11 Rockies
CONTENDERS
SCOUT'S TAKE
KEY QUESTION
They're going to score, and their rotation made strides last year, but how big of a weakness will the bullpen be? Losing Adam Ottavino is big, and three bad contracts have handcuffed them: Jake McGee, Bryan Shaw and Wade Davis. Shaw used to throw his cutter mid-90s. Now it's 87, 88 and he's not commanding it well.
UNDERRATED
This is one of the best infields in the league, with Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and Garrett Hampson. Hampson's got surprising pop, great arm strength and a quick release. With his instincts he could play shortstop.
ON THE CUSP
The young pitching is impressive. Peter Lambert is next in line: he's got the stuff and the acumen to one day fit into the German Márquez--Kyle Freeland conversation. He's going to start in Triple A, but I think by midseason we'll see him.
LAST LICKS
Freeland and Márquez's success wasn't a mirage: It's the Bud Black effect. He's the perfect manager there.... Charlie Blackmon is a big boy who's lost a step. He shouldn't play center.... They've made the postseason two straight years, but a lot broke right for them. That bullpen is going to be an issue.
THE PAYOFF PITCH
LAST SEASON the Rockies showed that they could win not by reprising the Blake Street Bombers, but by putting together a young, homegrown starting rotation. The keys to their run to the NL Division Series were Kyle Freeland, 25, and German Márquez, 24, who combined for nearly 400 innings with a 3.30 ERA. The surprise was that Colorado went so far without getting much from 27-year-old Jon Gray, who has the best raw stuff on the staff. Gray struggled terribly with runners on base (.885 OPS allowed) and in scoring position (.845)—so much so that he was briefly sent to Triple A in June. His underlying numbers, however, suggest that he could still be a star in the making. Gray struck out a quarter of the batters he faced last year and had quality starts in eight of 14 outings after his return to the majors. He'll be the breakout star of the Rockies' rotation in 2019.
OVER UNDER
84.5
The lineup is formidable (as usual) and, with its promising young starters, the rotation is (for once) full of upside. But a thin bullpen will make reaching 90 wins difficult again.
LINEUP
RF Charlie Blackmon
.291/29 HR/ 12 SB
1B Daniel Murphy
.299/12 HR/.454 SLG
3B Nolan Arenado
.297/38 HR/110 RBI
LF David Dahl
.273/16 HR/.534 SLG
SS Trevor Story
.291/37 HR/108 RBI
CF Ian Desmond
.236/22 HR/20 SB
2B Garrett Hampson*
.311/10 HR/40 RBI
C Chris Iannetta
.224/11 HR /36 RBI
BENCH
1B Ryan McMahon
.232/5 HR/19 RBI
OF Raimel Tapia
.200/.259 OBP/.480 SLG
* Minor league stats
FANTASY BREAKOUT
Limited by a foot injury, DAVID DAHL, 25, played 77 games in 2018. Over a full season, he has 30-homer, 100-RBI potential.
ROTATION
LH Kyle Freeland
17 W/2.85 ERA/1.25 WHP
RH German Márquez
14 W/3.77 ERA/10.6 K9
RH Jon Gray
12 W/5.12 ERA/9.6 K9
LH Tyler Anderson
7 W/4.55 ERA/1.27 WHP
BULLPEN
CL Wade Davis
43 SV/4.13 ERA/10.7 K9
RH Seunghwan Oh
2.63 ERA/1.01 WHP/10.4 K9
RH Scott Oberg
2.45 ERA/0.99 WHP/8.7 K9
MANAGER
Bud Black