It’s easy to argue that the Colorado Rockies’ quiet offseasons have often played a role in lackluster seasons. In 2019, their inability to make tough decisions regarding players already on the roster is becoming the problem.
Each of those wayward rulings came to fruition in the club’s latest loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
For starters, the club refused to sign outfield help this offseason and chose to rely on Ian Desmond to man center field. An excusable act in a vacuum. Adding in other miscues is when the mistakes appear foolhardy.
Prior to his breakout stint this year, having only marginal faith in Raimel Tapia was warranted. In his 223 at-bats across his first three years, Tapia hit .274. He got on base at a .315 clip. By no means were the numbers eye-popping, but his .319 batting mark in nearly 3,000 minor league at-bats signaled it was now or never for the youngster.
Tapia has responded, slugging .584 in his latest chance and fronting the bottom-of-the-lineup efforts for the club. His speed has also been a boon to the lineup’s efforts with his three triples and an inside-the-park home run. Both totals lead the National League.
He’s earned more time.
Ironically, Adam Jones also made an impact against the Rockies Friday night, going 3-for-5 with a home run.
Jones, prior to his mere $3-million pact with the Diamondbacks, was forced to sit around for much of the offseason and wait for a team to give him a chance. In his career, Jones has been well renowned as a leader in the clubhouse, with his production following suit.
Considering the club is paying Desmond $15 million this year, adding Jones on a budget-friendly contract would’ve given them an avenue towards stomaching the former albatross deal.
In his latest chance to come through for the club, Desmond struck out with a pair of runners in scoring position. The Rockies were down only a single run, with their comeback efforts halted once again by a pair of struggling veterans.
The other, of course, was Chris Iannetta who also struck out. The veteran was chosen to lead the club’s backstop duties alongside Tony Wolters. Tom Murphy bore the brunt of the decision as he was designated for assignment after the spring.
Instead of proving their decision correct, Iannetta has gone on to strike out 17 times already on the year, despite only playing in 11 games due to a lat strain. In a nearly identical sample size (nine games), Murphy has gone 10-for-30 (.333) with the Seattle Mariners.
Spring training stats hardly ever matter. When deciding between the two possible catchers, Iannetta’s downtrodden spring (.171 average in 35 at-bats), after an uninspiring performance last regular season, was a warning sign.
Young catchers that can produce, even in marginal amounts, are a rarity across the majors. Outside of the J.T. Realmuto and Gary Sanchez’s of the world, keeping catchers with any glimpse of hope is key. At eight years younger than Iannetta, letting go of Murphy is going to haunt the club throughout the year.
Outside of miscues within the batting order, the starting rotation was also ignored. Last year, as a team, they posted the fourth-best earned run average in franchise history (4.33), a sign that confidence was warranted.
All three of Tyler Anderson, Chad Bettis and Jon Gray were wild cards, even after the rotation’s success as a whole.
Gray, so far, is the only starter that has returned positive results. On the year, he’s provided the club with a solid 4.22 ERA across 42.2 innings, including six or more frames in five of his seven starts. At times, he’s been masterful. Even in the times when he’s struggled, he has seldom failed to give the club a chance.
Anderson, once again, proved that he is incapable of doing the same.
For his fifth consecutive start, Anderson allowed five or more earned runs while pitching five or fewer innings. He became just the second pitcher since 1913 — the year earned runs started being recorded — to do so, per Elias.
Whether it’s fallacy that is hoping to boost the southpaw’s confidence, or genuine sentiment, the coaching staff’s continued support of Anderson and his “stuff,” is alarming.
Bettis returning from the bullpen is an option. Trading for Marcus Stroman or signing a free agent starter could also make sense. The lone option that yields little legitimate reasoning is allowing Anderson to toe the mound again as a starter.