Colorado Rockies need Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki to stay healthy in 2015
By Andrew Dill
It’s the same question every year entering Spring Training for the Colorado Rockies. Can Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki stay healthy? Over the past couple of seasons, the answer has been no. Last season was a bummer for Colorado’s shortstop [Tulo] because he was playing the best baseball we’ve possibly seen. In order for Colorado to be competitive in 2015, CarGo and Tulo need to stay healthy.
Tulowitzki, 30, was tearing the cover off the ball in 2014. The 6-foot-3, 215 pound shortstop hit at a line of .340/.432/.603 with 18 doubles, 1 triple, 21 home runs, 52 RBI’s while walking 50 times. Troy was drawing MVP consideration not even halfway through the season. Not to mention, Tulo recorded 107 hits in just 91 games played.
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Tulo’s 2014 campaign was cut short due to a groin injury. However, his season was cut short after undergoing hip surgery in which he continues to rehab to this day. Tulo appeared at RockiesFest this past Saturday and said, “Honestly, I feel as good as new.” This is great news, considering the shortstop has been battling all sorts of lower-body injuries throughout his career.
Gonzalez, 29, is no stranger to the injury bug as well. The outfielder played in just 70 games last season due to finger/knee issues. It was a woeful year, if you will. CarGo hit at a line of just .238/.292/.431 with 15 doubles, 1 triple, 11 home runs, and 38 RBI’s. CarGo’s strikeout rate was a bit too high to my liking. Perhaps it was because of his finger injury in which he wasn’t comfortable swinging the bat.
CarGo struck out 70 times during the 2014 season, appearing at the dish 260 times. That’s not what you would expect out of one of your franchise players. “The whole year has been a fight,” CarGo told Nick Groke of The Denver Post. Carlos was shutdown for the rest of the season after having surgery to repair a left patella tendon tear. Both he and Tulo continue to rehab and both are expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Colorado’s offense, without CarGo and Tulo, was still pretty damn good. The Rockies finished third in the league in runs with 755, second in batting average at .276, fourth in on-base percentage at .327, and first in slugging percentage with .445. One reason was due to the emergence of outfielder Corey Dickerson.
Dickerson, 25, was one of Colorado’s lone bright spots during the 2014 season. The 25-year-old hit .312/.364/.567 with 27 doubles, 6 triples, 24 home runs, and 76 RBI’s. Colorado is loaded in their lineup, but will their pitching be able to stay healthy and hold up?
Remember 2007, 2009? Those were the years. If CarGo and Tulo are able to stay healthy for the majority of the season, don’t be surprised to see Colorado in the running’s for a possible playoff push.