One Month in, The Colorado Rockies by the Numbers

About a month ago, I looked at some numbers that indicated where the Colorado Rockies were early in the season. Clearly, there wasn’t enough data to be meaningful, but it created a snapshot of where the Rockies were at that time.

Now, we’re roughly a quarter through the season, and the Rockies are 9-28. The win-loss record makes clear this is not a good team, but it’s worth re-checking some of those numbers to see if the Rockies are making progress.

With that in mind, here goes.

• 29 – That’s the number of home runs the Rockies have hit in 2024, which ranks them 27th in MLB. For a team that plays half its games at Coors Field, this is disappointing. (The Baltimore Orioles top MLB’s leaderboard with 57 home runs.) Ryan McMahon’s five home runs lead all Rockies with Brenton Doyle and Elias Diaz tied for second with four. (Marcell Ozuna leads all of baseball with 12.)

• 11 — That’s the number of bases the Rockies have stolen this season, and it’s last in baseball. (This is, surely, a side effect of the Rockies’ poor hitting. After all, for a player to steal a base, he first needs to be on base.) Leading the league? The Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds with 42. Elly De La Cruz has the most with 21 followed by Ronald Acuña Jr. with 14. That’s right: De La Cruz has stolen almost twice as many bases as the entire Rockies team.

Brenton Doyle leads the Rockies with four while Ezequiel Tovar has three. (Conversely, Ryan McMahon has been caught stealing four times, which ties him for second most in MLB.)

• 7.4% — That’s the Rockies’ BB%, or the number of walks they’re taking, and it ties them for 26th in MLB. The New York Yankees’ 11.0% tops all of baseball. (Turns out, having Juan Soto on your team matters.) For players with more than 100 at-bats, Ryan McMahon’s 13.4% BB% in 157 PAs is the best on the Rockies roster.

• 26.5% — That’s the Rockies’ K%, or their strikeout rate. It could be worse — the Seattle Mariners lead MLB at 28.3%. Striking out the most with a minimum of 100 plate appearances? Nolan Jones (35.9%) followed by Ezequiel Tovar at 31.6%.

The lowest K% for Rockies with a minimum of 100 plate appearances? Charlie Blackmon’s 13.4%.

• 74 — That’s the Rockies’ wRC+. (A 100 is average.) The number reflects the Rockies’ ongoing offensive struggles. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest wRC+ — by a lot – at 133. (Turns out, having Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman on your team matters.)

The highest wRC+ on the Rockies for players with a minimum of 100 plate appearances? Ryan McMahon (128) followed by Elias Díaz (109) and Brenton Doyle (94).

• 45.2% — That’s the Rockies’ GB%, or the number of ground balls they hit, and they’re tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks at fifth. That’s bad, especially at Coors Field, which rewards baseballs hit in the air. Among all MLB players, Ryan McMahon is ranked seventh with a 55.6% GB% while Brendan Rodgers is tenth at 53.8%. Short version? The Rockies need to hit the ball in the air.

• 0 — That’s the Rockies’ current DRS (Defensive Runs Saved), which ranks 15th among all MLB teams. (The Kansas City Royals lead MLB with 35.) Jacob Stallings — the Rockies backup catcher — has the most DRS on the Rockies’ roster with three followed by Ryan McMahon with two. Look for this to improve over the course of the season. This defense is just too good to maintain these kinds of numbers.

• -5 – That’s the Rockies’ OAA (Outs Above Average). This part of the Rockies’ game will also improve, but the team has gotten off to a slow defensive start.

• 6.33 — That’s the ERA of the Rockies’ starting rotation, and it’s the highest in baseball — and it’s not close. The best ERA of the Rockies starters? That goes to Austin Gomber (3.79). Highest K%? That goes to Ryan Feltner (21.2%), and it’s not close.

• 4.78 — That’s the ERA of the bullpen, and it’s 26th in MLB. Ty Blach has the lowest ERA (1.13) followed by Peter Lambert (1.18) and Victor Vodnik (2.29). The highest K%? That goes to Nick Mears (24.3%).

None of this is especially encouraging, especially the lack of offense. But it’s early enough in the season that the Rockies have time to improve. Plus, 2024 is a season about letting the kids play, and going with that will be mistakes as young players learn to hit MLB pitching.

Still, fans have needed a healthy does of patience this season, and it seems unlikely things will change in the near term.

What I’m Reading

It’s been finals week for me, so not a lot of baseball-related reading happening in my part of the world. However, here are some things worth your attention.

• Patrick Saunders went on the Foul Territory podcast. He speaks bluntly about what he sees happening with the Rockies.

• Patrick Saunders’ “Rockies’ Kris Bryant, Working to Overcome Disc Problems in Lower Back, Takes Step Toward Return” (Denver Post) — It turns out, Bryant’s back problems are quite serious (as in, chronic).

• Thomas Harding’s “Tovar Possesses Unwavering Belief in Himself, Rockies” (MLB.com) — Tovar is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting players on the Rockies’ roster.

• Skyler Timmins’ “Foul Balls Are a Real Problem for the Rockies’ Offense” (Purple Row) — Complete with spray charts, Timmins looks at one facet of the Rockies’ struggling offense.

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it for this week. Hopefully, the Rockies will have a successful series against the Texas Rangers and win their first series.

If nothing else, we’ll get to see Jon Gray pitch at Coors Field again, which is always a treat.

Have a good week, everyone, and thanks for reading —

Renee

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