Talkin' Baseball (MLB Podcast) - Colorado Rockies | Profile & Projection | 610

Episode Date: February 24, 2023

Use code TALKIN for $20 off your first SeatGeek order. https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TALKINThe Rockies were disappointing last year and their owner has them aiming for a .500 record. Will Kris Bryant have a power resurgence? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello. Rocks, Vegas. Private Corps. Hey, and welcome to talking baseball. It's another team profile and projection. An episode today, every day until opening day. We got the Colorado Rockies. The Colorado Rockies, Jake's Rocks, formerly Jake's Rocks.

Now, Kelsey's Rocks. This, much like the Nationals, Jake, is a team I have not heard or thought about All off season. Yeah. Just have not been on the radar. I can't, I'm trying to scrape to see, did they make any moves? Yeah. Is there things I should remember?

I have no, yeah, Kotuck. Okay, that's one. But what does the public need to know? Did this team do anything? And these TPPs are brought to you by Seat Geek, code talking $20 off your first order with Seatgeek. James, who's coming in to the formerly 68 and 94? rocks last year. Oh, they missed the postseason. Pierce Johnson. He'll stabilize that bullpen.

And then, yeah, man, they had a couple smaller trades. Connor Seabold, who I think might get some run in the rotation. Nolan Jones, who was, you know, a guardian's prospect that was well respected, maybe a change of scenery for him. Otherwise, Brent Souter came over from the brood. Nick means. I bet he means well. Otherwise, some minor league contracts. Who they lost. Carlos, Emilio Estevez. Actually, had a kind of nice year. He's with the Halos now. Connor Joe, everyone's favorite.

So he's out of town. Who? Big old Sam Hilliard. Howard Joe. Jose Iglesias remains unsigned, along with Chad, Cool, Colome, and Julis Chasin, as we record this. Garrett Hampson, also gone.

Scott Oberg retired. Good job, Scott. Oh, my God. Trev. There's one thing that always happens. in Colorado, we're hitting balls, baby. Where's that line of that? Offense wasn't too bad last year.

Sixth and average, 12th in OPS. We're going to start out with Yonneton Diaz out there in center field. Chris Bryant, remember him? An absolute stud looking for a bounce back year out of him. Ryan McMahon at third base, C.J. Cron hit some absolute bombs last year. Charlie Blackburn, will this be his last year in Colorado? Brendan Rogers, that,

Fuck, Randall Gritchick will be out there. Elias Diaz and Ezekiel Tovar. He's the switch here. He'll be a shortstop on the bench. Sean Bouchard. I like that name. Harold Castro. This one's tough.

L.A. Alres Montero. I messed that up. I tried my best. And Brian's servant might be the backup catcher there. So there is some proven hitters in that Colorado lineup. Like I said, offense wasn't great last year, but also probably wasn't the problem.

James, tell me about that rotation. German Marquez. Mm. Mm. He's been around for a while. Remember they let him die that one year? Like he had like 18 earned runs and just tanked his whole,

all of his numbers and his seasons. So it was weird. Kyle Freeland. Jose Urania. He had a good start to the year. Kind of a crazy guy. Austin Gomer. Oh, shit.

This is an all-timer. This is a guy. Gronmy Gomer. Gomer. People get mad about that one. You got this one. Connor Sebald. Ah.

Peter Lambert, Noah Davis. Hey, we've got a friend in the bullpen. Yeah, Daniel Bard's a friend of the program. Mm. Pierce Johnson loves thinking about beating up Jake, Brent Souter. Jake Bird, that's rough name. Damn, that's the coolest rough name I've seen yet. Like, on surface, you could be like, Jake Bird.

