Colorado Rockies: Two Reasons to be Excited on August 1

David Dahl of the Colorado Rockies — Jul 25, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder David Dahl (26) gets his first career hit with a single in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The influx of youth

Look at the Colorado rookies who have made a difference in the second half. Tyler Anderson, Trevor Story, David Dahl, Tony Wolters and Carlos Estevez have all played critical roles in Colorado’s second-half domination.

Add to that the excitement for that next waves of Rockies that could be in LoDo on or before the roster expands to the full 40-man roster on September 1. Tom Murphy and Raimel Tapia are two names that jump out from the list in the minors, as well as Christian Bergman and Ben Paulsen.

One name not on the 40-man roster but someone who could well make an impact this season is Jeff Hoffman. Kyle Freeland is also out there, as is Matt Carasiti, who has been storming through the minors in Dahl-esque fashion.

The immediate future is bright for the Colorado Rockies. It’s been a while since Rockies fans could say that.

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The trade deadline calm

Yep, today is the trade deadline … and as of this writing, it’s been a very quiet few weeks other than some rampant rumors about Carlos Gonzalez, Blackmon, Boone Logan, Jorge De La Rosa, Nick Hundley, and others.

What does it say about the Rockies that they haven’t had a fire sale?

First, they’re winning and they believe they’re in a position to make a run with the team they have. Walt Weiss believes that and apparently so does Jeff Bridich.

Second, it means they believe strongly in the pieces they have in place and that they believe they can win now and next year. This isn’t a “rebuilding for 2018” strategy. This is a statement.

Third, it believes that the pieces they have in place in the minors aren’t better than some other’s team’s pieces in the minors. Colorado has done a masterful job of building up its minor league system. After all of that construction, they’re not ready to tear it down for a very short-term gain.

Yes, winning now is important. Winning for multiple years, however, is more important. To do that, you need prospects who are dominating at their respective minor league levels. The Rockies have just that.

In the past, it would’ve been difficult to have come up with a couple of reasons to be excited about watching the Rockies on August 1 or beyond. However, this season, there are plenty.

You want to wear your Broncos gear as training camp kicks into high gear? Great. You want to discuss who should be the Denver quarterback? Awesome. Just do it at 20th and Blake as the Rockies begin an important eight-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Next: What the Rockies Can Learn from Daniel Descalso

Colorado fans have been waiting for the confluence of talent and optimism to hit LoDo. That time is now and this homestand is a great time to see it for yourself.

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