2006 Colorado Rockies Predictions 

The Colorado Rockies show no signs of getting out of the cellar in 2006, but for being so terrible, they are great at Coors field. You can forget about laying down on them on the road as they are just 207-360 for a negative 87 units the last 7 years as opposed to their 53% home winning rate for a 9 unit gain.

When a team has a far better home winning percentage than road winning percentage, it is because they are a bad team. The Rockies will once again be branded a bad team in 2006 and I expect that, as in 2005, the lines won’t properly adjust at home and we’ll be able to take advantage of them as a home underdog especially within their division. Because the Rockies were so lousy a season ago, finishing nearly 30 games below .500, they found themselves a home underdog an incredible 40+ times last year. This provides sports investors with a great opportunity to cash in on the Rockies while risking less. In fact, the Rockies have a losing record at home as an underdog the past 3 seasons at just 58-60, but they have profited their supporters 12 units. And against their pathetic division they have won 30 of 50 as a home dog for a 17 unit gain. You’ll want to be sure to jump all over this situation in 2006.

There aren’t a whole lot of pitchers who are willing to go to Coors and pitch in the thin homerun hitting air. Jason Jennings is the ace of their staff, if they have one, using his sinking fastball to challenge hitters in a ball park where balls don‘t seem to move as much for pitchers. Byung-Hyun Kim joins the staff this season and will try to support young guys like Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis. Brian Fuentes is about automatic when given the chance to close down a game. You’ll probably see 40+ saves out of him.
The Rockies hitters don’t far outshine their pitching staff. Their numbers look somewhat decent due to playing half their games at Coors in the thin air. Todd Helton, hit just 20 home runs last season. Clint Barmes should provide some help to him if he can remain healthy. The Rockies will be looking for a breakout year from Matt Holliday to see if he is as good as advertised.
This Rockies will struggle in the National League West since it is impossible for them to get any sort of pitching staff put together. The other teams in the division also have more punch in their lineups and if Colorado can’t get any more runs across the plate when they go out on the road, you aren’t going to see them in the win column too often. Another speculation of mine in that this team fatigues because the thin air wears on their arms and it affects them on the road as well as every other ball parks conditions are nothing like the Coors Field elevation. This can begin to get in your head if you are able to hit the long ball at home but can’t on the road.

2006 Baseball Predictions