Rox Pile’s Colorado Rockies, NL West predictions for 2022

What’s your bold prediction for the Colorado Rockies in 2022?

Tyler Paddor: The Rockies bullpen manages to be close to league average after being at the bottom of the league in 2021. The rise is fueled by progression from Lucas Gilbreath, Robert Stephenson, and Justin Lawrence.

Kevin Larson: Kris Bryant will finish Top 5 in the NL MVP race

Let’s get bold. While the outfield hasn’t been Kris Bryant’s best defensive position, by having him stick to just one position he should be able to focus a little better day in and day out. He should also be able to take advantage of the gaps in Coors Field and rack up quite a few doubles, boosting that wRC+. If his strikeout percentage stays low and his walk rate stays about 10 percent then I can see him sneaking into the MVP race this season.

Nathaniel Sunshine: Come September, the Colorado Rockies will be in the playoff hunt.

The Colorado Rockies ended the season last year 55-53 last year. During that stretch, the bullpen was top 10 in the league, the rotation was top half. That third playoff spot is not as far out of reach as people say it is. If things go right, and injuries stay away, the Colorado Rockies could easily be an 87 win team squeaking into the playoffs.

Duane DaPron: In the next-to-last series of the season, the Rox sweep the three-game road series at San Francisco to give Colorado an 80-76 record, needing only one win in its final six contests to assure the team no worse than a .500 season. But Colorado must finish the season with a six-game road set against the Dodgers.

The Rockies are competitive in every game with the Dodgers–who are once again in a heated battle with San Francisco for NL West supremacy and the best winning percentage in baseball–only to drop all six games at Chavez Ravine, including a gut-wrenching 4-3 loss in Game 162 as Los Angeles rallies for three runs with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. The win clinches the division title for the Dodgers and home-field advantage for Los Angeles throughout the playoffs while the Rox end up tantalizingly close to their first winning season since 2018 when Colorado ended 91-72.

Noah Yingling: I will go a step further than Nathaniel and tie it in with Duane’s. The Rockies will have a playoff spot entering the final series of the season. However, they will go through the buzzsaw that is the Dodgers in L.A. and they will just miss the playoffs.

Kevin Henry: The Rockies make some noise at the trade deadline and actually trade away some top prospects in an effort to not only get better this season, but improve in 2023 as well. Look for them to pick up some players who can be under team control past this season, much like they did with reliever Mychal Givens in 2020.