The Colorado Rockies have begun to live up to their name following the rockiest season in modern baseball.
In the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, the Chicago White Sox broke the modern MLB record for the most losses in a season. When people thought that was it, the Colorado Rockies had the worst start in the MLB in a century with a record of 8-42. They’re not the first team to have such an infamous season, but what’s causing this lack of offensive command?
The Rockies lead the league in errors, meaning a defensive mistake that allows a runner to advance, with 45 in 50 games. They also have an Earned Run Average (ERA), how many runs a pitcher gives up in an inning, of 5.82, with an insane 323 runs allowed, which is almost six and a half runs per game.
Colorado has scored the second least amount of runs in the league, just behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, and is also tied with the previous record holder for the worst season in modern baseball history, the Chicago White Sox. Their most shocking statistic is their -159 run differential, meaning they have given up 159 more runs than they’ve scored, rarely done by a team this early into the season.
The Rockies are also now ineligible for a top 10 pick in this year’s draft, as anti-tanking rules in the MLB prevent any team from getting a top six draft pick for three drafts in a row.
Some baseball fans are confused by this rule, including Communications High School television teacher Nicholas Pellicano.
“The Rockies should definitely be in the draft lottery,” said Pellicano “If they’re not in the lottery, that’s not fair.”
In 2021, the Rockies traded their five-time All-Star player, Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for five players who are now either injured or absent from the MLB. Many believe this to be one of several deals that have doomed the Rockies indefinitely.
“I just think they need a new [general manager] or someone with a much better vision for how to spend money on roster building,” said Pellicano. “Whatever they’re doing right now is clearly not working.”
On May 11, 2025, Rockies manager Bud Black was fired the day after losing 21-0 to the San Diego Padres, replaced by the team’s third base coach, Warren Schaeffer, who is now interim manager. Teams rarely fire a manager in the middle of the season, which may also create new problems for the team.
This risky move could prove successful, however. In 2022, Phillies manager Joe Girardi was replaced by Rob Thompson halfway into the season. Under Thompson’s leadership, the Phillies saw their first World Series appearance since 2009. While the Rockies’ fate is unclear, replacing a manager has done baseball teams well before.
While they may lack a win percentage above .200, the Rockies still have four-time All-Star Kris Bryant. As of April 20, 2025, Bryant was placed on the injury list following lots of back pain and a diagnosis of lumbar degenerative disc disease. Although Bryant may be one of the only good things the Rockies have going for them, some believe Bryant’s proneness to injury is enough of a reason to trade him, including Sophomore Tyler Tuberion of Keyport.
“At this point [the Rockies are] already terrible, so there’s no point in keeping anyone around,” said Tuberion.
Whether it’s bad management, injuries, or some unknown curse, the Rockies may begin to break records no team wants to break. They have the potential to turn everything around, but the future of this Colorado team remains uncertain.
