Colorado Rockies Offseason Speculation: Part 1

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Aug 21, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) during the game against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies underperformed yet again during the 2015 season, seeing injuries and pitching woes pile up for another uneventful year. Finishing 26 games under .500 is no joke — Colorado has a lot of holes to fix, mainly on the pitching side of things.

What We Know:

1. The team lacks a true ace.

2. The hole at shortstop must be filled.

3. The bullpen is, well, pretty bad.

4. Carlos Gonzalez — is he on the move?

5. Jon Gray and his development.

Aug 12, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa (29) reacts after allowing two runs against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado has lacked a true ace for mainly their entire existence in the Major Leagues. Names that come to mind are Ubaldo Jimenez, Pedro Astacio, Jason Jennings and. Jorge De La Rosa. Then again, most of these guys are number two or three options on any given ball club.

The Rockies future as of right now looks promising — a farm system built around arms such as Jon Gray, Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson, Jared Hoffman, Mike Nikorak and the list goes on. Will one of these guys pan out to be an ace the club has desperately yearned for? Time will tell, but you have to be impressed with the way the farm has shaped out to be.

Colorado had the opportunity to trade Troy Tulowitzki away to the New York Mets last season straight-up for Noah Syndergaard — how lovely would that have been? Syndergaard had an impressive rookie campaign, including his dominance in the playoffs. Then again, Colorado wouldn’t have received the package featuring Jared Hoffman, Miguel Castro and Jesus Tinoco.

Sep 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes (7) during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The state of Colorado’s shortstop position is in a state of flux. Colorado inevitably swapped the contracts of Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Reyes to match salaries to complete the trade. Yuck. Colorado is stuck with Reyes’ contract until the 2017 season — Reyes is owed $22 million over the next two seasons. If you remember correctly, Reyes agreed to a 6-year, $106 million deal with Toronto back in 2012 with a team option in 2018.

If Colorado can find a taker for Jose Reyes and his egregious contract, I’m all for it. It’s still hard to tell whether or not Colorado is in the rebuild mode after getting rid of All-Star Troy Tulowitzki at the trading deadline, but we will get a better understanding this offseason, or perhaps, during the trading deadline next season.

Trevor Story should be Colorado’s Opening Day starter at the shortstop position, followed by Cristhian Adames handling the utility or backup role — this barring a trade of Jose Reyes. Inevitably, Reyes will be the Opening Day starter with Trevor Story getting regular at-bats in Triple-A.

Aug 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Miller (60) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Coors Field. The Mariners defeated the Rockies 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Gah, where do I start? The bullpen was a travesty yet again during the 2015 campaign. However, there were a few bright spots to mention.

Adam Ottavino was crazy good during his 10 appearances this season and unhittable if you will. Ottavino logged 10.1 innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 13. After that, Ottavino was shut down for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his UCL — opting for Tommy John surgery.

Justin Miller was an out of the blue kind of player for the Rockies — making quite the impression on fans. The month of September was a good one for Miller, collecting a record of 2-0 with one save in 12.0 innings. Not to mention, Miller gave up just one run on two hits, striking out 18 batters while holding the opponent to a .053 average.

We all know how well John Axford performed when Adam Ottavino went down, but as the season dragged on, Axford struggled. Just look at the statistics before and after the All-Star Break.

Pre All-Star: 29 games, 1-2 record, 2.36 ERA — 26.2 innings, 22 hits, 8 runs, 7 earned runs, 11 walks, 25 K’s. 16-of-17 on save opportunities.
Post All-Star: 31 games, 3-3 record, 5.90 ERA — 29.0 innings, 34 hits, 19 runs, 19 earned runs, 21 walks and 37 K’s. 9-of-14 on save opportunities.

As you can tell by the statistics, Axford appeared to be pressing in the second half, trying to be too cute if you will. For that information, all you have to do is look at his walk and strikeout comparisons between the first and second half. Axford walked and struck out more batters during the second half — 10 and 12 respectively.

As for the rest of the bullpen — scratch it and rebuild.

Sep 27, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) hits a single during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. The Rockies won 12-5. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Gonzalez — what a second half of the season he had. After struggling heavily prior to the All-Star Break, CarGo kicked it into gear in the second half, showing signs of his former self. CarGo hit 27 of his 40 home runs during the second half of the season, including 62 RBI’s over that span.

The question will arise: Will the Colorado Rockies trade Carlos Gonzalez? Well, I believe they will, yet I believe it won’t happen until next seasons trade deadline.

Colorado made the smart choice of retaining CarGo this past season, mainly due to his struggles at the dish early on. As the season progressed, CarGo found his rhythm, leading to more production out of Colorado’s All-Star.

CarGo’s trade stock is high right now, which is good for Colorado — especially if/when they aren’t contending next season. The best plan would be to hold onto him for now, trading him later on; perhaps to a contender — preferably outside of the National League, thanks.

Sep 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray (55) reacts after being pulled against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Gray made his long-awaited Major League debut Aug. 4 against the Seattle Mariners, giving up two runs on five hits over four innings of work. And by long-awaited, I don’t mean it took him forever; it only took him two years, yet Rockies’ fans like myself were clamoring for the 3rd overall pick since the start of the season.

Gray’s development is critical to Colorado’s success not only now, but in the future. He has the wipeout stuff — a mid-90’s fastball mixed with an absolutely filthy slider. One thing Gray needs to work on more this offseason and beyond is his changeup. If he can master that, you’re looking at a prototypical ace atop the Rockies’ rotation.

Gray struggled a bit during his first taste of the big leagues, but hey, most pitchers do! Jon finished the season with a record of 0-2, including an ERA of 5.53. Don’t let the ERA deceive you. After one bad start (7 earned runs vs. Mets), Gray’s last three starts were pretty darn good.

Over his last three starts, Gray gave up four earned runs over 15 innings — 14 strikeouts compared to just four walks.

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