Rockies owner Dick Monfort said some things, that are not a good way to make friends in this world or make people want to come to games. Monfort, in response, to fans criticizing the Rockies front office, told fans that “if they did not like the product than do not come to the games and maybe Denver did not deserve a baseball team”. Monfort has since apologized. Every year the Rockies finish in the top 10 in attendance averaging 32,000-35,000 people per game. However, the messages aimed at Monfort and his staff echo the frustration of the fans. Rockies fans are passionate about their team, they are happy when the team is relevant and outraged when it is not. The past 4 years they have heard how the Rockies are going to be relevant and contenders. Only, for the Rockies to have a losing record and finish last in the National League West. The Rockies have posted records of 73-89, 64-98, 74-88 and if they continue at the pace they are playing this year they will finish with 72 wins and 90 loses. No wonder fans are frustrated about this team. So how did this team get in the shape it is and what can be done to make the Rockies Relevant?
To understand the Rockies and how they got to were they are today we need to look at the history. The Rockies started playing baseball in 1993 fans were excited. The ownership of the Rockies consists of Michael Monus, who had the majority percentage, and the Monfort brothers. The front office consisted of senior of operations Keli McGregor, who would later be named team president. Monus wanted a playoff material team in Denver, so he signed stars such as: Andres Galarraga, Vinny Castilla, Larry Walker, Dante Bichette, and Ellis Burks. He also drafted Todd Helton who would have a big impact later. The signings proved to be a success. Colorado made the playoffs in 1995 as the wildcard team. The Rockies were also competitive in 1996 as well in 1997, and just missed the playoffs. However, Monus was having legal troubles. Monus owned the Phar-Mor pharmacy stores. He was accused of committing corporate fraud. Moreover, Monus had to sell his stake in the Colorado Rockies as he would spend the next 10 years in prison, because he was found guilty of fraud. The Monfort Brothers brought out Monus’s share and became the main owners. The monfort brothers kept Keli McGregor as team president but changes would take place.
The late 1990’s brought changes to the Rockies. Don Baylor who had managed the Rockies from 1993-1998 was fired. At the end of the 1999 season Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, and Ellis Burks were either traded away or allowed to test the free agent market. Also in 1999, the Monfort brothers hired Dan O’Dowed to be the general manager of the Rockies. Unlike Monus, the Monfort brothers decided to operate as a mid market team. Pitching had always been a problem for Colorado teams due to the altitude. After a decent 2000 season, which the Rockies went 82-80, Dan O’Dowd thought the team was just one or two pitches away from being contenders. At the end of the 2000 season the Rockies signed pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle. The club also signed Jeff Cirillo to play third base. The Rockies thought they could with a high powered offense and decent pitching. The Rockies played good baseball in 2001 up till August. The team was 60-60 just 4.5 games back in the wildcard race. But, the team went 13-29 the rest of the way to finish last with a 73-89 record.
2001 was a major bust for the Rockies. Mike Hampton and Neagle were disappointments. Hampton could not pitch at Coors as he went 14-13 with a 5.1 ERA in 2001, and in 2002 he went 7-15 with an ERA over 6. Neagle went 9-8 in 2001, but would have legal problems. Neagle would be arrested for illegal drugs and prostitution, which caused his contract to be terminated. Jeff Cirillo had an okay year, but he was not a Vinny Castilla. Cirillo did not hit 30-40 homes runs like Vinny did nor did he have a gold glove type arm that Vinny had. The Rockies decided they would rebuild and draft players on their own rather than spend. The Rockies from 2002-2006 would have losing seasons. However, in 2006 the Rockies started to play better baseball. Players such as Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Garret Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki showed promise. In 2007 the Rockies went to the playoffs by winning 90 games, thanks to a 22-5 record in September. The Rockies made it to the World Series losing to Boston.
After the 2008 season the Rockies made some moves that were considered good trades. The Rockies got Jason Marquis and Jason Hammel to fill in the rotation. The Rockies traded Matt Holliday to Oakland for Carlos Gonzalez and closer Huston Street. The 2009 team was the greatest in team history. The rotation consisted of Jorge De La Rosa who won 16 games. Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Marquis each won 15 games. Cook won 11 games and Hammel won 10 games. Each starter won double digits. The bullpen was anchored by Street who saved 35 games. The offense was explosive lead by Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. The offense smashed 190 home runs and scored 804 runs. The 2009 team produced a record of 92-70 and won the wildcard. It seemed like the Rockies had figured out a way to win at a high altitude.
