In the words of the late great Rodney Dangerfield, “We don’t get no respect”
On Thursday, the Colorado Rockies crushed the Arizona Diamondbacks who, a few days ago, were legitimate contenders in the National League West. Two very real contenders for the NL MVP had big days with home runs … yet most of the odds and projections would still have the Dodgers surpassing this red-hot Rockies team and the Rockies standing only a decent chance of making the playoffs.
I disagree as I’ve previously stated and I hope the Rockies do too. A lineup that was getting by on a few bats has suddenly come to life from top to bottom. The rotation is as reliable as I’ve ever seen it (they still need Jon Gray to find his stride) and the Rockies have been finding ways to win tight games. So let’s not get overconfident, but there are many real reasons to think this is the NL West Champion taking the field tonight in San Francisco. So why are the Rockies out of the national spotlight?
Is it star power?
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How many teams have two legitimate MVP candidates in mid-September? One! And it’s from LoDo. Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story are numbers two and three in home runs, rank number two and four in RBI and have a respectable eight and 14 rank in batting average. So the stars are out, but the league just isn’t looking up. Not to mention Charlie Blackmon who’s less than MVP-quality but heating up and having a decent year or the hero of Wednesday’s matchup (DJ LeMahieu) has gotten hot of late and been clutch all season. The rest of the lineup is stacked and guys are coming through when it counts … so it can’t be that the Rox are boring TV.
Small market?
The Rockies are sixth in the league in attendance average per game (per ESPN). So the following is also there, especially at Coors Field. Those Dodgers games sure sell big against that division rival Rockies too. The fact will remain that the Rockies aren’t playing in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, or Chicago, but people are watching and more should be.
What’s going to change it?
Wins. Regular season to take the division and postseason to show everyone the Rockies mean business. The Rockies have as good of lineup as anyone in baseball. They just don’t have a history of winning and competing for championships. It starts with division titles, playoff wins and eventually World Series Championships. So each win is a start in the right direction. It all starts with the next game on the schedule.