Kyle Freeland carries a big chip on his shoulder and he expects his teammates to do so, too.
Indeed, the Rockies’ left-hander, who’s entering his seventh season in the majors, believes the club’s in need of an attitude adjustment this season. Asked about predictions by most baseball pundits that the Rockies are headed to their fifth consecutive losing season, Freeland was ready with a long, passionate response.
“First and foremost, it can’t be OK to lose,” he said during a phone interview from Scottsdale, Ariz. “Over the years we have talked about it and we have kind of become complacent with ourselves.
“We’d be like, ‘Yeah, well we lost a tough game.’ And then we’d be like, ‘Just move on and go get them tomorrow.’ That can’t be OK. We have to kind of wear those (losses) on our sleeves and realize that we shouldn’t have lost a tight game, or that it’s unacceptable when we get blown out. That stuff can’t be OK in our minds.”
Freeland, who considers himself a team leader, understands that there can’t be finger-pointing on the field or in the clubhouse, but he wants the Rockies to play to a higher standard.
“Yes, you have to pick your teammates up, but (poor play) can’t be OK,” he said. “We need to get that through our heads. Play with that chip on your shoulder.”
The Rockies lost 94 games last season and are picked to again finish near the bottom of the National League West.
“Everybody, from 2020 through ’21 and ’22 and ’23, has already counted us out and we haven’t even played a single spring training game yet,” Freeland said. “We have to play with that in the back of our minds every single night.
“If we are OK with losing, it’s going to be another long year. It’s time to go out and expect to win a baseball game and not just hope to win a baseball game.”
Position battles: Right-handed relievers Justin Lawrence and Jake Bird both have designs on making the roster out of spring training. And both of them will be pitching in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Lawrence for Panama and Bird for Israel. Manager Bud Black believes the experience will benefit both pitchers.
“The heightened competition is a great test and a great learning experiencing,” Black told reporters Thursday at Salt River Fields.
Injury report: Although position players don’t officially begin workouts until Monday, most of them are already in camp. That includes left fielder Kris Bryant, who told The Post last month that he was “100% ready.”
Last season, after signing a seven-year, $182 million contract to come to Colorado, Bryant was limited to 42 games because of a lower-back injury and then a bout with plantar fasciitis.
Quote of note: “I’m a fan of the WBC … It’s an All-Star Game tournament, and who doesn’t like that? On the other hand, I think managers, general managers and teams are scared to death — and worried. Especially about the pitchers’ health. We worry about the early intensity of pitching in the WBC.” — Black, responding to reporters when asked about players participating in the WBC.
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