Colorado Rockies Hitters: 2015 Team Preview
Aug 6, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) by third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) and left fielder Corey Dickerson (6) for his two run home run in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
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I am not entirely convinced that Charlie Blackmon stays with the Rockies. Their outfield is still crowded even after Michael Cuddyer went to the Mets. If Blackmon gets constant playing time with the Rockies, then he could be a decent value if he gets 500+ plate appearances and stays in Coors. At home, Charlie Blackmon went 59/13/48/19/.331 and 23/6/24/9/.241 on the road.
When Carlos Gonzalez has been healthy, he has been a fantasy stud for the Colorado Rockies. In 2010, he dominated fantasy baseball with an outrageous 111/34/111/26/.336 line. After CarGo’s spectacular emergence, he has produced three impressive 20-20 seasons with a .300 batting average from 2011 to 2013. However, the 2014 season was an absolute bust for the oft-injured outfielder. While the talent is there, I will not be gambling on a player with his injury history.
If you could tell me that Troy Tulowitzki would play in 150 games in 2015, then I would draft him third overall no questions asked. In 2014, Tulo had 375 plate appearances where he hit to the tune of 71 runs scored, 21 homers, 52 RBI’s, 1 steal, and a .340/.432/.603. While this is a useless exercise, a 650 plate appearance season of 2014 Troy Tulowitzki would be approximately projected as 123 runs, 36 homers, 90 RBI’s, 2 steals, and the same slash line.
Plus, you are getting this elite hypothetical production from a SS. Tulo would have finished first in runs scored, tied for fourth in homers, tied for 24th in RBI’s, and he would have had the best slash line by a significant margin. On a per game basis, Tulo was arguably the most valuable fantasy player in 2014. I still have the injury-prone star just above Ian Desmond, but I recommend the Nats’ shortstop to more risk-averse players looking for a second rounder.
I really have not spent enough time talking about Nolan Arenado this off-season for how high I am on him in 2015. I think we see the young third baseman post near a .300 average, upwards of 30 homers, and 80+ RBI’s. Also, he is a 24 year slugger at Coors Fielder.
To me, that is a third rounder, which is why I boldly placed Arenado 29th overall in my rankings. This does not mean that you should always take him at this juncture, but you probably have the opportunity to grab Nolan Arenado around pick 40 and still have him outperform the price you paid. Yes, I realize that his home/road splits (16 of 18 homers at home) are scary, but I think we see him take a couple steps forward and challenge as the best third baseman in the game.
Drew Stubbs is very interesting to me because he had the second best average fly ball distance in 2014. He only trailed Paul Goldschmidt in the category. Like Charlie Blackmon, Stubbs was a monster at home and waiver wire worthy on the road. At home, Drew Stubbs posted a 46/12/33/11/.356 line versus a 21/3/10/9/.211 line on the road. If Stubbs ends up as the fourth outfielder, then he makes a great bench stash to play at Coors when he gets the start.
Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball has created all of the projections seen in this post. You can read about how he develops his projections here. His projections are invaluable to this site. You can also visit his site at www.smartfantasybaseball.com.