San Francisco – First baseman Todd Helton has dropped this greeting on infrequent media visitors to the Rockies’ clubhouse.
“Come to jump on the bandwagon?” he says with a smirk.
A hop on a broomstick is more appropriate. Only Harry Potter has enjoyed a more magical ride. The Rockies have gone from worst to first, perched atop the National League West this late in the season for the first time since 2000.
Their unlikely rise has prompted the obvious question: Are the Rockies for real? The answer might surprise you. Their strong bullpen and road rage have produced an impressive list of converts.
“They are very athletic (and) durable, and there’s no easy out in their lineup,” San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. “I really think they are going to be in it for the long haul.”
Towers sees a little of last year’s Padres in this year’s Rockies. The Padres won a weak division, leaning heavily on a veteran bullpen and versatile bench. The Rockies swept the Padres at Petco Park last month before taking a series from Arizona, which included a pounding of crafty Orlando Hernandez.
“Yes, I do think the Rockies are legitimate contenders,” Arizona Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes said. “(Brad) Hawpe, (Matt) Holliday and (Garrett) Atkins really have become a credible group behind Helton. Our division will likely remain a five-team race.”
After 35 games a year ago, the Rockies were 10-25. The season was sacrificed to develop young players.
Opening a series tonight at Houston, they are 20-15, a hint that the Broncos won’t be the only local team playing meaningful games in September.
Still, the Rockies know many people not named Dinger are waiting for team Quidditch to careen into a ditch.
“I know there are already people saying that,” starting pitcher Aaron Cook said. “And I can’t say that we are still going to be playing like this two or three months down the road. It’s not unusual for us to win.
“Maybe it’s unusual for the Rockies to win, but not for this group of guys.”
Nonetheless, early-season baseball statistics are notoriously poor indicators of the future. The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers started 18-2 and finished third in their division.
The Rockies admitted a .500 April was a worthy goal. After all, this is a franchise with the division’s lowest payroll ($41 million), and about 40 percent of that is devoted to Helton’s salary. Because the team is relatively inexperienced – Helton and Jamey Carroll are the only regulars older than 30 – some are convinced the Rockies need to prove they are for real.
“It’s pretty early to be saying they are for real,” Giants ace Jason Schmidt said. “They have a good team, but every year it seems to happen where someone like Pittsburgh or Cincinnati gets hot, then they aren’t there at the end.”
Added Giants catcher Todd Greene, a former Rockie: “I am happy for those guys. But the real test for any team is how they react when they get swept or drop six out of seven.”
The Rockies’ current two-game losing streak is their longest of the season. They haven’t had to question their identity as overachievers. There has been no reason to, not with Brad Hawpe looking like Larry Walker reincarnate and the team surviving when Helton sat on the disabled list.
“They pitched well against us,” Houston Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg said. “But when you are talking about a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs for a while (1995), they have to prove it over the entire season.”
If the Rockies are so highly regarded, how come nobody saw this coming? Colorado did, and that more anything has influenced this season. The Rockies went 30-28 over their final 58 games a year ago, reinvented themselves on the road and were buoyed by offseason upgrades in the bullpen.
“They have guys taking good at-bats, they have legitimate starting pitching, a good bullpen,” St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “I think they’re for real.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders contributed to this report.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
