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

We here at Rox Pile are going on record with some of our predictions for the Colorado Rockies, the NL West, and MLB, in general, for the 2022 season.

Across the board of myself, my co-expert/editor Kevin Henry, and Rox Pile contributors Tyler Paddor, Kevin Larson, Nathaniel Sunshine, and Duane DaPron have a lot of similarities. but some differences too.

Overall, we looked at the Rockies’ best position player, best pitcher, a bold prediction for the team, and the NL West records and standings.

First, let’s look at which players will be the best for the Rockies.

Who will be the best position player on the Colorado Rockies in 2022?

Tyler Paddor: Kris Bryant (second-best: Brendan Rodgers)

Kevin Larson: Kris Bryant. Literally, he’s the sexy pick to make here. Have you looked into his eyes?

Nathaniel Sunshine: Ryan McMahon. He should’ve been an All-Star and Gold Glove winner last year. This year I look for him to remain elite at third base and further improve his bat, 30 home runs is easily within reach for him. He might not end up being the best on offense for the team (I’m looking at Bryant or Cron for that role), but my money says he will end up being the best overall player.

Duane DaPron: C.J. Cron. In his second season with Colorado and with a new two-year contract in hand, Cron has another banner season at the plate finishing with 34 home runs and 107 runs batted in.

Noah Yingling: Ryan McMahon. I was debating between Bryant and McMahon but I completely agree with Nathaniel. He may not be the best hitter overall but he will be the best overall position player.

Kevin Henry: Ryan McMahon. Being able to focus on third base as Brendan Rodgers grows into his own at second will benefit McMahon greatly. A longer lineup will help McMahon at the plate as well. On paper, the Rockies will have numerous players who can drive in runs and the burden doesn’t rest on him as much this season as in years past.

Who will be the Colorado Rockies’ best pitcher?

Tyler Paddor: Germán Márquez (second: Austin Gomber)

Kevin Larson: Germán Márquez. No real surprise here. I think Kyle Freeland will have another great year, but ultimately Márquez should be the Rockies’ ace yet again.

Nathaniel Sunshine: Germán Márquez. It is honestly hard to pick between Márquez and Freeland. Freeland has been solid after his collapse in 2019, but German was the leader last year. In the end, I’m going to let two of the most important stats dictate my pick: WAR and groundball percentage. On top of this, Marquez had a higher quality start rate than Freeland in 2021.

Duane DaPron: Reliever Alex Colomé. By mid-season at the latest, Colomé will take over the role as Rox closer and return to his All-Star form of 2017 when he topped the Majors with 47 saves while with Tampa Bay. The right-hander finishes with 28 saves with 21 coming after the All-Star break.

Noah Yingling: Germán Márquez. Again, completely agree with Nathaniel (and Kevin Larson) on this one.

Kevin Henry: Kyle Freeland. There’s a reason he is getting the Opening Day start. He finished 2021 strong and he’ll start the season strong as well. He’s pitching for a contract extension, and he’ll show the Rockies exactly why they should invest in him like they have Márquez and Senzatela.

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.