Colorado Rockies: 4 things we learned while covering spring training | Rox Pile
The Rockies are looking for their third consecutive playoff appearance in 2019. This year, they are playing without the familiar faces of DJ LeMahieu, Adam Ottavino, Gerardo Parra, and Carlos Gonzalez. The adjustment of replacing these players could be the difference in another Rocktober or not. Luckily for Colorado, there are many young players ready to go. We might be seeing the next generation of Rockies in Garrett Hampson, Ryan McMahon, and even Trevor Story, who’s young and still has a lot ahead of him. The pitching rotation will also play a big role. With Kyle Freeland and German Marquez leading it off, the Rockies could dominate on the mound. Jon Gray has shown that he has worked on himself in the offseason, and he’s done well in spring training so far. There is still the question between Tyler Anderson, Antonio Senzatela, Jeff Hoffman, and potentially young Peter Lambert. Bryan Shaw’s still not looking good, so it’s hard to say what 2019 will bring for him. Raimel Tapia and Hampson have shown their capable in the outfield, and they’re likely to give Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond rest as they need it. Finally, there are still some question marks in things like the catcher role and Seunghwan Oh. These things have a little more time to work out, and we’ll see how it all comes together in the new season.
In roster battle, Wolters also fighting illness | Rockies.com
Tony Wolters has been battling illness in spring training, first a stomach bug, and then an upper-respiratory virus. He’s attempting to get out on the field, but he doesn’t have his usual energy. However, he has spent the offseason working on getting his swing where it should be. Wolters is solid defensively, but lacked a bit in the offensive sense. He’s competing for a spot with Tom Murphy, who’s out of minor league options. Wolters still has an option, but hopefully he can get well for the rest of spring training.
Colorado Rockies: The first roster cuts of Spring Training | Rox Pile
The Rockies announced their first round of cuts Monday, including pitchers Ryan Castellani, Rayan Gonzalez, and Jesus Tinoco. These pitcher join infielder Josh Fuentes and outfielders Yonathan Daza and Sam Hilliard to Triple-A Albuquerque. Pitcher Justin Lawrence was sent to Double-A Hartford. Tyler Nevin, Colton Welker, Rico Garcia, Evan Grills, and Brian Serven were sent to minor league camp. This brings the roster down to 48. There’s likely to be similar cuts next week as we near Opening Day.
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The Rockies won 6-3 over the A’s, with Jon Gray performing well on the mound. Ian Desmond had a good day offensively, hitting 2-3, one of which was a home run. Noel Cuevas also hit a home run. The Rockies will have a day off before playing the Diamondbacks Wednesday.