Dodgers Preferred Opponents For 2017 MLB Postseason? | Forbes
Howard Cole, a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, looks at who he wants his boys in blue to face in the postseason. He’ goes with the Colorado Rockies. He believes Los Angeles would have a favorable matchup in the NLDS versus the Rockies’ Jon Gray, Kyle Freeland and Tyler Chatwood and observes that though Denver is brutal on bullpens, at best it’ll only be two days worth of pain. There’s just a problem with that line of thinking. Though Cole may think the Dodgers season is virtually over, there’s still time left to figure out who would be in the Rockies starting rotation.
Yet the Rockies rotation for the playoffs is a problem worth mentioning. If we assume Jon Gray is the Rockies’ best starter and would most likely be needed to win the Wild Card game. So, the Rockies might be forced to try to win a NLDS without the ability to send out their best starter twice. Also, as of today, Freeland is out with a groin injury and no one is quite sure whether Chatwood will be a starting pitcher in two weeks, much less in two months.
There’s also the potential returns of Chad Bettis and Tyler Anderson to consider. The Rockies may be forced to rely on German Marquez and Jeff Hoffman to handle two of the playoff games, which wouldn’t be a bad option all things considered. Marquez has yet to face the Dodgers this year, but Hoffman fared pretty well in his one Coors start against them, giving up three earned runs in five and a third innings. A Rockies-Dodgers playoff series might not go at all like Mr. Cole hopes.
Saunders: Is Rockies great Todd Helton Hall of Fame worthy? | Denver Post
As Patrick Saunders notes, Helton has a bit of a hard road overcoming the Coors Field bias and the steroid era to enter the Hall of Fame. He does submit as a supporting argument work done by Purple Row’s own Eric Garcia McKinley to help buttress Helton’s case. Both Saunders and McKinley think Helton could get a boost as a Rockies lifer, and I agree that may be the case.
Usually if someone in the national media thinks of the Rockies of old, they identify with Helton’s bat and his glove. His problem is that he really flattened out later on his career because of injuries. But to me, at least, he’ll always have my favorite Baseball Prospectus Annual quote where he was diagnosed with “acute terminal ileitis, which in layman’s terms, means one hell of a tummy ache.”
Also at the Denver Post, Nick Groke introduces new Rockies catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Rockies’ fanbase and reveals what members of the team thinks he brings to the club. I’ll admit to being a Lucroy fan and was glad they got him cheaply for Peanuts To Be Named Later over Alex Avila.