Colorado Rockies: Our 2017 Season Predictions and Forecasts

So how will the Colorado Rockies fare in the 2017 season? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind as we tick ever closer to the start of the regular season.

There is a lot of excitement being generated about this year’s team … and a lot of buzz that this could be the year that the postseason returns to Coors Field. But will it happen? That’s one of the questions that we posed to each person who writes for Rox Pile.

We asked each of our writers to answer three simple questions…

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

Yes, we are looking into our crystal ball today to see exactly how the Rockies will do this season in their first campaign under new manager Bud Black. With a plethora of injuries in spring training, will that be enough to keep Colorado from competing for a National League West title and/or a Wild Card slot? Will the Rockies be able to overcome the loss of veteran pitcher Chad Bettis in the rotation? Will Trevor Story and David Dahl be able to recapture the magic they created in their first big-league seasons?

There are so many questions to answer … and our experts are ready to do that. Let’s dive in.

Tim Enquist

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

My best guess for the Rockies record is somewhere around 90 wins. They have improved the lineup and the bullpen considerably and hopefully are getting all the injuries out now. The rotation is a big question mark. However, with above average pitchers in the top 3 and the multiple high ceiling options to round out the rotation, I think it will allow for the Rockies to excel. Final record: 92-70

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Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

I would say the biggest surprise for the Rockies this year will be either Antonio Senzatela or Kyle Freeland. Both have already surprised with their strong springs and I think at least one of them will stick in the rotation this year.

Biggest disappointment this year in my opinion will be Jake McGee. I don’t think he will improve much from a disappointing 2016 season.

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

The Rockies will make the playoffs this year as a Wild Card team. I think their depth is strong enough to withstand underperforming from some players and injuries along the way. There are too many talented guys at every position for this team not to have a successful 2017 campaign.

Trysten Garcia

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

Expectations are high for the Rockies this season, but with injuries mounting early and an inexperienced yet talented starting rotation, the season could play out a few ways. Best case scenario would be an 88-74 finish with a potential Wild Card spot. Worst case is another 90-loss season and more questions.

Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

The biggest surprise this season will be Stephen Cardullo. He could fill in nicely for Ian Desmond while he comes back from injury and move to the outfield as a fourth option and to give CarGo a day off.

The biggest disappointment will be Jeff Hoffman. After coming over in the Tulo trade, he was a top prospect heading into Spring Training and was given every opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation. Inconsistency and struggling with base runners haunted him during Spring Training and will force the Rockies to start Hoffman in Triple-A this season.

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

If Colorado’s young rotation can carry enough innings to relieve the bullpen this season, the arms in the bullpen have a history of dominance and can do the same this year. A dominant bullpen and even more overpowering lineup can make up for an average-at-best rotation and can propel the team to a playoff run. However, if the rotation shows its inexperience and lacks consistency throughout the season, the same result will follow. The lineup can only carry the team so far, and it will not be the playoffs if that is the case.

Nolan Lees

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

Most projections I’ve seen this off-season have the Rockies pegged as roughly a .500 team. I think that’s probably about right. We’d love to see Colorado back in the playoffs, but realistically, the bar for this team is 81-81. Anything better than that would be a good season. Anything below would be disappointing.

Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

It’s no secret that I’ve been enamored with Tom Murphy‘s game for a while now. The University of Buffalo product absolutely destroyed Triple-A pitching last season, and more than held his own in a brief call-up towards the end of last season.

Tony Wolters is probably a superior defensive catcher at the moment, which is why some have called for him to start. It appears he’ll get a chance at least at the beginning of the season, as Murphy will be sidelined into April with a broken forearm.

I am skeptical, however, that Wolters is going to hit enough to establish himself as the everyday starter behind the dish. With Murphy out to start the 2017 season, it may be easier to forget about him. But I predict he will have firmly established himself as the starting catcher in Colorado by the All-Star break.

I won’t go so far as to say this player will be a disappointment in 2017, but I think the expectations surrounding Tyler Anderson are getting dangerously high. He threw a career-high 145 innings in 2016. Given his injury history, the Rockies probably shouldn’t let him greatly exceed that in 2017, but in a rotation lacking proven options, the young lefty may be forced to shoulder a bigger load than you ideally ask of a guy with fewer than 20 MLB starts under his belt.

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

I think Colorado is still probably a year or two away from playoff contention. Keep in mind, this was a 75-win team last year, so the 2017 squad could improve by 10 wins (a big jump in one season) and would likely still miss the playoffs.

