Rockies veterans see signs of greatness in this team

DENVER – The 2017 Colorado Rockies have got baseball fans all over the country asking questions. Who are these guys? Where did they come from? Is this real life? What’s a Senzatela?

Arguably the largest question looming over the team that has spent most of the season atop the NL West revolves around the youth of their starting rotation. Will they regress? Will the league adapt? How far can a group of pitchers with so little experience take a team with suddenly very high aspirations?

Well, we decided to ask the team’s veterans — the one’s who have seen the postseason before — what they think of the Constitution of this club

“I think everyone does a pretty good job of not taking the game home with them. We’ve played well so we haven’t had to go through much of that,” says Greg Holland. “When you struggle as an individual or as a team, a lot of times it can build on itself. I’ve seen it where you want to win so bad that you kind of beat your head against the wall and digging yourself a deeper hole, but I think there are enough veterans on this team that guys just understand we have a good ballclub. We’re not going to win every game, it’s pretty impossible. I think the clubhouse atmosphere itself, having a lot of guys who come to park every day ready to win keeps the locker room from getting stagnant when we do struggle. Everyone is just kind of keeps the locker room from getting stagnant when we do struggle. Everyone is just kind of in the moment.  We’ve played well for a third of the season, but we know what we’re capable of doing and that means we actually have to go out there and do it. Talking about the playoffs is exciting, but we understand that we’ve got to dial it back because it’s such a long season.

Mark Reynolds is less concerned with the team’s record and more encouraged by the manner in which they’ve achieved it.

“We’re not just winning, we’re playing good baseball,” he says. “In ’15 when I was on the Cardinals and we won 100 games. Played awesome baseball. I think all the times I’ve made the playoffs [it has been like this] you play consistent, you don’t go on too many long streaks, you win series’, in Baltimore we did it. My rookie year in Arizona. We’re throwing the ball well, we’re catching the ball, and the offense is gonna be there.”

Ian Desmond, no stranger to important baseball games in the fall, agreed, adding, “We haven’t even played our best baseball yet.”

Lefty reliever in the midst of a renaissance, Jake McGee, joined the BSN Rockies Podcast a few weeks ago and couldn’t help fawning over manager Bud Black and his approach to pitching. Easily one of the reasons this team is so confident moving forward, whatever the average age in the starting rotation might be.

As far as Black is concerned, he had all kinds of analogies back in spring training when I asked if this team could contend given the kinds of challenges that young pitchers face, and often fail to overcome. Stories of the 1984 Kansas City Royals and quick notes about the recent New York Mets added a great deal of perspective. But really, the Rockies new skipper summed it all up in his first four words: “Yes. Of course. Talent.”