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Colorado Rockies: Who Was the Most Improved Player in 2016?

By Tim Engquist |
Oct 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Fans watch in the seventh inning of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Fans watch in the seventh inning of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) greets fans following the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) greets fans following the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies improved their record by seven games from 2015 to 2016 ending the season with a 75-87 record. The team certainly could have finished the season with a more impressive record but their record plummeted in the month of September. The September record of 11-16 was their worst winning percentage in any month of the season.

The contributions that the rookies made towards success has been well documented, but the improvements of the core group of talented position players also played a major role.

Here on Rox Pile, we have already debated who we think deserves the MVP title, so I want to delve into the battle for most improved player.

Charlie Blackmon

The big change for Blackmon came in terms of his ability to hit for power. As mentioned above his home run total increased by 12. He lowered his at bats per home run from 36.1 to 19.9. This showed in his slugging percentage, which rose over .100 points from .450 to .552. Blackmon’s ability to draw walks stayed about the same and the rise in his OBP from .347 to .381 was due mainly to an increase in batting average.

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Also impressive from Blackmon was his ability to put together solid at bats … and make the pitcher work. He increased his pitches per plate appearance from 3.98 to 4.08, which is .25 better than the league average. Chuck also saw added to his line drive percentage, which sat at 35 in 2016, 12% over the league average of 23.

The power surge this year was coupled with a decrease in number of stolen bases. Charlie had 43 stolen bases last year compared to only 17 this year. His successful stolen base percentage also went down from 77 to 65%, explaining the 30 less attempts.

The advanced stats placing value on Blackmon also show improvements. His WAR according to baseball reference was 4.4 in 2016, much higher than 3.2 in 2015. Fangraphs saw Blackmon similarly with a WAR of 3.9 in 2016, an even larger increase compared to the 2.1 value he compiled in 2015.

Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado is the popular pick for MVP of the Rockies in 2016, and it is easy to see why. His power numbers remained essentially the same from 2015. He hit 41 home runs, and drove in a MLB-leading 133 RBI. He compiled these numbers while manning the hot corner for the Rockies in almost every game, as he appeared in 160 of 162 contests. That durability is a facet of his game that cannot be ignored.

Also hard to ignore was the biggest weakness of Arenado in 2015. He didn’t get on base as much as you would expect from a guy putting up such gaudy power numbers. He was a very aggressive hitter, walking only 34 times in 665 at bats. This left his SO/W ratio at 3.24 and his OBP was only .323, leading to criticism from those outside the Rocky Mountain region.

Nolan clearly made this a focus in 2016 and the statistics show just how much he improved this part of his game. He doubled his walk total in 2016, aggregating 68 in his 696 at bats. He walked in 9.8% of his plate appearances, well above the league average of 7.9 and almost double of his percent of 5.1 in 2015.

This also led to him slashing his SO/W ratio, lowering it to 1.51 this season. This added patience also showed in his OBP and OPS. His OBP improved from .323 to .362 and his OPS rose from .898 to .932. This was good for 10th in baseball, a hundredth of a point less than his teammate, Chuck Nazty. Like Charlie, Nolan also saw more pitches during his plate appearances in 2016, inflating it from 3.49 to 3.94 this season.

Arenado, of course, continued to produce unforgettable web gems at third base this season, and may add to his Gold Glove collection. His value increased from a WAR of 5.8 to 6.5 on baseball reference and from 4.5 to 5.2 on fangraphs. These values are the highest of any Rockies players, and he has to be considered the cornerstone for the Rockies to build around for years to come.

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

DJ LeMahieu

The final candidate for most improve is DJ LeMahieu, the MLB batting champion. DJ had a huge year for the Rockies hitting .348, just ahead of Washington’s Daniel Murphy. DJ has made great strides each year for the Rockies as I broke down earlier this season.

His batting average of .348 was well above the .301 line that he posted in 2015. His on base percentage elevated by .058 points from .358 to .416, which was third best in the major leagues. His 66 walks are a career high and equated to a base on balls in 10.4% of his plate appearances. This came from DJ’s willingness to take pitches and his knowledge of the strike zone. He saw 4.05 pitches per plate appearance. When he swung he usually made hit the ball, as his contact percentage was 88.4% this year, up almost 5% from 2015.

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In addition to just getting on base more, LeMahieu was also hitting the ball a lot harder. According to fangraphs, LeMahieu hit 35.2% of balls in play at a speed determined as “hard”. This was almost a 10% increase when compared to 2015. His average exit velocity was calculated at 92.68, which was well above the league average of 89.57.

These changes were shown in DJ’s power numbers. He compiled 11 more doubles, three more triples and five more home runs this year compared to last year, all of which were career highs. This was illustrated in his slugging percentage, which sat at .495 in 2016, more than a full point higher than his .388 line in 2015. His OPS ballooned by even more, growing from .746 to .911 which was a couple of points behind Seattle power hitter Nelson Cruz.

Like our other two candidates, LeMahieu saw noticeable increases in his WAR values in 2016. Baseball reference saw this value more than double from 2.3 to 5.2. According to fangraphs, DJ’s WAR also more than doubled moving from 1.9 all the way to 4.2.

Next: Jordan Patterson Using 2016 as a Springboard for Future

Clearly, the Rockies benefitted not only from the new guys but also from the improvements of these three players. It is a debate that could go on for a long time for which one of these Rockies improved the most. The WAR increases point to LeMahieu who was worthy of the largest jumps according to both websites.

Further than just this statistic, I think DJ is deserving of the most improved title because he saw improvements in his ability to get on base, and battle through tough at-bats, while also making great strides in his power numbers. Whoever the Rockies hire as their new manager will inherit a very solid nucleus moving towards 2017.

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