Colorado Rockies: Despite Record, They’re Still Not Getting Kudos They Deserve

As the Colorado Rockies enjoy an off day on Thursday, they sit atop the National League West standings, tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 10-6 mark. Those are the only two teams in the National League who have won double-digit games heading into Thursday night’s action.

Yet, despite their early season success, it seems that there are still plenty of doubters in this year’s Rockies squad.

When I watched this video discussing Colorado’s early-season success, the duo was quick to praise Greg Holland and Nolan Arenado for what they’ve done so far in 2017. However, one of the main discussion lines was that Holland could be a key trading piece for the Rockies when the deadline approaches in late July.

OK, with that statement alone, there’s belief that the Rockies won’t be in the hunt for a postseason spot. Clearly the thought is that Colorado will be a seller and not a buyer at the trade deadline.

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Earlier this week, ESPN released their weekly power rankings. In Week 1, the Rockies were placed at number 8. In this installment, the Rockies slipped to No. 12, despite having a 9-5 mark at the time the rankings were released. Two other National League West teams (the Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers) were ahead of the Rockies in the rankings, as was a Chicago Cubs team that was 6-6 and a Cleveland Indians team with a 5-7 record.

I get it. The Cubs, Dodgers, Indians and a lot of other teams are “sexier” in the eyes of the national media than the Rockies. I’m also sure that the Coors Field effect is factored into the equation as well. Hey, we’ve even speculated on our own site in this article that fans shouldn’t get too excited about the start of the season because there’s still a lot of baseball left to play.

Yet, if you look at this team, it’s churning along despite injuries to some of its key offensive weapons and an offense that has struggled at times because of that. It’s also without Jon Gray and Chad Bettis in the rotation. There are a lot of things that could have imploded Colorado’s season early. But the exact opposite has happened.

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As Colorado prepares to open a seven-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals on Friday, it will once again prove to be another test for a Rockies team that few nationally still seem to believe in. However, if Colorado keeps passing test after test and Ian Desmond, David Dahl and others start returning to the lineup, it may be time for people to start believing in the Rockies sooner than later.