If you're a Colorado Rockies fan, last night's game against the Texas Rangers was not fun. In fact, being a Rockies fan hasn't been fun for quite a while. The 9-0 clobbering dropped the club to 40-52 on the season, 11½ games back in the division and 10 games out of a Wild Card spot. According to FanGraphs, they have a 0.0% chance to make the playoffs this year. Since September 19, 2010, the Rockies have a 318-436 record, a .422 win percentage. See? Not fun.
Put all of that together and it would be really easy to spend the rest of the season thinking that both baseball and the Rockies are very, very dumb. Don't do it! Baseball is supposed to be fun! It's perfectly understandable and quite reasonable to be frustrated with the lack of success from the Rockies lately, but that doesn't have to sap all of your enjoyment out of baseball and the Rockies. Here are three things to enjoy and be optimistic about for the rest of the season and beyond.
1. Nolan Arenado is awesome.
You already knew this, didn't you? Don't let your disdain for the rest of the team prevent you from enjoying all of the awesome things that Nolan Arenado does. Arenado is on pace for 6.2 fWAR and 6.9 rWAR this season. His 128 wRC+ is fifth among qualified third basemen. He's on pace to hit 42 home runs and drive in 127. Not only that, Arenado's 15 defensive runs saved and 17.0 UZR/150 are both the best among big league third basemen. We're talking about a guy who can do this:
And also this:
If you don't love watching that, you probably don't like baseball very much. On top of that, Arenado is only 24 years old. Make sure to take some time to enjoy him, Rockies fans, because he's one of the best in the game.
2. Tulo looks like Tulo.
When Troy Tulowitzki got off to a slow start -- he had put up just 0.1 fWAR at the end of May -- everybody was just a bit worried. However, these last two months have shown us that Tulo is back and ready to roll. Since June 1st, he's been worth 1.5 fWAR, a pace of 5.5 fWAR over a full season, and had an impressive 150 wRC+. His on-base of 41 consecutive games came to and end last night, but he's hitting for power, he's taking walks, and he's playing great defense. I'll just leave a few fun examples here for you:
It doesn't matter whether you're in camp "trade Tulo" or camp "keep Tulo." This is a win for you either way. If you want to see him traded, Tulo playing like his usual elite self only increases his value and the potential return he'd bring back. If you want to keep Tulo, his great play gives you a reason to be optimistic moving forward. Either way, it's a whole lot of fun to watch.
3. There are lots of fun things happening on the farm
Major League team got you down? That's okay! Look no further than the Rockies minor league system to brighten your day! Top pitching prospect Jon Gray was dominant in his last start at Triple-A Albuquerque and his promotion has got to happen soon, doesn't it? Until it does, Graywatch will continue, but it's a lot of fun to have a potential ace on your hands.
Pitching not your style? There's great position players, too! Top position player prospect David Dahl is back on the field with Double-A New Britain after recovering from having his spleen removed, infielder Trevor Story hit two home runs in Triple-A Albuquerque last night, third baseman Ryan McMahon has a 147 wRC+ as a 20-year old in High-A Modesto, and the Rockies just drafted Brendan Rodgers, the player considered to have the highest ceiling in this year's draft. Things are a lot of fun down on the farm right now. This just scratches the surface of all the great stuff in the Rockies system, so be sure to stay tuned to Purple Row for the best and most comprehensive Rockies minor league coverage out there.
It's been a rough few years in Rockie-town, but that doesn't mean we have to be sad all the time! Baseball is the best game around and there aren't a whole lot of things I'd rather do than spend a summer evening at Coors Field. In a few months, we'll be in the middle of winter just wishing we could spend a day at the ballpark. Winning, of course, is even better, but try to remember this one thing: baseball is supposed to be fun. Try to enjoy it.