Colorado Rockies: Early prediction of 2017 postseason roster

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DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 03: Manager Bud Black /

Are you enjoying the Colorado Rockies having plenty of weapons at their disposal on the bench and in the bullpen right now? Well, that will change soon enough.

When the calendar turned to September, the Rockies (along with the rest of Major League Baseball’s teams) were able to expand their rosters past the 25-man limit they had played with throughout the season. That opened the door for players such as Mike Tauchman, Ryan McMahon, Shane Carle, Zac Rosscup and others to play key roles when the opportunity presented itself during a game.

Need a pinch hitter? No problem. How about a pinch runner? Yep. How about a left-handed specialist who will face just one batter in the sixth inning? Easily done. When the roster is expanded, Colorado can even use nine pitchers in a game as it did in Tuesday’s win over the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field.

However, when the Rockies enter the postseason (and yes, we believe they will secure the National League’s second Wild Card spot), the roster drops back to the 25-man limit that the Rockies were tasked with during the first five months of the season.

So who will make the postseason 25-man roster? We have an idea and some explanations. We will tell you those on the next page.

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 18: Jonathan Lucroy #21 and German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies have a word on the mound as Marquez is relieved after making two outs in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field on August 18, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Catchers (2) – Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Hanigan

Lucroy was one of Colorado’s biggest acquisitions at the trade deadline and has done well behind the plate. The second catcher to join him in the offseason, however, will be a bit of a question mark. The Rockies tipped their hand after Lucroy was acquired by sending Tony Wolters to Triple-A. They showed that they liked having two veteran catchers to handle their young pitching staff. We believe that will continue when the games matter most in October.

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There is a caveat here, however. Hanigan has been dealing with a groin injury and, as of the start of Colorado’s key series at Chavez Ravine against the Los Angeles Dodgers, had yet to see action in a game since August 20. If he doesn’t fully recover from that injury, Wolters would get the call.

Note: Hanigan was activated from the disabled list prior to Friday’s game against the Dodgers.

Wolters being behind the plate also means that, if worse comes to worse, the former infielder turned catcher could play some middle infield. We know the Rockies like versatility and Wolters would provide that. It would be a surprise, but it’s still a possibility.

Infielders (6) – Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu, Mark Reynolds, Alexi Amarista, Pat Valaika

Outfielders (4) – Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Ian Desmond

Yes, the Rockies will return to having a four-man bench. That likely means in a postseason game that Parra/Reynolds/Desmond would be on the bench in addition to Amarista, Valaika and the second catcher.

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 29: Starting pitcher German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of an interleague game at Coors Field on August 29, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Rotation (4) – Jon Gray, Chad Bettis, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland

These are likely your four starters for the postseason. If the Rockies open against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card game, we’re projecting Marquez to take the hill. He has faced Arizona five times this season and the D-backs are hitting just .232 against him. Sure, he’s 0-2 with a 3.94 ERA, but he also has a walk-strikeout ratio of 9-29 against Arizona.

Are you enjoying the Colorado Rockies having plenty of weapons at their disposal on the bench and in the bullpen right now? Well, that will change soon enough.

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Schedule