Colorado Rockies: 3 Things Needed for More Success in 2017
For the Colorado Rockies to get better and contend for a playoff spot next season, they’re going to have to improve their place within their own division. That could be a taller order than it seems at first.
This past season, the Rockies finished with a 75-87 record. That was 12 games behind the San Francisco Giants and 16 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the National League West crown.
We know what the Giants and Dodgers did (and continue to do) this offseason. We also know that those two teams were two of the top five in Major League Baseball when it comes to spending on talent. According to these numbers, Los Angeles led MLB this season with a payroll over $223 million payroll on Opening Day while the Giants were fifth with just over $166 million.
By contrast, the Rockies were 22nd in MLB, coming in just under $100 million ($98,261,171). Yes, as a point of reference, the Dodgers spent twice as much as the Rockies heading into the 2016 season.
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Is payroll an all-knowing indicator of success? Absolutely not. The San Diego Padres were 10th in MLB on the north side of $126 million and finished in the bottom of the division. The Cleveland Indians spent roughly $12 million less than the Rockies and are still playing for a World Series berth.
However, there’s more to success than just throwing money at players. Avoiding injuries, building chemistry and contributions from up and down the roster go a long way toward punching a team’s postseason ticket.
However, it’s a safe bet that the Rockies won’t join the Dodgers or Giants any time soon with extravagant amounts of spending. So how can Colorado leapfrog them in the division? Here are three keys to that happening next season.
The young guys have to mature quickly
When you think about the young players who contributed mightily for the Rockies this season like David Dahl, Trevor Story, Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson, the Rockies must do everything they can to ensure that these players don’t have a sophomore slump in 2017. They’ll be counted on even more next year than they were this season. In 2016, they were pleasant surprises. In 2017, they will need to be rocks of the lineup.
The starting pitching has to be consistent
Gray and Anderson must do their part, but Tyler Chatwood and Chad Bettis have to be solid on the mound, home or away, every game. Sure, pitchers can have bad outings, but the roller coaster has to stop.
Bettis is a prime example. In 2016, the 27-year-old right-hander posted a 7.02 ERA in May and 6.84 ERA in June. In September, he had a 3.03 ERA and was 3-1.
More often than not over the last few seasons, Colorado fans never knew what they were going to get when a starter took the mound. That has to stop in 2017.
Injuries have to stay away
Absolutely, every MLB team has injuries every season. The Rockies were no exception in 2016, but there were some absolutely devastating injuries that sucked the wind out of Colorado’s Wild Card possibilities late this season.
Losing Trevor Story for the season on July 30 was a killer. Carlos Gonzalez was lost for an extended period of time less than one week later with an ankle injury. About a week after that, Mark Reynolds went down with a broken hamate bone.
Colorado felt the injuries in a big way during this time. The Rockies started August with a 4-10 mark and fell out of serious contention for the Wild Card spot.
Think about where the Dodgers would be in the postseason with Clayton Kershaw able to come back from his back issues. Injuries to key players made a big difference as the Rockies discovered all too often last season.
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