Rockies Offseason To-Do List: Improve roster depth

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The Colorado Rockies were a team that seemingly looked like they would contend for a Wild Card spot for most of the season. However, after the injury to rookie sensation Trevor Story on July 30 against the New York Mets, the team went 52-52 without him, finishing the season 75-86. Certainly, the impact Story could have provided may have boosted the Rockies record, but having a player that can plug that hole in case of an injury still looms large.

The Rockies must improve their roster depth.

When Story went down, the Rockies were forced to go with shortstops Cristhian Adames and Daniel Descalso — keyword: forced. They didn’t really have a guy that could fill the void for Story, leaving the shortstop position in a state of flux. Yes, Daniel Descalso did put forth a decent season as a utility infielder, but he’s just that and nothing more. Descalso is scheduled to become a free agent, so Colorado will have to decide whether or not they’d like to re-sign him.

We’ve seen this story, no pun intended, with the Rockies roster before. Whenever Carlos Gonzalez and/or Troy Tulowitzki went down in years past, the offense suffered. The fan base had to suffer through games watching guys like Josh Rutledge, Jonathan Hererra, Reid Brignac, Chris Nelson, Rafael Ynoa, and most recently, Cristhian Adames.

Cristhian Adames could have been Colorado’s Opening Day starter if it weren’t for Trevor Story’s breakout Spring and regular season. Adames slashed at a line of .218/.304/.607 with seven doubles, three triples, two home runs, and 17 RBI. For a player appearing in 121 games, starting in 37 mind you, doesn’t bode well for a team with playoff aspirations in the coming years. One thing that Adames did excel at was pinch-hitting, hitting at a clip of .275 collecting 14 hits, ranking third in the entire league.

There is and will be better options via free agency. An intriguing name would be Sean Rodriguez who has spent the last two years in Pittsburgh. He’s a right-handed bat that could prove vital in a left-handed dominant lineup. Rodriguez hit at a clip of .270/.349/.51o with 16 doubles, 18 home runs, and 56 RBI in 140 games. Perhaps Coors Field could boost that slash line a little more with an increase in extra base hits. He would prove to be a valuable asset off the bench and in pinch-hit situations.

Rodriguez’s career line doesn’t look fairly well at Coors Field, posting a .063 batting average (1-for-16) in ten games. However, that shouldn’t be something to be really concerned about considering he started just two games, with the majority of the at-bats being pinch-hit opportunities.

Colorado’s starting rotation looks the best that it has ever been, featuring young players such as John Gray, Tyler Anderson, Chad Bettis, Tyler Chatwood, and most recently, Jeff Hoffman and German Marquez. This is an area where Colorado has excelled at drafting and developing over the last few years, seeing remarkable performances from both Gray and Anderson. They also have a promising stash of arms that could see action next season, including Kyle Freeland and Anthony Senzatela.

The area of need is not in the starting rotation, but it lies within the bullpen which blew lead after lead this past season. Names such as Mark Melancon and Mike Dunn appear to be intriguing options to help solidify the bullpen, while Colorado looks to bank on the development of three promising young arms; Carlos Estevez, Miguel Castro, and Jairo Diaz.