That's a cool name. but then you think about jakes and how bad they suck and you think about birds how they're just a bunch of sky garbage jake bird that's a tough cool name sounds cool you look a little like magnifying glass just a pile of dog shit and you don't like that name no i do like it but sucks so that's the rockies i didn't i didn't get blown away by anything we've said i don't know how i don't know jake what's your optimistic spin here they are and they were my rocks uh your big and you're big and you're big optimistic spin is the guy who's supposed to be the best player on this team, Chris Bryant, came over, big boy contract after not locking up story, after locking up Aeronado,

then trading him and eating some of the cash. They lock up Chris Bryant. He only plays 42 games last year. So, and in those games, he actually 306, 376, 851. So if we could get 130 out of Chris Bryant, you know, we almost just added 100 games of a high-level ball player. So you got to like that. C.J. Crone, you kind of have to respect what he's now done the past couple of seasons.

Ryan McMahon has been very good at third base defensively and providing a left-hand of bat. So you talk yourself into the top half of this lineup, even, you know, Brendan Rogers, who was, you know, formerly kind of a big-time prospect for them. It never fully clicked. But then he puts it together a little bit last year. He's a little under a league average hitter, but he plays a full season.

He was 25 years old. So if he can take a tick up, now you're talking about a top half of the lineup that you like for the Rockies. And like Trev said, this rotation, if this was on another team, Marquez and Freeland, like if they pitched in a pitcher's ballpark,

you know, we'd be talking about ERA's probably projected 3538. Instead, we play in Colorado, and you're hoping to be under five. So it's kind of the, the push and pull that comes with Kelsey's Rocks. The part that's tough, it feels like in that division,

there's just no ceiling. Like you can only do so much with those powerhouse teams. There's not a lot of help on the way as far as prospects that are really ready to help out this year. They have three in the top 100, as I'm looking at the page right now, Tovar, like I mentioned, he's 47th overall.

he'll be a part of their plan. Zach Veen, probably a little bit down the road there. There's really no sugar-coating it. And the Rockies, you mentioned it, James. I don't know how high the ceiling is there. You could talk about how good they've played at home over the last couple years. They were over 500 at home,

not very good on the road last year. In 2021, they were even better at home. So maybe they get some more of that home cooking. But I think, and I don't know if this is just me having a bad taste, my mouth about story, about Aeronado. Like, I don't think they should be ranked this high. I think our fans may or may not have kind of messed this one. I think they might have forgotten the Rockies were there.

Oh, yeah, here we go. I agree. I was like, I thought that would be lower. They haven't had a winning record above like in the 400s at home or on the road since 2018, I think, not counting COVID year. where they didn't have to travel that much. Jake, you also talk about, in a lot of these episodes, we've talked about the balance schedule,

and they're in a division that has some juggernauts, the West. They went 33 and 43 versus the West last year, so you're going to take that 10 games under, however you want to say that, 500. So you're going to lose some of those, but you're gaining games against the East and the AL East. They were really bad against the East.

but against the central 16 and 16 Hey baby Oh I'm a central elitist Okay you guys need to relax a bit I do want to apologize I called you live I called Yonitin

Yonitin Diaz is actually Yonantin Dazza And that's my fault Okay And I do live on the West Coast Right I lived in Illinois for a little bit Oh I lived in Denver with these Rockies

Yeah I guess the The other thing that's funny, because we talk about ranking the teams, and I don't, you know, I think, you know, when our good people rank them, you just do wins and losses. And I mean, the Rockies, I remember last year we started laughing when we did their TPP, because they won 74 games a year before, and they signed Chris Bryant. So it's kind of like, all right, all right, Rockies. They only had one winning month last year.

They won six. 68 games. and like you mentioned, with the, they're always going to be a little bit worse on the road than they should be, and they're always going to be a little bit better at home than they should be. So I think in a way, win loss-wise, it balances out. If not, maybe ticks them up a little bit, that it sounds rude to say,

but in a way this doesn't feel like a 68-win team. But, hey, Chris Bryant, go ball out, get some efforts from your pitching staff and play more central. And maybe you can rack up some wins. But it feels like this team has a very tight window of what they can be. And it feels like from about 66 wins to about 74 wins. And that's kind of it. Last year, their over-under mark was 68 and they finished with 68.

