On a postcard-perfect autumn night, the Colorado Rockies made history last Tuesday at Coors Field.
This wasn’t the kind of history anyone in purple pinstripes wanted to be a part of, of course, but it remained notable all the same: The Rockies’ 100th loss of the 2023 season, a franchise first handed to them by an old nemesis in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A crowd of 25,133, roughly half Coors Field’s capacity, paid to witness the moment on the back end of a day-night doubleheader.
While Rockies manager Bud Black insisted 100 was just another number, no different than 98 or 99, many in a fanbase beaten down by years of mediocre baseball could not ignore its significance.
As the Rockies play out the string in the waning days of the worst season in club history, The Denver Post examines the franchise in a series of stories that attempt to define the core principles that led to this moment and currently guide a club that from the outside has often appeared directionless.
Just what is the “Rockie Way,” and why has it produced only nine winning seasons and zero National League West titles in the club’s 31-year history? In talking to dozens of sources across the baseball landscape, including agents, front office executives, former players and league observers, The Post found a franchise walled off from its peers, that lags behind innovative industry leaders and remains stuck in a middle ground between going all-in for a championship and rebuilding its roster without ever fully committing to either.
Matt Schubert, The Denver Post
Part 1: What is the Rockie Way? After three decades of mediocrity, a franchise is still searching for answers.
While fans continue to flock to Coors Field, the on-field product is sub-par largely because the Rockies, rarely aggressive in free agency and historically reluctant to make big trades, have failed to develop their homegrown talent.
Part 2: Many Rockies fans are fed up with owner Dick Monfort but love of Coors Field endures
The Denver Post solicited fans for their views on the Rockies and attending games at Coors Field. Based on emails from more than 100 fans and an online survey that drew more than 2,300 responses, several themes emerged.
Part 3: The Colorado Rockies continue to look inward to turn around lagging franchise. Is Bill Schmidt the answer?
Colorado just lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history, extending its current playoff drought to five seasons. And with few MLB-ready pitchers in the pipeline to shore up what will still be an injury-riddled rotation next summer, it isn’t hard to see that drought extending to six in 2024.
Part 4: State of the Rockies’ farm: Draft-and-build Colorado remains behind in pitching, analytics
The organization’s confidence in the future stands in stark contrast with the reality of the present, as the Rockies are mired in a five-year playoff drought. As Kyle Freeland and his teammates keep “looking for that light” at the end of a long and dark tunnel in LoDo, Colorado has a handful of positional prospects who might be able to provide it.
But the Rockies’ pitching depth lags beneath the MLB mean. If that doesn’t get addressed, the club won’t have the arms to match the bats when a competitive window presented by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, outfielder Zac Veen, Romo, Beck and others opens.
Additional reading:
Opinion: What Rockies fans have to say about the franchise: “We don’t enjoy our team losing”
The Denver Post asked Rockies fans for their views on the state of the team and attending games at Coors Field. Here is a sample of those opinions.
Rockies’ road to 100: The omens, injuries and ugly defeats that led to Colorado’s worst season in franchise history
The 2023 Colorado Rockies are officially infamous. The Rockies lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history. The milestone loss was the exclamation point on Colorado’s season-long blueprint for failure — one that featured a dearth of both pitching and experience.
Rockies fans survey: What are your thoughts about attending games at Coors Field?
With a fifth consecutive losing season clinched, The Denver Post sought input from fans for their views about attending Rockies games at Coors Field. Here are the results of the poll.
Previous coverage:
- Blake Street Bombers: Rockies “need to bully” teams at Coors Field
- Rockies Journal: German Marquez’s contract a win-win — if right-hander produces
- Keeler: If Stan Kroenke gave Dick Monfort $3 billion to get away from Rockies, it would be Denver’s best sports swap since John Elway in ’83.
- Rockies Journal: Would Colorado’s first 100-loss season matter?
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