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The Colorado Rockies finished dead least in the NL West with a 74-88 record. This was the second season in a row the Rockies finished last in their division. A change was obviously needed, so management decided it would be a good idea to ship out Dexter Fowler and receive 23-year old RHP Jordan Lyles from the Houston Astros. Jordan Lyles is not a great pitcher, folks. It doesn't help that he will now be pitching half his games in pitchers hell, also known as, Coors Field.
Fowler started off the season red hot, unfortunately his production tapered off and he got injured resulting in only 119 games played. He finished the season hitting 12 HR's, 42 RBI's. 71 R's, 19 SB's with a .263 AVG.
Jordan Lyles was called up from AAA in the second half of the season and was pretty bad. He posted a 5.59 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 4.57 FIP, 5.91 K/9, and 0.4 WAR. I'm scared to see what he does in Colorado. Anyway, it's safe to say he won't be in the top 5 here so let's move on and take a look at who did make it.
1. Troy Tulowitzki
It would be great if Tulo could stay healthy for a full season. He was having an MVP-caliber season before he went down last year. He has MVP-caliber seasons almost every year. In five out of the last seven seasons, Tulowitzki has finished in the top 18 of NL MVP voting. In terms of production, Tulo is as consistent as they come. When drafting Troy you know you're gonna get solid average, 25+ home runs, 90+ RBI and 85+ runs. In 126 games last year, he hit 25 HR, 82 RBI, 72 R with a .312 AVG.
2. Carlos Gonzalez
Car-Go also missed quite a bit of time last season due to injury, but he still managed to produce a 20/20 season. In 110 games, Gonzalez whacked 26 HR, 70 RBI, 72 R, 21 SB with a .302 AVG. If he stayed healthy, there's no doubt in my mind we would have been looking at a 35+ HR, 90+ RBI, 90+ R and 30+ SB. Car-Go made his second straight All-Star game, and he also won his second straight gold glove, despite missing 52 games. He has been one of the most consistent players in fantasy in terms of production for the past few years.
3. Wilin Rosario
Rosario is entering his third full season in the MLB and is one of the better options at catcher. In the past two seasons, Rosario has hit at least 21 HR, knocked in at least 71 RBI, at least 63 R and has maintained a batting average of a least .270. His solid production in 2012 saw him finish fourth in NL ROY voting. Last season, Rosario hit 21 HR, 79 RBI, 63 R, and .292 AVG. Those numbers are very similar to his 2012 stats. Rosario could be one of the safest bets at catcher this season.
4. Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer turned back the clock last season and had himself his best season in quite a while. Cuddyer hit 20 HR, drove in 84 RBI, 74 R, stole 10 bases, and his best AVG of his entire career, .331 AVG. His fantastic season earned him his first ever Silver Slugger Award. Cuddyer will be 35 when this season starts, so it's going to be hard to project what he will do. Can he continue this production or was this a fluke?
5. Nolan Arenado
Sleeper alert! Don't let Arenado slip by you during draft day. I have high hopes for this kid and I think he will have a terrific season. He finished seventh in NL ROY voting and won his first Gold Glove. Arenado will probably be available pretty late in drafts and could turn out to be one of the best value picks of the 2014 season.
Anyone you think should be on here that isn't? Let us know in the comments.
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