1999 Colorado Rockies season

1999 Colorado Rockies
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s) Jerry McMorris
General manager(s) Bob Gebhard, Dan O'Dowd
Manager(s) Jim Leyland
Local television KWGN-TV
Fox Sports Rocky Mountain
(George Frazier, Dave Armstrong)
Local radio KOA (AM)
(Wayne Hagin, Jeff Kingery)
KCUV
(Antonio Guevara)
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The Colorado Rockies' 1999 season was the seventh for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Denver, Colorado, their seventh in the National League (NL), and fifth at Coors Field. The team competed in the National League West, finishing in fifth and last place with a record of 72–90, Jim Leyland, a longtime manager in MLB, debuted as the Rockies' new manager, and resigned following the season.

The Rockies, along with the San Diego Padres, made MLB history on Opening Day, April 4, 1999, by playing a contest in Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, making it the first Opening Day game held outside of the United States or Canada. Larry Walker won his second batting title by leading MLB with .379 average, setting a Rockies' club record, and the fourth-high single-season average since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Besides winning the batting championship, Walker also led the major leagues in on-base percentage (.458), and slugging percentage (.710), becoming the first player to lead MLB in all three categories since George Brett in 1980, and the first National Leaguer since Stan Musial in 1943.

Offseason

  • October 29, 1998: John Vander Wal was traded by the Colorado Rockies to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later. The San Diego Padres sent Kevin Burford (minors) (October 29, 1998) to the Colorado Rockies to complete the trade.[1]
  • November 9, 1998: Brian Bohanon and Lenny Harris were signed as Free Agents by the Colorado Rockies.[2][3]
  • November 20, 1998: Jason Bates was released by the Colorado Rockies.[4]
  • December 18, 1998: Henry Blanco was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.[5]

Regular season

On April 4, 1999, the Rockies made history as they played their Opening Day contest at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, marking the first time Major League Baseball (MLB) commenced the regular season outside of the United States or Canada. Their opponent were the defending National League champion San Diego Padres. Vinny Castilla, a native of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, delighted the crowd with four hits including a double. Dante Bichette also collected four hits, drove in four runs, and homered,[6][7][8] as Colorado won 8–2. The official attendance was 27,104.[9]

On April 28, right fielder Larry Walker hit three home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals for his second career three home run game while contributing eight RBI in a 9–7 win.[10]

In the May 19 contest versus the Cincinnati Reds, the Rockies were on the losing end of a 24−12 final, tied for the fourth-highest run-scoring output in MLB history. The Reds' Jeffrey Hammonds hit three home runs; following the season, Colorado acquired him via trade. Both Hammonds and Sean Casey totaled four hits. Casey went on base seven times with three walks, scoring five runs, and hit two home runs and six RBI. The Reds totaled six home runs; Brian Johnson hit the remainder. Both Walker and Bichette had four hits. Bichette also had five RBI, and Castilla hit a three-run home run.[11] Walker raised his season average to .431.[12]

From June 18−23, Walker tied Bichette's club record by homering in five consecutive games. The following day, Walker tied another club record, held by Andrés Galarraga, with his sixth consecutive multi-hit game. On July 8, Walker hit his 250th career home run versus Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[13]

Carrying a .382 first-half average, Walker had batted .390 (189 hits in 484 at bats) from the 1998 All-Star break to the same point in 1999, the equivalent of a full season.[13] He was named to his third consecutive All-Star team.[14] In the July 19 contest versus the Oakland Athletics, Walker became the second player to homer into the plaza reserve seating of the Oakland Coliseum, following Mark McGwire, who had done so three seasons earlier.[15]

For the season, Walker batted .379 − setting a Rockies record[16] and the fourth-highest since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941[17] − while leading the major leagues in batting for a second time. Walker also led the major leagues in offensive win % (.838), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.710), and OPS (1.168).[18] Sometimes referred to as the "Slash Stat Triple Crown," he became the seventh player within the previous 60 years to lead the league in each of average, OBP and SLG in the same season, and first since George Brett in 1980.[19] The last NL player to lead the majors in each of the three slash stat categories was Stan Musial in 1943.[13] Walker also hit 37 home runs and 115 RBI in just 438 at bats, stole 11 bases in 15 attempts, and registered 12 outfield assists.[20]

Per the Elias Sports Bureau (ESB), Walker's .461 average at Coors is the highest home batting average since ESB began tracking home/road splits in 1974, and 43 points higher than any other player's in that span.[13]

Season standings

NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Arizona Diamondbacks 10062 0.617 — 52–29 48–33
San Francisco Giants 8676 0.531 14 49–32 37–44
Los Angeles Dodgers 7785 0.475 23 37–44 40–41
San Diego Padres 7488 0.457 26 46–35 28–53
Colorado Rockies 7290 0.444 28 39–42 33–48

Record vs. opponents

1999 National League Records

Source: NL Standings Head-to-Head
Team ARI ATL CHC CIN COL FLA HOU LAD MIL MON NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL AL
Arizona —4–57–21–86–78–15–47–65–46–37–28–15–211–29–34–47–8
Atlanta 5–4—2–58–15–49–46–15–45–29–49–38–56–35–44–58–19–9
Chicago 2–75–2—5–84–56–33–92–76–62–53–62–77–66–31–77–56–9
Cincinnati 8–11–88–5—7–26–19–44–36–64–35–56–37–66–34–58–47-8
Colorado 7–64–55–42–7—5–42–68–56–36–34–55–42–74–94–94–54–8
Florida 1–84–93–61–64–5—2–77–25–48–43–102–113–43–64–53–411–7
Houston 4–51–69–34–96–27-2—6–38–57–24–56–15–78–15–45–712–3
Los Angeles 6–74–57–23–45–82–73–6—7–25–44–46–33–63–98–53–68–7
Milwaukee 4–52–56–66–63–64–55–82–7—5–42–55–48–43–54–57–68–6
Montreal 3–64–95–23–43–64–82–74–54–5—5–86–63–65–34–55–48–10
New York 2–73–96–35–55–410–35–44–45–28–5—6–67–27–27–25–212–6
Philadelphia 1-85–87–23–64–511–21–63–64–56–66–6—3–46–32–64–511–7
Pittsburgh 2–53–66–76–77–24–37–56–34–86–32–74–3—3–64–57–57–8
San Diego 2–114–53–63–69–46–31–89–35–33–52–73–66–3—5–72–711–4
San Francisco 3–95–47–15–49–45–44–55–85–45–42–76–25–47–5—6–37–8
St. Louis 4–41–85–74–85–44-37–56–36–74–52–55–45–77–23–6—7–8

