Can the Rockies be a factor in the NL West?
Expected to be a non-factor again in the NL West, the Colorado Rockies are on a mission to prove everyone wrong this season.
To be honest, they’re doing a good job so far. At 17-18, they’re just 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in the division standings. That puts them closer to first place than several other notable teams, including the Royals, Yankees, Astros, Pirates and Cardinals.
[Related: Will Jose Reyes still be a Rockie when his suspension ends?]
A big part of that is the fact that the Dodgers and Giants have yet to get on track. Both teams have hovered around .500 all season, and both have plenty of questions they need to answer in their respective starting rotations.
But let’s also give credit to the Rockies. They’ve actually looked pretty good at times during their first 35 games. To say they’ve played anything like a contender would be overstating it, but they’ve looked credible and competitive despite a tough schedule.
That leads to two questions worth pondering: Is this semblance of credibility and competitiveness sustainable over 162 given their lack of overall depth? If so, can they legitimately make some noise in the NL West?
We can think about those questions on Saturday when the Rockies take on the New York Mets in the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. The action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET and can be streamed for free at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home
We can say this for sure: The Rockies boast as good an offensive 1-2 punch as any team in baseball with Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado. Previously, they formed a really strong trio with Troy Tulowitzki, and it looks like they’ll be able to morph right back into that with Trevor Story enjoying a historic beginning to his rookie campaign.
The Rockies also have a strong group of veteran players like D.J. LeMahieu, Gerrado Parra and Charlie Blackmon. They’ve all helped keep the Rockies lineup potent from an offensive standpoint, and together with the big three they help form perhaps the best defensive squad in the NL.
In the end, it really comes down to three things: Pitching, winning on the road and finally sorting out the Jose Reyes ordeal.
The Rockies have done fair enough in the pitching department, especially considering that ace Jorge De La Rosa started slow and then landed on the disabled list. Their staff ranks 28th in baseball with a 5.03 ERA, but that’s always inflated by Coors Field. Looking deeper, they’ve seen promising strides from Jon Gray, Chad Bettis and Tyler Chatwood, to go along with an improving bullpen.
On the road, they’ve done exceptionally well by their standards, posting an 11-8 mark. That includes a series win at Wrigley Field in April and a 6-4 road trip though Arizona, San Diego and San Francisco this month. If they can keep that success going, they’ll continue surprising.
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As for Jose Reyes, he’s the elephant in the room that will have to be addressed sooner or later. Now that the Rockies know his suspension ends May 31, it’ll probably be sooner. It’s pretty clear the Rockies don’t want him. It’s also clear there’s no room with Story playing so well. Trading Reyes before he returns would be the surest way to keep this operation running smoothly, but that process could be complicated.
Complicated is also a good word to describe the Rockies history. The challenge of playing at Coors Field will never help them, but their success now and going forward will always hinge on making it work.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
