Colorado Rockies: Is their 2018 season like their 2008 season?

DENVER, CO - MAY 30: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies and starting pitcher Derek Holland #45 of the San Francisco Giants react after Gonzalez lined out to center field with two runners on to end the fifth inning at Coors Field on May 30, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - MAY 30: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies and starting pitcher Derek Holland #45 of the San Francisco Giants react after Gonzalez lined out to center field with two runners on to end the fifth inning at Coors Field on May 30, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
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Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 01: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies watches his home run ball in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

In 2018, in the 85 games they have played thus far, the Rockies offense has an offensive slash line of .251/.317/.420. They have also averaged 4.7 runs per game and have a averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. For their slash line, those numbers rank fifth, eighth, and fourth in the National League. They are third in runs but, with playing half of their games in Coors Field, if you adjust it, they have a wRC+ of 83 and an OPS+ of 85 (100 is league average on both).

When you look at those, there are only three teams that are worse than the Rockies: the Kansas City Royals (who are on pace to go 48-114), the Padres, and the Diamondbacks).

This is how they have looked month by month entering play on July 3.

Months
Split R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS BAbip
April/March 115 218 38 5 34 110 102 277 .223 .300 .376 .676 .274
May 120 232 39 8 34 115 85 219 .258 .324 .432 .757 .304
June 153 256 56 5 36 148 71 237 .272 .328 .457 .785 .325
July 9 19 4 0 1 7 6 16 .275 .329 .377 .706 .340

For comparison, in 2017, the Rockies had a slash line of .268/.327/.428. They ended up finishing their season with a .273/.338/.444, which ranked first, first, and third in the NL. They had a 90 OPS+.

In 2008, in their first 85 games, they had an offensive slash line of .260/.331/.406, which is very comparable to the 2018 Rockies. In fact, looking at OPS, it was .736. In 2018, it is .738. In 2008, however, they only scored 4.2 runs per game. They finished with a .263/.336/.415 slash line, which was sixth, fifth, and seventh in the NL, and an OPS+ of 89.

Here’s a look at their month-by-month stats overall in 2008.

Months
Split R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS BAbip
April/March 114 251 62 5 21 108 106 199 .248 .324 .381 .705 .289
May 123 249 53 7 23 119 90 187 .264 .330 .408 .738 .304
June 112 244 51 4 27 109 87 197 .271 .338 .426 .763 .318
July 163 278 66 5 36 154 99 207 .299 .371 .496 .867 .347
August 134 249 42 3 28 126 119 216 .259 .345 .397 .741 .306
Sept/Oct 101 191 36 4 25 98 69 203 .237 .303 .384 .687 .284

Again, for comparison, the 2007 Rockies, in their first 85 games, hit .274/.349/.418 and they averaged 4.8 runs per game with only 6.8 strikeouts per game. They finished with a .280/.354/.437 slash, which was first, first, and fourth in the NL. Their OPS+ was 98.

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