I think there’s ONE primary question that should drive the Rockies baseball ops department moving forward:
What plays BOTH at a Mile High and at sea level?
I think there a few things the organization can build around from the bottom up, moving forward with the Paul Depodesta regime:
1) For pitching, I think the Rockies identity should be the change-up pitch (ideally a straight change-up, which is not dependent on the ball breaking). A straight change will be impacted very little by altitude, here or at sea level. Thus, it’s a winning pitch at home and on the road. I think EVERY pitcher joining the organization via the draft, or otherwise, should either have a top-notch change in place or be taught one from day one, starting at the rookie ball level.
Similarly, great fastballs play at both a mile high and sea level. However, it needs to be an elite fastball, which aren’t that easy to find. Finally, from a pitching perspective, it seems the split-fingered fastball is the pitch of the decade — although it won’t break as much in Denver as elsewhere, which can be problematic. But once again, I think the Rockies pitching philosophy should be built around great change-ups.
2) For hitting, I think there are a couple key focus areas that work at home and on the road. a) Speed. Speed kills at altitude and at sea level. And speed works offensively and defensively. More stolen bases, more first-to-thirds, first-to-homes and scoring from second base on almost any single. Speed will result in more infield singles, too. And it’s a fun and exciting way to play for fans and players. Defensively, I think ideally you should have above-average speed at second and short and in all three outfield positions. That will enhance the defensive coverage in MLB’s biggest outfield, Coors Field, while also giving the Rockies the boosts on the offensive side, as previously mentioned. The Rockies can focus on power at first and third base, along with one big power bat in the outfield. Fortunately, the Rockies are getting good power from the catching position as well, with Hunter Goodman.
The Blake St. Bombers were fun but I think the best home and road attribute for the Colorado Rockies is speed. Plus, power is more expensive to acquire. Speed is more of a value play. Finally, on the hitting side, another area of focus needs to be finding hitters who can control the strike zone: i.e., hitters that make contact, draw walks and have a low chase rate. Those are all things that work at home and on the road, with altitude having little impact.
People are always asking, “What’s the Rockies identity?” I don’t think they’ve had one since the Blake St. Bombers days. However, I think moving forward the Rockies identity should be pitchers with great change-ups, speed, and hitters who control the strike zone.