Colorado Rockies: The most surprising players of the 2017 season

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PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 04: Manager Bud Black #10 of the Colorado Rockies (center) and bench coach Mike Redmond #11 watch the action during the first inning of the National League Wild Card game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on October 4, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies season has come to a close, and it carried many surprises with it.

The Colorado Rockies fell short of the ultimate goal of winning the World Series. Despite that, the team put together a great season. They made the playoffs and played a thrilling National League Wild Card game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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In addition, the team’s stars Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon both had MVP-caliber seasons. The young rotation of Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Jon Gray, and Antonio Senzatela had their bright spots. Free agent acquisition Greg Holland looked unstoppable at one point. Carlos Gonzalez had another streaky season. The names Pat Valaika and Raimel Tapia now have a presence among fans. There is plenty of hope for the future.

Equally to any other season, it was a rollercoaster this year. There was good and bad. Playoffs looked like a certainty … and then they didn’t … and then they were. The team’s longest winning and losing streak occurred in the same month.

There was surprises across the broad in the 2017 season. Although, two players in their individual seasons were the biggest surprises. One for the wrong reason and the other for a good reason.

PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 04: Ian Desmond #20 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after striking out during the top of the seventh inning during the National League Wild Card game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on October 4, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Bad: Ian Desmond

95 G, 7 HR, 40 RBI, .274/.326/.375, .701 OPS

The Rockies spent a lot of money on Ian Desmond over the offseason. Adding Desmond’s bat to an already deadly lineup looked to be the piece that could make the Rockies a playoff team. After all, Colorado made the playoffs but it wasn’t because of Desmond’s contributions.

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The three-time Silver Slugger winner was a big disappointment for the team. His time in Colorado got off to a bad start after suffering a fractured hand due to getting hit by a pitch in Spring Training. Desmond didn’t play his first game in a Rockies uniform until April 30. He then had a two home run game on May 3, and looked to be on track for a good year. Although, the power numbers never came. Desmond would only go on to hit five more long balls the rest of the year. That includes only hitting two at Coors Field in 47 games.

As the year went on Desmond also battled leg injuries. Hopefully for the Rockies, next year Desmond can stay healthy and get on track out the gates. He never seemed to find a comfort level at Coors Field, an oddity for a hitter of his caliber.

However, Desmond’s struggles and injuries opened the door for another Rockies player…

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 20: Mark Reynolds #12 of the Colorado Rockies watches his RBI sacrifice fly during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field on August 20, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Good: Mark Reynolds

148 G, 30 HR, 97 RBI, .267/.352/.487, .839 OPS

At one point in his career, Mark Reynolds was feared by pitchers. He posted three straight seasons of 30-plus home runs. Of course, that was seven years ago. In 2016, the first baseman only had 14 home runs in his debut season with the Rockies. This year, however, he was a driving force with 97 RBI after having a combined 143 RBI the last three seasons.

With the signing of Desmond, it seemed like Reynolds would be a platoon player at best. Don’t forget that he signed a minor league contract and wasn’t guaranteed to make the team coming out of spring training. In the end, due to Desmond’s struggles and injuries, it worked out for Reynolds and the Rockies as he was the third piece to a stacked lineup alongside Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon.

Next: Which free agents could return to Colorado in 2018?

There is bad news to Reynolds having a late breakout year. He is once again set to be a free agent this offseason. The Rockies will have to make a decision on whether or not Reynolds will be worth the price of bringing back. The 33-year-old had his best season since 2011 but his age is up there. Can he produce like this again? Only time will time if the Rockies’ biggest surprise will be back next year.

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