DENVER – Athleticism in baseball isn’t as fundamentally important as it is in other sports, but when you have all the skill and technique stuff covered, having a ballclub full of fantastic athletes can make all the difference in the world. And for the 2017 Colorado Rockies, it has.
For all the hype surrounding the clutch hitting, the vastly improved bullpen, and the cavalcade of young arms who daily reinvent the notion of pitching in a Rockies uniform, it has been the incredible defensive play across the board that has been the most consistent — and arguably most important — characteristic of this first-place team.