The Colorado Rockies are off to a sizzling start to the 2017 campaign. With a record of 11-6 on the year the Rox have been among the most complete teams in baseball. The pitching has been sharp, the defense is tremendous, and the bats are starting to come around, making for a Rockies team that is playing with a bit of an added swagger as of late.
Winners in four of their last five ballgames, the Rockies believe they are ready to handle any challenges that stand in their way.
“It remains to be seen,” Rockies relief pitcher Adam Ottavino told Mile High Sports regarding just how good the 2017 Rockies could be. “We have to play out the games. … I feel like we have as good a shot as anybody. We just have to prove it on a nightly basis and sustain our three facets: pitching, defense, and hitting throughout six months. So far, it’s been ok. We have a good record, so I’m confident once we get rolling we can play a lot better.”
Colorado has already proven themselves among the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. However, what makes Colorado’s start impressive is the starting pitching they have managed to overcome. Names like Clayton Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner, and Johnny Cueto have all already fallen to the Rockies this year.
“Our guys are up for any challenge, doesn’t matter who the pitcher is,” manager Bud Black said. “We talked about it: our guys don’t care. We know they are good, we respect them. We think we can beat them. That’s our expectation. Our guys get it; our position players get it. Whoever we go against, we’re in. We are in the flight, we like it.”
The Rockies early season prosperity is beautiful for the club; however, They will need to find a way to sustain this success over the course of an entire season. That said, manager Bud Black is instilling a winning culture within the Rockies clubhouse, something that is paying dividends from the get-go.
The Rockies have started this season off on the right foot now it will be up to them to establish a level of consistency for the months ahead. For the time being though, Colorado is locked and loaded with the tenacity of a winning club.
“We are a very confident group,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “We are going to go out there trying to win,”