Colorado Rockies All-Time Starting Lineup

On April 5, 1993, the Colorado Rockies played a baseball game in Queens against the New York Mets at the now-gone Shea Stadium. They lost 3-0.

Colorado recorded four hits, all from players who would become early faces of the young franchise: Dante Bichette had the first, Eric Young had another, and Andres Galarraga tallied two.

Starting pitcher David Neid pitched five innings, giving up six hits and a pair of runs on a two-run shot for Bobby Bonilla. Butch Henry surrendered another run and Gary Wayne finished out the duties on the mound.

For the Metropolitans, Dwight Gooden twirled a gem, pitching a complete game shutout against a franchise generally associated with offensive feats.

On Sunday, September 29, 2019, the Colorado Rockies played a baseball game in Denver against the Milwaukee Brewers. They won 4-3.

The Brewers had unceremoniously bounced the Rockies from the postseason the year before and were a game from winning their division but Colorado’s youth played spoiler.

Jeff Hoffman gave up two runs in five solid innings, Josh Fuentes drove in a run and Sam Hilliard stole headlines by taking flame-throwing lefty Josh Hader deep with two outs in the ninth and his team down by one. Colorado walked it off in the bottom of the 13th.

In the time between those two games lies the entire history of the franchise.

During those 27 years, Colorado has won 2,033 games and lost 2,280. They’ve appeared in the postseason five times and in the World Series once. They’ve crowned one MVP. They’ve won 11 batting titles. They’ve won 24 Gold Gloves. They’ve even sent one player to the Hall of Fame.

Being taken out to the ballgame as a Rockies fan has often meant waiting ’til next year for team success. But even so, any time you showed up to watch the boys in purple pinstripes, there was at least one player on the field who reminded you of everything you love about the game.

If you walked through a field of dreams that allowed you to take each player at the top of their game and choose them for one pickup game, you would have no shortage of franchise icons to choose from.

Here is my starting lineup:

1. Carlos González (CF)

CarGo in his prime gives you that speed/power combo you want at the top of the lineup. He might strike out a bit more than is ideal for this spot, but he makes for a perfect leadoff hitter when you’ve got other big boppers around to drive the ball in the gap and watch the Little Pony gallop around the bases with the grace of a thoroughbred.

Likewise, at his best out in the field, he looked like a young Ken Griffey Jr. and before time would take its toll on his body, he was one of the best pure athletes to ever pull on a Rockies uniform.

Imagine if you could have preserve him in that time and watched him run down balls in each gap, fire them back in with that famous arm, flash his signature smile and point to the crowd. Then start the next half-inning by striding to the plate to showcase one of the most beautiful swings the game has ever known.

Couldn’t you just live there forever?

2. Larry Walker (RF)

The data says that the most number of high-leverage at-bats in a season go to the second hitter in the lineup. That’s where you should put your best hitter… and Larry Walker is Colorado’s all-time best hitter.

He also brings the benefit of having above average speed, meaning we can combine him with Gonzalez for a better chance to stay out of early double plays and do things like hit-and-run or steal in order to apply extra pressure, especially early in games.

In right field, Walker has no equal. Sorry CarGo. He played the position like he invented it. He saw the corners and gaps and walls and bounces and flyballs differently than everyone else. His arm was a gift to anyone who has eyes.

Watching Walker in his prime was like getting to see the Beatles at Red Rocks.

Now is the part where you can close your eyes and picture these first two batsmen firing line drives into the gaps and down the lines at Coors Field that only they could catch, gliding around the bases, launching moonshots into the party deck, and having as much fun on the diamond as a pair of teammates ever has.

3. Nolan Arenado (3B)

Playing third and batting third is the greatest third baseman of all time. Some might take umbrage at such a strong statement: they won’t by the time he’s done.

The man who has never lost a Gold Glove, never failed to drive in 110 runs in a full season, never hit fewer than 37 home runs in a full season, and never not been the absolute King of Clutch, belongs right in the middle of the all-time lineup.

For strategy, Nolan bats third to break up the left-handed batters and to make sure he gets an at-bat in the first inning where his numbers are ridiculous and he has the chance to put the opposing pitcher in an uncomfortable spot right away. With speed in front of him and Arenado’s excellent contact ability, you can get creative if you want to or need it.

Or you can just let him put the ball in those gaps and watch CarGo and Walker fly around the bases.

4. Todd Helton (1B)

Cleaning it up and anchoring the all-time Colorado Rockies lineup is Mr. Rockie himself, Todd Helton.

The franchise leader in most offensive categories – including facial hair – he can take his 12-pitch at-bats and line double after double into the great expansive outfield in Denver. He will feel comfortable. His number hangs on the wall.

He will do as he always did and scoop everything up at first base, making life easy on every other infielder and easier still on his pitchers.

Nobody is working around Nolan Arenado to get to this guy.

His career .316/.414/.539 slashline and 12 percent strikeout rate would fit in the middle of any batting order for any franchise. However, he only wore one logo on his cap during his 17 seasons.

Stay tuned for the rest of the starting lineup.