Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag. Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
Patrick, am I crazy to be a little optimistic as hope springs eternal? With the younger players continuing to grow and the Rockies attempting to acquire more pitching depth, can they hang around in contention a little deeper into the summer this year? Or is this all just a lost cause until expansion happens and the current division format is blown up? And with rumblings of wanting another OF bat, wouldn’t that just create more of a logjam?
— Jeffrey, Illinois
Do I detect a ray of sunshine from a Rockies fan? Now there’s a unique concept.
I have no doubt the Rockies will be better in 2024. Not a lot better, but better, as in a 95-loss season vs. a 103-loss season. While I believe pitching remains this team’s albatross, the young players will continue to grow and that should provide some excitement and hope for the future. I’m talking about shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and outfielders Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle. I’m also curious to see what outfielder Sean Bouchard can do if he stays healthy.
You ask if the Rockies can “hang around in contention a little deeper into the summer.” I don’t think “contention” and the Rockies belong in the same ballpark. At least not right now. So it looks like the Rockies will be camped out in the National League West cellar again.
As for adding another outfielder, the thinking is that the club needs a left-handed outfield bat coming off the bench. If the Rockies do pick up such a player, it won’t be a top-tier free agent.
It’s time to predict the future. Who are your choices of Rockies to have a breakout, career or terrific comeback season? And in your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the Rockies right now?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
Ed, if I look into my crystal ball and tell you everything now, what am I going to write about during spring training? But, OK, here you go:
• Breakout season: I’ll go with right-hander Peter Lambert. Call me crazy, but I liked what I saw from him late last season. Lambert’s been through a lot but he’s got decent stuff and he pitches with a chip on his shoulder.
• Career season: I’m tempted to say, Nolan Jones. I think he’s a star in the making, but his career-best year is a bit down the line. So I’ll go with Brendan Rodgers. If he stays healthy, this could be the year he puts it all together. If so, that brings up an interesting scenario. Suppose Rodgers lights it up in the first half of the season, would the Rockies trade him for pitching? Infield prospect Adael Amador could make his debut this season and Rodgers is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2025 season.
• Comeback season: It’s got to be Kris Bryant, right? If he manages to play 140-150 games, that would qualify as a major comeback in and of itself. He’s never going to be worth the $182 million the Rockies gave him but he’s still an accomplished hitter. At some point, Bryant’s going to put together a solid season.
Patrick, did you see MLB.com’s prediction about the Rockies finally winning a World Series in 2033? Thoughts?
— Mindy, Golden
Mindy, rather than rehash what’s already been written, I’ll direct you to the story that my colleague, Kyle Newman, wrote on that topic. K-New has an interesting take.
I see many other teams signing international players, especially players from Japan. Why don’t the Rockies ever sign those kinds of players?
— Craig, Grand Junction
Craig, the Rockies have been doing a solid job with their Latin-American signings. Case in point: Ezequiel Tovar. I think Rolando Fernandez, the Rockies’ longtime vice president of international scouting and player development, does a good job finding, and signing, young players in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
Monday, as the international signing period opened, Colorado signed Ashly Andujar, a 16-year-old shortstop from the DR, the No. 17 international prospect according to MLB Pipeline. They also signed Oscar Pujols, a 17-year-old right-hander from the Dominican. He’s ranked as the 35th international prospect.
As for the Rockies’ lack of activity in Asia, here is what general manager Bill Schmidt told me in The Post’s “Rockie Way” project at the end of last season: “It’s about where you put your resources, and we have put more into Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. We feel like we have a better chance there. It’s difficult to go head-to-head (in Asia) when you’re talking about the Mets and Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers; those kinds of teams.”
What is the status of watching the Rockies on TV? How will we be able to do that? Will they be on Comcast or only streaming? Even though they have a terrible owner who we wish would sell the team, we watched most games as we are both retired and enjoy baseball on TV. Thanks.
— Jim Rose, Arvada
Jim, I recently wrote an in-depth story on the subject. Unless something changes, the plan is for Major League Baseball to buy the Rockies’ broadcasting rights and then produce and distribute the games on TV. A decision should come soon, but then, I’ve been told that for weeks.
We’re still waiting to see if games will be shown via streaming only or if a deal can be worked out to have some (or all) of the games on cable. I wish I could tell you more.
Patrick, I sure enjoy your coverage of the Rockies. There have been several articles about the shaky situation regarding television broadcasts of Rockies games for 2024 and beyond. My question is about the radio broadcast of the Rockies games. Can you provide any information regarding the contractual arrangements between the Rockies and iHeart/KOA radio for 2024 and future years? It could become the only alternate media for those not able to navigate television or streaming services due to the availability or cost of those services. Thanks for your in-depth coverage and perspective.
— John P., Arvada
John, the Rockies have partnered with KOA since the club’s inception in 1993. I reached out to Dave Tepper, program director at KOA, but he declined to provide me with the length of the contract.
“We prefer not to share contract length specifics but I can say that we’ve proudly been the Rockies’ radio home since the beginning and plan to be for the foreseeable future,” Tepper said.
How do you like Todd Helton’s chances of making the Hall of Fame this year?
— Ryan, Commerce City
Ryan, it’s going to be close, but I like Helton’s chances. As I write this, he has garnered 82.9% of the vote, with 42.7% of the anticipated votes collected by the Baseball Hall of Fame Vote Tracker. Typically, a player tends to lose about 6% when the official vote is revealed. So it appears that Helton will clear the magic 75% bar this year.
Helton got 74.5% of the vote last year, missing being elected by a mere 11 votes.
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