Colorado Rockies: Are we drinking the Kool-Aid ahead of this season?

This past week at Rox Pile, we have been rolling out our predictions for the upcoming Colorado Rockies season. After tallying up the predictions I’ve come to one conclusion: There has been a lot of purple Kool-Aid consumed by our writers.

That is not a bad thing. After all, we are fans … which is short for fanatics. However, it does make me wonder if we all should curb our expectations a little bit.

Here is a quick rundown on our predictions:

Colorado Rockies

Jeramiah: 92-70 Make NLDS

Ryan: 90-72 Lose in NLDS

Ben: 90-72 Make Playoffs

Noah: 90-72 #1 Wildcard

Nick: 90-72 Lose in NLDS

Greg 90-72 Make Playoffs

Olivia: 90-72 Make NLDS

Lucas: 89-73 Lose in NLDS

Brady: 85-77 Miss Playoffs

JD: 85-77 Lose NLDS

Me: 85-77 Miss Playoffs

Edison: Lose in NLDS

As you can tell, all of us believe that the Rockies will be competitive this season. Looking around the web, our predictions are right in line with many other major publications. Check out USA Today‘s predictions here. However, only two of us, including myself, think that they will not make the playoffs.

To me, what is a bit worrisome is that the odds in Vegas currently have the Rockies’ over/under win total at 82 wins, which is three less than any of our lowest predictions. As the saying goes, “Vegas wasn’t built on winners.”

That being said, I will not criticize any one of these predictions. I once thought that the acquisition of Jeremy Guthrie would turn the Rockies into a contender in 2012. After going 3-9 with an 6.35 ERA in 15 starts, he was shipped off and it led to the disastrous four-man piggyback rotation  experiment and a 64-98 finish.

Next: Looking at who might be the X-factor in Colorado's bullpen

Thanks to Guthrie and the huge slice of humble pie he served up, I have learned to temper my expectations but also cherish the seasons the Rockies are relevant. As long-suffering Rockies fans, we need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Seasons where the outlook is sunshine and rainbows have been few and far between.