Colorado Rockies: Top 10 all-time best Opening Day lineups

Let’s talk a look back at some of the best Opening Day lineups ever fielded in the history of the Colorado Rockies franchise.

With the 2020 Major League Baseball Opening Day pushed back to an uncertain date, we thought it would be good to look at some of the lineups of the past and their collective offensive prowess.

We will start our list from a lineup that took the field almost 20 years ago.

10. 2001: (Overall Batter OPS+ 102)

1. Juan Pierre CF
2. Todd Walker 2B
3. Larry Walker RF
4. Todd Helton 1B
5. Jeff Cirillo 3B
6. Todd Hollandsworth LF
7. Neifi Perez SS
8. Brent Mayne C
9. Mike Hampton P

When you have a National League lineup and weakest batter is not the pitcher, you wouldn’t think it could hold up in any all-time best list. But when your top two hitters are Todd Helton in his prime and Larry Walker’s last great season (each had a 160 OPS+/35+ homers/120+ RBI/.330+ batting average), you can still secure the 10 spot with only two hitters with an OPS+ over 100. The heart of this lineup was stone-cold.

9. 2012: (Overall Batter OPS+ 98)

1. Marco Scutaro 2B
2. Dexter Fowler CF
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Todd Helton 1B
6. Michael Cuddyer RF
7. Ramon Hernandez C
8. Chris Nelson 3B
9. Jeremy Guthrie P

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At first glance, you may wonder why this lineup would be in the top 10. What this Opening Day lineup is hiding is that DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon were both coming off the bench as virtual rookies.

This lineup was even further lengthened by career years for Jordan Pacheco with a 93 OPS+ in 505 plate appearances and Tyler Colvin with a 114 OPS+, 10 triples, and 18 home runs. This is with a lineup featuring Carlos Gonzalez during a 20/20 season (leading the team in OPS+ at 122, and Wilin Rosario hitting 28 bombs at the catcher position.

This lineup had an overall batter OPS+ of 98 and ranked in the top five in every offensive statistic except stolen bases, caught stealing percentage, and walks.

8. 2004: (Overall Batter OPS+ 100)

1. Luis Gonzalez 2B
2. Royce Clayton SS
3. Todd Helton 1B
4. Preston Wilson CF
5. Vinny Castilla 3B
6. Kit Pellow LF
7. Jeromy Burnitz RF
8. Charles Johnson C
9. Shawn Estes P

You read that right, the eighth-best lineup in Rockies history has an overall batter OPS+  of 100, which means they almost never fielded a lineup that had a single below average hitter.

This lineup was led by Todd Helton in his prime. Helton had a 165 OPS+/NL-leading .347 average, three batters that hit 30+ homers, and four hitters with an OPS over .800. This was Matt Holliday’s rookie season where he replaced an ineffective and injured Preston Wilson later in the campaign.

7. 1998: (Overall Batter OPS+ 95)

1. Mike Lansing 2B
2. Ellis Burks CF
3. Larry Walker RF
4. Dante Bichette LF
5. Vinny Castilla 3B
6. Todd Helton 1B
7. Neifi Perez SS
8. Kirt Manwaring C
9. Darryl Kile P

This lineup is the first version of it on this list, but the last of the great Blake Street Bombers lineups in LoDo. The reason this lineup may seem so low is the names in the heart of the lineup. But this was Todd Helton’s rookie season, and only one batter hit more than 30 home runs (Vinny Castilla with 46).

However, they did have five batters with an OPS+ of 105 or higher and four batters with  20+ homers/.313+ batting average. That puts this lineup squarely in the top 10, if with less pop than those higher on the list.

6. 2009: (Overall Batter OPS+ 102)

1. Ryan Spilborghs CF
2. Seth Smith LF
3. Todd Helton 1B
4. Garret Atkins 3B
5. Brad Hawpe RF
6. Ian Stewart 2B
7. Troy Tulowitzki SS
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Aaron Cook P

Ahhh, the year of the Golden Thong Goes West.

Ok, I kid, this has been argued as the best Rockies team to ever take the field. And while this may be true when you talk about the overall roster, when just taking the lineup into account with the outstanding history that lays in the hallowed halls of Coors Field, you only get to sixth all-time. This should go to attest to the depth of offensive greatness that has graced the field at 2001 Blake Street. A lineup in which a fresh-faced Carlos Gonzalez couldn’t crack on a regular basis as the key piece in the Matt Holliday trade can only make it this high. Oh and Jason Giambi was crushing off the bench while showing off the old-man beach-bod in the clubhouse. That all helps it land just outside the top five.

