Rockies 2016 closer Adam Ottavino a good choice for 2017 closer

Colorado Rockies: Adam Ottavino's Importance and AFL Update | Rox Pile

Kevin Henry argues that Adam Ottavino is the clear choice for Rockies' closer in 2017, and I believe he's right. The Rockies bullpen was awful in 2016, and it's clear that it needs to be better in 2017 if the Rockies are to compete; however, there's no obvious solution to improvement, and sticking with Ottavino as the closer might be as good of an option as any to start.

Sunday Notes: Loop, Cole, Battling Bucs, Bullpens, Tribe, more | FanGraphs Baseball

David Laurila seems to be no more than two degrees removed from a compelling baseball story and somebody he talks to that can add an extra dimension. In a time when Rockies news is slim, he offers thoughts about the game based on who he's talked to

Laurila begins this week's Sunday Notes column with a discussion he had with Derrick Loop, an independent league baseball player who once picked off 17 runners in 71-and-a-third innings. This recollection was spawned by Julio Urias's maybe balk but on-field pickoff of Bryce Harper. Players adjusted, and he had no chance to do it again.

Laurila also has some words about the start time of postseason games. It's odd that an organization attempting to attract young fans don't start games until 8 p.m. ET, or later. He suggests a 7 p.m. ET start because it's better for one coast to miss a couple of the first innings than for the other to miss the final ones.

Finally, Laurila also asked Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts about the aggressive use of a team's best reliever, meaning using them in innings earlier than the ninth. Roberts said that he sees bullpen use evolving in such a way. Of course, it requires acclimating players to such situations, and that has to start in the minors. Roberts told Laurila: "It's more of communicating with players to understand, to buy in, to accept whatever situation is presented to them for that particular game."