End of the road 2015: Colorado Rockies
After their loss Saturday night, the Colorado Rockies have been mathematically eliminated from the MLB postseason, meaning that they’ve effectively come to the end of the road in their 2015 season. As we’ll do with each eliminated team this season, let’s give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.
We’ll look at the high and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.
HIGH POINT:
You really have to go all the way back to the start. The Rockies began the season 7-2, including a four-game winning streak that the club has matched only twice since for the longest positive stretch of the season. The Rockies swept the defending champion Giants in San Francisco (April 13-15) and it looked briefly like this might be the year this team turned things around and at least became more competitive. It proved to be shortlived.
LOW POINT:
The Rockies lost 11 straight at the end of April and beginning of May with nine of those setbacks coming within the division. It was the longest losing streak since the 2000 season and the final loss in the stretch came on the day manager Walt Weiss had an appendectomy. Justin Morneau also left the game against the Angels that day after experiencing dizziness. It was the beginning of an injury plagued season for him. Carlos Gonzalez struggled mightily to start the season and his lack of production was a big problem at this stage.
BEST HIGHLIGHT: Take your pick of notable stops made at the hot corner by Nolan Arenado. He’s one of the best defensive infielders in the game regardless of position.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Rookie first baseman Ben Paulsen and young arms such as Jon Gray, Chris Rusin and Chad Bettis combined with veterans such as Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu form a nucleus that at least gives fans hope that the team can be competitive sooner rather than later. That would ring even more true if the franchise elects to keep Carlos Gonzalez through the offseason instead of trading him. But a lot of that hope rides on those young arms and how quickly they can develop into dependable guys who can be counted on regularly to deliever quality starts.
QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING
Who will be managing this team when it heads to Arizona for spring training in 2016? Colorado hired former All-Star shortstop Walt Weiss from from a local high school three years ago. The club hasn’t enjoyed much success with him at the helm, though it’s unfair to place all the blame on him. It’s unclear if Weiss will return or if management will go in another direction. This franchise hasn’t been able to develop talent on the pitching side through its farm system and constantly seems to be looking to the next big, young arm as the answer. Until that changes, it’s going to be a challenge leading this franchise to winning seasons, particularly playing in a division with perennial powers like the Giants and the Dodgers.
Footnote: The Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers are the teams next in line to be eliminated.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