The 2010 team started off with promise, but two events would happen in 2010 that would have major impacts on the Rockies. In April 2010 team president Keli McGregor died unexpectedly. His position was never replaced. The second event occurred in the last two weeks of the season. The Rockies were 81-67 and had a very healthy wildcard lead. It seemed like for the first time the Rockies were going to go the playoffs in back to back seasons. However, the last two weeks of the 2010 season the Rockies went 2-12 to finish with an 83-79 record. The Rockies lost their wildcard lead and just missed the playoffs. These two events are what many fans and baseball people point to the decline of the Rockies.
In 2011, the Rockies pitching staff was dismantled. Ubaldo was traded away. Street joined former Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis as a member of the Padres, which are a division rival. Hammel was traded at the end of the season to Baltimore for Jeremy Guthrie. The Rockies was a league leader in offense but finished in 4th place with a 73-89 record. 2012 came and the Rockies signed Michael Cuddyer to go with Tulo and Cargo. Guthrie was supposed to anchor the staff, but he was a disaster going 3-10 with a 7 ERA before he was traded. The Rockies really struggled in 2012 going 64-98. The Rockies front office blamed 2012 on injuries. In 2013 the Rockies had three good starters and were 42-39 at the halfway point. But the Rockies went 32-49 the rest of the way to finish 74-88 and in last place once again. The Rockies front office blamed injuries again. 2014 came and the Rockies played good baseball the first part of the season going 28-26. Here it at the all start break and the Rockies are 40-54. Fans are outraged.
General manger Dan O’Dowd also angered fans when he said “I wish I knew how to win in Denver our goal is to build a playoff material team”. The point is the Rockies had figured out a way to win. The Rockies say they are a mid market team and like the payroll to be between 85-100 million. The Rockies may not be able to get a #1 pitcher like Felix Hernandez, Adam Wainwright, Johnny Cueto, Matt Latos, Justin Verlander, and Clayton Kershaw. The Rockies proved in 2009 if you have #2 or #3 type starters that winning is possible in Denver. The 2009 team had middle rotation starters. They may have not been #1 type starters but they gave the team 6 or 7 innings, kept the team in games, and allowed less pressure on the offense. To win at Denver you need middle rotation starters and a high powered offense. Dan O’dowd had all that in 2009 and most of 2010. However, for whatever reason he dismantled the 2009 team especially the pitching staff. Instead the Rockies got pitchers like Guthrie. No offense to Guthrie but on a playoff team Guthrie is a #4 type starter. The Rockies got him to be an ace. The Rockies also in the past 3 years have signed pitchers who for the most part were past their prime. Moyer, Francis, Garland and Oswalt to name a few. In the meantime the Rockies hope pitchers pan out and that they get lucky. That type of strategy has not worked here. In fact, it would not work with other clubs either. In addition, if the Cardinals or Reds had this many losing seasons in a row the owners would be making changes. In 2006 the Reds got a new owner and after losing seasons in a row he made changes. Now the Reds are contenders and have played good baseball every year since 2010. The Cardinals also have produced several winning teams over the years. Since 2000, the Cardinals have won 2 World Series titles, appeared in 4 World Series and have been in the playoffs every year accept in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2010. Even when they did not make the playoffs the Cardinals have been competitive.
It is clear that McGregor was the one who built the 2007 and 2009 teams. The Rockies need a new front office. Dan was good at one time but its time for a change. If the Rockies are going to build a team around Tulo, Cargo and Arenado they need pitching. They need to stop getting back end starters or starters that they hope work out . The Rockies need #2 or #3 type starters, that will not get rattled at Coors Field, starters that can give the team innings, and give the club a decent chance to win. The Rockies need pitchers like they had in 2009. If the Rockies had starters like they did in 2009 to go along with their explosive offense. Fans would probably not be upset as the club would probably be 54-40 and in contention. Having #1 type starters are nice but if you have a rotation of #2/#3 starters than you can win. The Rockies need another 2009 staff to win and some changes in the front office. Otherwise the fans outcries are going to get louder and the team’s core players (Tulo, Cargo and Arenado) will probably want out.
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