Who are the last 5 Rockies players to have 100 RBI's in a single season?
While it's only been a year since a member on the Rockies has hit 100 RBI's in a season, 2023 has been a brutal year for the Rockies. It's time to take a look at what members of the Rockies have hit 100 RBI's in a single season.
Over the course of the 2023 season, the Colorado Rockies have not played like a good baseball team. They have consistently sat in fifth place in the National League West and have failed to bring their record over .500 since the first week of the season.
Aside from Elias Diaz becoming the first Rockies' player to ever win the All-Star Game MVP, this year has been a lot of lows. Kris Bryant has consistently sat on the team's injured list and will fail to play 162 games with the organization despite signing a mega contract in the 2021-2022 offseason. Charlie Blackmon spent most of the summer on the injured list as well recovering from a fractured hand. The opening day rotation only features two starters as of today.
Earlier this year, the Rockies offense was one of the bright spots on the roster. After finally becoming sellers at this year's MLB Trade Deadline, that ranking has fallen off for Colorado as they currently rank 20th in all of baseball for RBI's.
Currently, third baseman Ryan McMahon is leading the team in RBI's but only has 65 on the year.
Besides a shortened 60-game season in 2020, it's likely Colorado will finish the year without a batter reaching with 100 RBI's for the first time since 2014.
So the question is, just who are the most recent hitters to reach this milestone between 2014 to 2022. I decided to look at just that and narrow the list down to the five batters to achieve this milestone.
1. C.J. Cron
In 2022, C.J. Cron had a year that featured a lot of firsts in his nine year career. Cron was selected to his first ever All-Star Game, finished the year with 29 home runs, almost tying his career best in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays and had 102 RBI's, the most in his career.
Last season, Cron was one of the most feared hitters in the Colorado lineup as he was a doubles machine (28) and also had 148 hits.
While only spending two and a half years of his career in Colorado, Cron quickly was becoming a fan favorite because of how hot of a bat he had. However, Cron quickly came and went as he was traded this year back to the Los Angeles Angels, the team who originally drafted him in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
2. Nolan Arenado
A name that should come as no suprise on this list is iconic former third baseman Nolan Arenado. Originally drafted by the Rockies in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He would later go on to make his MLB debut for the Rockies in 2013.
From 2015-2019, Arenado hit at least 100 RBI's for the Rockies. In 2019, Arenado had an incredible year for the Rockies. Despite not receiving his fifth straight Silver Slugger, Arenado had an incredible year in Colorado. He finished the season with a batting average of .315 with a .962 OPS. He also went on to hit 41 home runs for the Rockies in 2019 and 118 RBI's.
Arenado was unfortunately traded by the Rockies in a blockbuster deal that sent him to the St. Louis Cardinals just weeks before spring training. Despite a struggling year for the Cardinals, Arenado remains one of the bright spots on the roster as the veteran is hitting .283 with 26 home runs, 87 RBIs's and a .838 OPS.
3. Trevor Story
Followed by Arenado's success as a hitter for Colorado was his teammate, Trevor Story. Story was a shortstop for the Rockies from 2016-2021 after being drafted by Colorado in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
In 2018, Story joined Arenado as a 100 RBI hitter for the Rockies. That year, he finished with a .291 batting average and a .914 OPS. He went on to hit 37 home runs for the Rockies that year and had a total of 108 RBI's, earning himself his first career All-Star selection and Silver Slugger. The combination of Arenado and Story in 2018 led the Rockies to a post-season birth. Unfortunately, the Rockies would be swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the divisional series.
Story is now on the Boston Red Sox after signing a six-year $140 million contract in 2022. Since signing this contract, Story has struggled with injuries and has only appeared in 106 games for the Red Sox.
4. Charlie Blackmon
Charlie Blackmon also known as Chuck Nazty had an incredible season in 2017 for the Rockies. For the second time in his career, he was selected as an All-Star and was awarded a Silver Slugger and was also crowned as the NL batting champion while leading the NL in triples.
2017 was arguably the best season Blackmon has ever had in his career as he produced a total of 104 RBI's followed by a .331 batting average, 37 home runs, 35 doubles and 14 triples.
Blackmon still remains part of the Rockies roster today and is still contributes to the lineup. This year, Blackmon is hitting .281 with 31 RBI's, seven home runs, 15 doubles and four triples.
5. Carlos González
Featured in a massive blockbuster trade for veteran outfielder Matt Holliday, Carlos González became an incredible player for the Rockies from 2009-2018. During his time with the Rockies, González became a three time All-Star, three time Gold Glove Winner, two time Silver Slugger and the 2010 NL Batting Champion.
In 2016, Gonzalez hit 100 RBI's for the Rockies with 25 home runs, 42 doubles, a .298 batting average, and a .855 OPS.
González would play his final season for the Rockies in 2018 and would then go on to play for Cleveland and the Cubs in 2019. González would then go on and retire in 2020 after being released from a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners.