Hope springs eternal as Bryant, Rockies start the season strong
Apr 14, 2022, 6:40 AM | Updated: 6:40 am
Following a tumultuous 2021 campaign that began with the Colorado Rockies trading away future Hall-of-Fame third baseman Nolan Arenado and ended without trades of two-time All-Star shortstop Trevor Story and starting pitcher Jon Gray, who both immediately departed in free agency, there was little hope that the 2022 version of the team would fare any better. But Major League Baseball’s most shocking free-agent signing may signal a change in the Rockies’ future.
The season’s standings have yet to be determined, of course, but the obvious change in attitude around the Rockies clearly begins with leftfielder Kris Bryant. The 2015 National League Rookie of the Year, 2016 National League MVP and World Series champion is making sure of that.
“I made that clear in the offseason — just talking with all the teams — that I really would like to have more of a say,” Bryant said just prior to last week’s Opening Day. “Just an opinion; an opinion that’s heard. Just because I felt like, in the past, I’ve never really had that.”
Surprisingly, after taking two of three games from the lavishly expensive Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field and sweeping the Texas Rangers in a two-game series, the Rockies have matched their best-ever beginning to a season at 4-1. The unexpected start backs up Bryant’s bold claim from March, after he signed an equally unexpected seven-year, $182 million contract to join the Rockies.
“We could definitely surprise some people,” he said. “And I like being on that side of things.”
The Rockies, who return home on Thursday to face Bryant’s original team — the Chicago Cubs, with whom he helped break the famed 108-year-old “Billy Goat Curse” — began the season 2-0 on the road. For comparison, the Rockies started 1-11 on the road in 2021, and unless they go on a 17-game road losing streak, they’ll reach three wins much, much faster.
“I’ve been successful on the road before with teams,” Bryant reminded reporters. “And I’ve played in big games on the road; close ball games, so I do have some experience of winning those.”
Bryant, who’s had a hit in all five games, is batting .350 in the opening days of the season, including three doubles and a pair of RBI. The Rockies’ pitching has had a lot to do with the team’s performance, as well. The Rockies’ bullpen leads the major leagues with a stunning 0.81 ERA and four saves, while the team’s overall 2.54 ERA ranks third. Rockies hurlers have surrendered only a minuscule .221 on-base percentage to opponents.
Utility man Connor Joe’s hot bat hasn’t hurt, either. Joe’s batting .316 with a pair of home runs and a team-best 1.143 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) that ranks in the top 20 in all of baseball.
Joe knows plenty about Bryant already. The two were college teammates at the University of San Diego, and upon the news of his signing less than a month ago, Joe was thrilled to become teammates once more with the Rockies.
“It’s awesome. Kris is an unbelievable person,” Joe said in March. “He’s one of my favorite teammates I have ever played with. He makes the Rockies a whole lot better, so I can’t wait to see what he does with us. To have him in the clubhouse is really cool — and he is going to help a lot of guys.”
Sometimes with advice, sometimes by example, and sometimes even by reputation alone, Bryant is expected to use his newfound position in the clubhouse to show his new teammates how they too, might eventually sport a World Series championship ring like the one Bryant has. It likely won’t happen quickly; despite their first-place standing, very few expect the Rockies to be in the postseason mix when it eventually arrives. Once a Rhodes Scholar candidate, Bryant’s no fool; he knows that more difficult days lie ahead.
“And that, I think, is the best quality of a leader — someone who could have a conversation with someone who’s struggling,” he said. “Someone who can stand up here and answer (the media’s) questions. I hope to provide that for the guys in there, and show them just a way to do things that’s comfortable for me.”
It’s only five games, and the Rockies’ hot start could — and probably will — fade into a long and difficult summer, but Bryant’s already brought something that Arenado and Story could no longer provide: optimism. Though the team’s success may turn out to be fleeting, Bryant’s presence is a breath of fresh air, one that — in baseball’s eternal spring, at least — Rockies fans desperately needed.
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