What Are the Rockies World Series Chances?

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DENVER – JUNE 18: General view of Rockies logo in outfield during the Atlanta Braves game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 18, 1995 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Nathan Bilow/Getty Images) /

At the beginning of the 2017 MLB season, the Colorado Rockies were given a 1 in 50 chance to win the World Series. As of right now, the Rockies have found a way to be one of the best teams in baseball.

However, the Rockies are slated to be a wild card, for the Los Angeles Dodgers are on pace for one of the best seasons in MLB history as they are on pace for a win total between 112 and 113 wins. If the playoffs were to start now, here is how it would all play out but before we dive into that, let’s make our case for the Rockies taking home the pennant.

MIAMI, FL – JULY 10: Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies and the National League speaks with the media during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day ahead of the 88th MLB All-Star Game at Marlins Park on July 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Obviously, the Rockies have maybe the best offense in all of baseball this year, starting with Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu. Both players are hitting around .315 this year, meaning the chances of one of the two getting on are actually a lot higher than you would think. Next in the order is usually the MVP candidate, Nolan Arenado. Arenado is leading the MLB in RBI’s this year, and it’s not even close. The next man down, Jake Lamb, has 9 less RBI’s than Nolan. He consistently finds any possible way to get runs home, whether that’s hitting a ground ball to second to score the runner from third, to finding his pitch and hitting a home run.

The starting rotation is what scares us Rockie fans the most. In other words, the rotation has done exactly what we thought it would do. The lineup featuring a handful of rookies had an excellent start to the year, only to fall off a cliff by July. Here’s what fans are missing though. The Rockies have a lot of pitching. Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland have probably been the best. Between Marquez, Senzatela, Hoffman, Chatwood, and even Chad Bettis, the Rockies have so many guys who can start games for us. When one man gets fatigued, Bud Black can simply move him to the bullpen for a week and let someone else pitch in his spot. Rockies pitching may not be great, but they’re typically good enough to let the offense win the game.

The bullpen should not be in the way of a pennant anymore either. The Rockies recently acquired Pat Neshek from the Phillies. Neshek has been phenomenal this season, posting a 1.12 ERA. Throw him in with Greg Holland and any starters that aren’t in the rotation, and the bullpen is set.

PHOENIX, AZ – JULY 24: Zack Greinke #21 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a first-inning pitch against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field on July 24, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Wild Card Game: Colorado at Arizona. Colorado’s odds: 50%

The Rockies would be facing the Diamondbacks on the road in a win or go home wild card game. If Colorado could find a way to be the home team, their odds of winning would dramatically go up.

The Diamondbacks live on pitching. Forcing Zack Greinke to throw in the high altitude would put the Rockies in a huge advantage. However, they could still win on the road. the Rockies have beat up on Greinke before.

To be completely honest, the wild card game really is a coin flip. Any team can beat any other team, and this game embodies that. Throw in the fact that these teams are really close and competitive with each other (Arizona leads the season series 5-4), and you have a 50/50 ballgame.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 23: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on July 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) /

Given the Rockies win, they would likely play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Colorado’s odds: 15-20%

The Dodgers are having a historic season. They have the best record in baseball, and it’s not even close. Houston is the next team up, and are still 3.5 games back. The Nationals are 9 games behind them. It seems to big of a mountain to climb for the Rockies, especially after using Gray in the wild card game. So, why even give Colorado a chance?

For starters, the Dodgers have almost become known for playing awful in the playoffs. Despite being in contention for the past 5 or 6 years, Los Angeles has not made any noise in the World Series.

Let’s also remember Clayton Kershaw will be coming back from injury. If his first start back at the major league level is in the playoffs against a red hot offense, can we really expect him to be the ace he is?

You also have to consider that Kershaw is 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA in 18 postseason appearances (14 of which have been starts).

Taking Kershaw out of the rotation doesn’t completely ruin their probable starters, but it does take a massive hit. The Rockies do not have great chances against an all-time great team, but I would give them a 20% chance to find a way to move on.

DENVER, CO – JULY 18: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies scores on a Alexi Amarista RBI single in the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on July 18, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Though unlikely, let’s say the Rockies beat the Dodgers. They would then play either the Washington Nationals or the Chicago Cubs. Colorado’s odds against Washington: 25%

This is given the Nationals beat the Cubs, which seems likely at this point in the season. After likely taking 5 epic games to defeat the Dodgers, the Rockies would likely have a lot of fatigue and weakness in the bullpen. However, if the offense is hot, the Rockies can beat anybody. We have never seen any position player on the Rockies in the playoffs, besides Carlos Gonzalez. And Cargo really isn’t an important piece in their offense anymore. Who knows how this team will respond when in these pressure situations.

The Rockies are pretty massive underdogs in this series, but the offensive firepower they have will always give them a chance, which is why the odds of winning stand at 25%.

BOSTON, MA – MAY 13: Mookie Betts is congratulated after he scored after a Xander Bogaerts hit during the fifth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on May 13, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. Players are wearing pink to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend and support breast cancer awareness. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /

The Rockies could see a number of teams in the World Series: Boston, Cleveland, Houston, The Yankees and Kansas City. To keep it simple, we will say it is the Boston Red Sox coming out of the American League. Colorado’s chances: Little to none.

Just to start, what a World Series this would be. I know a lot of people want to see the “Clash of the Titans” featuring the Dodgers and Astros. But what about a 2007 World Series rematch featuring a young team that exceeded expectations and an already established franchise. To draw even more comparisons, the Rockies would be coming in as a wild card, just like in 2007. Which was now exactly 10 years ago.

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The Rockies would have little to no chance of winning this series. The Boston Red Sox are quietly one of the best teams in baseball. Boston’s pitching rotation would have a huge advantage over anything Bud Black comes up with. The Rockies usually have an advantage as far as offense goes, but I’m not sure that’s the case with the Sox. Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts are already dominant. Throw in Jackie Bradley Jr as well as many others, and the Red Sox are elite. The Rockies also would be trying to cap off the hardest World Series route in maybe MLB history. You could argue the Rockies play 4 of the top 5 teams in the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Nationals, and Red Sox.

The Rockies actually have a record that’s 2 games better than the Red Sox. This would mean the Rockies get home field advantage. If the Blake Street Bombers refused to lose at home, they could take the series in 7 games. We all know home field advantage is a bigger advantage for Colorado than any other team in baseball. This means the Rockies would actually have a chance, as little as it may be.

Next: Why September 1st will be more important than July 31st

The MLB is the only sport in the world right now where any team in the playoffs has a chance to win it all. Were the Memphis Grizzlies going to win the NBA Championship? Did the Miami Dolphins really have a chance to win the Super Bowl? No one gave them a chance. However, in the MLB, any team in the playoffs can get hot and win the pennant. The odds are stacked against them in just about every matchup, but a chance to win always has to be given.

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