2002 Colorado Rockies

Record: 73-89, Finished 4th in NL Western Division (2002 NL)

Managed by Buddy Bell (6-16) and Clint Hurdle (67-73)

Coaches: Brad Andress, Alan Cockrell, Rich Donnelly, Dave Garcia, Mike Gallego, Toby Harrah, Clint Hurdle, Fred Kendall, Walt Weiss, Dallas Williams and Jim Wright

Ballpark: Coors Field

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 2002 Colorado Rockies, despite a weak record and a 4th-place finish, did feature some solid performers. Future Hall of Famers Todd Helton and Larry Walker led the way offensively, with Helton slashing .329/.429/.577 with 30 home runs, 109 RBI and 107 runs scored and Walker contributing a .338/.421/.602 line, 26 homers, 104 RBI and 95 runs scored. The drop off after them was stark, however. Outfielder Juan Pierre contributed 47 steals and 90 runs scored, but was not much of an offensive threat, posting a meager 69 OPS+. In another era, Todd Zeile's 18 home runs and 87 RBI would have been more impressive, but in the high-offense early-2000s, it netted him a less-than-stellar OPS+ of 93. Short-timers and bench players contributed their fair share, with Jay Payton hitting .335/.376/.606 in 170 at-bats, Gabe Kapler hitting .311/.359/.445 in 119 at-bats and Jason Romano hitting .324/.375/.378 in 37 at-bats - but their contributions were muted due to their limited play. The catcher position was especially weak. Gary Bennett, usually a reserve, was the club's primary backstop, netting 291 at-bats and hitting .265/.314/.354. Bobby Estalella earned 112 at-bats, but hit just .205/.285/.491. The aging Sandy Alomar Jr., then 38, hit .267/.292/.308 in 116 at-bats, for a paltry OPS+ of 48. Even the little-known Walt McKeel saw 13 at-bats, contributing a .308 average.

On the mound, Jason Jennings went 16-8 with a Coors Field and era-elevated ERA of 4.52 in 32 starts and Denny Stark was 11-4 with a 4.00 ERA in 32 games (20 starts). In the bullpen, Jose Jimenez led the league with 69 games finished, had 41 saves, and managed a 3.56 ERA, despite going 2-10. Behind him, his primary help in the 'pen was decent at best, with the next-best ERA among the club's primary relievers belonging to Dennys Reyes at 4.24. But there were distinct lowlights. In 24 games (2 starts), Victor Santos went 0-4 with a 10.38 ERA. Mark Corey had a 12.00 mark in 14 relief appearances. 2001's big free-agent signing Mike Hampton was just 7-15 with a 6.15 ERA in 30 starts and Kent Mercker, one of the primary cogs in the bullpen, had a 6.14 mark in 58 games.

The club didn't lean too heavily on youngsters and phenoms, but a handful of 23-year-olds showed promise. The aforementioned Jason Jennings and Jason Romano were 23. Juan Uribe was the starting shortstop, playing 155 games, at that age, and Aaron Cook was 2-1 with a 4.54 ERA and 106 ERA+ in 35 2/3 innings. Following the season, the club attempted addition by subtraction, releasing or granting free agency to Santos, Mercker, Alomar and Bennett. They traded Hampton, Pierre and cash to the Florida Marlins for Vic Darensbourg, Charles Johnson, Pablo Ozuna and Preston Wilson. To bolster the team, they brought back reliever Steve Reed, who was a Rockie in the 1990s before moving elsewhere, added infielder Jose Hernandez, who didn't even last the entire 2003 season, added inconsistent veteran pitcher Darren Oliver and added infielders Ronnie Belliard and Chris Stynes. If all that seems like a recipe for an equally ho-hum 2003, it was, as they lost 88 games that year.