Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Field, which is located in the Lower Downtown area of Denver. It is owned by the Monfort brothers and managed by Bud Black.

Colorado Rockies
2020 Colorado Rockies season
Established in 1993
Team logoCap insignia
Major league affiliations


Current uniform
Retired numbers
Colors
  • Purple, black, silver[1][2][3]
                  
Name
  • Colorado Rockies (1993–present)
Other nicknames
  • The Rox, The Blake Street Bombers
Ballpark
Major league titles
World Series titles (0)None
NL Pennants (1)2007
West Division titles (0)None
Wild card berths (5)
Front office
Owner(s)The Monfort brothers
ManagerBud Black
General ManagerJeff Bridich
President of Baseball OperationsJeff Bridich

The Rockies began play as an expansion team for the 1993 season, and played their home games for their first two seasons at Mile High Stadium. Since 1995, they have played at Coors Field, which has earned a reputation as a hitter's park. The Rockies have qualified for the postseason five times, each time as a Wild Card winner. In 2007, the team earned its first (and only) NL pennant after winning 14 of their final 15 games in the regular season to secure a Wild Card position, capping the streak off with a 13 inning 9-8 victory against the San Diego Padres in the tiebreaker game affectionately known as "Game 163" by Rockies fans. The Rockies then proceeded to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS and NLCS respectively and entered the 2007 World Series as winners of 21 of their last 22 games. However, they were swept by the American League (AL) champions Boston Red Sox in four games.

From 1993 to 2019, the Rockies have an overall record of 2,033–2,280 (a .471 winning percentage).[4]

History

Denver had long been a hotbed of Denver Bears/Zephyrs minor league baseball and residents and businesses in the area desired a Major League team.[5][6] Denver's Mile High Stadium was built originally as Denver Bears Stadium,[7] a minor league baseball stadium that could be upgraded to major league standards.[6] Following the Pittsburgh drug trials in 1985, an unsuccessful attempt was made to purchase the Pittsburgh Pirates and relocate them. However, in January 1990, Colorado's chances for a new team improved significantly when Coors Brewing Company became a limited partner with the AAA Denver Zephyrs.[8]

In 1991, as part of Major League Baseball's two-team expansion (along with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins), an ownership group representing Denver led by John Antonucci and Michael I. Monus was granted a franchise.[9] They took the name "Rockies" due to Denver's proximity to the Rocky Mountains, which is reflected in their logo; the name was previously used by the city's first NHL team (who are now the New Jersey Devils). Monus and Antonucci were forced to drop out in 1992 after Monus' reputation was ruined by an accounting scandal. Trucking magnate Jerry McMorris stepped in at the 11th hour to save the franchise, allowing the team to begin play in 1993. The Rockies shared Mile High Stadium with the National Football League (NFL)'s Denver Broncos for their first two seasons while Coors Field was constructed. It was completed for the 1995 Major League Baseball season.

In 1993, they started play in the West division of the National League. The Rockies were MLB's first team based in the Mountain Time Zone. They have reached the Major League Baseball postseason five times, each time as the National League wild card team. Twice (1995 and 2009) they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2007, the Rockies advanced to the World Series, only to be swept by the Boston Red Sox. Like their expansion brethren, the Miami Marlins, they have never won a division title since their establishment; they are also one of two current MLB teams that have never won their division.

The Rockies have played their home games at Coors Field since 1995. Their newest spring training home, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, opened in March 2011 and is shared with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Season record

Uniform

At the start of the 2012 season, the Rockies introduced "Purple Mondays" in which the team wears its purple uniform every Monday game day.[10][11]

Baseball Hall of Famers

In 2020, Larry Walker was the first Colorado Rockies player to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.[12]

Colorado Rockies Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Colorado Rockies

Larry Walker *

  • Players and managers listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Rockies cap insignia.
  • * Colorado Rockies listed as primary team according to the Hall of Fame

