Wednesday Rockpile: The broken nature of a historically bad Rockies team

On Tuesday night we saw them become the first team in the modern era (dating back to 1900) to trail in 29 consecutive games to begin the year, breaking a record held by the 1910 St. Louis Browns. They finished with a record of 7-22 in their first month of games with 19 of those losses coming in April alone. We saw the Rockies blow a five-run lead in the ninth inning for just the third time in franchise history, ultimately losing a game — in which they were leading 5-0 the entire time behind a stellar pitching performance by Ryan Feltner — 7-6 in extra innings.

During the collapse, you could see the visible frustration and devastation among the players as they slunk back to their clubhouse, continuing to face the realization that another 100-loss season is extremely likely.

2024 is already one of the most trying seasons in franchise history. Apathy is running at an all-time high for fans who have grown exhausted of a team buried in mediocrity. While it's still early in the season and warmer summer weather is on the way, the Rockies currently rank roughly 17th in team attendance with an average attendance of 24,824 in their 13 games at Coors Field. Yet, if you were to look at the vast number of empty seats at a given game this month, that number of actual attendees is likely to be much lower in reality.

A major cause for the lack of overall interest is the lethargic offense that the Rockies have rolled out to begin the season. Once a fearsome team of sluggers, the Rockies have evolved into an offense that often whimpers to a few runs in a given game and doesn't hit many home runs. They finished with a franchise-high 26.8% strikeout rate in March/April which didn't pair well with a 7.3% walk rate.

It seems over the past few years we have had the same conversations over and over again about how the Rockies offense isn't potent enough, strikeouts continue to be a problem, and they aren't clutch. The pitching staff walks too many batters and they keep using sinker ballers. For years fans have force-fed the same excuses and solutions to these problems and it's mostly boiled down to a 'We just need to play better' type of resolution.

The problem is, that's easier said than done.

While the players definitely have their part to play in the team's failures, the majority of the blame rests with the powers in control that have failed to give them the structure to flourish, develop and actually play better. We often hear about how a change of scenery can really do a player good and we have seen it in many instances of players that have left the Rockies to find success elsewhere.

The idea of nature vs. nurture seems to be quite applicable to the Rockies organization. Throughout the system, including the big-league roster, you can find players with lots of potential and natural talent. We have seen stellar players join the big-league roster and struggle immensely to find sustained success before finding success again in the minors. It's easy to dismiss some players as Quadruple-A players, but is the Rockies big-league environment conducive to growth at a meaningful rate?

As a fan, I can watch the team and recognize there is a general lack of enthusiasm about the team. While there is a sense of camaraderie among the players, you can tell there isn't much of a spark in the clubhouse where the environment has likely become stagnant. The team is void of any type of personality or identity.

It's a difficult balance to have fun while still treating losing with the magnitude it mandates. Yet there is the reality that not being loose enough continues to compound the struggles and frustrations until it finally reaches a breaking point. The Rockies dugout doesn't appear to be an environment where players can let their personalities shine like players of old used to back in the day.

Much of the culture in the clubhouse likely rests with the man who fills the captain's chair. Sam Bradfield wrote her thoughts in an excellent piece about the need for change at the manager position. Essentially, Black was the right man for the job for a team ready to contend with an experienced roster in 2017 and 2018, but he does not mesh well with a team that is now rebuilding for the future with a youth movement underway.

Last week I wrote about how the Rockies' desire for stability can't happen unless they begin to value change over that stability. You can find plenty of other articles over the years here at Purple Row about the shortcomings of the top brass for the Rockies and the decisions being made and the inability to field a competitive team.

As both a fan and a journalist of this team, I'm just as frustrated as many as you are. I'm almost ashamed to identify myself as a Rockies fan in public. It's a chore to watch games and follow the team on a day-to-day basis despite the desire to be excited about players like Jordan Beck making their major league debuts. I fear that an exciting player such as Beck will somehow be infected by the old-school, single-minded snake oil sales pitch that the Rockies organization has convinced themselves is conducive to a winning team. At this point, I don't trust the MLB team to actively make players better.

On Tuesday night, as I watched the Rockies collapse, I found myself becoming more like Randy Quaid's character in the movie Major League II. I wish I had the answers to fix this team or could simply will them into contention, but I can't. Instead, I will have to continue to hold onto that fleeting thread called hope that ownership will have the courage to step out of their comfort zone and make the necessary changes to improve for the future. I can support the players as much as I can and hope that they can have the courage to stand up and develop a culture among themselves to become the next generation of leaders this team needs. I can hope that the Rockies stop being complacent and accepting of mediocrity and realize that the historically bad records they are setting are unacceptable.

They must pick up the pieces of their franchise and find a way to stop being broken.

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No. 4 prospect Beck's dreams become a reality with stellar debut | MLB.com

One of the few highlights from Tuesday night was Beck's MLB debut in which he gathered a pair of singles. This article recaps his thoughts on the night as well as his parents being there.

Vinny Castilla and José Altuve named WBC ambassadors | AS México

A fun thing from the weekend in Mexico City was that Vinny Castilla was named an ambassador for the World Boxing Council and was presented with a WBC championship belt.

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On the Farm

Triple-A: Round Rock Express 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 3

Thomas Ponticelli struggled in his start for Albuquerque, surrendering six runs on six hits, including three home runs, with four walks in 4 2⁄3 innings. After giving up two runs in the first inning, Ponticelli settled in until giving up four runs in the fifth inning. The bullpen settled in nicely to keep Round Rock in place but the offense was able to close the gap. Drew Romo clubbed his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth, and drove in the Isotopes' only other run as part of a two-hit evening. Michael Toglia also went 2-for-3 with a double.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (POSTPONED)

High-A: Eugene Emeralds 3, Spokane Indians 1

Mason Green struggled with command in his start, lasting just three innings while giving up one run per inning. He issued walks and gave up five hits, but managed to escape jams and keep the game close. Despite their seven hits, the Indians were unable to string together more runs. Cole Carrigg, Dyan Jorge, and Juan Guerrero each had two hits with Carrigg having the only extra-base hit.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 9, Inland Empire 66ers 2

The Grizzlies tallied nine runs on 10 hits, including multi-hit nights from Aidan Longwell, Tevin Tucker, Ben McCabe and Fadriel Cruz. Longwell, Tucker, and Cruz each hit a home run in the game. On the mound, Alberto Pacheco struck out six and allowed two runs on six hits in 4 2⁄3 innings of work. The bullpen locked things down, giving up two hits and one walk with three strikeouts the rest of the game.

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