With Opening Day quickly approaching, the Colorado Rockies starting lineup is beginning to take form. Naturally over the course of the season Walt Weiss’s lineup will vary depending on who’s pitching that day. For the season opener in Arizona the Rockies projected lineup will be:
CF L Charlie Blackmon |
SS R Trevor Story |
RF L Carlos Gonzalez |
3B R Nolan Arenado |
LF L Gerardo Parra |
2B R DJ LeMahieu |
1B L Ben Paulsen |
C R Nick Hundley |
Last year Colorado continued the trend of having fantastic offensive numbers at Coors Field and terrible production on the road. At home the Rockies were batting .302 at home and .228 away from Coors Field which is quite a drastic swing. In order to combat poor offensive performances on the road, the Rockies starting practicing “winning an inning” this spring training.
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In order to produce runs on the road and win games, the Rockies need to score in any way possible. This means playing small ball and not relying on the same offensive tactics that apply to Coors Field. By “winning the inning” the Rockies hope to have productive at bats that move runners into scoring position and bring runs home by not wasting outs. This is accomplished by well-timed bunts, base stealing, as well as smart base running to try to score every available run during any given inning.
This lineup should be more than capable of scoring runs on the road and at home watch out. With Arenado and CarGo switching between the third and fourth spot in the lineup, this offense should be electric at home. Colorado has power bats though out the lineup that will make pitchers pay for their mistakes. Plus, a good mix of right and left-handed batters make the Rockies lineup extremely versatile against any pitcher.
The key for the Rockies this year is to be able to hit pitching on the road and get to the other teams’ bullpen early and often. Colorado has the ability to chase starters from the mound in less than four innings and wear out a bullpen. When the Rockies get to the bullpen on the first game of any series, their chances of winning the next few games increase drastically. By being patient at the plate, the Rockies can elevate a starters pitch count and start in on the bullpen. Also, manufacturing runs early on the road helps take the crowd out of the game and puts pressure on the home team increasing their chances of committing errors.