis out indefinitely, and Chris Rusin (2016: 3-5, 3.74 ERA, 84.1 IP, 69 SO, 1.25 WHIP) dealing with a slow recovery after an oblique injury, the Rockies lineup has selected itself in a lot of ways.

Bud Black is a pitching guy, and he’s banking on having a strong starting rotation this season with his young but talented roster. If his guys can come out strong at the beginning of the game, the bullpen can seal the deal. Obviously the loss of Bettis was a blow to the rotation, as he would have likely have been in the one or two spot.

Here’s what the rotation looks like ahead of Opening Day:

Tyler Chatwood: RHP (2016: 12-9, 3.87 ERA, 158.0 IP, 117 SO, 1.37 WHIP)

Jon Gray: RHP (2016: 10-10, 4.61 ERA, 168.0 IP, 185 SO, 1.26 WHIP)

Tyler Anderson: LHP (2016: 5-6, 3.54 ERA, 114.1 IP, 99 SO, 1.29 WHIP)

German Marquez: RHP (2016: 1-1, 5.23 ERA, 20.2 IP, 15 SO, 1.65 WHIP)

Chatwood has been able to work on his curveball in 13 innings in Spring Training and is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA. Lefty Harrison Musgrave was invited to camp and we will see if he sticks around for the season. So far he is 1-0 with a 3.21 and 14 innings of work.

Mar 9, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Chris Denorfia (right) is congratulated by shortstop Trevor Story after making a catch in the third inning against Puerto Rico during a 2017 World Baseball Classic exhibition game at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Lineup

Bud Black is happy with the way things are progressing in the lineup. So far during spring training the team has been able to work from any spot in the batting order, and this is especially true for Trevor Story, who is as happy in the fifth spot as he in the the two spot, which is where DJ LeMahieu likes to work.

Here’s a projection of what the lineup might look like for the 2017 season:

Catcher: Tony Wolters (2016: .392 AVG, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 4 SB, .723 OPS)

1B: Mark Reynolds (2016: .282 AVG, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 1 SB, .806 OPS)

2B: DJ LeMahieu (2016: .348 AVG, 11 HR, 66 RBI, 11 SB, .911 OPS)

3B: Nolan Arenado (2016: .294 AVG, 41 HR, 133 RBI, 2 SB, .932 OPS)

SS: Trevor Story (2016: .272 AVG, 27 HR, 72 RBI, 8 SB, .909 OPS)

LF: Gerardo Parra (2016: .253 AVG, 7 HR, 39 RBI, 6 SB, .671 OPS)

CF: Charlie Blackmon (2016: .324 AVG, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 17 SB, .933 OPS)

RF: Carlos Gonzalez (2016: .298 AVG, 25 HR, 100 RBI, 2 SB, .855 OPS)

With the flexibility in the batting order, Black has the ability to move guys around to see where they work best. Based on what has been happening in spring training, the flexibility is going to be key when it comes down to getting ahead in the NL West.

Mar 20, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Anderson (44) talks with second baseman DJ LeMahieu (9) and first baseman Mark Reynolds (12) during the third inning against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen

The Rockies have a new $7 million closer in Greg Holland, who had Tommy John surgery in 2015 after a season with 32 saves. Holland was a key part of the 2014 Royals team. In his return to baseball and his debut with the Rockies, Holland threw a perfect inning. Not a bad start at all.

Holland will be joined in the bullpen by RHP Adam Ottavino (2016: 1-3, 2.67 ERA, 27 IP, 35 SO, 0.93 WHIP) and Jake McGee (2016: 2-3, 4.73 ERA, 45.2 IP, 38 SO, 1.58 WHIP), who returned to camp after pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Lefty Mike Dunn (2016: 6-1, 3.40 ERA, 42.1 IP, 38 SO, 1.28 WHIP) signed a three year deal with the Rockies and is already making a big impact with the team.

Again, the key to the Rockies success this season is having a seasoned bullpen with guys who can keep visiting teams from running away with wins in a park that likes to carry the ball. With Black’s guidance, this bullpen looks to have what it takes to compete.

Mar 9, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black (left) talks with pitcher Jon Gray against Puerto Rico during a 2017 World Baseball Classic exhibition game at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Manager

Bud Black is in his first year as the manager of the Rockies, replacing Walt Weiss at the helm. Black, a former pitcher, will be instrumental at helping to develop the young talent in the Rockies bullpen. Everyone knows that Coors Field is a hitter’s park, what with all of that thin air giving the balls an extra boost. If the Rockies can figure out how to get their pitching staff back to the way they were in 2007, they might get a return trip to the World Series.

Black knows all about the way things work in Colorado, having spent eight seasons with the Padres. While he never took the Padres to the postseason, Black was responsible for helping the Padres stay in first place in the NL West until the Giants overtook them.

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It’s going to be interesting to see how Black’s managing style works in Colorado. Some of his critics in San Diego were frustrated by his tendency to get into a rut and not make changes in the lineup or rotation when things didn’t seem to be working. The Rockies have a lot of really interesting depth and a bunch of guys who are very capable of moving around the field and the batting order. With Black’s expertise when it comes to pitching, if he can help the team find their ideal spot in the lineup, the Rockies will be in position to challenge the Giants and Dodgers.

Mar 20, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Anderson (44) throws in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

X-Factor

New leadership might make all the difference in the world for the Colorado Rockies. Leadership, coupled with a pitching staff, will make a huge impact in the NL West.

The Rockies invested in their pitchers in the offseason, and this is exactly what Colorado needed to do, especially in a year when they’re losing Bettis during his recovery. They need strong pitching, with a staff that can start the game and come in and finish it off. They have a veteran closer in Greg Holland and guys like Mike Dunn and Tyler Chatwood will be able to set Holland up so that he can come in and get the win.

Mar 11, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) double in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Prediction

The Rockies will have second place in the NL West in their sights. It might be a stretch to make that jump in the 2017 season, but they will likely finish above .500 in 2017, and that’s a big start down the right path. Let’s call it third place and a .500 record for the Rockies in 2017.