FanPost

Three Reasons Why the Colorado Rockies Will Play Postseason Baseball in 2015

For the last three years, Rockies fans have been forced to suffer through some of the worst baseball in modern history. Examples range from Cory Dickerson’s embarrassing attempt at an inside the park home run (see it here), giving up three runs on a single wild pitch in one of the worst plays you’ll ever see (see it here...if you dare), or having a 15-5 loss in Todd Helton’s final game at Coors Field be called a "great night" by owner Dick Monfort. At best, the Rockies are an afterthought in the National League. At worst, they’re a joke. Yet, baseball is a funny game. Every year, the beginning of spring training reignites that tiny glimmer of hope in the eyes of Rockies fans everywhere. No matter how poor the rotation, how naive the owner, or how purple the dinosaur, every new year brings about new hope. Maybe…just maybe 2015 will finally be the year they put it all together?

Now, to be clear, they’re not going to win the World Series. That is, unless pigs start flying and Jim Bob Duggar gets a vasectomy. However, if everything falls right and hope turns to reality, the Colorado Rockies could become Major League Baseball’s surprise of the year. So, in the spirit of new hope, let’s look at three things that have to happen for the Colorado Rockies to experience postseason baseball in 2015.

1) Tulo Stays Healthy

Throughout the offseason, the conversation about the Rockies at the national level surrounded the future of star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. New GM Jeff Bridich engaged in trade talks with the New York Mets surrounding the two time Gold Glover. Bridich’s asking price was (roughly) equivalent to the gross domestic product of Jamaica. That’s because, when he’s healthy, there is no better right handed hitter in baseball. The problem is, Troy Tulowitzki gets broken more often than a lawn chair in Chris Christie’s backyard. The guy’s made of fiberglass. In the last five years alone, he’s sat out 281 games. That’s about 37% of the games in which he could have played. In that time, he’s only played in more than 130 games once.

For the Rockies to win in 2015, he has to buck that trend. The only way Colorado can contend for a postseason spot is to have the best shortstop in baseball in the lineup. The record speaks for itself. On July 22, 2014, the day Tulo was placed on the DL with a season ending hip injury, the Rockies were six games behind .500 and he was the leading candidate for NL MVP. Without him, they finished a laughable 66-96. In a perfect world, both Tulowitzki and Colorado’s other star, Outfielder Carlos Gonzales, can stay on the field. But, they can survive without CarGo. If Tulowitzki goes down again, the Rockies are doomed.

2) Eddie Butler Becomes a Key Piece of the Rotation

On June 6, Rockies fans were giddy in anticipation of the big league debut of pitcher Eddie Butler; a hard throwing right hander with a sinking fastball that can touch 98 on the gun. Since he was drafted with Colorado’s first round pick in 2012, Butler has been talked about in Denver sports media the same way you’d hear a Spanish explorer talk about the golden city of El Dorado. Butler has been more hyped than 45 year old housewives were when they saw the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer. Yet, when Butler got his big league shot in early June, he was largely underwhelming. In his debut at Coors, he went 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on ten hits and taking the loss. He’d pitch two more times in 2014 before being shut down with a "sore shoulder." In those three starts, he went 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and three total strikeouts. It’s a small sample size. But, Butler must become the pitcher he’s capable of being if the Rocks are going to go anywhere this season.

In camp this year, Butler will have a shot to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation with the likes of David Hale, Jordan Lyles and Tyler Matzek. For Colorado to play October baseball this year, he must win that job. Once he has it, he has to perform up to his ability and turn himself into at least the #3 starter in the rotation by the end of this year, with an eye towards being this staff’s ace in 2016. Unfortunately for Butler, this ball club’s track record of developing pitchers isn’t what you’d call….adequate. Lest Rockies fans be reminded of names like Denny Neagle, Bobby Jones, Mike Hampton and Greg Reynolds. All names of pitchers Rockies leadership hyped to high heaven, hoping they could simply throw them into the lion’s den at 20th and Blake and come out with a 15 win starter. Instead, fans at Coors Field were left with nothing but cold Helton Burgers, tear filled glasses of $7 beer, and, in Neagle’s case, a very interesting evening downtown with a woman named Jill. That’s one thing the national media can’t blame on Coors field. For the Rockies to play postseason ball in 2015, Eddie Butler can’t just buck this trend. He has to obliterate it.

3) Hell Freezes Over

Let’s get real here for a second. Hope is nice. However, the reality with the 2015 Colorado Rockies is the same reality that the team faced over the last two seasons. Their stars can’t stay healthy, their lineup is overrated, and their rotation is just slightly better than one you might see playing in Washington Park on a warm Sunday afternoon. Alright…that might be a slight exaggeration, but the point isn't lost. This Rockies rotation is the worst in baseball. Their "Ace," Jorge De La Rosa is no better than a #3 starter on most NL teams. It would take a miracle for Colorado to make the playoffs this season, even with the additional wildcard.

Yet, Rockies fans have seen miracles before: they've seen an 18-28 team be transformed by a wily veteran manager and make the postseason. They've seen an expansion franchise in only its second year of existence capture the imagination of an entire region on the way to claiming the first MLB playoff berth in the history of the Rocky Mountain west. And, Rockies fans have seen their team win 21 out of 22, claim a thrilling game 163, and become the first team in baseball history to sweep their way to the World Series. To make the playoffs in 2015, the Colorado Rockies will have to stay healthy, reverse the trends they've set in the last several seasons, and surprise every baseball fan in America. Thankfully, for those who support the purple pinstripes, this team’s history has shown that nothing is impossible when it comes to baseball in Denver.



Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).

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