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

Colorado Rockies in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame
No. Name Position(s) Seasons Notes
Jerry McMorrisOwner1992–2005
KSMKeli McGregorPresident2001–2010Attended Colorado State University
9, 14Vinny Castilla3B1993–1999
2004, 2006
10Dante BichetteOF1993–1999
14Andrés Galarraga1B1993–1997
17Todd Helton1B1997–2013
25Don BaylorManager1993–1998
33Larry WalkerRF1995–2004

Individual awards

NL MVP

NLCS MVP

NL Rookie of the Year

Silver Slugger Award

Hank Aaron Award

Gold Glove Award

Manager of the Year Award

NL Batting Champion [13]

DHL Hometown Heroes (2006)

  • Larry Walker – voted by MLB fans as the most outstanding player in the history of the franchise, based on on-field performance, leadership quality and character value

Team award

Team records (single-game, single-season, career)

Championships

National League Champions
Preceded by:
St. Louis Cardinals
2007 Succeeded by:
Philadelphia Phillies
National League Wild Card Winners
Preceded by:
None (First)
1995 Succeeded by:
Los Angeles Dodgers
Preceded by:
Los Angeles Dodgers
2007 Succeeded by:
Milwaukee Brewers
Preceded by:
Milwaukee Brewers
2009 Succeeded by:
Atlanta Braves
Preceded by:
Arizona Diamondbacks
2018 Succeeded by:
Washington Nationals
National League Wild Card Runner-Up
2017

Retired numbers

Todd Helton is the first Colorado player to have his number (17) retired, which was done on Sunday, August 17, 2014.[14]

Newly-elected Hall of Fame member, Larry Walker, will have his number (33) retired on April 19, 2020 at Coors Field.[15]

Jackie Robinson's number, 42, was retired throughout all of baseball in 1997.

Keli McGregor had worked with the Rockies since their inception in 1993, rising from senior director of operations to team president in 2002, until his death on April 20, 2010. He is honored at Coors Field alongside Helton and Robinson with his initials.[16]

Todd
Helton

1B
Retired August 17, 2014
Jackie
Robinson

All MLB
Honored April 15, 1997
Keli
McGregor

President
Honored September 28, 2010

Roster

Colorado Rockies 2020 spring training roster
40-man roster Non-roster invitees Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches


Restricted list

  • 74 Justin Lawrence

31 active, 0 inactive, 11 non-roster invitees

7- or 10-day injured list
* Not on active roster
Suspended list
Roster, coaches, and NRIs updated February 22, 2020
Transactions Depth Chart
All MLB rosters

Minor league affiliations

The Colorado Rockies farm system consists of eight minor league affiliates.[17]

Level Team League Location
Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes Pacific Coast League Albuquerque, New Mexico
Double-A Hartford Yard Goats Eastern League Hartford, Connecticut
Class A-Advanced Lancaster JetHawks California League Lancaster, California
Class A Asheville Tourists South Atlantic League Asheville, North Carolina
Class A Short Season Boise Hawks Northwest League Boise, Idaho
Rookie Grand Junction Rockies Pioneer League Grand Junction, Colorado
DSL Colorado Dominican Summer League Boca Chica, Santo Domingo
DSL Rockies

Radio and television

As of 2010, Rockies' flagship radio station is KOA 850AM, with some late-season games broadcast on KHOW 630 AM due to conflicts with Denver Broncos games. The Rockies Radio Network is composed of 38 affiliate stations in eight states.

As of 2019, Jack Corrigifan is the radio announcer, serving as a backup TV announcer whenever Drew Goodman is not available.

In January 2020, long-time KOA radio announcer Jerry Schemmel was let go from his role for budgetary reasons from KOA’s parent company.

As of 2013, Spanish language radio broadcasts of the Rockies are heard on KNRV 1150 AM.

As of 2013, all games are produced and televised by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. All 150 games produced by AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain are broadcast in HD. Jeff Huson and Drew Goodman are the usual the TV broadcast team, with Ryan Spilborghs and Taylor McGregor handling on-field coverage and clubhouse interviews. Jenny Cavnar, Jason Hirsh, and Cory Sullivan handle the pre-game and post-game shows. Schemmel, Corrigan, Spilborghs, Cavnar, and Sullivan also fill in as play-by-play or color commentator during absences of Huson or Goodman.

