The 10 greatest Colorado Rockies of the last decade

With the 2019 World Series soon drawing to a close (and, with it, the last baseball game of this decade), it’s a good time to look back at the past decade for the Colorado Rockies.

There have been plenty of memorable moments for the Colorado Rockies over the last decade … and many of those moments were made by the players on the list that we have deemed as the top 10 players of the franchise since the Rockies took the field for the first time this decade on April 5, 2010.

On that day, Colorado defeated the Milwaukee Brewers by a 5-3 score under the watchful eye of manager Jim Tracy. Ironically, the Rockies also ended the decade with a win over the Brewers, downing them 4-3 to finish off a three-game sweep at Coors Field, guided by manager Bud Black.

So the decade was bookended by victories over Milwaukee. It was also started and finished with many of the players on this list on the field.

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• Top 5 players to play for the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers

For the purposes of this list, we looked at not only WAR but also a player’s overall contribution over the past decade only and where they finished on the decade leaderboard. Some of the players on this list were on the team prior to 2010 and some will be on the team longer than 2019. We’re only focusing on the 2010-2019 seasons so keep that in mind before you go too crazy about where a player is ranked or why we picked one memorable moment over another.

But hey, if you’d rank them a different way, let us know in the comments section below. Like baseball, this is not a perfect exercise and does have a touch of human element mixed into it as well.

Let’s get started. Remember, all stats quoted in the article are during the 2010-2019 time period.

Dexter Fowler

Key numbers

Played with Rockies from 2010-2013

Accumulated 10.6 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Second in triples (43)

10th in RBI (176)

Quick thought: Fowler was a proven center fielder who was traded to Houston prior to the 2014 season in a move that provided an opening for a young outfielder named Charlie Blackmon to get more playing time. The trade for Brandon Barnes and Jordan Lyles may have helped push Chuck Nazty along but it also was an unceremonious end to one of the team’s key contributors.

Most memorable moment: Fowler led MLB in triples in 2010 with 14. He had 15 the next season to finish in third in the National League.

Jhoulys Chacin

Key numbers

Pitched with Rockies from 2010-2014

Accumulated 14.5 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Fourth in wins (38)

Second in innings pitched (661)

Fourth in strikeouts (501)

Quick thought: Chacin went 1-7 in 2014 and was released by the Rockies the following spring. Just one season before, the right-hander had posted a 14-10 mark and 3.47 ERA. He would go on to win 13 games for the Padres in 2017 and 15 with the Brewers one season later, highlighting a very up-and-down decade.

Despite the surprise release, Chacin was one of Colorado’s most successful pitchers in the decade.

Most memorable moment: In his first full season with the Rockies (2010), Chacin led all National League rookies with 138 strikeouts.

Trevor Story

Key numbers

Played with Rockies from 2016-2019

Accumulated 17.8 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Fifth in stolen bases (65)

Fifth in RBI (347)

Fifth in home runs (123)

Quick thought: Story would probably be higher on the list if he had debuted earlier in the decade. He has shown a unique blend of power and speed during his time in Colorado and has quickly become one of the National League’s best defensive shortstops as well.

Most memorable moment: He started his career with a two-homer game against Zack Greinke. In 2018, he had a three-homer game at Coors Field, including a 505-foot shot that is among the longest home runs in the Statcast Era. We’ll let you choose which one is the most memorable.

Jorge De La Rosa

Key numbers

Pitched with Rockies from 2010-2016

Accumulated 11.5 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

First in wins (60)

First in innings pitched (826.1)

Second in strikeouts (664)

Quick thought: The franchise leader in wins with 86, Rockies fans wonder what might have been if De La Rosa hadn’t torn his UCL, forcing him to miss the majority of the 2011 and 2012 campaigns.

Most memorable moment: De La Rosa bounced back from injury in 2013, tying a career-high in wins (16) and posting a career-low ERA of 3.49 in 30 starts.

DJ LeMahieu

Key numbers

Played with Rockies from 2012-2018

Accumulated 17.7 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Sixth in RBI (345)

Tied for fifth in batting average (.299)

Seventh in home runs (49)

Quick thought: Three All-Star Game appearances. Three Gold Gloves. A batting title with a .348 mark in 2016. Very little national recognition until he left the Rockies and joined the New York Yankees prior to the 2019 campaign.

Most memorable moment: LeMahieu blasted his first-ever walk-off home run on September 12, 2018, to give the Rockies a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field as Colorado and the Los Angeles Dodgers battled for the top of the National League West.

Carlos Gonzalez

Played with Rockies from 2010-2018

Accumulated 21.8 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Ninth in batting average (.290)

Second in home runs (214)

Second in RBI (720)

Quick thought: Has there ever been a sweeter-looking swing on the Rockies than that of CarGo? A leader in the clubhouse as the Rockies posted back-to-back playoff appearances in his final two seasons, Gonzalez racked up three All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves.

Most memorable moment: July 31, 2010. Gonzalez hits for the cycle against the Chicago Cubs. He finishes off the cycle with a walk-off home run that many Rockies fans say is one of their favorite moments in franchise history.

Charlie Blackmon

Played with Rockies from 2011-2019

Accumulated 18.2 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Fourth in batting average (.304)

Third in home runs (172)

Third in RBI (511)

First in stolen bases (129)

Quick thought: Chuck Nazty has become one of the faces of the franchise and has etched his name in the Rockies record book, as well as that of Major League Baseball with his prowess from the leadoff spot. Four All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers and one of the most recognizable beards in professional sports.

Most memorable moment: On September 30, 2017, with the Rockies chasing a Wild Card berth, Blackmon hits a second-inning home run off Hyun-Jin Ryu to give him a Major League-record 101 RBI from the leadoff spot for the season.

Troy Tulowitzki

Played with Rockies from 2010-2015

Accumulated 25.6 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

First in on-base percentage (.382)

Second in batting average (.310)

Fourth in home runs (123)

Fourth in RBI (414)

Quick thought: Tulo’s time in Colorado will always be accompanied with “what if” questions because of injuries. When he was healthy, though, there were few players who could match his offensive and defensive abilities. Five All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers were part of Tulo’s time this decade with the Rockies … as well as a clapping sound that Colorado fans will always associate with his name.

Most memorable moment: In September of 2010, Tulowitzki blasts 14 home runs from September 3-18, earning him back-to-back National League Player of the Week honors.

Nolan Arenado

Played with Rockies from 2013-2019

Accumulated 38.7 WAR during the decade, per Baseball-Reference.com

Eighth in batting average (.295)

First in home runs (227)

First in RBI (734)

Quick thought: The best third baseman in the game today and among the best to ever play the position in the history of Major League Baseball. In line for his seventh consecutive Gold Glove in a season where he made his fifth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. As of this writing, also had four Silver Sluggers and two Platinum Gloves.

Most memorable moment: Father’s Day 2017. The San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. Arenado with the walk-off blast for the cycle. The bloody jersey. Watch and enjoy.