Saunders: Rockies broke camp with confidence he’s not seen before
Mar 28, 2019, 8:04 AM
As the Colorado Rockies slip into the 2019 campaign this week, expectations surrounding the team are perhaps the highest they’ve ever been in the franchise’s quarter-century of existence.
Even ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez told “Stokley and Zach” on Wednesday he has Colorado headed to the World Series this season.
Amid the slew of warm predictions, the Rockies broke camp this week with a confidence and self-assuredness not seen before by Denver Post reporter Patrick Saunders in his nearly decade and a half covering the team.
“I’ve been covering this team for a long time. I don’t know if I’ve come out of a spring training with a vibe around the team with so much confidence and self-assuredness out of this team,” Saunders told Sandy Clough on Wednesday. “I’m not saying that’s necessarily going to transfer over. But I do feel it’s a confident bunch.”
Saunders said the attitude likely stems from a couple of different places, with one being the club’s starting rotation — Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, and Chad Bettis.
“Freeland, Marquez, and if Jon Gray can finally get his act together, that gives them three really good starts, as long as they stay healthy, knock on wood,” Saunders said.
And after a down year in 2018, the offense will also “snap back,” Saunders predicted, especially with the addition of Daniel Murphy to the lineup.
“All-in-all, despite some pretty glaring questions — but you can say that about any team — I think this is a team that truly believes they can, certainly, get back to the playoffs and maybe even compete with the Dodgers for the N.L. West title,” Saunders said.
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