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We need to talk about the Rockies' upcoming season
Should Rockies fans be rooting for the team to be contenders or should they look at this season as a prospecting year for all the young talent on the big league roster?
We need to have an honest conversation about the Colorado Rockies and their upcoming season. As a die-hard fan, I find myself confused about what to root for. Of course, I want to see the team I cheer for do well and compete for championships season after season, but are those the expectations for our Rockies?
The Rockies have a few things working against them:
No. 1: The Rockies struggle to attract/retain elite talent
First off, as a native Coloradoan, it pains me to write this, but Colorado is not a desirable place for high-end free agents to consider. Kris Bryant’s signing in 2022 was the exception, not the norm, for the Rockies. During the 22’ off-season, Bryant’s 7-year/$182M contract was the second-largest acquisition, from a monetary standpoint, behind Corey Seagar’s whopping 10-year/$325M contract with the 23’ world champions, Texas Rangers. There has been article after article detailing the woes that Kris Bryant has experienced since signing his contract, so we won’t beat a dead horse. His contract, which guarantees his salary through the 2028 season (he’ll be 38), forces the club to be patient with him and his results. His performance, up to this point, won’t instill confidence in an owner who has historically allowed the more expensive foundational pieces of his roster to move on to greener pastures, rather than investing in a higher likelihood of a successful season - I’m looking at you Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado.
Dick Monfort has all but etched his expectations into the marble in-lays below the urinals in his multi-million-dollar property that overlooks Coors Field. Dick Monfort explained this at an annual Northern Colorado Friends of Baseball breakfast in 2022 saying, “We have a lot of talent, a lot of good things are going to happen, and I think they are going to start happening this year, and I think we can play .500 ball…” Would comments like this lure the top levels of talent? The signings the Rockies have had should answer that.
No. 2: The Rockies level of success is so far behind other Denver sports teams
Secondly, if the Rockies shared the town they called home with professional teams that shared their level of success, it would be more difficult to lay blame on one team over the other. Unfortunately for the Rockies, they share a town with professional teams whose expectations year after year is to win their respective league’s championship. What’s even MORE frustrating for the Rockies is each major professional team has experienced a championship season over the last decade, with two championships for the Avalanche and Nuggets coming in consecutive years (21-22 Avalanche & 22-23 Nuggets). Denver has a fanbase that expects their teams to compete, they expect championships.
Even with the Broncos having losing seasons for the last eight years, they have taken large steps to rectify their mistakes and move back to their lofty expectations. The Rockies have had opportunities to show they care more about the results on the field than they do the results at the concession line, but they haven’t taken those opportunities to capitalize on anything. For example, when Jeff Bridich decided to leave the organization in 2021, Dick Monfort could have used that opportunity to revitalize the club with a much-needed fresh outlook. Instead, he decided to stay in-house, promoting VP of Scouting, Bill Schmidt, who had been with the organization since 1999. Dick Monfort is extremely loyal, and it can be admirable, but his loyalty to his employees has led to 22 out of 31 (.465% W-L%) losing seasons, never winning the National League West and, one of the worst trades in Colorado Sports history with Nolan Arenado being traded to St. Louis.
No. 3: RSN and financial issues
Lastly, the upcoming season has an unknown, even with about 10 days until pitchers and catchers have to report to spring training. Where will the Rockies’ games be broadcast for the 24’ season? AT&T Sportsnet is no more, and the team hasn't announced any local streaming deals for their local fans to tune into games. The team averaged 15,000 viewers last year, so how much revenue can the team realistically expect to bring in with such low viewership?
Why is the broadcast important to the on-field product the team produces you may ask? If the team can’t find a reliable income-producing broadcast partner, they will have to lower their bottom-line exposure to make ends meet. The Rockies are a for-profit organization, after all, and one of the first things to get cut if a company needs to bolster its bottom line is its salary expenses. With the team already struggling to find the level of competition needed to compete in the National League, let alone the NL West, cutting expenses does not bode well for an already struggling team. It was announced earlier this year that the AT&T Sportsnet broadcasting team will be calling 2024 Rockies games, we just don't know where.
As first reported by @PurpleRow and confirmed by @DrewGoodman42
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) January 27, 2024
All 162 Rockies games this season will be broadcasted with the entire crew - the AT&T SportsNet RM roster from 2023 - returning.
So, I ask again, what do I cheer for this season? To me, apathy is the worst place to be as a fan of a team. Becoming apathetic means losing is the expectation, and anything above that is a good season. Our expectations should be higher as a fan base.
If you look at one of our recent polls on X, Rockies fans remain optimistic about the upcoming season. There is a lot of REALLY good young talent on this team, and having young prospects is always fun to cheer on with the hopes they will be the turning point for future success for the Rockies.
Call to Action
Are you a fan of the Rockies? Do you love talking about all things Rockies? Do you want to write about the Rockies on your own schedule with the potential to earn some extra cash? Go to https://openings.fansided.com and look for the Rox Pile site and apply to join our staff.
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