The Rockies have a walking problem.
It’s a two-part conundrum: the pitchers give up too many walks and the batters aren’t getting enough. Through 18 games, the Rockies pitchers rank No. 27 in walks dished out per nine innings at 4.33. The starters are worse at 4.48 K/9, with the bullpen, who ranks 18th at 4.07, actually bringing down the team average. On the flip side, Colorado’s hitters’ 6.7 walk percentage is the worst in the MLB.
Beyond the obvious problems of denying the Rockies pubic announcing crew the joy of playing the delightful variety of base-on-ball songs as Rockies just don’t take many Free Rides to first, and giving opposing stadiums a chance to Walk This Way and rock out to the entire collection, this exacerbates two problems the Rockies really don’t need: more opposing base runners and fewer of their own men on base.