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The Colorado Rockies will exceed expectations in 2023. They have a sneaky good roster, filled with savvy veterans and young talent. The season is still extremely young, but they’re looking like a potential playoff team. They’re arguably in the best division in baseball. The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are loaded with superstar players, and the San Francisco Giants are no slouches. The way I see it, though, the competition they’ll be up against all season will prepare them for bigger games down the road.
I’ll start off with the Rockies biggest issue. They have a very subpar rotation. Their starting pitchers are German Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Austin Gomber, Jose Urena, and Antonio Senzatela. Senzatela is currently on the 15-Day injured list, so Ryan Feltner will take on that role for the time being. All of these guys have career earned run averages over four and haven’t proved they can be an ace. The Rockies need that number one guy who they can count on when they need it.
The Rockies next biggest issue is a bullpen that needs some serious improvement. They were ranked as the fifth-worst bullpen in baseball in 2022. If Colorado wants to win this year, they need to make some moves to acquire some arm talent in the pen. They did sign Brad Hand and Brent Suter in the offseason, two lefties that should boost the bullpen. They’ll still need to get two or three more guys to really round out the bullpen and have a backbone for later in the season.
The best part about the Rockies is their lineup. They’ve got star power in C.J. Cron, Charlie Blackmon, and Kris Bryant. The combination of those three will be exciting to watch. They have some other solid pieces in the lineup as well. Yonathan Daza, Jurickson Profar, Harold Castro, and Randal Grichuk should all be solid for the Rockies this season. Rookie Ezequiel Tovar is one of the best prospects in baseball, and I can see him developing into a lead-off hitter by the end of the season.
The Colorado Rockies will open eyes in 2023. They can really exceed expectations if they add some talent throughout the season and prove to everyone that they’re here to win now. They’re just a few pieces away from being a playoff team.
