Colorado Rockies: Examining the 5 greatest seasons in franchise history

5. 1996 Season (83-79)

Throughout this article you will probably begin to recognize a pattern. This pattern is titled “The 5280 Effect.” The Rockies typically tear apart the baseball. Unfortunately, so does the opposition.

I will begin with hitting. In 1996, the Rockies set a franchise record with the most RBI in a season. They finished the season third in Major League Baseball with 909 RBI and fourth in homers with 221, which was far above the league average of .177. They also finished fifth in batting average at .287.

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On the other hand, the Rockies pitching was atrocious. They finished the season with the second-worst ERA in MLB at 5.59, a full run higher than the league average. They also had the fourth-fewest strikeouts with 932.

The fielding also followed right along with the pitching. The Rockies committed the second-most errors in the Majors with 149 and had the second lowest fielding percentage at .976.

The pitching and fielding were horrific, but the offense did enough to keep the Rockies winning all the way to 83 games.

Comparative grade: D+