One Stat That Explains Why the Rockies Can’t Escape Last Place

The Colorado Rockies are struggling, and one stat really proves how disastrous it has become.

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Every year, when the calendar clicks over to April, Colorado Rockies fans are full of enthusiasm and possibly unwarranted optimism. It's a clean slate with hope that things will be different from the past year.

Unfortunately recent past has shown that in a very short amount of time, the statistics show a very different story. It shows repetition of the worst kind.

The 2025 season didn't even require waiting until the end of summer to make the decision that the Rockies were doomed. By May 11, Bud Black found himself without a job. The day before, Colorado had been whipped by the San Diego Padres to the tune of a final score of 21-0. The record stood at 7-33 that early in the season.

The Rockies ended the season with a dismal final tally of 43-119, just a few losses short of achieving MLB history of the worst kind. At home, the team was 25-56, while away from home, they were an incredible 18-63.

It doesn't even need to be said but, of course, Colorado could be found at the bottom of the rankings of the National League West.

A single number tells a lot of the story for the Rockies - on-base percentage away from home.

What the Rockies OBP On The Road Says

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In 2025, Colorado posted some pretty sad statistics. They were terrible in a lot of categories, so it is hard to narrow it down to one number that could tell the story, but the bottom line is if you don't get on base, you can't score.

The Rockies put up a .259 OBP on the road. That was the lowest in Major League Baseball. Reviewing this, it's not just bad, it's history-making, something the Rockies are doing a lot of, but not in a positive fashion.

Over the past seven seasons, no other team in the MLB has struggled to get runners on base away from home quite like Colorado. While Coors Field favors hitters, it is clear that the home performance masked the true struggles within the team.

At home the Rockies are ranked among the top teams in batting average and slugging percentage. Statmuse shows Colorado ranking at No. 3 in batting average when at home where they post a .270. When looking at slugging percentage at home, the Rockies are ranked at No. 7.

Deception at it's finest. Maybe even it's trickery.

Change the filter to away from home and you see a completely different story. Colorado ranked last in batting average with a measely .237. Looking at slugging percentage and the Rockies remain in last place with a .330.

Do the players get a false sense of security while at home? I doubt it. They can't come close to winning three in a row let alone gain confidence. Regardless, the stat shows that there is no way they can ever gain any momentum.

Offense Affecting Defense

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This incredible imbalance also has to put more pressure on an already failing pitching staff. When the offense disappears away from home, the game falls back on the pitching, and well, let's be honest the Rockies aren't strong here.

The offense not producing, though, could have an effect on the pitchers. Bullpen fatigue has to become a factor as the Rockies struggle to stay on offense long enough for pitchers to get a very good break. Over time, and as games go on, Colorado falls into a vicious cycle that keeps the team being a bottom-feeder of the MLB.

Overall the struggles bury the Rockies even before the All-Star break with nothing to have hope in looking to the end of the season.

What Is The Problem?

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From an outside perspective, the problem isn't in effort, or it doesn't start out that way. The essential problem is the underlying approach. Colorado has continued to draft and develop for power and elevation. That approach isn't working.

The Rockies need grinders. Hitters that will maintain discipline, draw walks, and just gring out at-bats. Get on base. Colorado's chase rate continues to rank among the highest in baseball. In fact according to Baseball Savant, it was 31.7%, the highest in the MLB for 2025, while the walk rate ranks at the bottom.

How Do They Fix The Problem

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A philosophical shift is going to have to happen in Denver in order to solve this problem. Maybe that will occur with the changing of the guards in nearly all of the front office positions, but time will tell. The Rockies have not historically made significant changes quickly.

New management better mean big changes in the Mile High City because the fans are wearing thin on false hope.

The Rockies will need to prioritize contact-driven hitters who have high OBP profiles. The team needs to lean into the new era of analytics and develop hitters that have line-drive power. Until this happens and the team can repeat the results over and over even away from home, inflated hope will turn into repeated disappointment.

The one number, .259, tells a pretty significant story. It's not just a stat, it screams failure. The offense and defense have to travel outside of Coors Field and until that happens, if you can't get on base, you can't score.

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