DENVER – Drenched in bubbly the night the Colorado Rockies clinched a playoff spot, general manager Jeff Bridich soaked up the scene.
Revelries like this haven’t come along all that often in Rockies history. Predicted by many to be mediocre this season, the team earned its first postseason appearance since 2009 behind bearded NL batting champion Charlie Blackmon, slick-fielding , heavy-hitting third baseman Nolan Arenado and a young rotation. Asked if his team was ahead of schedule, Bridich pondered the question as he wiped sparkling wine from his eyes.
“Whose schedule?” Bridich said. “We felt like we could be playing meaningful games and postseason games this year. That’s exactly what these guys went out and achieved. I don’t care about any schedule. ... To have it come together this year with this group is a great feeling.”
Their playoff run came to an abrupt end in Arizona on Wednesday night with an 11-8 loss to the Diamondbacks in the NL wild-card game.
Now, there are some difficult decisions ahead, including whether to bring back emotional leader Carlos Gonzalez – the only holdover player from the ’09 postseason squad. Or what happens with closer Greg Holland, whose agreement includes a $15 million player option for 2018.
YOUNG STAFFSure, right-hander Jon Gray got roughed up in the wild-card game. But Gray and the young staff took a big step forward this season. The feel-good story of the year was the return of right-hander Chad Bettis from testicular cancer. He underwent surgery last November and went through treatments during the spring and into the season before returning to the rotation in August.
