If you caught either of Colorado’s last two games, you might have noticed something surprising in the stands at Coors Field–a pretty heavy skew towards people donning blue, as opposed to the expected purple. If you tuned in on the radio, the chants probably clued you in on the unequal fan distribution thanks to a frequent chorus of “let’s go, Cubs.”
I’ve been surprised this season at how many people have shown up to Coors Field, given the tumultuous offseason and general fan rage that graced the internet. This series against the Cubs so far has me wondering if the fans filling up the stadium for the team’s first 55 home games may not have been as Rockie-friendly as I initially thought. Unfortunately, attendance data doesn’t clue us in on the allegiance of the people who show up, so any analysis of the club’s attendance is done with a broader view.
Last week’s incomprehensibly quiet trade deadline for the Rockies and the ensuing, déjà vu inducing online fan anger painted a bleak picture for Coors Field attendance numbers the rest of the season. However, if the past has taught us anything, fans in Colorado are going to keep showing up. For the most part, this season (post-Nolan Arenado trade), they (we?) tend to be loyal no matter what goes on in the front office.
With two months left in the regular season and most teams having moved to full capacity about two months ago, we’re at a de facto midpoint in the season regarding attendance. True to form, Coors Field is filling up at a pretty high mark relative to the rest of the league.
Colorado currently ranks sixth in the majors, with an average fan attendance of 22,876. These are the five teams ahead of them as well as their winning percentages:
- Atlanta Braves - .500
- Los Angeles Dodgers - .596
- Texas Rangers - .361
- Houston Astros - .602
- San Diego Padres - .569
The Texas Rangers are the only team there with a worse record than the 47-61 Rockies, but that data can’t be taken at face value as they were allowing more fans than all other teams from the get-go, as evidenced by the 38,238 that showed up on April 5th for Opening Day. Four days earlier, the Rockies opened up with a little more than half that with 20,570, a figure they’d only reach again once more in April. The Rangers beat that mark in eight of their fourteen home games that month.
Of all the other teams with records worse than the Rockies this year, the highest average attendance is 14,429 and belongs to the Minnesota Twins, good for 19th overall in the MLB.
No matter how you look at it, the Rockies attendance numbers simply don’t reflect the on-field product. Dick Monfort might be right in assuming fans will keep showing up no matter what questionable moves he makes.
The boycott that fans screamed about all over Rockies Twitter doesn’t seem to be taking hold, but at least that means we have an extremely loyal fan base. Will Trevor Story’s all but certain departure be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
I doubt it.
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Re-Ranking MLB’s Divisions After Hyperactive Trade Deadline | Bleacher Report
You probably don’t need a recap of what happened last week at the Trade Deadline, but here’s a friendly reminder of the fact that the Rockies play in (according to Bleacher Report) the second-best division baseball. Not great when you factor in that the worst team in the league by a solid margin calls the NL West home too.
Kris Bryant, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, Adam Frazier, and Daniel Hudson all made their way to the division. Great. At least we won’t have to face Eduardo Escobar as much anymore.
Rockies release 2022 schedule | Purple Row
What’s that? An 0-9 start to the season for the 2022 Rockies? I kid, of course, but starting with seven against the Los Angeles Dodgers split up only by a two-game trip to San Diego isn’t exactly ideal. The Rockies won’t get much of a chance to get their feet wet to start the season– they’ll have to hit the ground running.
The interleague slate for the year includes trips to Detroit, Chicago (White Sox), and Arlington (Rangers), while the Kansas City Royals and soon-to-be Cleveland Guardians will make their way to Coors Field.
On the farm
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 12, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1
The Yard Goats were flying offensively last night as they trounced the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on the back of an outstanding start: 11 runs in the first four innings including a four run second and a five run third. Not to be outshone by the bats, starter Ryan Feltner gave up just two hits, one walk, and struck out nine across seven scoreless innings.
High-A: Everett AquaSox 2, Spokane Indians 5
After falling behind early, the Spokane Indians used a four run eighth inning to storm back and take down the Everett AquaSox Wednesday night. Mirroring their counterparts in Double-A, the Indians were aided by a strong starting pitching performance. Will Ethridge took the hill and gave up two runs on two hits while striking out seven over seven innings of work.
Low-A: San Jose Giants 6, Fresno Grizzlies 5
The Fresno Grizzlies were the lone affiliate to not grab a win last night as they couldn’t overcome a three-run second inning for the San Jose Giants. Shortstop Julio Carreras was the offensive driving force for the Grizzlies scattering three hits and a pair of RBI including a fifth inning solo shot. Despite surrendering three runs, Grizzlies starter Austin Kitchen struck out five across four frames.
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