Colorado Rockies: 2017 Fantasy Projections

Opening Day is around the corner. That likely means your fantasy baseball draft is too. RoxPile is here to help. Here is everything you need to know about how some of the Rockies’ finest can carry you to a championship.

If you’re anything like me, the closing days of Spring Training means your fantasy draft is rushing upon you like a 20-foot tidal wave and your only defense is a few sandbags. No need to fear, we have you covered. Well, covered enough to know how your favorites Rockies can help you achieve bragging rights anyway.

Projected Lineup:

In this article, we explored what the Rockies’ Opening Day batting order could look like. In the end, the major benefit of our projection is that we have accounted for Spring injuries. That being said, when April 3rd hits, the Rockies should debut with a line-up similar to this:

"Charlie Blackmon CF DJ LeMahieu 2B Nolan Arenado 3B Carlos Gonzalez RF Mark Reynolds 1B Trevor Story SS Gerardo Parra LF Tony Wolters C Pitcher"

You’ll undoubtedly notice that the lineup is missing a few important pieces. Namely, the Rockies will be missing All-Star Ian Desmond at first, and young bloods David Dahl and Tom Murphy. With their recovery in mind, here is the what the batting order would resemble at full strength:

"Charlie Blackmon CF DJ LeMahieu 2B Nolan Arenado 3B Carlos Gonzalez RF Trevor Story SS Ian Desmond 1B David Dahl LF Tony Wolters/Tom Murphy C Pitcher"

The Rockies will feature a top-five offensive unit in 2017. Surprise, surprise I know. The implications mean that you can find fantasy value in almost any Colorado position player. Especially, if said player is making their start at the Coors Field. The only real question mark in value rests in the Rockies eight spot in the order and the two places holders named Reynolds and Parra.

At present Tony Wolters will bat eighth and start at catcher for the foreseeable future. In 2016, Wolters slashed a .259/.327/.395 line with three homers, 30 RBI, and four stolen bases. With that offensive output, Wolters ranked 24th among catchers in standard mixed leagues. Clearly, you can find better value in other places.

Depending on the stats you’re looking for, any other starting Rockie is a potential fit. Need average and OPS? LeMathieu won a batting title last year with a .348 AVG and .911 OPS. Need power? Trevor Story launched 27 bombs in three-fourths of a season. And of course, Arenado, Cargo, and Blackmon provide coverage for all the fantasy offensive categories. In following slides, we’ll break down where you can find further value.