Colorado Rockies: Looking at the 2017 Batting Order Possibilities
Everyone was waiting to see what the Colorado Rockies would do in the offseason to improve the team. There wasn’t a tremendous flurry of activity, but there were two signings on the offensive side of things that the Rockies are hoping will be enough to carry them to the postseason.
With Ian Desmond coming on board as the Rockies first baseman, Colorado seems to have its starting nine in place. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to play Nostradamus here and predict two things. First, David Dahl edges out Gerardo Parra for the starting spot in left field. Second, Tom Murphy and Tony Wolters split duties behind the plate for some time after the season begins.
Of course, offense has never been much of a problem for the Rockies. Take a look at some of the numbers last season and where Colorado ranked among all of Major League Baseball…
2016 numbers and MLB ranking
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Average: .275 (2nd)
Home Runs: 204 (10th)
RBI: 805 (2nd)
Stolen Bases: 66 (Tie for 20th)
Runs: 845 (2nd)
OBP: .336 (3rd)
SLG: .457 (2nd)
OPS: .794 (2nd)
Impressive to say the least, and the consensus is certainly that Desmond will provide some more pop for the Rockies, as will having Dahl and Trevor Story with the team for the entire season.
So we know who’s playing for the Rockies … but what will the order look like on a given day? New manager Bud Black certainly has some options thanks to Desmond’s versatility in the infield and outfield. But what way will he go?
We thought we’d take a look at what the Colorado lineup might look like against right-handers, left-handers and even at the end of the season. See what you think of these lineup cards…
Aug 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) runs out a double in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Against right-handed pitchers
Blackmon CF
LeMahieu 2B
Arenado 3B
Gonzalez RF
Story SS
Desmond 1B
Dahl LF
Wolters C
Pitcher
In all honesty, the lineup presented here might not look that different than it did in any game in 2016, with the exception of Desmond at first base.
The biggest question with this lineup is how the five through seven hitters shake out. Story batted fifth in 39 games last season, the most of any batting slot behind the 44 games where he hit second. Batting fifth, Story hit .265 with 10 homers and 30 RBI.
It was by far his best lineup position compared to the six and seven hole. Batting sixth, he went 0-for-7 last season. Batting seventh, he hit .316 in just five games.
Desmond, meanwhile, never hit lower than sixth last season with the Texas Rangers … and he only hit in that spot 11 times. He hit out of the two hole in 109 of his 156 games last season, but we don’t see LeMahieu moving out of the role where he was the league’s batting champion in 2016.
Dahl hit fifth in 31 of his 63 games last season and hit in the seven hole just twice. However, we think he starts the year here and could certainly move up in the lineup depending on how the season unfolds.
By the way, how nice is it to have a guy who hit .315 last season as your seven hitter? It just shows how stacked the Rockies are on offense.
Sep 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers center fielder Ian Desmond (20) makes a catch in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Against left-handed pitchers
Blackmon CF
LeMahieu 2B
Arenado 3B
Desmond LF
Story SS
Reynolds 1B
Murphy C
Parra RF
Pitcher
So we predict not only a change in some players in the batting lineup but also some positional changes as well.
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The Rockies bringing Mark Reynolds back on a minor league contract was a solid move and it will pay dividends early and often this season. Yes, by the way, we do think Reynolds will make the Opening Day roster. One of the biggest dividends will be the ability to move the right-handed Desmond into the outfield against southpaws and move the right-handed Reynolds into the lineup at first.
Story could hit at four or five in this lineup but we’re thinking Bud Black may not move Story around as much in his sophomore season with the Rockies.
With this lineup, the right-handed Murphy comes in at catcher, giving the Rockies a complete platoon system with Wolters and Murphy depending on who is on the mound.
Yes, we know, we know. There’s no Carlos Gonzalez in this lineup but there is a Parra. So what gives you ask? CarGo hit .273 against lefties last season while Parra hit .258 against them (versus the lower .251 against right-handers). It’s still a dropoff, but we’re trying to think of a way that Parra gets more playing time this season. Why? We just don’t think the Rockies are going to let Parra and his $8 million sit on the bench and be strictly a role player in 2017.
Oct 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Jordan Patterson (72) follows his ball on an RBI double in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
End of season lineup (if Rockies are contending)
Blackmon CF
LeMahieu 2B
Arenado 3B
Gonzalez RF
Desmond 1B
Molina C
Dahl LF
Story SS
Pitcher
End of season lineup (if Rockies are not contending)
Tapia CF
LeMahieu 2B
Arenado 3B
Desmond 1B
Story SS
Dahl LF
Murphy C
Patterson RF
Pitcher
Yep, we have two different lineups here … and some things to discuss with each.
If the Rockies are in contention for a playoff spot as the trade deadline approaches, we’ll predict that Colorado will be looking to bolster the one spot where it may be the weakest in the field … catcher. Nothing against Wolters or Murphy, but adding a veteran behind the backstop for a playoff run wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
It certainly wouldn’t be such a bad thing if that person was Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals. Why Molina? He’s entering this season with his contract up in the air and we predict the Cardinals will be out of the playoff hunt and looking to retool when the end of July approaches.
If they’re close at the end of July, the Rockies can bring Molina (or another veteran catcher) on board to provide a spark and be the last missing piece on offense for the team.
You’ll notice Story has also moved down in the lineup. Molina can move into the lineup at sixth and strengthen the team, giving Black the ability to shuffle Story and Dahl where needed.
There’s also the other end of the spectrum where the Rockies aren’t in the battle for the postseason when the end of July nears. That’s the second scenario here. You’ll notice there is no Charlie Blackmon or CarGo on the roster. Hypothetically, they would both be traded and youngsters Raimel Tapia and Jordan Patterson would take their place in the lineup and in the field.
Certainly, it would tone down Colorado’s offensive output and shuffle the lineup. However, we’re not going to spend too much time talking about it since we don’t think this will happen.
Remember, the Rockies were in the chase for a Wild Card last season when the trading deadline approached. We don’t see them taking a step back from that in 2017.
What do you think about the lineups? Let us know in the comments below.