FanPost

1997 Redux?

This season is beginning to remind me a lot of 1997. That team had an MVP in Larry Walker, a 140 RBI season from Big Cat, and a strong bullpen but finished 7 games back of the Giants. The front office did too little too late to give the team anything of a semblance of a starting rotation (Pedro Astacio came in late to join Bill Swift and Jamie Wright). The team was in it until late when it lost four of its last five. The current Rocks have an MVP candidate in Nolan Arenado and perhaps the best pitching staff the team has ever fielded. Unfortunately, the team remains a starting pitcher and catcher from being the true World Series contender it deserves to be. Tyler Anderson continues to struggle mightily and his obvious replacement, Chad Bettis, has never regained the form he had before his bout with cancer. For all the good things this team has done, they don't look like they will have quite what it takes to claim their first division title in team history. Amazingly, every time fans have counted the Rocks out, they have been resurgent. Yet I can't help but feel this team will fall a little short just like it did in 1997.

If the team doesn't make it, the front office will have a lot of soul searching to do. Knowing that their weaknesses at the beginning of the year were a dominant starter, a power hitting outfielder and catcher, management brought us no pitchers and the weak-hitting Chris Ianetta. Why is Tony Wolters even on the team? Those weaknesses remained going into the trade deadline and all we got was a reliever (albeit a good one in Oh). Had the Rocks added just one more piece, I think we would be looking back at the competition not locked in a dog fight just to get into the postseason. The season has been a fun ride but it could have been so much more.


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]).