Notable transactions

  • June 2, 1999: Jason Jennings was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 1st round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1999.[21]
  • July 2, 1999: Jeff Reed was released by the Colorado Rockies.[22]
  • July 31, 1999: Darryl Hamilton was traded by the Colorado Rockies with Chuck McElroy to the New York Mets for Brian McRae, Rigo Beltrán, and Thomas Johnson (minors).[23]
  • August 9, 1999: Brian McRae was traded by the Colorado Rockies to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later. The Toronto Blue Jays sent Pat Lynch (minors) (August 23, 1999) to the Colorado Rockies to complete the trade.[23]

Major League debuts

  • Batters:
    • Chris Sexton (May 3)
    • Chris Petersen (May 25)
    • Ben Petrick (Sep 1)
    • Juan Sosa (Sep 10)
  • Pitchers:
    • David Lee (May 22)
    • Mike Porzio (Jul 9)
    • Luther Hackman (Sep 1)[24]

Roster

1999 Colorado Rockies
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Game log

1999 Game Log

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Henry Blanco 88 263 61 .232 6 28
1B Todd Helton 159 578 185 .320 35 113
2B Kurt Abbott 96 286 78 .273 8 41
SS Neifi Pérez 157 690 193 .280 12 70
3B Vinny Castilla 158 615 169 .275 33 102
LF Dante Bichette 151 593 177 .298 34 133
CF Darryl Hamilton 91 337 102 .303 4 24
RF Larry Walker 127 438 166 .379 37 115

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Terry Shumpert9226291.3471037
Angel Echevarria10219156.2931135
Jeff Barry7416845.268526
Edgard Clemente5716241.253825
Lenny Harris9115847.297013
Mike Lansing3514545.310415
Kirt Manwaring4813741.299214

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Pedro Astacio34232.017115.04210
Brian Bohanon33197.112126.20120
Darryl Kile32190.28136.61116
Bobby Jones30112.16106.3374
Jamey Wright1694.1434.8749
John Thomson1462.21108.0434

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
David Lee3649.0323.6738
Roberto Ramírez3240.1158.2632
Mark Brownson729.2027.8921
Dave Wainhouse1928.2006.9118

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Dave Veres7348315.1471
Jerry DiPoto634514.2669
Curtis Leskanic636205.0877
Mike DeJean562408.4131
Chuck McElroy413106.2037

Awards, league leaders, and accomplishments

National League leaders

Offensive statistics

Honors

Awards

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox Pacific Coast League Bill Hayes
AA Carolina Mudcats Southern League Jay Loviglio
A Salem Avalanche Carolina League Ron Gideon
A Asheville Tourists South Atlantic League Jim Eppard
A-Short Season Portland Rockies Northwest League Alan Cockrell
Rookie AZL Rockies Arizona League P. J. Carey

[33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vandejo02.shtml
  2. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bohanbr01.shtml
  3. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harrile01.shtml
  4. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/batesja01.shtml
  5. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/blanche01.shtml
  6. ↑ The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Events: Opening Day
  7. ↑ ESPN - Baseball Tonight Clubhouse: Weekend preview - MLB
  8. ↑ Associated Press (April 5, 1999). "Bichette and Castilla spark Rockies in opener in Mexico". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres box score". Baseball-Reference.com. April 4, 1999. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  10. ↑ Cohen, Alan (December 21, 2015). "Larry Walker". Society of American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  11. ↑ Gould, Andrew (March 17, 2017). "The top 15 highest scoring MLB games in history". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Larry Walker 1999 batting gamelogs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Larry Walker stats, fantasy & news (Career biography)". MLB.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  14. ↑ "1999 All-Star Game box score, July 13". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  15. ↑ Durkin, Jimmy (May 20, 2017). "A's Chad Pinder joins rare company with monstrous blast". The Mercury News. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Colorado Rockies top 10 single-season batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  17. ↑ Barbosa, Victor (January 18, 2017). "The 4 batters since Ted Williams closest to hitting .400". Sports Cheat Sheet. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  18. ↑ "1999 Major League Baseball batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  19. ↑ Funck, Kevin (August 26, 2009). "Changing speeds: The Slash Stat Triple Crown". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  20. ↑ Newhan, Ross (October 3, 1999). "Around the NL: Walker gave Leyland joy in down season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  21. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jennija01.shtml
  22. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reedje02.shtml
  23. 1 2 Brian McRae Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  24. ↑ http://www.thebaseballcube.com/statistics/1999/10.shtml
  25. ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.189, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
  26. ↑ "1999 National League batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  27. ↑ "1999 Major League Baseball batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  28. ↑ "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Canada". Sports Illustrated. December 27, 1999. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  29. ↑ "1999 All-Star Game box score, July 8". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Rockies awards". Colorado Rockies. MLB.com. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  31. ↑ "MLB National League Gold Glove Award winners". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  32. ↑ "MLB Silver Slugger Award winners − National League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  33. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
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