Spring training blooms with green grass and the crack of the bat. For six weeks, optimism lives.
New pitches are unveiled, tested and often discarded. Veterans are rejuvenated. Prospects shine bright but are often humbled. Positions are won and lost.
Through it all, hope prevails.
But when Rockies pitchers and catchers hold their first official workouts on Wednesday in Scottsdale, Arizona, they’ll be lugging the baggage of last year’s 103-loss season, the worst in franchise history. That’s a lot of weight for a franchise struggling to find its way.
“It still stings to this day,” veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland said. “It’s going to sting until we step on the field for Game 1 of 162. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth and it’s not something that any team wants to go through. But we are ready to take on this season.”
Still, baseball after 103 will be a challenge.
The Rockies, committed to a youth movement, coming off a quiet offseason, and facing major questions regarding nearly every aspect of the club, are once again projected to finish last in the National League West. Fangraphs is predicting a 64-98 record, the worst in the majors. In ESPN’s latest major-league power rankings, Colorado ranks 29th, ahead of only the hapless Oakland A’s.
Still, despite the dire forecasts and five consecutive losing seasons, veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon says the Rockies are on the right track.
“Last season is not something we were proud of, and I think you feel it even a little more in the offseason when you look back on it,” he said. “So if that doesn’t motivate you through your offseason workouts and such, I don’t know what else will.
“But I like this team. I think we have some good young players, sprinkled with a few vets. So I’m thinking that we can make some noise. I’m hoping that we can sneak up on some people. I don’t think a lot of people are expecting much from us, and that’s not a bad spot to be in.”
The Rockies’ to-do list at Salt River Fields is extensive: build a starting rotation, find a closer, evaluate a slew of prospects, improve a tepid offense and, most of all, begin writing a fresh chapter.
The sophomore trio consisting of shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and outfielders Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle, along with tantalizing prospects such as Zac Veen, spark faith that there are better days down the road.
But, first things first.
“We are going to stay healthier,” manager Bud Black predicted. “You never know, but I think we will. It’s hard not to, so that gives me optimism.”
The 2023 club was ravaged by injuries, especially to the starting rotation, which lost right-handers German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela to elbow injuries and subsequent Tommy John surgery. The Rockies used a franchise-record 57 players in 2023, two more than the previous record of 55 in 2011. A franchise-record 34 pitchers took the mound in ’23, including 17 starters, also a franchise record.
Injuries, a dearth of talent and a lack of quality depth resulted in some ugly numbers. The team had a 5.67 ERA, the highest in the majors and the second-highest in franchise history behind the pre-humidor 1999 Rockies (6.01). Colorado starters posted a 5.91 ERA, the worst in the majors and the second-highest in franchise history behind the 1999 team (6.19).
Little wonder what few moves general manager Bill Schmidt did make this offseason were focused on pitching: a trade for right-hander Cal Quantrill and a one-year, $1.5 million deal for free-agent right-hander Dakota Hudson.
With Marques not expected to return until after the All-Star Game and Senzatela unlikely to pitch this season, the Rockies need Quantrill and Hudson to supply quality innings. Given their recent track records, that might be wishful thinking.
Quantrill, 29, struggled with a shoulder injury much of last season when he pitched to a 5.24 ERA over 99 2/3 innings with the Guardians, who ended up designating him for assignment.
Schmidt, however, is optimistic he will turn things around.
“He pitched nearly 190 innings in ’22 when he went 15-5, and he was very effective,” Schmidt said. “He had some shoulder (problems) last season, but if you look at his last six starts, that was the best he was all year. He was pretty good and that showed us that he was healthy.”
Quantrill went 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA in his six September starts, limiting hitters to a .230 average and giving up just three home runs.
Hudson, 29, was a first-round selection by the Cardinals in the 2016 draft. He’s a groundball pitcher who pitched well in his first three seasons, going 23-10 with a 3.18 ERA over 67 games, including 40 starts. But Hudson missed most of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he struggled last season, posting a 4.98 ERA in 81 1/3 innings of work. He was demoted to Triple-A, where he made 11 starts and had a 6.00 ERA.
“Dakota has a solid track record,” Schmidt said. “We have had interest in the past, and we have followed his career. We brought him in for competition with the rest of the guys.”
As camp opens, Colorado’s rotation consists of right-handers Peter Lambert, Ryan Feltner, Quantrill and Hudson, along with lefties Austin Gomber and Freeland. Right-hander Noah Davis will also get a long look during camp.
The bullpen was a disaster last season, blowing 33 saves and posting a 5.38 ERA, the highest in the majors and the fifth-worst in franchise history. The Rockies’ 33 blown saves tied Texas for the most in baseball and were the second-most in franchise history (2004, 34 blown saves).
The Rockies, however, did not sign any veteran relievers, choosing instead to stockpile pitchers via minor-league deals while counting on youngsters such as lefty Lucas Gilbreath and right-handers Victor Vodnik and Gavin Hollowell. Colorado also nabbed Anthony Molina from Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 Draft in December. Molina figures as a long reliever in 2024. Expect Black to mix and match a lot of young arms in Cactus League games to see what his options might be.
Right-handers Justin Lawrence, Tyler Kinley and Daniel Bard will compete for the closer job. Bard notched 34 saves and posted a glittering 1.79 ERA in 2022 when he had an All-Star-worthy season. Rather than trade Bard, the Rockies rewarded him with a two-year, $19 million contract before the ’22 trade deadline. The decision backfired. Last year, Bard struggled with anxiety, wildness and injuries, resulting in just one save opportunity and a 4.56 ERA. Bard’s performance in camp bears scrutiny.
So does the offense. It wasn’t just bad pitching that led to 103 losses. Colorado’s .249 average and .310 on-base percentage were each the lowest in franchise history, while their .405 slugging percentage was the second-lowest in franchise history (.398 in 2022). The Rockies’ 1,543 strikeouts were the most in franchise history and their 163 homers ranked 27th in baseball.
Colorado’s three highest-paid position players this season — first baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant ($28 million), designated hitter/outfielder Charlie Blackmon ($13 million) and third baseman Ryan McMahon ($12 million) — are all coming off subpar seasons.
“In my mind, I think the biggest thing is you just look at the back of someone’s baseball card and you kind of think, ‘Hey, this is the type of player that they are,’” the 32-year-old Bryant said recently at Rockies Fanfest. “I know that’s the type of player I am.”
Now he must show it. In two injury-marred seasons in Colorado, Bryant’s slashed .259/.378/.508 with an OPS+ of 93. His career home run percentage is 4.2; with the Rockies, it’s just 2.9%. Bryant has dealt with a sore lower back, plantar fasciitis, a bruised left heel and a broken left index finger that limited him to 122 games (42 in 2022, 80 in 2023) in his first two seasons in a Rockies uniform.
Blackmon, at 37, is quite possibly entering his final season. Forever an optimist, he remains the Rockies’ rock. He believes his team is headed in the right direction, even if it might not immediately translate to victories in 2024.
“I think you are starting to see players push other players,” he said. “In the past, we haven’t been very deep, but I feel like our depth is getting better.
“I know we have added a lot of pitchers to the organization and we’ve got guys coming up that are incredibly talented and toolsy. We have Brenton Doyle, who won a Gold Glove and has an incredible arm. It’s good to see those types of young players break in with that kind of hype.
“And Nolan Jones was incredible last year and has a really good arm, great power. He started to swing the bat really well at the end of the year. This is like the new norm, you are starting to see players with above-average tools coming up in the organization.”
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