Colorado Rockies: Predicting 2017 Individual Awards and Honors

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Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies

Mar 9, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring against Puerto Rico during a 2017 World Baseball Classic exhibition game at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Welcome back to this year’s first edition of Purple Monday! The baseball season is in full swing with a week of games already in the books. The Colorado Rockies have started strong with two series wins and I want to make some predictions for the 2017 season.

I want to delve into some individual awards, but to make things more interesting and avoid overusing the words “Nolan” and “Arenado,” I will be excluding the Rockies third baseman from the running. With that in mind, here’s my best guess as to who will provide the best seasons for the good guys this year.

Offensive MVP: Charlie Blackmon. The Rockies center fielder is coming off his best season in 2016. He has gotten off to a relatively slow start this year but picked it up over the weekend. My hope is Blackmon will get back to stealing some bases in 2017 and am thinking he will have more than his 17 in 2016. Regardless, I expect Blackmon to eclipse 30 home runs for the first time in his career, hit over .300 and again prove that he is one of the best lead off hitters in baseball.

Defensive MVP: Tony Wolters. Wolters exploded onto the scene in 2016 placing him among elite company in terms of pitch framing. With more starts in 2017, I think he will continue to prove his value for the Rockies as a defensive catcher.

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