3 of the biggest mistakes that doomed the Rockies in 2023

It has been almost a month since the 2023 MLB season concluded. During that time, it was the worst season in franchise history for the Colorado Rockies.

For the first time in franchise history, the Rockies lost over 100 games in a single season while finishing dead last in the entire National League.

Whether it was the lack of available starting pitching in the Rockies starting rotation, some questionable moves throughout the year by manager Bud Black, injuries that depleted the team, or even the inability to hit on the road, the Rockies were just a mess.

There are few areas to blame as to why the Rockies played so poorly in 2023 and in hindsight, what seemed like what were pretty decent moves, turned out to be the opposite and inevitably doomed Colorado this past year.

While some might argue the Rockies did not invest in talent by expanding the payroll this past year, the fact of the matter is a high payroll does not always guarantee success. Just look at the Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets or even the San Diego Padres and look at the teams who made the playoffs this year like the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks who all sit below the Rockies who are number 16 in payroll.

The bottom line is, money does not buy championships.

Going forward, I decided to look at three reasons why the Rockies were doomed throughout the 2023 MLB season.

1. Lack of pitching

This year, the Rockies featured a six-man rotation that wasn't necessarily the best rotation in baseball but also wasn't the worst as it featured names like Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Peter Lambert, Antonio Senzatela, Jose Urena, Austin Gomber, and Ryan Feltner.

One by one, all six of these pitchers went down with injuries.

Of course, injuries did not play any favors for the Rockies in 2023. While Gomber and Freeland pitched consistently for Colorado last year, they were not able to finish the year healthy as both were on the injured list when it was all said and done.

While Colorado made attempts to bolster their rotation by calling up young pitchers from the farm system or on the wavier wire like when they claimed Chase Anderson from the Tampa Bay Rays, the fact of the matter is, moves like this does not salvage an injury-depleted rotation.

Addressing the struggles of pitching for the Rockies was a topic that the team was well aware of before the year began as general manager Bill Schmidt came out publicly and admitted the Rockies were doing everything they could to acquire pitching last offseason.

Unfortunately for them, while they would entice some pitchers last offseason, they would not get any to bite and were left with the situation that was the 2023 Rockies.

2. Kris Bryant signing keeps getting worse and worse

The gift that keeps on giving.

Before the 2022 season, the Rockies handed Kris Bryant a seven year $182 million contract that has him eating up at least $26 million of the payroll for the next five years.

While I don't think it is time to give up on Bryant just yet, frustration is at the top of my list when I think about his time so far with the Rockies.

So far in two seasons, Bryant has yet to play in 162 games as he has appeared in just 122 games, 80 of which came this year.

Although Bryant played in more games this year for Colorado, 2021 was statistically the worst year of his career. He slashed .233/.313/.367, striking out 68 times, and hitting only 10 home runs and 31 RBI. These numbers are similar to his stats in the shortened 60-game season in 2020.

For at least the next five years, Bryant will remain a key part of the Rockies' core future as he will likely transition from the outfield to first base next year. That being said, while the Rockies would love to see Bryant return to his 2016 form when he was awarded the NL MVP with the Chicago Cubs, the Rockies will need him to just be a solid player who can hit above .218 and hit for at least 30 home runs as he did in 2019.

While I think this could be obtainable for Bryant, the reality is, he needs to be healthy. If he puts together a season where he plays in at least 145 games next year, he could quickly change the narrative of his time in Colorado and could give fans and the organization a reason to believe in the future.