All of you went over. They have some interesting like contract. extensions. You know, we're talking about Aeronado and they got rid of him and they didn't trade story, but they signed Bryant. Ryan McMahon is locked up through 27, although he has a conditional opt-out

after both 25 and 26. Freeland's locked up. Sanzatella's locked up. They have some pieces that are going to be there. I just don't know if it's enough to make a splash. And if you're a Rockies fan, I mean, you had some really good players

on your team and it didn't amount to what they hope they would amount to and now you're kind of just stuck here middling around and I don't even know if middling is the right word I mean they're they're looking up at a lot of teams and if the war projections

hold true they're projected to be the worst team in the National League and I'm usually the optimistic guy here here's a here's something I don't agree with their season ends or begins on Wednesday the 5th. Their first two series

against the Padres and the Dodgers. Either you smack them in the face and they don't see you coming right away on the road, beat them. You haven't even played at home yet. So you're not going to have the cores effect where you know you're seeing the ball in

Colorado and then you go on the road. You open up on the road. That's great for them. It's normal baseball. And then you host the nationals. They stink. Yep. You're 10 and O.

We're hot. And you're great. And then you just lose the rest of the way. So that's something I don't agree with. Hmm. I don't know. I'm ruined for, I'm ruined for Gritchick because he's friendly and I like him.

But he is kind of and like, shit. Rockies play the Yankees. That fuck. Hmm. Yeah, he's going to get you guys for sure. When's that happening? Get ready. Tell me they come here.

No, Yanks go to Colorado. Hello. July. Oh, right after the All-Star break. That's right. That's right. Is that how they opened up? Yeah.

I don't know. Top half of the lineup, give me something. Top of the rotation, give me something. I'd love to go look at trades, but they don't, like, make smart business decisions. So they won't trade a guy and get value out of him if they think they can lose him for nothing instead. They've never known how to properly use that.

scale. Get something for this? Yeah. Well, they don't like to do that. No, they give away. They're a giving team.

I think they say the cost of the phone calls and the conversations isn't worth what we were getting it, get back and good players. Chris has heard a lot last year when he did play. Like he was decently productive, especially in July. He had a one daughter before, you know,

not playing anymore after that. So, I mean, this guy's a baller. He's going to come out. I'm sure he doesn't have a bounce back year as long as he stays healthy. so that's going to help everybody around him. But yeah, I mean, yeah, I really am trying to find some optimism here because we want each fan base to go into the year thinking that some good things have a chance to happen.

But I mean, the offense could be okay. The starting pitching could be okay. But I just don't see it being enough to make waves. And then where are you at? Like, what's the window here? What are we doing? I feel like Rocky's fans, probably share my sentiment here and like what are we doing like what are we doing with our

our ownership our front office we've seen we've seen he made some bizarre moves over the last couple of years and doesn't instill a lot of faith in me in that organization but i hope they come out and prove me wrong hope they continue to play well at home hope they figure some stuff out um on the road we had talked about this you know many times talking basically we had Trevor's story on when he was kind of like possibly going to be traded, it didn't end up getting traded, but he told us about, you know, what it felt like to be a player in Colorado,

how you at home, like the breaking balls just don't break as much. You go on the road, and it's an adjustment period. So we had offered up some things we think they could do, but I don't know. I'm struggling here, guys. I got a storyline I want to see play out.

You want to hear my storyline I want to see play out? I'm excited for you. The Nelson Lemette. He got, He got traded to the Brewers in the hater deal, I believe, because they needed a clear space. The Brewers flipped him to the Padra. Not the Padres.

To the Rockies. He was in their bullpen at the end of last year. Actually had some good outings. And then I think at the end had one really bad zero innings pitch, three-earned runs that kind of tanks his numbers with them. They used him as like the seventh whole guy and all that. This guy, coming back from injury a lot, has one of the best sliders in baseball when healthy and right.

Like, I mean, the numbers against his slider are nuts. The whiff rates crazy. He is a free agent after this year. Have him pitch himself into a trade and be, you know, go to a team and be a playoff slider bullpen guy. I think that could be fun. Or he could get hurt or it could not be great. But he has a slider that could get him moved at the deadline if he was right. His baseball reference picture is in a brewer's hat right now, which is funny.

