With Opening Day scheduled less than a month from now, all bets are off for the Colorado Rockies and baseball, as a whole. Projections are flimsier than ever. This season will be impossible to predict.
One winning streak long enough and any team could become a contender regardless of preseason expectations. In the same way, one cold stretch could cripple even the best teams.
A shorter season is probably beneficial for the Colorado Rockies. Not only because the chaos of a free-for-all improves the chances of teams with lower expectations, but also because it means by the time the most important games of the season roll around, the team’s pitching (and particularly the bullpen) will still be fresh.