What will the Colorado Rockies lineup look like in 2022?

There’s no denying that the Colorado Rockies’ offense has struggled in 2021, particularly on the road. However, the second half of the season has seen the beginnings of an offensive renaissance at 20th and Blake.

The emergence of new stars and fan favorites has brought hope for better days ahead with a reinvigorated offense to go along with a strong starting rotation. As September looms (and with it, an expanded roster), we could get a closer look at what next season’s lineup might look like, a speculation that garners even more interest with considering that the National League is expected to implement the designated hitter next year.

What could the Colorado Rockies lineup look like in 2022?

Brendan Rodgers will be a key to the success of the 2022 lineup, arguably the biggest key to its success. With Trevor Story unlikely to return after the end of the season, Rodgers is expected to slide over to his natural position of shortstop. This will open up second base. One option is that Garrett Hampson could fill this role and, though he brings a lot tools to the table, consistency has been a problem for him throughout his career and that could again force him into a bench/utility role in 2022.

The option I’m inclined to take is to move Ryan McMahon back to second base. Extremely reliable defensively, McMahon is more valuable as a second baseman where his kind of power is less common than at third base. Though his power numbers have fallen off since his homer surge at the start of the season and he might not match his career high in home runs (24) or RBI (83) from 2019, McMahon’s batting average has quietly ticked steadily upward, currently sitting at what would be a career-high .260.

McMahon had 13 home runs through the first two months of the season and looked as though he might be having a breakout season of sorts. Since then, he has hit only six home runs through June, July, and August. However, over the past two months, he’s hit a respectable .287, which is far above his career mark of .245. If he can continue to take strides forward while manning second base next season, he could be a huge factor in the Rockies’ ability to score more runs on a nightly basis.

One advantage of moving McMahon to second base is to open up third base for either Colton Welker or Elehuris Montero. Both are a strong possibility to see some playing time in September, especially Montero, who is already on the 40-man roster.

Coming over from St. Louis in the Nolan Arenado deal, Montero has performed very well at Double-A Hartford, hitting .281 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI in 89 games. Welker was named as Colorado’s Spring Training MVP this season and appears to be on the verge of contributing to the team very soon. Both Welker and Montero can also play first base if the team is unable to resign CJ Cron, arguably the team’s best offensive force this season.

Left fielder Connor Joe has earned a starting role in the 2022 lineup if he is re-signed this offseason. With a knack for getting on base and driving in runs, Joe has hit .320 with eight home runs and 27 RBI since being recalled on July 20. Across a 162-game average, that’s a 43-homer, 146-RBI pace. While no one expects Joe to sustain that level of production for an entire year, it goes to show just how good he’s been.