Nothing could be more apropos than the first Colorado Rockies Opening Day without Nolan Arenado in nearly a decade falling on April Fools’ Day. The Rockies beat the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5.
That is the joke.
One game into the season and the Rockies likely hit their high watermark for the year. In fact, one ESPN analyst forecasts only another 57 wins for the Rockies this year — and 104 losses. They are so bad they earned their own tier at the very bottom of MLB rankings.
This is not what I hoped for when I became a season ticket holder in the wake of the Rockies glorious 2007 Rocktober. After watching every pitch of Game 163 with my father, I feverishly hit “refresh” attempting to secure playoff tickets. Unfortunately, about half the state had the same idea.
I began buying season ticket plans the next year. The Rockies have won exactly two playoff games, and no division titles, in the interim 13 years.
During the same time period, the San Francisco Giants have played and won three World Series. The Dodgers have also played in three, winning the last one.
Currently, post-Arenado, it is hard to argue that the Rockies are better at any single position than either of the leading contenders in National League West Division. The only one that is close is shortstop where the Rockies boast Trevor Story (for now). But the San Diego Padres have Fernando Tatis and the Dodgers trot out Corey Seager, both MVP-level players, at the same position.
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