The Colorado Rockies, who have 6 had consecutive losing seasons dating back to 2010, had a chance to end this streak this season. Coming out of the All-Star break, they were the hottest team in the league. On August 3rd, they were one game over .500 after winning 13 games in an 18 game span. However, Colorado immediately cooled off and stayed cold. They finished the month of August losing 16 games, falling 5 games under .500 record. Unfortunately, their streak of consecutive losing seasons was extended. Despite their losing season, the future is bright for the Colorado Rockies, as their young talent emerged and make quite an impact this season.
The Success of the Rockies this Season
The Colorado Rockies have been in a rebuilding stage for the past several seasons. They have acquired numerous young talent through trades and picks in the draft. Many of these prospects have made their MLB debut this season. Just about each "Roockie" has made a significant impact on the team this year.
Trevor Story
The Incredible Trev Story came out onto the scene as the hottest player in the start of the 2016 season. He started his career hitting 7 home runs in 7 games. Story was drafted out of high school in the first round (45th overall pick) by the Rockies in 2011. Originally, he committed to LSU to play baseball. Trevor made his presence known in Spring Training and won the starting shortstop spot. Jose Reyes was thought to be the starting shortstop entering the 2016 season until he was suspended. The star in the making continued to rake throughout the season until he was sidelined by a season-ending thumb injury, requiring surgery. He led all qualified rookies in home runs (27), tied for the most RBI's (72), and was fourth in slugging percentage, (.567). Trevor Story has strong potential to be the next Troy Tulowitzki for Colorado.
Jon Gray
It is a challenge for any starter to have success pitching for a team with a hitter friendly ballpark, such as Coors Field. However, this 6'4" righty has had a solid impact to the Rockies pitching staff this season. In home games, Gray won 7 and only lost 2. Out of his 29 starts, 16 were quality starts. 11 times he pitched until the 7th inning or later. Gray showed pure dominance on the mound in the month of June, posting a 1.89 ERA, striking out 31, holding hitters to a .217 batting average in 5 starts. With his flow, height, and his heat (average pitch speed at 95 mph), he reminds me somewhat of Noah Syndergaard, just with hair on his chin and less experienced. In a non-related baseball stat, Jon Gray leads the league ghost hunting attempts at 3.
On September 17th, Jon Gray put on one of the best pitching performances of the 2016 season. He pitched a complete game shut out, striking out 16 San Diego Padres. Gray set a new Rockies franchise record for strikeouts in a game. Additionally, he set a new franchise record for striking out 6 consecutive batters. This performance helped him vitally in becoming the strike-out king of all rookies in the 2016 season, with 185.
David Dahl
David Dahl is another "Rookies" who had a positive impact for this young Rockies squad. He showed off his skills in the Future's Game during the "Dahlstar Break." Dahl hit a dinger into the left field seats and earned an outfield assist by throwing out a runner advancing home. This kid has all the tools to be a successful player in the majors, and proved that in the 63 games he appeared in. The former 10th overall draft pick in 2012 hit safely in 37 of his first 47 games played. Dahl started his career off with a 17 game hitting streak, tying the MLB record for the longest hitting streak to start off a career. He ended his first season hitting .315, with 24 RBIs, and an OBP of .359.
Tyler Anderson
Tyler Anderson is the oldest of the freshman class for the 2016 Colorado Rockies. The former 1st round draft pick by the Rockies in 2011 had a couple of setbacks in his path to the League. In 2013 and 2015, he suffered stress fractures in his elbow, sidelining him for most of the 2013 season and all of 2015. After overcoming the recurring injury, Anderson earned a spot in the Rockies starting rotation and made his debut in June. The southpaw led all Rockies pitchers in WAR (wins above replacement) with a 3.2. Despite Coors being a hitter-friendly ballpark, pitching at home was no problem for Anderson. At Coors this season, he posted a 5-2 record, with a 3.00 ERA in 12 starts at Coors. Plus, he was a part of the exclusive #PitchersWhoRake club of 2016, with one home run.
Tony Wolters
Tony Wolters had a unique path to the majors. I saw him play with the Carolina Mudcats a couple of years ago, (2012, 2013), who at the time, was a High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians organization. Although he was a highly rated prospect in their system, he spent two full seasons with the Mudcats. I figured he would have moved up to Double-A after one season in High-A ball. Because of this, I assumed he was going to be one of those guys who was a top prospect in High-A and stayed there the majority of his career, such as Beau Mills or Michael Burgess, (who?).
Around May of this year, I turned on a Rockies game and saw Wolters was starting catcher. He was claimed off waivers by the Rockies from Cleveland and had a great Spring Training, earning a spot on the roster. Only playing half a season of Double-A and 2 games in Triple-A, the "Roockie" filled in the role of catcher as well as a backup middle infielder smoothly. Wolters made a strong case to be the starting catcher next season if resigned.
Honorable Mentions
Other notable Roockies include Stephen Cardullo, Raimel Tapia, Carlos Estevez, and Jeff Hoffman. These guys also made positive contributions to the team. However, most of these guys, other than Estevez, were late August/September call-ups.
The Vets
The rookies Colorado had this season were a major contribution to the team, however, the veterans provided in a positive impact:
- Nolan Arenado led the league in RBIs and won his third consecutive Gold Glove at 3B
- Carlos Gonzalez (CarGo) was hot all season. He flirted with a .300 average, hit 25 bombs with 100 RBIs in 2016.
- DJ LeMahieu, who is arguably the most underrated player in the league, won this year's batting title for the league's best batting average at .348. LeMahieu was also 3rd in OBP in the league.
- Charlie Blackmon took control of the team's lead-off hitter and excelled greatly. He hit for a.321 average with 27 bombs and 74 RBIs.
- Chad Bettis led all Rockies starters with 14 wins.
Both Blackmon and LeMahieu ranked in the top 15 best On Base Percentages in the National League. Also in the NL, Nolan and DJ placed in the top 10 in overall WAR. Nolan had one of the best defensive WAR's in the majors at 2.19 in 2016.
The 2016 Colorado Rockies gave an insight of what looks to be a promising solid team for seasons to come. Because of their loaded offense, they may look to trade this off-season for some veteran pitchers that will help the young arms in the rotation and bullpen develop. This year was exciting with all the young talent performing above their expectations, and they are only getting better. Don't let them sneak up on you next season!
