Colorado Rockies: 5 Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season

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.