Pitch himself into an extension like Daniel Bard did. Don't do. I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry. Don't do that, Jake. I'm sorry. Spin it for us, poppy. Spin it for us.

Come on. What's you got? What's he over under here? 70. 68 and a half. 68 and a half. They're running it back. I mean, if our coastal bias theory.

I have a question for you, Jake. kicks in by one game. Do you think more teams got better than them? in the National League? In the National League alone? More teams? What does that mean? More teams?

From last year, do you think that teams that were below them last year took a step up in the National League? Like our audience don't, but that's, they kind of... The National League has more beast teams, and I think what comes with that is more weak teams. So I think it's a little bit of a,

pairing. Yeah, because right now, last year, the only National League teams that were worse and them were the pirates, the Reds, and the Nationals. Covered them. Do you think any of them bumped up? I'm on the Pirates train.

Okay. None of those teams are going to be over 500. My Cubs have gotten better in the Central. But they're going to play more teams that are over 500 now. They're facing less Dodgers Padres. But they're now facing all the ALE's teams once. Four of them were, over 500 last year.

They're facing the AL West, which has good teams. They were horrible against teams over 500 last year. These Rockies. We're going to have some teams visiting course. They were 35 and 63. 63 losses to teams over 500 last year. And I think

they're playing more teams that are over 500 this year than last year. Bryant. This is a grim TPP. I'm going over. How about that? I mean, I think it's just over. I think we're looking at 69 or 70, but I think with their home field advantage, I think, give me a couple less Dodgers-Padres games,

and hopefully Chris Bryant plays. I think you can win one or two more games. And Gritchick is going to get to face the Yankees, so that's two more wins. Yankees coming off the All-Star break, head not on their shoulders yet. I'll take the over. Wow.

I don't know. Wow, that's classic, classic sports betting from you guys right there. when all hope seems lost go the other way. I don't consider them. They're not in the central, so. On this side. I got to go under, guys. I just don't see anything that's going to make them improve.

I don't know. I guess Bryant being back will help them. I agree with you. A little bit. I'm going to take the under here. We're into your bet. One more storyline to watch with them. Chris Brian hasn't homered at Cors yet.

Wow. All five of his homers last year were on the road. I mean, you get one of those. Yeah. Shoot, he crushes lefties. Shoot, the Dodgers. Who has a bunch of lefties coming up against them? Does the Dodgers have a bunch of lefties?

Kirshaw, Urias. Maybe that was last year. Yeah, they had Anderson. I'm trying to find something, people. Well, versus left-handed. The Rockies versus left-handed pitching last year, if that's what you're interested in right now, if that's what you're begging to find out,

they were 29 and 32. They weren't really good at anything last year, according to trying to find a winning record. They got the best sideline reporter in the game, and they've got a beautiful stadium. They're 41 and 40 at home, so there you go. I'd love to see Coltucker really get a shot in spring training. I know he's our friends.

I know I've been working with him. PJ Pilateri, Yankees fans will remember him a little bit in the minor leagues as a catcher. He's the hitting coach there, so hopefully he can get Kotuck on that. team for us because then I might flip it. I might flip my over under if Kotuck makes the roster. Okay. That's not biased. Okay, I like that.

A little asterisk there. If Kotuck makes the opening day roster, Trevor Pluice pick flips to the Not biased. Not biased at all. Zero bias there. I'm taking the over, I think. Sorry to Jake Bird. I like you.

I really don't know anything about you. People are saying birds are not even real anyway. Oh my God. dinosaurs went into birds. Oh my God. Dude. Don't Google. Jake Bird. He was a serial killer.

In Tacoma. Probably a different one. An axe murderer. 11 murders. Jake Bird. Famous guy. Damn. Go rocks. Go rocks. The Tacoma Axe killer. It's our year.

70, baby. I like the uniforms. How about that? Okay. For the baseball player, see Jake Bird. Baseball. I like them incorporated more. Jacob. Have a freaking year, Charlie Black, and I want to see it.

Jacob Timothy? That's tough name.