The Colorado Rockies offense is historically pathetic
Jul 10, 2023, 1:56 PM
When the Colorado Rockies ended the first half of their season on Sunday afternoon with a shutout loss to the San Francisco Giants, it was a familiar sight.
The scoreless loss going into the All-Star Break was the seventh time this season Colorado has failed to get a run in a game. This is unsurprising considering they’re the only offense in the National League West with fewer than 400 runs scored and their 393 tally is fifth-worst in the league. But just being worst in the NL West should be shocking, the only time in history the normally offensive-driven Rockies finished last in scoring among their closest foes was last season, and they’re pacing for that again—scoring 4.3 runs a contest, again.
Across MLB run scoring is up about 0.3 per game per team from 2022 to 2023. Given MLB’s new rules, this is easily explained, though the Rockies offense is just as bad despite the rule changes, meaning they’re even further away from league average. And the advanced data backs this up, saying Colorado’s offense this season is equal to a 79 wRC+, simply showing the Rockies offense is a baseball-worst 21% below average this season when accounting for playing environments. Since Colorado’s first year in 1993, only six teams across baseball have had a worse wRC+ during a full season.
Diving in, this is even worse than it may appear on the surface as Colorado’s position players are a baseball-worst -1.0 fWAR total. Meaning, a club of position players comprised of higher-performing veteran minor leaguers would have the Rockies offense and defense in a better position than their $180 million roster.
The Rockies are currently tracking to become the fifth team since 1993 to play a season with position players accounting for -1.0 fWAR or worse. Three of the four teams to do it in the past finished with 100 or more losses, which the Rockies are on pace for.
The Rockies have never lost 100 games, and that’s likely going to change over the next 71 games. This is the worst season of Colorado baseball, they’ve never been this bad. The totality of their offense is anemic and the numbers inside that are haunting. The Rockies 24.2% strikeout rate is the worst in franchise history, their .255/.315/.401 slash line is only barely bottomed by last season’s and 2023’s less-than-a-home run a-game pace has the potential to end with the fewest dingers by the team throughout a full season.
And none of this is getting better anytime soon, nor is it like the Rockies are “playing the kids” and going through the ups and downs of young players. Colorado has the fifth-oldest group of position players in baseball, and every team older is either the biggest disappointment in baseball—the Mets—or above .500.
For the Rockies to be this bad on offense is almost impressive in a sick way. To play at Coors Field, which Statcast rates as MLB’s most friendly park to hitters in baseball, and to still be this bad just underscores how desperately bad things have gotten at 20th and Blake.
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