The NL West is no cakewalk either. The Dodgers and the Giants are a solid bet to win close to 90 games, and even Arizona should bounce back somewhat after a nightmarish 2016 campaign.

It’s not impossible, and no one who’s paying attention should be stunned if this team competes for a spot in October. But a lot of things are going to have to go right for it to happen this year.

JD Jensen

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

The Rockies should end up somewhere in the .500 range, my prediction being 84-78. As usual, they will start out in the playoff race, somewhere around 27-13 through the first 40 games. Then, the Dog Days of June and July will settle in. They’ll slip out of the division title race, but will still cruise to a Wild Card berth against either the Giants or Dodgers (whoever doesn’t take the division). The bullpen and starting rotation will keep the team around .500 and the horrible stretch they always go through mid-year won’t be quite as bad.

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Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

David Dahl has relatively low expectations this season. My prediction is he breaks out with the help of Coors Field to have an All-Star caliber year, even if he doesn’t get voted in. I also believe Nolan Arenado will once again be statistically the best player in baseball, but this year he will come home with the MVP since his team will be significantly better.

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

Ultimately, Colorado will not win their first division title, but will capture the first playoff spot since 2009. Although they won’t go much further than the NLDS, I do think anything can happen in a win or go home Wild Card game. You never know who will end up winning those games, so making it to the NLDS is definitely a possibility.

Kevin Henry

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

I’m going to be a bit of a downer compared to the rest of my colleagues so far in this prediction and say that the Rockies will finish as a .500 team at 81-81. I think that replacing two rotation spots in spring training with young players who have little or no MLB experience is a tough thing for a team wanting to shoot for the postseason.

Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

I’ve heard all of the talk about it in spring training and seen some of it with my own eyes in Arizona. I believe Greg Holland will return to a dominant role as the closer, which will surprise a lot of teams that weren’t willing to take a chance on his return from Tommy John surgery. I’ll stay in the bullpen for my disappointments and predict that, despite the impressive showing in the spring, Mike Dunn will struggle in his first season at Coors Field.

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

Improving the record to .500 this season will be a good step for the Rockies, but it’s not going to be enough to catch the Giants or Dodgers in the standings. That leaves one Wild Card spot open and I think the Nationals or Mets will grab that one out of the East. I think the Rockies will be in the playoff hunt throughout the season and games in September will absolutely matter, which will be a welcome sight in LoDo. However, it won’t be enough … this season. Trust me, I hope I am wrong.

Ben Macaluso

The last time I had optimism about the Rockies it was late in September in 2010. My brother’s 18th birthday was on the 18th and he wanted to go to a barbecue joint and watch the Rockies. They beat the Dodgers 12-2 after Troy Tulowitzki hit his 13th and 14th homers of the month. The Rockies won 12-2. A Wild Card berth seemed inevitable. It was a happy birthday.

The next day the Rockies lost a heartbreaker to the Dodgers in 11 innings. They went 1-14 the rest of the way. It’s been trying ever since that day eating barbecue. But a something funny happened at the end of July 2016. After they lost two of three against a struggling Rays team and the season seemed over, they won 11 of 13 bringing them one game over .500 at 54-53.

They finished the season with the worst record in the months of August of September with a 21-34 record. But this wasn’t the same team Rockies fans have tried to block out for the better part of the decade. They were having fun. Many young players were stepping up and mentoring each other. They brought hope.

What will Colorado’s 2017 record be (162-game regular season schedule)?

This 2017 team will have more wins. I predict they will win 10 more games than last year and will have a record of 85-77. I think this will be the best Rockies team since that 2010 team.

Who will be Colorado’s biggest surprise and disappointment?

The pitching will be a strength for this team, including the bullpen. Greg Holland will have a lot to say about that and Ian Desmond will adjust just fine at first base, carrying the Rockies offense even further into the stratosphere. Even with Desmond gone for the first month, the Rockies always do well in April.

Even the Gerado Parra is the heart and soul of this team, I think he will continue to struggle to get consistent at bats in left and at first, making it difficult to have a true bounceback season.

Why will or why won’t Colorado make the playoffs?

Unfortunately I think the Rockies will just miss the playoffs. I think this will have to do more with the strength of the Dodgers and the Giants. The Dodgers are the Dodgers and the Giants have addressed their bullpen issues.

Next: How the Colorado Rockies Were Almost the Denver A's

This Rockies team is built to last. These young players are only going to get better. I haven’t felt this optimistic in a long time. I think it’s time to grab some barbecue.