Rockies 10 Best Moments: Hometown Opener

An old adage says that where you end up depends on where you start. For the Colorado Rockies, this seems especially true in a myriad of ways.

The 2017 season began with mountains of promise for the team at altitude, even if those closer to sea level never craned their necks to see it… and still can’t.

Whether it be the beginnings of individual careers or the actual start to a season that saw the club make the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade, the signs were on the wall early that this was going to be a different Rockies team.

While some analysts weren’t bothering to learn their names, a new wave of talent was quietly paving the way for a more purple future. These new names would power a revolution in the Mile High City. And this is just the beginning.

Honorable Mention(s): MLB Debuts

It wasn’t quite the parade of potential that we saw in 2016—which saw the debuts of Trevor Story, German Marquez, Jeff Hoffman, David Dahl, and Raimel Tapia—but 2017 still saw a few exciting players make their first foray into the world of MLB. And, though the individual moments themselves don’t stick out as much as the ones that made the list proper, we may find ourselves looking back at these inauspicious appearances as momentous occasions in the history of the Rockies.

As is often the case, there were a couple of under-the-radar debuts from some lower-profile players. Pitcher Shane Carle made his first big league appearance in April then wasn’t seen again until September, pitching a grand total of four innings. He has since signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and seems likely to land on his feet but just didn’t have a place on the Rockies roster.

Outfielder Mike Tauchman showed up in late June when Colorado was in desperate need of some help staying afloat. Injuries to Ian Desmond, Gerardo Parra, and Carlos Gonzalez necessitated a quicker-than-expected promotion to the Bigs and while Tauchman didn’t take the world by storm, he played his role well, putting together some decent at-bats with some above average defense and base running. Ultimately, he picked up 32 plate appearances over 31 games and established himself as a potential player moving forward.

Perhaps lost in the season that came after, Antonio Senzatela’s debut in just the fourth game of the season was a sign of things to come for both the young pitcher and the young team. Narrowly eeking out a 2-1 victory, Senzatela pitched five innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six in Milwaukee.

And then, of course, there was the season of sensation Ryan McMahon.

Much like with Dexter Fowler years ago, there was a ton of hype coming into this one and all eyes were on McMahon when he first strode onto an MLB diamond in Miami. And similarly to Fowler, what came next… wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring.

Making his surprise debut a bit earlier than expected, on August 12, McMahon was used sparingly down the stretch as the veterans around him grew into better health. Those who didn’t see his ridiculous campaign over Double and Triple-A in 2017 likely won’t put a ton of faith in a player that managed just three hits (one double) over 24 plate appearances. He did draw five walks and looked comfortable on defense at both first and second base, but this is just the absolute beginning for this young man.

As of the writing of this article, there is no one on the Rockies roster even remotely close to McMahon on the first base depth chart unless you count the sometimes-infielder Ian Desmond, who is slated to start in left field.

If the Rockies make no further moves this offseason, the biggest takeaway from a team philosophy perspective will be that they truly believe Ryan McMahon to be ready to make a splash in the big ocean.

And in case you thought we were forgetting one…

No. 5: Hometown Opener, April 7

Baseball is a game of opportunity. Unlike in other sports, you can’t force the ball into the hands of your best players in the most pivotal moments. Your turn in the lineup or pitching rotation comes up whenever it comes up, and whatever drama arises from that must occur organically.

But every once in a while, the baseball gods smile down on us and give us a moment so perfect in its timing and execution that one could swear they’ve been scripted out years in advance.

Less than two months after the Colorado Rockies played the first game of their existence, Kyle Freeland was born in Denver, Colorado. He would never know anything other than Rockies fandom from the first time he laced up his cleats and strapped on a glove all the way through to his MLB debut in front of a packed house of friends and family at 20th and Blake, just a few blocks from home.

You can’t make this stuff up.

The stars seemed to be aligning in March when BSN Denver wrote that this should happen, but seeing it actually unfold was something else entirely.

Can you imagine? Making your first attempt to face off against the best hitters in the world is a daunting enough task in and of itself. But to throw in the adrenaline of doing so at a home ballpark and then to add in the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day? It was almost too much to bear.

It also had “potential disaster” written all over it.

Surely, if the rookie was ambushed by the Los Angeles Dodgers—a pretty good baseball team—such an embarrassment could have long-lasting effects on his psyche. After beginning the afternoon by striking out Logan Forsythe to an explosion of joy from the crowd, this bleak potential reality came into view.

With two away, Freeland surrendered a single to Justin Turner and walked the next two batters, loading the bases in his first inning of work, presenting the possibility that this whole heart-warming story blows up in everyone’s faces. Instead, Freeland collected himself and got the groundout from Yasmani Grandal that he needed to put an end to the threat.

He would later tell BSN Denver in an exclusive interview: “The thing that really sticks out to me still is that first inning, getting out of that bases-loaded jam. I just remember walking off the mound like, whew, that’s how it is. That’s the pressure you can feel and be able to face that and come out of it on top was big.”

With his heart practically leaping out of his chest, Freeland showed us in his first frame the kind of grit and mental fortitude that would become his calling card. He allowed just three more baserunners and one run in a 2-1 victory with special thanks to a late Dustin Garneau home run.

He would go on to flirt with history and post a 3.4 rWAR season, placing him in the top five among rookies in the National League. And it all began with an afternoon performance that none of us, especially Freeland, are ever going to forget.