The Colorado Rockies main issue is still the same issue from the 2018 NLDS

Three years ago today, the Colorado Rockies were less than 24 hours removed from their elimination in the 2018 NLDS. The Milwaukee Brewers dispatched the Rockies in short order as the Rockies were swept in the best-of-five series.

The Rockies had been to back-to-back postseasons for the first time in franchise history. While most fans were disappointed that the Rockies were eliminated but they had some solace in the fact that the Rockies had advanced one round further in the playoffs, since the club was eliminated in the 2017 National League Wild Card Game by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Colorado Rockies were in the playoffs in 2018 but their problem is still the main problem with the Rockies today.

As we wrote at the time, there was one reason why the Colorado Rockies were easily eliminated in the 2018 NLDS: a feeble offense.

The Rockies scored two runs in Game 1 … and they did not score again … in the rest of the series.

They hit just .146/.210/.188 as a team in the series, after having one of the weakest offenses in the sport (when you use park-adjusted stats).

Even more of a problem was that the Rockies had that problem in 2017 … but the Rockies front office did little to address it.

Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry wrote at the time that 2018 was “only the next step in a timeline that could lead to an even better 2019,” but unfortunately, for Colorado Rockies fans, that sentence aged like a fine milk as their quest to advance further in 2019 would be denied.

The Colorado Rockies had a 71-91 record in 2019, had a 26-34 record in 2020, and a 74-87 record in 2021.

Why has that been the case? By and large, it’s because they have a feeble offense.

In 2017, the club’s OPS+ was 90 (100 is league average). In 2018, it was 90. In 2019, it was 89. In 2020, it was 81. In 2021, it was 87.

In other words, it is on the rise since it bottomed out in 2020 but it is still nowhere near where it should be.

The Rockies know that this is an issue and they claim that they want to address it. But will it be the “same old, same old” philosophy of “you just know they’re going to hit” and have no player changes or will the Rockies go out and trade for or sign some quality hitters?

If they do the latter, Rockies GM Bill Schmidt could show that he could be different than previous regimes (mainly the Bridich regime) and that alone will put him in good (or neutral) graces with fans, many of whom are angry with his hire. However, a change in the results and a move closer to contention will be the ultimate test in whether or not the “same old, same old” is still in town or if it’s in the rearview mirror.