Almost forty games into the season and the Colorado Rockies are sitting in first place in the NL West. First baseman, Mark Reynolds is on fire (.331, 12 HR, 31 RBIs), Nolan Arenado is still the best third baseman in the game, and the young pitching staff is throwing well. This could be the year….
I want to believe that too. But as you sit there with your purple shaded glasses on, my job is to explain to you the harsh reality of how the rest of the season will sadly progress.

1) Injuries. Pitchers just can’t make it through a season anymore. Tyler Anderson and Jon Gray are already on the disabled list. And you know there is going to be a lot more to come. The Rockies don’t have a shut-down ace to stop a losing slide, or the depth to cover for a man out. A handful of pitchers and a few bats are bound to go down, as will the Rockies place in the standings. Watch for the Rockies to be a few games under .500 by the All-Star break.

2) The pitching staff won’t be a secret to the league. Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, and others have the upper hand when the league is unfamiliar with their stuff. But the league tends to catch up after they see the pitcher a few times. That means trouble.

3) At the trade deadline the Dodgers and Rockies will both make moves. The Dodgers will bring in another ace, a few former MVP’s, and a 100 mph left-handed set up man. If the Rockies are still in the hunt, they will trade for Elmondo Sanchez, a 38 year-old beer vendor from AA Pensacola.

4) Cargo will be traded at the deadline. Gonzalez is over 30, is a free agent in 2018, and is due to make 20 million next year. If he’s playing well, the Rockies will trade him to a contender for multiple unknown “prospects”. If he’s playing poorly, the Rockies will try to unload him for a lesser group of unknown “prospects”.

5) Finally, at under .500 at the All-Star break and a seller at the trade deadline, the Rockies will bring up half of AAA to fill the roster, and the Monfort brothers will have to be content with a 75-87 record, same as last year, and 2.6 million tickets sold, same as every year.

But the beer will always taste great.

Alan Tapley The Athletic Supporter

Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years.  His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports.  The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights.  At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands.  But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was.  The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship.