Colorado Rockies: 5 Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season

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Jun 26, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General view of Coors Field during the fifth inning of the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

We’ve been counting down to this week for some time now. The Colorado Rockies finally open the 2017 season on Monday when they face the Milwaukee Brewers on the road.

There is a lot of anticipation that goes along with this year’s campaign. Many are predicting the Rockies to make a run at the postseason and bring Rocktober back to Denver for the first time since 2009.

Can the Rockies do it? That’s the million dollar question. In order to do it, they will have to overcome some early injuries that were suffered in spring training. Arguably the team’s biggest offseason free agent signing, Ian Desmond will miss a few games in April after being struck by a pitch and breaking his hand. David Dahl, one of last season’s breakout rookies for the Rockies, will also miss a few games to start the season with a rib injury. Tom Murphy is recovering from a forearm fracture.

On the pitching side, the Rockies will be without Chris Rusin to start the campaign. Chad Bettis is out for the foreseeable future, but everyone is pulling for the right-handed starter to beat cancer and return to the mound in 2017. It would not only be a lift for a Rockies rotation in need of veteran leadership, but also an emotional boost to a group who has rallied around their friend and teammate.

So what do we see in our crystal ball for this season? Here are five bold predictions we’re going to make about the Rockies in 2017…

Jul 28, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (27) beats the trow to New York Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (13) for a stolen base during the ninth inning at Citi Field. The Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 2-1.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

Trevor Story is faster than you think. That’s what former Colorado manager Walt Weiss kept saying during his days in the Rockies dugout. While we know about Story’s home run power, we never really got to see the rookie take off on the basepaths.

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Before the premature end to his season with a thumb injury, Story had 27 homers … but just eight stolen bases in 13 attempts. It was part of a trend last season that saw the Rockies swipe just 66 bases overall.

But that was then and this is now. Bud Black is now running the Colorado dugout and said in a recent article that he wants to put more pressure on opposing pitchers by having Colorado run more. It’s a simple thought that could also make the Colorado offense even more dangerous than it already is.

Story will be one of the key components to an improved Rockies running game in 2017. USA Today is already predicting that the 24-year-old phenom will hit at least 40 homers this season. We’re certainly not going to argue that because that would be great for Colorado and its postseason chances.

However, we’ll go one step further and saw Story will steal at least 20 bases this season. If Story is going to step up his power game, why not step up the speed game as well? We think it will happen.

Aug 21, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a three run home run in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Think about this for just a minute. Nolan Arenado finished fifth in the National League MVP voting last season. He paced the National League in homers and Major League Baseball in RBI. He earned his fourth straight Gold Glove. But he finished fifth behind Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy, Corey Seager and Anthony Rizzo in the final voting.

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That’s insane.

Of course, there’s one thing that the four players who finished above Arenado last season had that he didn’t. No, it wasn’t more offensive prowess. No, it wasn’t better glove skills in the field. It was that they all competed in the postseason, with Bryant earning the MVP after bringing home the first World Series title in what seemed like far more than 108 years to long-suffering Chicago Cubs fans.

This year, it all will change because of Colorado’s run at the postseason. Arenado will be in the spotlight nationally as the Rockies chase a Wild Card spot. He’ll keep doing Nolan-like things and the national media will finally start seeing him for the all-around player that he is.

Yes, it will take an improvement in Colorado’s record and the Rockies playing meaningful games in September. However, this is the year it will happen and it’s the year that Nolan Arenado finally wins the National League MVP award.

Mar 15, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black (10) talks with Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray (55) prior to a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

How big of an impact will Bud Black make on the Rockies this season? Big enough that he wins National League Manager of the Year. How about that?

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There’s been a lot of talk about Ian Desmond and Greg Holland as Colorado’s biggest offseason acquisitions. However, it could also be said that the hiring of Black was the best move the Rockies made during the chill of winter.

He won the National League Manager of the Year award in 2010 when he led the San Diego Padres to a second-place finish in the division and a 90-72 mark. Who’s to say that he couldn’t do the same thing with Colorado this season? Black has already proven you don’t have to win the division to win Manager of the Year, and his ability to turn the Rockies into postseason contenders could be just what is needed to earn the honor again.

We’ve already said that Nolan Arenado will win the MVP award. USA Today has already claimed that Trevor Story will go bonkers with his home run total. With all of that in mind, Colorado could easily become a candidate for October, pushing Black back into the forefront of the national media’s minds.

Mar 11, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood (32) throws in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

It may not have happened since Ubaldo Jimenez in 2010, but we think there’s a certain Colorado Rockies pitcher who could be in the hunt for the Cy Young award this season. And no, we’re not smoking any of the local agricultural product.

Jimenez went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA to finish third in the 2010 voting. Those are the types of numbers it will take to get into the mix. So who can put together that kind of season? You’d probably expect us to say Jon Gray here, right? Well, that’s where we are full of surprises.

Tyler Chatwood proved last season he has the moxie to be dominant against some of the best teams in baseball. An 8-1 mark on the road with a 1.69 ERA largely went unnoticed outside of the Mountain time zone despite masterpieces in Wrigley Field and Chavez Ravine.

The numbers went unnoticed because Chatwood was 4-8 with a 6.12 ERA at Coors Field. Yes, start the Coors Field conversation here. We know. We know. However, even with the ballooned stats at home, the 27-year-old right-hander finished with a 12-9 mark and 3.87 ERA.

If Chatwood can find his rhythm in Denver in 2017, he could be in the Cy Young discussion. We didn’t say he would win but he will be in the voting.

By the way, he’s 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA (through games of March 30) this year in spring training so he’s once again on track to show his stuff to the rest of Major League Baseball.

Gray may grab the headlines, but we think Chatwood will have the better year.

May 22, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of fireworks at Coors Field during a rain delay in the bottom of the ninth inning between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

So if all of the honors happen that we’ve discussed in the previous slides, surely that means that Colorado will be swept back into Rocktober this season, right? We say absolutely right.

The stars will align in 2017 for the Rockies to return to the postseason. In fact, they’ll be one of three teams out of the National League West to earn a postseason berth. We’re predicting the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the division while the San Francisco Giants and Rockies will play a one-game Wild Card battle at Coors Field.

After a Colorado Wild Card win, the Rockies will take on the National League Central champion Chicago Cubs while the Dodgers face the Washington Nationals. While the Rockies will give the Cubs all they can handle, Chicago will prevail in the series-deciding game in front of a boisterous crowd at Wrigley Field.

That will be the boost the Cubs need to once again qualify for the World Series, facing the Boston Red Sox in a World Series that time forgot.

Sure, we’d love to take the Rockies to win it all, but we’re also setting the table for years to come. This is a young, hungry Colorado team that will taste big doses of success in 2017. With that, this season begins a nice run for the Rockies as one of the National League’s top teams.

Next: The Top 5 Second Basemen in Colorado History

Let’s play ball!

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We’ve been counting down to this week for some time now. The Colorado Rockies finally open the 2017 season on Monday when they face the Milwaukee Brewers on the road.

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