Colorado Rockies 2015 Season Preview

Apr 6, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) greets teammates before game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Biggest Issues Facing The Rockies

Pitching, health, depth, and pitching depth will likely forever be issues facing the Colorado Rockies, but this year’s club is facing more of an identity crisis than a pitching problem. Is this Troy Tulowitzki’s team? Carlos Gonzalez’s team? Or are both stars destined to be shipped out this summer if the club falls on their face early, ushering in a massive rebuild and removing two of the game’s brightest stars from the lineup?

The Rockies need to quickly decide whether to build around Tulo and CarGo – which would mean they’d have to build to win relatively soon, considering their ages and injury histories – or ship out the two stars and get very young, very quickly, building for the future behind Jon Gray, Eddie Butler, and hitters like Corey Dickerson and Nolan Arenado.

The worst thing the club could do is pick a middle-of-the-road path. You can’t keep Tulo and CarGo and try to build “for the future.” You also can’t trade either one (or both) of them and expect not to feel a huge hole in the lineup (remember how bad this team was at the end of last year with both players injured?).

The offense is too potent, and filled with too many stars and breakout players, to not try to win now. If Tulo and CarGo stay, priority number one must be winning, not player development, and not rebuilding with younger guys. The farm system already has some exciting young players that can grow into potentially great Major Leaguers. Keeping Tulo and CarGo would mean the team must be serious about getting to a contending level quickly, and near-future moves must reflect that mindset.

By June 30, we will know. If the club is far out of contention, the fire sale may begin and the re-build will follow in earnest. If the team is middle of the road and Tulo and CarGo have a resurgence, well, there’s a different path to take. But keeping CarGo and Tulo while simultaneously trying to rebuild around them is insanity, and the club ought to pick one path or the other.

Next: The Prediction