Once a Super Bowl champion is crowned, it’s usually time to start thinking baseball. But the anticipation started for Rockies fans the moment the final out was made in the World Series last season. Denver could very well become a baseball city once again with the potential the 2018 team has. The additions made this offseason have the Rockies looking to build on their 87-win season, stronger and more experienced.
In celebration of Spring Training opening this week, here are some things to look forward to in 2018 as the Rockies strive to not only make the playoffs but make a run into late October.
Starting Rotation
The Rockies will open the season with what has the potential to be the best starting rotation in franchise history. With the command of Jon Gray, the fierceness of Kyle Freeland and the courage and determination of Chad Bettis, these pitchers have what it takes to put together an exciting 2018 season. That’s not to mention what Tyler Anderson (only 26 walks in 86 innings pitched last year) and German Marquez (a team-leading 147 strikeouts in 2017) have to add.
Other than Bettis, each pitcher in the projected starting rotation finished the 2017 season with a winning record. Building off the growth from last season, these young pitchers have the potential to become juggernauts in the NL West for years to come.
Offense
Charlie Backmon, Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu all batted over .300, each while recording at least 600 at-bats last season. Then again, offense hasn’t been a problem for the Rockies in recent years. The explosive home run total (37) from Blackmon came as a surprise, but look for him to have an encore power season this year. The Rockies are playing around with the idea of batting Blackmon in the No. 3 spot in the lineup. The Rockies leadoff hitter last year, he stacked numbers in 2017 with 213 hits, 35 doubles and 14 triples, all of which contributed to his 104 RBI (setting a record for leadoff hitters with 103 from that spot). Regardless of where Blackmon hits in the lineup, look for him to spark the offense once again.
The Rockies’ lineup is deep and powerful. With Arenado, who is always a home run threat, and LeMahieu, who is a hitting machine (winning the NL batting title in 2016), the top of the order is going to produce. Trevor Story had a disappointing sophomore season last year, but look for him to bounce back and show us the power he showed in his rookie season.
Ian Desmond dealt with injuries last year, but if he can stay healthy this season he will put up the numbers, no doubt.
Bullpen
The Rockies’ bullpen has turned into something to be feared in the NL West. With the additions of Bryan Shaw and Wade Davis, the back end of the bullpen will lock down the later parts of any game. When the Rockies brought in manager Bud Black, the focus shifted to pitching. After just one season under Black, pitching could be considered the strength of this team.
Jake McGee, Shaw and Davis are going to give the Rockies confidence in holding a lead past the sixth inning. This bullpen is stacked, and paired with the starting rotation the Rockies now have a pitching staff to be proud of.
Bonus: Rockies’ New LED Scoreboard
There will be something new to look at over the left field pavilion seats this season — an 8,369 square-foot scoreboard. Built in the shape of the Rocky Mountains, this screen is the size of 784 60-inch TVs. The video screen is over two times the size of the old scoreboard and will be in 1080p high definition. Along with the new screen there have been speaker upgrades to the lower level of Coors Field.
The Rockies have a lot to look forward to this season, and so do the fans. They kick off their Cactus League schedule against division rival Arizona on Friday at 1:10 pm.