World Series
This article by Yahoo's Mark Townsend says what many Rockies fans were thinking when watching last night's World Series opener...
This isn't funny, Royals. Rockies fans everywhere are beseeching you to put up a better fight against America's enemy in this series. You know, a much better one than the Rockies did against the new evil empire back in 2007. It was a distressing beginning to a series that many hoped would continue a postseason that has been full of close and dramatic games. The Giants are 56% favorites according to Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA system in Game 2.
No, the series certainly isn't over. The Giants won't have Madison Bumgarner for every game and the Royals won't be that ineffectual all series. It's just hard for this Rockies fan to divorce the painful memories of the past from the narrative of the near future.
Examining the World Series Ballparks | FanGraphs Baseball
Tony Blengino of FanGraphs looks at how each ballpark rates by his home-brew park factors, looking at differences between actual success in AVG/SLG compared to what the contact rates would suggest. Coors Field is given a 126 park factor overall (so hitting in Coors is 26% easier than in a neutral ballpark), with a crazy 152.2 PF on flyballs. Keep that in mind when evaluating Rockies hitters this offseason. I sincerely hope that the Rockies front office identifies this as a potential market inefficiency when building their team in the next few months.
A day late, here's a few great World Series previews that break down both teams:
World Series Preview: Five Keys to Victory for the Royals and Giants "
Jonah Keri (Giants) and Ben Lindbergh (Royals) of Grantland break down five reasons why each team will win the Fall Classic. I'm leaning towards Jonah on this one, unfortunately.
World Series Preview: By the Numbers | FanGraphs Baseball
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs breaks the series down positionally and thinks (again, before Game 1) that the Royals are slight favorites.
Rockies Links
Rockies 2014 Player Grades: Charlie Blackmon, OF
Patrick Saunders continues his profiles of Rockies players with Charlie Blackmon. Chuck Nazty had what will probably be the greatest month of his career in April, which secured him his first (and likely only) All-Star berth. Blackmon provided a great combination of speed, power, and defense for the Rockies in 2014 and Saunders recognizes this in his profile while also showing that he didn't produce on the road. Purple Row will do the same in a few weeks when Blackmon's turn comes up on Ranking the Rockies.
Rockies' Offseason To-Do List | 5280
5280 Magazine's Luc Hatlestad outlines the enormity of the situation facing new Rockies GM Jeff Bridich this offseason, though no solutions are readily apparent.
Denver Baseball: A Love Story | Rockies Zingers Colorado Rockies Baseball
Facing a long offseason without baseball after a long season with incompetent baseball, Jake Shapiro of Rockies Zingers does well to remind us Rockies fans of the good times - not just from the Rockies, but from all of the baseball occurring in the Denver area beforehand. In a dreary offseason, watching a team most of us dislike try and win the World Series, it's good to remember the times that were better.