San Francisco Giants NL West Preview: Colorado Rockies

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As the San Francisco Giants will start the season off against NL West foes starting Thursday, we thought it would be good to get to know their NL West Opponents. Next up, is the Colorado Rockies.

The Colorado Rockies had a good 2017. Their starting staff was surprisingly good, which helped lead them to an 87-75 record. They had a good bullpen, which is a key thing for a team that plays in a ballpark that is notorious for surrendering runs. Greg Holland shored up the back of that staff, Jake McGee as a stalwart in the later innings. To back it up, they had a few guys who filled in excellently as long relief.

They also had a shot in the arm thanks to seasons at the plate by the normal guys, Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon. They had five players with over 70 RBI, including Arenado who brought in 130. Mark Reynolds filled in admirably, and surprisingly, as they had lost Ian Desmond for a good portion of the season. A high-powered offense behind slightly above average rotation helped lead the Rockies to their first playoff appearance since 2009.

With the second wild-card spot locked up for them, they headed to Arizona for their one-game playoff. They got rocked in the first three innings, but made their way back to within a run. But then Archie Bradley‘s triple in the seventh inning put them behind for good as they lost 11-8.

Now the Rockies are looking to build on a successful 2017 with a still relatively young roster. The question is whether or not that pitching staff can replicate their 2017 season? Let’s take a look at what they did with the roster this offseason.

Additions:

Chris Iannetta

Iannetta is apparently their cheap replacement to Johnathon Lucroy. Iannetta had the most homers of the catchers who hit free agency this year, and Iannetta is someone who is familiar with the Rockies organization. He came up through their farm system, and a cute little reunion is on taps I guess, despite him not being the best option on the market.

Wade Davis

They chose not to sign Greg Holland back, despite him making 45/49 saves for them. Instead, they spent bookoo bucks on another former Royals bullpen guy, Wade Davis. Davis had a good season in Chicago, but they still could’ve gone cheaper with someone like Holland considering his elbow history. Now, they’re stuck with Davis on a large contract.

Bryan Shaw

Shaw had a fantastic year with Cleveland, but has not followed it up with a good spring training. Overall he’s a good get, but it feels like they overpaid for him. $9 million a year for a guy who is their third or fourth best reliever is quite intriguing. But hey, let the Rockies do what they want

Departures:

Greg Holland
- Greg Holland is the only significant pitching departure for them. They spent a lot of money to replace him, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much if I were them. But, if Davis struggles, and Holland signs with a team in the next month and looks good, they might be kicking themselves. Holland will be a good get for whoever ends up landing him.
Mark Reynolds
- Ian Desmond hasn’t looked that great since they signed him to a gigantic contract last offseason. Reynolds came in and was solid defensively at first, and gave them a shot in the arm with his bat, which was very good last year. The Rockies chose not to bring him back, and that surprised me. But again, they can do whatever they want to do. But Desmond just hasn’t convinced many since he was signed.

DENVER, CO – ODENVER, CO – OCTOBER 01: Ian Desmond #20 of the Colorado Rockies bats during a regular season MLB game between the Colorado Rockies and the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Russell Lansford/Getty Images)CTOBER 01: Ian Desmond /

Key Player: Ian Desmond

Ian Desmond has to be their key for me. You know you’ll get your production from Blackmon, Arenado, and D.J. LeMahieu. You’ll likely get your 30+ homers from Trevor Story. The question stands as to who fills in Mark Reynolds’ production. Ian Desmond should be that guy based on the contract he was given. Desmond needs to perform for their offense to be as lethal as it was last year. If he doesn’t be ready for the Rockies to start looking towards the guy mentioned next.

Prospect to Watch: Ryan McMahon

Ryan McMahon can play pretty much anywhere on the infield corners. His best opening is that first base spot. If Desmond struggles, or CarGo struggles and they need to put Desmond in the outfield, McMahon would be the guy they call upon. McMahon hit .355 with a .986 OPS last year in both AA and AAA. He is in contention for a bench spot on the opening day roster as well. He’s the number two overall first base prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and the number 41 rated prospect overall. Brendan Rodgers is really good as well, but likely wouldn’t get called up until June, if he gets called up at all. McMahon is my bet for any prospect of theirs to make a significant impact in 2018.

Projections For 2018

PECOTA has the Rockies at 78-84 in 2018. Most fringe teams tend to out-play their PECOTA projections, and I actually like this Rockies team for roughly 80 wins. However, I don’t see them making the playoffs again. That would mean no sophomore slumps for their starters, and an injury free season, which is always a rarity. I like this team more than most do, but I don’t see them making the postseason.

Next: The Giants just Might be Okay sans Bumgarner

Why they Won’t Win the West

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks are too good, and the Giants are likely better. They’ll be better than what they were last year, and despite a solid bullpen, I’m not convinced the Rockies rotation will be able to replicate the success they had in 2017. Just a reminder, they didn’t have a pitcher log more than 180 innings. A lot of innings on bullpen arms will eventually catch up. We’ll see what happens, but I just don’t think they’re remotely good enough to compete atop the division.

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