It has been a long, painful journey, but the Rockies have ascended to the ranks of average.
And, no, I don’t mean pretty average or kind of average. We’re talking thoroughly average. Average at best and average at worst. That kind of average.
As of Wednesday afternoon, their .500 (32-32) record broke down as follows: 16-16 at home, 16-16 on the road and 5-5 in the past 10 games. Not only that, they ranked eighth in the 16-team National League in earned run average.
They’re a picture of mediocrity, all right. Question is, are they a portrait of potential, too? Or are they destined for their accustomed last- or next-to-last place finish in the NL West?
Ten weeks into things, we still don’t know what to make of these Rockies. We have no idea if they’re for real. Having been teased and tormented so many times, most people’s natural inclination is to assume they’ll drop out of the race in the weeks to come.
Trouble is, it isn’t early anymore. It’s mid-June and the Rockies have a clear view of first place and, might I mention, the best bullpen in the division. At some point, if they stay within shouting distance, don’t we have to label them contenders?
Something else to keep in mind: The Rockies have stayed close despite several doses of adversity.
Would-be bullpen mainstay Mike DeJean is gone for the season with shoulder problems. Clint Barmes has been in a prolonged funk at the plate. Cory Sullivan has dropped off the map after a great April.
Wait, there’s more. Their catchers, from an offensive standpoint, have been a black hole, and Todd Helton hasn’t been a shadow of his former self – not even the Helton of 2005, much less the perennial all-star of years past.
Despite it all, the Rockies have stayed in the race. Fact is, they’ve displayed a trait precious few Rockies teams have in their 13-plus seasons. Consistent pitching? No. True grit.
Admit it. Their disastrous West Coast swing, followed by a home sweep at the hands of the Marlins, had you thinking Broncos training camp. Instead, the Rockies had won five out of seven to get back to .500 going into Wednesday night’s game at Washington.
How have they done it? Amazingly, every setback they’ve had has been countered by a pleasant surprise, if not a shocking development. DeJean goes down and rookie Ramon Ramirez turns unhittable.
Helton is stricken with a mysterious illness and Matt Holliday emerges as a bona fide all-star. Barmes’ stroke calls in sick in April and May and career utilityman Jamey Carroll answers the call at the top of the order.
For all we didn’t see coming and for all we’re still left to wonder about, this much we know: If Helton doesn’t snap out of it, the Rockies aren’t going anywhere. But then, history suggests in no uncertain terms that he will. And what happens if he comes back with a vengeance as he did last season, when he couldn’t find it early, then hit .383 after July 1?
Then we could have a real, live contender in our midst, a team a piece or two away from winning the West. Which brings us to the Rockies’ quandary. With the trading deadline six weeks away, should they be buyers or sellers?
The answer is simple: Depends on the price.
Several names, Dontrelle Willis and Carl Crawford among them, have been kicked around behind closed doors, but each would cost a star prospect, more than likely two. Troy Tulowitzki or Ian Stewart or Ubaldo Jimenez, the proud owner of a high-90s fastball, not to mention a 1.51 ERA in his past seven starts at Double-A Tulsa.
Would acquiring an established impact player be worth it if it meant mortgaging prospects who could become major pieces of the Rockies’ future? The answer, as unpopular as it may be among a restless fan base starving for a winner, is no.
“If it’s something we can do that makes sense, we’ll look at it,” Rockies owner Charlie Monfort said. “But if those are the names you’re talking about (Tulowitzki, Stewart and Jimenez), that’s not going to happen. I really believe, even if we don’t do anything, our best is ahead of us this season.”
I’m with Monfort this time. I don’t know where the Rockies are headed this season, but having come this far, they can’t – as in cannot, under any circumstances – lose sight of the big picture. They can’t trade away star prospects, the likes of which they’ve never accumulated, for a one-year run at a mediocre division.
After all this pain and suffering, after alienating all those fans, it has to be about more than that. It has to be about building a foundation that, if they get a break here and there, can keep them in the hunt for years to come.
Now for the other side of the argument: Pro sports in the 21st century are about winning now, and there’s no guarantee the Rockies, for all the progress they’ve made, will be in this position again in the near future. Besides, if the Rockies don’t believe in their product enough to be buyers at the trading deadline, why should their fans believe?
It’s a legitimate question. And it’s completely understandable that Rockies fans who shell out $6.50 a beer would want an immediate winner after all those long, hot, unfulfilled summers. The problem is it’s bad business.
The Rockies from their earliest days have been all about taking shortcuts. In the dog days of 1993, they swung a deal with the Padres that brought veteran pitchers Greg Harris and Bruce Hurst to Our Town. The price was a package of prospects including, among others, minor-league catcher Brad Ausmus.
Before you get down on the Rockies if they aren’t bullish on the trade market, ask yourself the question: How good would Ausmus have looked behind the plate at Coors Field from Day One?
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
