Colorado Rockies: 5 statistics that must improve in 2018

DJ LeMahieu grounding into double plays

Remember last season when there was some talk about Blackmon and LeMahieu swapping places in the order? One of the reasons was Chuck Nazty’s ability to drive in runs. Another was because the Colorado leadoff man was being wiped off the bases way too frequently because of double plays.

Last season, LeMahieu was ninth in Major League Baseball at .173 in grounding into double play (GIDP) per opportunity. The All-Star second baseman grounded into a career-high 24 double plays last season, a tough pill to swallow when you have your leadoff hitter having a historical season.

Colorado’s pitchers and the batting average against them

There has been a lot of talk about the plethora of pitching talent the Rockies have at their disposal, from a talented group of young starters to that stacked bullpen that should give Colorado plenty of confidence heading into the late innings.

However, Colorado’s pitchers must do a better job of getting the opposing batter out in 2018. Last year, the Rockies pitching staff tied for 22^nd in Major League Baseball with opposing hitters batting .264 against them. That number jumps to .273 at home, placing the Rockies at 29^th out of 30 teams.

Next: Bud Black talks about the offseason and MLB's pace of play initiatives

Sure, it’s Coors Field with plenty of room in the outfield, but improvement must be made for Colorado’s pitchers to take that proverbial next step in their staff’s evolution this season.