Baseball season is in the air. The Colorado Rockies open spring training as pitchers and catchers report today. The rest of the team will arrive the 25th. Colorado ended the season at 68-94, last in the National League West, 24 games back of the Dodgers who won the division.
The Colorado Rockies downfall was pitching. They had a team ERA of 5.04, the worst in Major League Baseball. This was one area they were hoping to improve on in the offseason. The Rockies signed two pitchers who they hope will bolster the bullpen, Jason Motte and Chad Qualls. Jason Motte, a relief pitcher agreed to a two-year $10 million deal. Motte spent last year with the Chicago Cubs assisting them to the National League Championship series. With the Cubs he pitched 48.1 innings with 34 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.91. Motte is able to come into games and shut down the opponents from scoring. He doesn’t strikeout a lot but he will get them to groundout. Motte will help the Rockies get out of jams during the season but it still might not help the Rockies win more games.
The Rockies also made a deal with Chad Qualls. He signed a 3 year $27.5 million deal. Qualls pitched for the Houston Astros last year. He appeared in 49.1 innings with 46 strikeouts, 4 saves, and an ERA of 4.38. Qualls is the same type of pitcher as Motte. He can eat up innings out of the bullpen.
The Rockies were also looking to strengthen the lineup. The Rockies lineup is decent. Last season the Rockies were the 5th hitting team in Major League Baseball hitting .270. Even though the hitting was above average, they still wanted to add bats in the lineup. They signed Gerardo Parra and Mark Reynolds.
Adding Parra is confusing. Parra is a right fielder. The Rockies already have a loaded outfield with Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, and Brandon Barnes. It doesn’t seem like they need to add another outfielder. Parra is six-year veteran who suited up for Milwaukee and Baltimore. He hit .291 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI’s last season. Parra may not hit home runs but will move his teammates around. In the field he can throw batters out from the outfield. Hopefully he can help the Rockies with his experience.
Colorado also added Mark Reynolds. Reynolds played for the Cardinals last year, winning the National League Central Division. They lost to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series. Reynolds has 8 years of experience in Major League Baseball. Reynolds doesn’t have the power with only 237 career home runs but he gets on base. He has a career average of .230.
The Rockies didn’t make a splash in free agency but still had solid pickups. They hope these moves will payoff with wins in the regular season. Spring training will give the team a chance to bond.
What do you think of the Rockies moves heading into spring training?
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