Colorado Rockies: Three more bold predictions for the 2021 season

Rox Pile’s Ben Macaluso had three bold predictions for the Colorado Rockies yesterday in this article and I had one that some may think is bold earlier today but I think that there will be three more bold predictions involving the Colorado Rockies in 2021.

Frankly, I think there may be even more bold predictions than his three and my three but in a year where the Rockies are at a crossroads, a lot could happen.

Ryan McMahon will be the best Rockies player at the plate

This is a huge bold prediction for the current Rockies team on offense. However, by the end of the season, I think that it will be rather easy for him to achieve this.

Why?

I don’t think that Trevor Story will be on the team at season’s end and I’m not convinced that Charlie Blackmon will be either.

In fact, outside of the players who are no longer on the Rockies as well as Story and Blackmon, McMahon’s OPS+ was second-best on the team of players with at least 100 at-bats. Raimel Tapia was the leader in that category.

If McMahon cuts down on the strikeouts and gets more opportunities to get on base (which he will if he hits second in the lineup), it should be rather easy for him to become the best offensive player the Rockies have.

However, I think it will make it even easier to show that if he takes a leap (not a step, but a leap) forward in the on-base and slugging percentage categories.

Ryan Rolison will be in the Rockies starting rotation by the end of the season

Ryan Rolison has not pitched in a single professional game above Advanced-A ball nor has he pitched in a professional game outside of spring training in the decade.

In 2019, he spent the season between Single-A Asheville and Advanced-A Lancaster and he combined to go 8-8 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts (130 1/3 innings). Between the two levels, he struck out more than a batter an inning and had 2.5 walks per nine innings.

However, I think that he will be in the Rockies rotation by the end of the season.

That will partially be because he will spend some time at the alternate training site and some time at Triple-A Albuquerque but the Rockies will also have a need in the rotation.

That’s because Jon Gray will likely be traded this season and I’m not convinced that Chi Chi Gonzalez, Dereck Rodriguez, or Ryan Castellani will all be in the rotation and/or the bullpen at the same time, if at all. Gonzalez is the most likely to stay in the rotation even with Rolison up but the Rockies will likely have to turn to youth in the majors by the end of the season.

For that, the Rockies will likely turn to to a few different players but for the rotation, it will likely be Rolison.