If the Rockies Want to Return to the Postseason, This Has to Change

There are many challenges ahead for the Colorado Rockies and sorting it down to one thing is a difficult task.

Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield celebrates in the dugout Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Making it to the postseason will require many things for the Colorado Rockies to get back into that magical feeling.

Rocktober baseball hasn't been on the radar since 2018, and that team is completely different than the current roster. One particular area that the Rockies could improve on will be the stepping stone for them to find themselves back into playoff contention. 

Winning Head-to-Head Matchup in the NL West Division

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jimmy Herget (Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This may come as a "duh" situation or a surprising one, but when a team has a winning record against their division opponents, it can change the outcome of the season. The NL West is one of the best divisions in baseball. There's so much raw talent on every team. 

Colorado can win games against teams such as the San Francisco Giants and, to a certain extent, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their test will be against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The Dodgers and Padres have often found themselves playing in October throughout this decade. 

In the 13 meetings against the Padres, the Colorado won only two of them. In the last three seasons, the Padres hold a 26-13 record over the Rockies. How can the Rockies be taken seriously with that kind of record against their division opponent? 

It doesn't get better with the Dodgers. The Rockies only beat the Dodgers three times in 13 games this season. 

Throughout 36 games overall against NL West teams, the Rockies went 16-36. Imagine if we flip that record around from 16-36 to 36-16. That's something that every Rockies fan would dream of. It's going to take a little bit of everything for the Rockies to get back into the postseason. It's not about stacking a lineup with home-run hitters. 

It hasn't worked out for the New York Yankees, even though they always make the playoffs, but it's meaningless because they're not winning. The Rockies can learn to depend on having a long-term manager with quality pitching and defense. No one can predict who will show up in the playoffs. 

A player can be great in the regular season, but fail to deliver in October. We don't know who has the "gamer killer instinct" in him. The Rockies hope that players can be good in the regular season, but be elite in the postseason. The team would be thrilled to have a Kike Hernandez or Freddy Peralta-caliber player who can do much better in October than in the regular season.

The Rockies did improve with their wins compared to 2025. So let's see what the 2027 season has in store. The young core of the Rockies will have to elevate their game this offseason, whether the front office bolsters the roster or not.