4. 2007 (Overall Batter OPS+ 104)

1. Willy Taveras CF
2. Kazuo Matsui 2B
3. Garrett Atkins 3B
4. Todd Helton 1B
5. Matt Holliday LF
6. Brad Hawpe RF
7. Troy Tulowitzki SS
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Aaron Cook P

This has been argued to be the best team to grace Coors Field. When you take the whole roster into context, this may be true. However, the lineup taken alone just barely cracks the top five.

This is still the most entertaining team without a doubt, winning 20 of 21 games to close out the season and eventually grab a spot in the World Series and birth Rocktober. How does a team accomplish this? By having a lineup led by Matt Holliday of course. He slashed .340/.405/.607 with 36 homers and 137 RBI for an OPS+ of 150. He led the league in both RBI and average, almost taking the Triple Crown (finished fourth in home runs) and finishing second in MVP voting. I think we can all agree on this placement as much as Holliday touching the plate.

3. 1996: (Overall Batter OPS+ 104)

1. Walt Weiss SS
2. Ellis Burks CF
3. Dante Bichette LF
4. Larry Walker RF
5. Andres Galarraga 1B
6. Vinny Castilla 3B
7. Jason Bates 2B
8. Jorge Brito C
9. Kevin Ritz P

This is one of the most athletic lineups to ever step on any field anywhere. Ellis Burks and Dante Bichette joined the 30/30 club. None of the eight lineup regulars hit below .280. Burks led the team with a slash line of .344/.408/.639 with 40 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and 128 RBI for an OPS+ of 149.

I haven’t even gotten to Eric Young Sr. and his 53 steals. This lineup went to another level when EY Sr. was added as they ended the year with over 200 home runs, doubles, and stolen bases. Leading the league in every offensive category but doubles and triples, where they were second and third, respectively.

I could wax poetic about this lineup forever. Wait … you’re telling me i’m not done? On to the next!

2. 1997: (Overall Batter OPS+ 106)

1. Eric Young Sr. 2B
2. Ellis Burks CF
3. Dante Bichette LF
4. Larry Walker RF
5. Andres Galarraga 1B
6. Vinny Castilla 3B
7. Kirt Manwaring C
8. Walt Weiss SS
9. Kevin Ritz P

As promised, we continue with the best version of the Blake Street Bombers. Unfortunately they were completely wasted by a team ERA of 5.25. If they could have gotten league average pitching we could be talking about one of the best teams of all time. Instead, the only MVP season (Larry Walker) in Rockies history ended without a postseason berth.

There is three 40+ homer and four 30+ homer hitters throughout the heart of this lineup. The leadoff man hit .282 and swiped 32 bags before a midseason trade with the rival Dodgers. Prior to 1995, only the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers had four hitters with 30+ homers. This was Colorado’s third consecutive year of accomplishing this feat (they again did this in 1999). This still has not been matched. No other has more than one such season (the aforementioned Dodgers, 1977 and 1997).

So how is this not the best? Well, buckle up for a bit of a shocker….

1 2014: (Overall Batter OPS+ 108)

1. Charlie Blackmon CF
2. Michael Cuddyer RF
3. Carlos Gonzalez LF
4. Troy Tulowitzki SS
5. Justin Morneau 1B
6. Wilin Rosario C
7. Nolan Arenado 3B
8. DJ LeMahieu 2B
9. Jorge De La Rosa P

Unlike the rest where the heart of the lineup tells you why they sit where they do in this ranking, the bottom of the lineup tells the story here.

Two perennial All-Stars/Silver Sluggers/Gold Glove winners are hitting seven and eight in the lineup. That should be all you need to know about how a team that finished 30 games below .500 ended up at the top of this list.

Even when adding in pitchers, this lineup posted an OPS+ of 102. Last year’s AL MVP top five vote-getter DJ LeMahieu was the weakest hitter and number eight hitter.

This lineup lead the NL in every major offensive statistic. Just as the second-best Opening Day lineup on this list, unfortunately, the legendary offense was undone by historically bad pitching.