Colorado Rockies: Why the 2017 season feels different so far

Don’t feel bad whatsoever. It is completely reasonable to be skeptical about the Colorado Rockies. This story has been told many times before. The Rockies do well in April and May and then the whole city of Denver counts down to Broncos season. Save the count down for New Year’s Eve this time. These aren’t your parent’s team. These Rockies are different primarily for one thing. Winning on the road. 

The Rockies have never had a problem at Coors. Last year’s team though was 33-48 on the road with a winning percentage of .407. The last time the 2016 Rockies were in first place was on May 5. That team held on to first place for six days. This year the Rox have their best start in franchise history and have been in first place for 33 days.

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Maybe the most striking numbers though is their road record. They are 13-10 at home but a tremendous 14-6 record out on the road. This is virtually unheard of for this franchise. Last year they had a 12-11 mark on the road at this point last season.

The team ERA on the road this season, while a small sample size, is at 3.15 compared to 4.37. Baseball Reference has a stat called Pythagorean W-L. It is an estimate of what a team’s winning percentage should be based on the runs the team scores and the runs the team allows. The Rockies 2017 Pythagorean W-L is 23-20. Their actual record is 27-16.

This is a good indicator that they are exceeding expectations by showing their skill in close games that could go either way. The Rockies are 9-0 in one-run games this season. Last year the team was 12-20 in that scenario. A lot has to do with having a true closer in Greg Holland who has 18 saves this season. The most a pitcher had last year was Jake McGee with 15. Now McGee is back and healthy and a role more suitable for his skill set. There is not a sense that relievers are in roles they shouldn’t be but are out of necessity.

A good microcosm of this season was in the last game of the series against Minnesota. The Rockies lost that game 2-0. While no loss is a good one, there were silver linings. The Rockies who have a terrible time winning in interleague play, let alone interleague play on the road, were going for the sweep of the first place Twins. They were in it the game entire way because the bullpen kept it close on the road.

This team is giving themselves a chance and they have the expectation of winning when they are leading in the ninth. The bats are starting to come alive and the team now has a positive run differential (211 scored -192 allowed.) Imagine when Trevor Story and Carlos Gonzalez get back to their full potential. The Rockies are worth watching because they are winning when you can’t watch them at Coors Field.

Next: Colorado Rockies: Complete list of 2017 MLB draft picks

The 2016 team laid the foundation. Now the 2017 team is making LoDo feel alive. Maybe a better count down so far this season is when the Rockies are coming back to Denver because this team is making the league pay attention.