Fansided

Colorado Rockies: The five most pressing questions heading into 2019

By Aaron Hurt |
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 02: Scott Oberg #45 and Tony Wolters #14 of the Colorado Rockies celebrate defeating the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in thirteen innings to win the National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field on October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 02: Scott Oberg #45 and Tony Wolters #14 of the Colorado Rockies celebrate defeating the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in thirteen innings to win the National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field on October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
1 of 2
Next
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 01: David Dahl #26 of the Colorado Rockies runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning on May 1, 2018 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 01: David Dahl #26 of the Colorado Rockies runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning on May 1, 2018 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

Welcome back Major League Baseball! Its Opening Day as the Colorado Rockies travel to meet the Miami Marlins.

There is a ton of optimism for the Colorado Rockies heading into the season with MVP candidate Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and Charlie Blackmon leading the way. However, there are some question marks facing the team as they go for their third consecutive playoff appearance.

Here are five pressing questions going into the 2019 season.

Who will replace Adam Ottavino in the bullpen?

The bullpen largely underperformed last season with a combined 4.62 ERA … but one of the lone bright spots came from Adam Ottavino. Now that Ottavino has departed to the New York Yankees, the Rockies have a huge void to fill to bridge the gap to closer Wade Davis.

Scott Oberg looks build on his success from last season and possibly become the setup man.  Seunghwan Oh was a critical trade acquisition at the deadline and was key to the Rockies’ playoff run. However, the 36-year-old had a rough spring could be running out of gas. The Rockies’ best hope to replace Ottavino might have to come from one of their high-priced relievers (Jake McGee, Bryan Shaw, and/or Mike Dunn) finally living up their contract.

Can David Dahl stay healthy?

Dahl is a potential All-Star in the making. He has power, speed, and can play anywhere in the outfield but, for some reason, he hasn’t been able to off the newly renamed Injured List early in his career.

In 2015, he missed a chunk of his minor league season with a lacerated spleen. He was out all of 2017 with a rib stress fracture and missed a couple of months last season with a broken foot. However, Dahl and the Rockies hope that this issue is in the past. Dahl bulked up this offseason to be more durable throughout the season and the Rockies have put a lot of faith in him by not re-signing veteran outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 29: Jon Gray #55 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Washington Nationals int he first inning of a game at Coors Field on September 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 29: Jon Gray #55 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Washington Nationals int he first inning of a game at Coors Field on September 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Which version of Jon Gray will show up?

The top of the rotation has a fantastic 1-2 punch with Kyle Freeland and German Marquez but the Rockies would love to add a third with Jon Gray. Gray had been set to become the proverbial “ace” of the rotation but 2018 certainly derailed those plans.

After going 12-9 with a 5.12 ERA that included a short trip to the minors and being left off the playoff roster, he has to finally live back up to his “Gray Wolf” moniker. He had a solid spring and obviously has the talent. He now needs to find a way bring it all together.

Will Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson fill DJ LeMahieu‘s shoes?

More from Colorado Rockies News

The lone starting position battle this spring was at second base and it was definitely a good one. Both Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson had standout springs but it was McMahon who came away with the starting job along with the spring MVP award. However, that doesn’t mean Hampson won’t see playing time as they will likely platoon based on pitching matchups.

Instead of LeMahieu, who also departed for the Yankees, the duo will both provide more power to the lineup. The question will be is that enough to make up for the loss of experience and Gold Glove defensive that DJ brought to the position the last seven seasons?

Can the Rockies get offensive production from the catcher’s spot?

In 2018, the Rockies had a black hole at the eighth spot of the lineup which was typically filled by the starting catcher. Instead of addressing that issue in the offseason, they stayed status quo with Chris Iannetta, Tony Wolters, and Tom Murphy. With Murphy placed on waivers over the weekend, the Rockies are putting faith in Iannetta and Wolters to improve at the plate as well as stay healthy.

Also, since Murphy has been claimed off waivers by the Giants, the Rockies have once again added Drew Butera to sure up organizational depth.

Next. The stars just never seemed to align for Tom Murphy and the Rockies. dark

The Rockies are in prime position to make another playoff run in 2019 but, like most Major League teams, they have some pressing issues. How these issues are addressed will likely determine the fate of season.

Next
Home / Colorado Rockies News

Schedule