What’s on the Colorado Rockies post-MLB lockout to-do list?

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Mar 26, 2021; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies second baseman Garrett Hampson (1) bats against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Yesterday, we took a look at what the Colorado Rockies did before the MLB lockout was put in place at 12:01 AM E.T. on December 2. The Rockies are one of only three teams who has not made an MLB signing of a player from outside of their organization or trade for one (the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s are the other two teams).

For the Rockies to at least improve for next season (let alone be in playoff contention), they will have to make some moves after the lockout ends.

Here is the Rockies list of things on their to-do list once the MLB lockout ends.

The Colorado Rockies need to find a shortstop

The Colorado Rockies have to find out who is going to play shortstop. If it’s an internal option like Brendan Rodgers or Ryan McMahon, that’s fine but the Rockies then have to find somebody to fill in the hole at second or third base.

Right now, McMahon is at the top of the depth chart at third base and Rodgers is at the top at second base. But Garrett Hampson is at the top at shortstop. He is a natural shortstop but the Rockies cannot afford to lose Trevor Story’s bat and drop down to Hampson’s.

If Hampson proves in 2022 that he has an MLB quality bat, that’s great but he hasn’t shown it yet. He has had an OPS+ of 69 since 2019 as he has hit .238/.293/.382.

As the roster is currently constructed, Hampson should be a utilityman and pinch-runner. That’s it. Not an everyday player.

The Rockies could re-sign Story, sign another shortstop/infielder, or trade for one but just standing pat at shortstop is not going to cut it.

DENVER, COLORADO – AUGUST 05: Sam Hilliard #22 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs in the fourth inning at Coors Field on August 05, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies need to find an outfielder … or two

The Colorado Rockies currently have Sam Hilliard at the top of the depth chart in center field. Both he and Yonathan Daza have shown glimpses of being a good bat in the lineup but neither has shown the consistency to be an everyday player so far.

Daza was closest to that as he was hitting .328/.373/.413 from Opening Day through June 26 but a) he had a .400 BABIP, which signifies he had a lot of good luck and b) he got injured and his luck ran out.

Hilliard picked it up at the plate in the final few weeks of the season as in the final 19 games, he hit .295/.377/.590 with five homers and 14 RBI. If he can hit that for 150 games a season, then the Rockies have a problem solved but Hilliard hasn’t shown that yet.

Ideally, if they got one outfielder, it would be a centerfielder but realistically, they may need two outfielders.

In his short time with the Rockies in 2021, Connor Joe was fantastic. He won’t be playing first base everyday since C.J. Cron is there.

The Rockies have to decide whether or not they think he is an MLB starter or if he’s a bench player. If he’s a starter, then he’s your left fielder … or he addresses the next thing the Rockies may need.

DENVER, COLORADO – SEPTEMBER 21: Charlie Blackmon #19 of the Colorado Rockies runs after hitting a RBI double against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning at Coors Field on September 21, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies may need to get another bat to accommodate the designated hitter

When the MLB lockout ends, the designated hitter, in all reality, will likely be in the National League. The Colorado Rockies have said that they are not looking for a strict DH but they would plan on using it as a rotation to give a player a 1/2 day off. For example, when the Rockies were in Texas to face the Rangers to end August and start September, the Rockies used C.J. Cron, Connor Joe, and Charlie Blackmon and moved Joe between DH, first, and left, Raimel Tapia between left and right, Cron between first and DH, and Blackmon between right and DH.

With the versatility of players like Connor Joe, Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson, and even prospects like Alan Trejo and Ryan Vilade, the Rockies can afford to have a rotating DH and have some players bouncing around the diamond playing different positions.

However, they had a hard enough time producing a decent offensive output with eight hitters in 2021 so it will be even more difficult with nine … unless they add somebody from out of the organization that will help the lineup out. That player and the others on the Rockies currently could cycle through the DH spot.

Sep 23, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies left fielder Raimel Tapia (15) celebrates a two run home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies need to find a home for Raimel Tapia

Despite the Colorado Rockies needing some offense in the outfield, they, arguably, have too many outfielders. The problem is few have shown that they should be getting much MLB playing time. As of now, it looks like Raimel Tapia looks to be the odd man out of the 2021 starting outfielders.

Outside of the 2020 season, Tapia, who turns 28 in February, has not been a good hitter. He is a groundball machine (his 67.5 percent groundball rate in 2021 was, far and away, the highest in baseball among players with at least 500 plate appearances. San Diego’s Eric Hosmer was second at 55.5 percent). As a result, he doesn’t hit for any power and doesn’t have a good average.

It’s as simple as defenders are on the ground and if the ball is on the ground, there’s a better chance of them getting it than if it’s 20 feet in the air (which is why teams look at launch angle for a player).

Outside of 2021, he hasn’t been a good defender either.

The Rockies hopefully can find a trade partner for him and, perhaps, address one of their other issues.

Sep 12, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies need to address the starting rotation

The Colorado Rockies starting rotation was the team’s strength in 2021. So why do they need to address it? First and foremost, they need to address it because the Rockies lost Jon Gray. Secondly, when one (or more) starters were injured in 2021, what depth options did the Rockies have? Chi Chi González. That’s not a good option.

The Rockies, essentially, admitted they have no starting pitching depth when they called up Ryan Feltner from Double-A Hartford in September as an emergency starter for a few games. That says that they didn’t trust the guys in Triple-A enough that they decided to add a guy to the 40-man roster from Double-A who was in Reading, Pennsylvania (across the country) at the time.

That tells you all you need to know right there. They have little to no depth.

Sure, Peter Lambert is back and Ryan Rolison should be healthy but if the Rockies truly believe that they are going to be a playoff-caliber team like they think they will be, they aren’t going to have a) that little of depth and b) be relying on a pitcher just coming back from Tommy John surgery or a guy who was injured in 2021 and has never thrown a pitch in the majors for 150+ innings in 2022.

The Rockies, in all reality, are not going to be a contending team in 2022 but even to make a step forward, they can’t be regressing and that could be a regression on the team.

May 22, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard (52) pitches in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies bullpen issues must be addressed

The Colorado Rockies bullpen was much better in the last few months of 2021 but they still need some help. Daniel Bard had a rough 2021 season. Yency Almonte was so bad that he is no longer with the Rockies. Tyler Kinley was spotty. Ben Bowden had a rough 2021 season. Justin Lawrence struggled too.

Bullpens are fickle as it is but, on paper, the Rockies have Lucas Gilbreath, Jhoulys Chacín, Jordan Sheffield, and Robert Stephenson as guys that they will rely on heavily in 2021. Gilbreath and Sheffield never pitched a game in Triple-A before they made their MLB debuts last season and, for Gilbreath, he never was even in Double-A before his debut.

Could they have good seasons again in 2021? Absolutely. Even if they do, you have to have more than four relievers you can rely on. If they have a sophomore slump, the Rockies bullpen will be among the worst, if not the worst, in the NL.

Next. Grading the Colorado Rockies pre-MLB lockout signings. dark

There are plenty of good, cheap options out on the free agent market for via trade but the Rockies have to get some help there (and some depth too). It won’t be a “get one reliever” job but more of a “get three or four relievers.” As they say, you can never have too much pitching and for the Rockies, they cannot get too much pitching this offseason.

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