Colorado Rockies: 2019 Season and Player Predictions

Editor’s Note: We continue with our Colorado Rockies 2019 season predictions series with the predictions of one of our contributors, Tyson Crocker. You can check out some of our other predictions here.

I didn’t love how the Rockies went about the offseason this year. I’m not one of those people who thinks you should just make moves regardless of whether or not it actually helps your team, either.

The Rockies went into the 2019 offseason with needs, clear needs. They needed another bat at either first base or an outfield spot and they got it in Daniel Murphy. Even with Ian Desmond moving to centerfield you could say they improved the outfield, offensively.

But one move they did not make that I believe was the biggest hole was at the catcher spot. The Rockies have been depleted at catcher for the majority of their existence and this year is no different. They have two above average defensive catcher who flat out cannot hit. This would not be a problem if there weren’t other options that presented themselves, but there were.

The catcher sport could have been occupied by Yan Gomes, Wilson Ramos or Yasmani Grandal. Jeff Bridich could have gone out and acquired the best overall player at the catcher position in JT Realmuto, but he didn’t. All those players went to National League teams and each team that acquired those players greatly improved that position and all four teams have postseason aspirations similar to the Rockies.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the Rockies will still be a very good team in 2019, but I think having one of those players starting instead of the combination of Tony Wolters and Chris Iannetta could have made a world of difference between a good team and a championship team.

With that said, I think the Rockies are a bubble team in 2019. Too many teams improved where the Rockies didn’t. Mark Reynolds and Daniel Murphy are the big acquisitions that Colorado made and they don’t stack up with the other teams, to me.

The Phillies added Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and David Robertson to an already strong roster. The Cardinals added Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller to a team that finished just 2 games (through 162) behind the Rockies in 2018.

The Nationals added Patrick Corbin and Yan Gomes (yes they lost Harper) but they have Juan Soto in his second year and Víctor Robles will be very much apart of the growth of that team in 2019.

The New York Mets added a lot. Wilson Ramos, Robinson Canó, Edwin Diaz, Jed Lowrie. they re-signed Jeurys Familia and they will have a full season of Brandon Nimmo in the outfield. I’m not sure that they are going to be a great team, but they definitely have the talent to win 90+ games. The Padres got a little better, the Reds aren’t going to be an easy 6 or 7 wins anymore, The National League, overall, got better.

Then there’s the teams that made the playoffs last year that are still good. The Brewers, Cubs and Braves aren’t going anywhere. The Dodgers are going to be good like they always are and it just makes it harder and harder for the Rockies.

Does this mean I’m saying all the Rockies had to do was get a better catcher and they automatically win the World Series? No, but it would’ve helped immensely.

I still think the Dodgers and Rockies are the two best teams in the NL West by a decent margin and I think the loss of Yasmani Grandal will hurt the Dodgers more than some may realize, but I still think the Dodgers are a better team than the Rockies.

My prediction for the entire National League is that overall wins will take a hit for the big teams from last year, but only because the lower rung teams will be that much better. The divisions will be tight all year, the Marlins, Pirates, Giants and Diamondbacks should really be the only bad teams.

In the NL East, it’s going to be the closest race that division has had in almost a decade and they will likely have two playoff teams. The Central will be a three team race from start to finish and I think at least two playoff teams come out of there, as well. So what does that mean for Colorado? Yep, that’s right. To make the playoffs for a third year in a row, they will have to win a division title for the first time in their history.

PREDICTION FOR 2019

The Rockies will win 88 games. I’m not going to say whether that wins the division or not, but that’s what I think the total will be. The pitching will be good, but there’s also a chance that Kyle Freeland regresses a bit and Germán Márquez falls somewhere in the middle of what he was in the second half a year ago. If Jon Gray has a really good year and wins 15-16 games and strikes out over 200, then the Rockies will have a good shot at the playoffs. Health is huge for this team, too. Big injuries will kill a season and kill it early.

The Rockies need bounce back years from a litany of relievers. Mike Dunn, Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee and Chris Rusin could not have been worse a year ago, and that’s, oddly enough, a good sign for a team that made the playoffs with a bad bullpen. Even Wade Davis should be in line for a bounce back in terms of ERA. Full time additions to the bullpen, DJ Johnson and Harrison Musgrave will be the question marks, where guys like Scott Oberg and Seung-Hwan Oh will be tasked with bigger roles.

Another key is consistency. The last two years, the Rockies have been a tail of two halves. In 2017 the Rockies were an excellent 52-39 in the first half of the season and in the second, they were 35-36. In 2018, they were 51-45 in the first half and if not for a hot streak heading into the All-Star Game, they were headed for a sub-.500 first half.

The Boys had a great second half and went 41-27 to get into the playoffs. the point is, the Rockies need a consistent season and if they do it, they can win well over 90 games and blow my prediction out of the water. Yes, every team goes through lulls during a 162 game season, but if you can limit them, you’re going to be a great baseball team.

On the offensive side, I think the Rockies should be fine. Second base is obviously a bit of a question mark, but I think most people will come to trust McMahon and Hampson as the season goes along. Both players just need consistent at bats and the one that needs it the most, McMahon, will get them.

Realistically, with full seasons from all the position players they should have at least seven players with 15 home runs and five or six with 20. Ian Desmond has looked sharp in Spring Training and should be a lock for a bounce back year in terms of on-base percentage and batting average.

Trevor Story may regress a little bit, but a 30 homer, 100 RBI season should still be in the cards. Nolan will be Nolan and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has one of those years where he gives the voters no choice but to award him NL MVP.