What Should The Rockies Be Thankful For?
The Colorado Rockies have been consistently disappointing, but there are still people and events that they should be thankful for on this holiday.
It’s Thanksgiving. In so many aspects of life, this holiday gives us an opportunity to step back, decompress, and express gratitude for the good things before returning to the business of addressing the stressful or bad things.
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It’s been a while now since the Colorado Rockies mattered. 2009 was the last time that the Rockies made the playoffs and 2010 was last time the Rockies were even close to relevance. It has been a long and depressing stretch for the Rockies, with the continued empty promises of a team built around Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez disappointing us, year after year after year.
We all know that by now. We know what has gone wrong, so let’s take a moment to focus on the positives. Let’s focus on the good things for the Rockies, and the handful of reasons to be thankful on this Thanksgiving holiday.
The Rockies might not be the most exciting team in the league, and maybe the next few years promise nothing but uncertainty, there are still those good things to appreciate.
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A New Front Office
We have to start here, right? For years we lamented the fact that nothing was going to change in Colorado as long as the same leadership was in place in the front office. That only felt more true when the Rockies made the baffling decision to name co-general managers back in 2012, splitting those duties between Dan O’Dowd and Bill Geivett, or whatever that was.
We finally have a new general manager. Jeff Bridich is in, O’Dowd and Geivett are out. Maybe things are going to proceed in the same frustrating fashion under Bridich, but if his handling of the Michael Cuddyer situation is any indication, Bridich is willing to think on his own and trust his own assessment of situations to do what is best for the team.
We don’t know what the future holds under Jeff Bridich, but the fact that we get to wonder and feel hopeful after way too many years of the same, broken front office is reason enough to be thankful.
Now let’s just hope that Dick Monfort stays out of the baseball side of things.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Nolan Arenado
The Rockies face the unfortunate prospect of parting with two franchise-type players in the near future. The reality of being a Rockies’ fan for the next few years includes the fact that trade rumors involving Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki will continue to linger.
Eventually, we might be forced to confront a world in which CarGo and Tulo both play for new teams. That might also include a world in which Tulowitzki plays for the New York Yankees, even if that is not happening right now. If and when we are without those players, we will look for a new franchise player.
As far as that goes, Arenado is a pretty darn good option. He is likable, he is homegrown, and he plays hard. That’s not to mention the fact that he plays elite defense and has a high upside bat. There is a lot to look forward to with Arenado, and we might be even more thankful for him in the near future if he becomes the face of the Rockies.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Jorge De La Rosa
We appreciate Jorge De La Rosa now, and we will appreciate him even more later.
I say that coming from the position that I think the Rockies played a dangerous game by extending De La Rosa. He is one of my favorite members of the Rockies, but I’m not sure if it was the right decision to re-sign him instead of trading him this past season.
But hey, back to being thankful for De La Rosa. Are we watching the greatest starting pitcher in the history of the franchise? Even if we don’t have the answer right now, it will be a question worth asking. Maybe the Rockies won’t retire De La Rosa’s number, but if they had something like the Broncos’ ‘Ring of Fame’, De La Rosa would certainly be on that.
We are always going to talk about the Rockies struggling to find good pitching. That gives us very good reason to be thankful for Jorge De La Rosa and his ability to pitch like this for the Rockies and to sustain that success for a number of seasons.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Corey Dickerson
Watching the Rockies means a great deal to me. There is something that is always comforting for me when I see my team on TV, even if they are completely out of the race and trotting out a glorified Triple-A lineup.
Having said that, it is good to have reasons to actually be excited about the Rockies, especially during depressing seasons such as the one we just labored through. Right now, Corey Dickerson is one of the main reasons to get excited about watching the Rockies.
As a fan of all things Colorado sports, watching Corey Dickerson at the plate is on my short list of favorite things to watch at the present moment.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Coors Field
I was fortunate enough to attend a game at Coors Field this past August when the team retired Todd Helton’s number 17. It was the first time in over two years. It immediately felt like home.
For whatever problems it might create in terms of a pitching staff and roster construction, Coors Field is one great home field. At least from the perspective of Rockies’ fans, it will always be enjoyable in some way or another to go watch the home team in person. That is a valuable thing, and I will look forward to my next chances to go to Coors Field.
What do you say, Rockies fans? Focus on the positive and let us know what you are thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving.