The Cycle Begins

[67RedSox]

The cycle of another Baseball season is starting with Spring Training sites coming alive from Jupiter, Florida to Surprise, Arizona. Of course, it follows that optimism for the fortunes of your favourite team for the coming season come alive as well. I’ve been following the Grand Old Game long enough to know every Baseball season brings pleasant surprises and bitter disappointments. That means past performance does not guarantee future performance. Since it’s healthier ( and more fun ) to live in positive energy than negative energy I choose to be optimistic rather than pessimistic about the fortunes of the Rockies and their individual parts in 2014. That doesn’t mean I’m going to be unrealistic and believe the Rockies will win 162 games this season or even 100 but I see no reason why one shouldn’t feel 2014 will be a better season than 2013. I’m thinking .500 is a reasonable expectation to have as a starting point for the season. How the starting pitching pans out, how the outfielders like Dickerson, Blackmon, Barnes and Stubbs react to the challenge, how healthy the Rockies stay, how much Rosario improves defensively, how much Weiss learned in getting a year under his belt, how the development of players like Arenado goes, how much the Rockies improve hitting away from Coors, etc. etc., will all determine just how far above or below .500 the Rockies will settle.
I’m sure there are many Rockies fans who are going to feel reluctant to have positive expectations given the way this team has been managed by Ownership and the FO over the years and I quite understand that. Perhaps they’re the realists and I’m being naïve but I say again, Baseball is a crazy game, anything can happen. The Dodgers are not guaranteed the NL West, the Cardinals are not guaranteed an above .500 season, the Astros are not guaranteed to be the worst team in the Majors and there is certainly no guarantee this will be another down year for the Rockies. So, I’m starting at .500 and working up from there.

 

[Silas]

I think any team in the NL West could win the Division if all the "IF'S" come to pass for the particular team in question.

If these games were played on paper I'd have to say my Dodgers would be smiling at the end of the year.

That being said, funny things happen on the field of play and I won't be surprised to see any team come out on top.

I do hope the Rockies have a very good Season. You Rockies' fans deserve a winner. Best of luck this season.