Home attendance

The Rockies led MLB attendance records for the first seven years of their existence. The inaugural season is currently the MLB all-time record for home attendance.

Home Attendance at Mile High Stadium
YearTotal AttendanceGame AverageLeague Rank
1993 4,483,350 55,350 1st
1994 3,281,511 57,570+ 1st
Home Attendance at Coors Field
YearTotal AttendanceGame AverageLeague Rank
1995 3,390,037 47,084++ 1st
1996 3,891,014 48,037 1st
1997 3,888,453 48,006 1st
1998 3,792,683 46,823 1st
1999 3,481,065 42,976 1st
2000 3,295,129 40,681 3rd
2001 3,166,821 39,097 2nd
2002 2,737,838 33,800 6th
2003 2,334,085 28,816 9th
2004 2,338,069 28,865 9th
2005 1,914,389 23,634 14th
2006 2,104,362 28,979 11th
2007 2,650,218 32,719 9th
2008 2,665,080 32,902 8th
2009 2,875,245 35,497 6th
2010 2,909,777 35,923 7th
2011 2,630,458 32,475 7th
2012 2,793,828 34,492 5th
2013 2,680,329 33,090 5th
2014 2,506,789 30,948 8th
2015 2,602,524 32,130 6th
2016 2,953,650 36,465 5th
2017 2,048,138 25,286 11th
2018 3,015,880 37,233 5th
2019 2,993,244 36,954 4th

+ = 57 home games in strike shortened season. ++ = 72 home games in strike shortened season. [18][19]

References

  1. Harding, Thomas (January 30, 2017). "Rockies outfitted with one shade of purple". Rockies.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  2. "General Club Information" (PDF). 2012 Colorado Rockies Information Guide. MLB Advanced Media. February 24, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  3. Castrovince, Anthony (May 17, 2019). "Players poll: Who has MLB's best uniforms?". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  4. "Colorado Rockies Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. Routon, Ralph (January 25, 1978). "Op-Ed: Major League Baseball in Denver a Nice Thought". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 21. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. "Pittsburgh Pirates could move to Denver if ..." The Daily Sentinel. November 10, 1981. p. 15. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. "Denver Always Rebuilding, Can't Seem to Finish Job 1960-1970 history". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. January 4, 1970. p. 41.
  8. "Colorado must be ready when major leagues beckon". The Daily Sentinel. January 7, 1990. p. 29. Denver received a big boost this past week when Coors Brewing Co. signed a letter of agreement to become a limited partner in the Denver Zephyrs, a Class AAA franchise playing in the American Association. ... "The addition of Coors is a tremendous boost to our efforts, said Suplizio. Multiple ownership is a requirement by Major League Baseball and no one else has the muscle that we've been able to muster in the Rocky Mountain region.
  9. "It's official: Colorado Rockies in". The Daily Sentinel. July 5, 1991. p. 10.
  10. "Rockies Introduce Purple Mondays Campaign During 'Year of the Fan'". Rockies.com (Press release). MLB Advanced Media. April 6, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  11. "Rockies introduce 'Purple Monday' campaign". KKTV. April 6, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  12. Harding, Thomas (January 22, 2020). "Final time's the charm: Walker elected to HOF". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  13. "Batting Average Year-by-Year Leaders / Batting Champions on Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  14. Harding, Thomas (March 11, 2019). "Todd man out: Helton's retired number stands alone". Rockies.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  15. Randhawa, Manny (January 21, 2020). "Rox to retire No. 33; 'Both thrilled and honored'". Rockies.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  16. Harding, Thomas (September 28, 2010). "Rox unveil McGregor memorial at Coors Field". Rockies.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  17. "Colorado Rockies Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  18. Attendance Report
  19. Attendance Report
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