At long last, we've finally broken the .500 barrier. From here on out, we focus on teams with winning records. Here I present to you, the 2010 Colorado Rockies!
Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
Record: 83-79 (Third place in NL West, nine games behind San Francisco)
Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Carlos Gonzalez (.336)
Home Runs: Carlos Gonzalez (34)
RBIs: Carlos Gonzalez (117)
On-base Percentage: Troy Tulowitzki (.381)
Batting Average: Carlos Gonzalez (.336)
Home Runs: Carlos Gonzalez (34)
RBIs: Carlos Gonzalez (117)
On-base Percentage: Troy Tulowitzki (.381)
Pitching Leaders
Wins: Ubaldo Jimenez (19)
Strikeouts: Ubaldo Jimenez (214)
Innings Pitched: Ubaldo Jimenez (221.2)
ERA: Ubaldo Jimenez (2.88). Bullpen- Matt Belisle (2.93)
WHIP: Ubaldo Jimenez (1.15). Bullpen- Rafael Betancourt (0.96)
Saves: Huston Street (20)
Wins: Ubaldo Jimenez (19)
Strikeouts: Ubaldo Jimenez (214)
Innings Pitched: Ubaldo Jimenez (221.2)
ERA: Ubaldo Jimenez (2.88). Bullpen- Matt Belisle (2.93)
WHIP: Ubaldo Jimenez (1.15). Bullpen- Rafael Betancourt (0.96)
Saves: Huston Street (20)
Highlight of the Season: On April 17, Ubaldo Jimenez tossed the first no-hitter in Rockies history, shutting down the Braves 4-0 at Turner Field.
Lowlight of the Season: Losing 13 of their last 14 games to ultimately fall out of contention.
The Lowdown:
It was just your typical Colorado Rockies season. The Rockies start off badly in the first half, nearly fall into oblivion, and just when it seems that everybody has left them for dead, they make a mad dash for the finish line, winning nearly every game they can in August and September to vault their way back into contention. However, they unfortunately did not make it in 2010, falling just short as the Giants and Padres were able to keep Colorado at bay, and in third place. Despite this, they received some outstanding individual performances at the plate and on the mound, as Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez carried the team throughout the year. The efforts of Gonzalez and Tulowitzki were even good enough for the two to be entered into the NL MVP discussion, but a late September collapse that saw the team lose 13 of their final 14 games put an end to that discussion, as well as the prospects for another “Rocktober.”
It was just your typical Colorado Rockies season. The Rockies start off badly in the first half, nearly fall into oblivion, and just when it seems that everybody has left them for dead, they make a mad dash for the finish line, winning nearly every game they can in August and September to vault their way back into contention. However, they unfortunately did not make it in 2010, falling just short as the Giants and Padres were able to keep Colorado at bay, and in third place. Despite this, they received some outstanding individual performances at the plate and on the mound, as Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez carried the team throughout the year. The efforts of Gonzalez and Tulowitzki were even good enough for the two to be entered into the NL MVP discussion, but a late September collapse that saw the team lose 13 of their final 14 games put an end to that discussion, as well as the prospects for another “Rocktober.”
Offense:
The Rockies had an underrated, yet intimidating cast in their lineup this year, finishing eighth in the majors in runs (770), eighth in home runs (173), 10th in batting average (.263), seventh in on-base percentage (.336) and fifth in slugging (.425). Most of their damage usually came from Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, their two MVP candidates this year. Gonzalez even placed himself into Triple Crown discussion, finishing first in the National League in hitting (.336), while finishing fourth in home runs (34) and second in RBIs (117). The only knock against Gonzalez was his home and road splits, which are a bit startling to say the least. He was simply human on the road, hitting .289 with just eight home runs and 41 RBIs, while at home he was super-human, hitting .380 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs. People might suggest that his stats are just victim to the Coors Field effect, but since the team implemented the humidor to mediate the ridiculous amounts of offense taking place there, that argument does not hold much water.
The Rockies had an underrated, yet intimidating cast in their lineup this year, finishing eighth in the majors in runs (770), eighth in home runs (173), 10th in batting average (.263), seventh in on-base percentage (.336) and fifth in slugging (.425). Most of their damage usually came from Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, their two MVP candidates this year. Gonzalez even placed himself into Triple Crown discussion, finishing first in the National League in hitting (.336), while finishing fourth in home runs (34) and second in RBIs (117). The only knock against Gonzalez was his home and road splits, which are a bit startling to say the least. He was simply human on the road, hitting .289 with just eight home runs and 41 RBIs, while at home he was super-human, hitting .380 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs. People might suggest that his stats are just victim to the Coors Field effect, but since the team implemented the humidor to mediate the ridiculous amounts of offense taking place there, that argument does not hold much water.
