No. 30: Colorado Rockies
Today we begin our baseball previews for the 2024 season—we’re going to count up from the No. 30 team all the way up to No. 1. This will not be a typical preview; my idea is to write on a topic that interests me about each team. It can be anything… historical, strategic, goofy, whatever. I’m hoping to have a lot of fun with this.
Then, after the essay, I’m going to do a short breakdown of the team in 2024 using what I’m calling the “Good Player Meter.” I’m hoping it will make sense as we go forward.
I think this will be a lot of fun, and would love for you to join in. For the next week or so, I’ll continue to offer 20% off our annual subscription.
Were the Rockies more fun pre-humidor?
In 2001, the Colorado Rockies—we’re talking the whole team—hit .331/.387/.554 at Coors Field. In Denver, the whole team was Stan Musial. They hit 191 doubles; had they been able to match that pace on the road, they would have shattered the doubles record*. Those Rockies scored 554 runs in 81 games, almost 7 runs per.
*The all-time doubles record was set by—you wouldn’t believe this—the 2008 Texas Rangers. You could have given me 5,000 guesses and I wouldn’t have come up with that one. That Rangers team had six players with 28 doubles or more, led by Ian Kinsler (41), but also including Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley, David Murphy and Marlon Byrd.
One thing that did not surprise me: Five of the top 10 doubles teams in baseball history are Red Sox teams. As aware as we have become about park factors, I’m still not sure we fully appreciate just how much they impact the game.
And here’s the thing: That wasn’t really that good a hitting Rockies team. I mean, yes, they had two all-time greats in Larry Walker and Todd Helton. But the rest of the team was… well, Juan Pierre AND Neifi Perez were in that lineup. Todd Walker. Jeff Cirillo. Terry Shumpert. Their regular catchers were Ben Petrick and Brent Mayne. I mean, there were some solid major leaguers in there and all, but, meaning no offense, that’s not the 1930 Yankees.
And yet they scored more runs than the 1930 Yankees. At home.
And remember: This was long before the National League DH.
That was Coors Field in all its glory. Here are the top seven runs-scoring home seasons in modern baseball history. See if you can spot the trend: