As we approach the 2024 MLB regular season, many questions poise each team. For the Colorado Rockies, they have been looking great during the first few weeks of Spring Training. They’ve put together a 7-3 record and sit a game behind the 8-2 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Spring Training play doesn’t necessarily translate into the regular season. The Rockies must be proactive in 2024 and turn things around after their miserable 2023 season. If the Rockies can’t convert these early spring training wins to regular season wins, there will be a few questions about this organization. Has any question or will any come up at any point during the 2024 season?
Five Questions Concerning the 2024 Rockies
Can They Improve the Bad Pitching from 2023?
The Colorado Rockies pitching staff during the 2023 season put up horrendous numbers. As a unit, they ranked last in ERA with a bad 5.67 ERA. This 5.67 ERA is the worst overall ERA by any Rockies team in their history. Behind the Washington Nationals, the Rockies gave up the second-most home runs in the league. While we will see this team give up a ton of runs if they can stop the other team’s momentum and cut the other team off from scoring too much, then we may see the Rockies have better odds of winning more games. One of the 2024 Rockies’ biggest questions is whether they can improve on these numbers. They’ll have more reason to fight and compete within the division if they can.
Will Bud Black Keep the team Competing in A Brutal NL West Division?
Colorado lost 103 games in 2023, the most in their franchise’s history. A big reason for these losses was some of the bad pitching presented on the mound, but there were plenty of other reasons. This team could not stay healthy, especially their big franchise cornerstone pieces. The NL West division is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, in all of baseball. Every team in the division besides the Rockies has appeared in the postseason at least once in the past four seasons. The Arizona Diamondbacks made it to the World Series in 2023. Some teams like the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants are hungry to make it far within the postseason. Finally, the biggest threat will be the loaded Los Angeles Dodgers. If Bud Black can lead the Rockies to win at least half of their divisional matchups, they should be able to compete with every other team in the league. If not, Black could be on the hot seat in 2024.
Can Kris Bryant Stay Healthy?
Since signing with the Rockies during the 2022 offseason, 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant has had a tough time staying on the field. Out of 324 possible games played with the Rockies, Kris Bryant has only played in 122 while missing 202. Now healthy during the 2024 Spring Training, Kris is more motivated than ever to lead the charge and lead this Rockies team back into playoff contention. Having Bryant on the field for most, if not the entire regular season, will be vital for this Colorado franchise, especially if they hope to end their playoff woes.
Do the Rockies Have Too Much Young Talent?
While the Rockies aren’t stacked with stars like the Dodgers, they could be in the future. With many young, determined, and talented players on the roster, not all will make the Opening Day roster. This could lead to a few problems. The team and even the player may feel ready to debut in the big leagues, but if they have another great player in the same position, it will be hectic to figure out who starts and who gets benched. This can also lead to players voicing their opinions and perhaps feeling the need to showcase their talents to another team. For example, someone like Sean Bouchard, who’s been working extremely hard to earn a starting spot with the team, could get outshined by Jordan Beck or another outfielder. The 2024 season will be important for the Rockies as they must decide the young core of players that they want to have on the field every night in the future.
Will the Rockies Pitchers Increase or Decrease Their Strikeout Rate in 2024?
This past season, the Rockies ranked dead last with 1,129 strikeouts. Coincidentally, it was one of the best in their franchise’s history. Colorado’s first eight Spring Training games ranked them third in strikeouts behind the Braves and the Dodgers. Last season, no Rockies pitcher reached 100 strikeouts or more. Kyle Freeland led the team with 94 strikeouts. They haven’t ranked above 25th in strikeouts since the 2018 season when they put up their franchise-high of 1,387 strikeouts, which ranked 13th in the MLB that season. As the 2024 season goes on, we’ll determine if this team’s pitching and strikeout rates have improved or if Colorado needs to acquire or spend the money on a star on the mound.
Main Photo Credits: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