Tulowitzki was an interesting case this year as well. Entering September, Tulowitzki had just 12 home runs and 55 RBIs, which are a little bit disappointing, even if he was injured for part of that time. However, “Tulo” caught fire and went ballistic in September, finishing the month with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs while featuring a ridiculous OPS (on-base, plus slugging) of 1.176. Even though there were some that suggested that Carlos Gonzalez should have won MVP if the Rockies made the postseason, Tulowitzki made a great case for himself with his impressive September, which almost vaulted the Rockies into the playoffs for the third time in four years.
Other complimentary pieces helped turn this lineup into a dynamic one, including center fielder Dexter Fowler and third baseman Ian Stewart. Even though Todd Helton is approaching the twilight of his career (and his numbers show it, too), he was helped out considerably by sharing time with fellow aging first baseman Jason Giambi, keeping both durable and fresh, while providing a decent amount of depth at first. The pressure was off of those two to be the leaders in the lineup, so they were able to impart their knowledge and leadership in the clubhouse, which goes a long way for this team. The amount of firepower in this lineup put the team into contention, and it will likely do the same next year.
Final Grade: A
Final Grade: A
Pitching:
Any discussion of the Rockies’ pitching should begin- and end- with Ubaldo Jimenez. The lanky right-hander nearly became the first pitcher in team history to record 20 wins, finishing with 19, along with an un-Rockie-like 2.88 ERA. However his story is a tale of two seasons, as he was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA before the All-Star break, while he was simply pedestrian after the break, going 4-7 with a 3.80 ERA. Still, his 19-8 finish stands as a testament to how great his start was, as he had a legitimate shot of becoming the first 25-game winner in baseball since 1990 entering the All-Star break. Even though that did not come to pass, Jimenez still established himself as one of the premier starters in the National League with his performance this year.
Any discussion of the Rockies’ pitching should begin- and end- with Ubaldo Jimenez. The lanky right-hander nearly became the first pitcher in team history to record 20 wins, finishing with 19, along with an un-Rockie-like 2.88 ERA. However his story is a tale of two seasons, as he was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA before the All-Star break, while he was simply pedestrian after the break, going 4-7 with a 3.80 ERA. Still, his 19-8 finish stands as a testament to how great his start was, as he had a legitimate shot of becoming the first 25-game winner in baseball since 1990 entering the All-Star break. Even though that did not come to pass, Jimenez still established himself as one of the premier starters in the National League with his performance this year.
Behind Jimenez, the rest of the staff wasn’t all that good, as Jason Hammel, Aaron Cook and Jorge De La Rosa all had ERAs north of four. Jhoulys Chacin was decent, finishing 9-11 with a 3.28 ERA, but even that wasn’t good enough to save the rest of the staff.
The bullpen finished 16th in ERA at 3.99, with the top four performers being Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt, Randy Flores and closer Huston Street. Belisle led the team in appearances with 73, and he was rock solid, finishing with a 2.93 ERA, a WHIP of 1.06 and 21 holds. Betancourt topped him in the WHIP and holds department, finishing with a WHIP of 0.96 and 23 holds. Lefty Randy Flores was great in middle relief before being dealt to Minnesota when it looked as if the Rockies were done, finishing with a 2.96 ERA in 47 appearances with Colorado. Huston Street was respectable in the closer’s role once again, finishing with 20 saves and a WHIP of 1.06.
Colorado’s staff would end up finishing 20th in MLB in ERA (4.14), 17th in “batting average against” (.257), 14th in WHIP (1.34) and 16th in quality starts (86), meaning they were pretty average when compared to the rest of baseball. If their staff was just a tad better, their offense could have made up for their pitching deficiencies and they could have possibly made the playoffs.
Final Grade: C-
Final Grade: C-
Wild Card: Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez
It is not a common occurrence when you see two MVP-caliber players and a Cy Young-caliber pitcher all on the same team, let alone a mid-market team like Colorado. However, the assemblage of these three stands as a testament to the Rockies’ shrewd scouting, as they were able to pick Gonzalez away from Oakland in the Matt Holliday trade, while Tulowitzki and Jimenez are both products of their farm system.
Final Grade: A+
It is not a common occurrence when you see two MVP-caliber players and a Cy Young-caliber pitcher all on the same team, let alone a mid-market team like Colorado. However, the assemblage of these three stands as a testament to the Rockies’ shrewd scouting, as they were able to pick Gonzalez away from Oakland in the Matt Holliday trade, while Tulowitzki and Jimenez are both products of their farm system.
Final Grade: A+
Overall:
The Rockies, after a furious charge late in the second-half, were on the cusp of greatness, only to fall short. They have the talent in place to make another run next year, especially in a division as competitive as the NL West. Hindsight is always 20/20, but if they would have played just a tad better in the first half, they would have won the division easily.
Final Grade: B-
The Rockies, after a furious charge late in the second-half, were on the cusp of greatness, only to fall short. They have the talent in place to make another run next year, especially in a division as competitive as the NL West. Hindsight is always 20/20, but if they would have played just a tad better in the first half, they would have won the division easily.
Final Grade: B-
Check back soon for the report card on the Toronto Blue Jays!
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