MLB is, by far, the best baseball league in the world, and there is no question about it.
However, it’s quite obvious that not every organization is top-notch, and not all teams can be competitive every year.
There is a group of teams that have been finishing at or near the bottom of their division for years now.
The Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates are among them.
Most of them, however, will probably get better within the next five years: Baltimore has two potentially game-changing prospects in Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez, the Tigers have lots of pitching depth already making noise in the majors, the Rangers have added some really interesting young, controllable players like Nate Lowe and Spencer Howard, the Royals have Bobby Witt Jr., and the Pirates have promising elements such as Jared Oliva, Mitch Keller, Oneil Cruz, and a young star in Bryan Reynolds.
How about the outlook of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies for the next five years?
Not so promising.
The Arizona Diamondbacks Have Good Prospects, But Will They Keep Marte?
The Diamondbacks have been far and away the worst team in MLB this year.
They own a 35-80 record, which is absurdly bad.
The Diamondbacks lose 7-2. Merrill Kelly was not sharp. Kole Calhoun hurt a hamstring for the third time this season.
Arizona is 35-80.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) August 12, 2021
They have been lousy at just about everything they do.
For example, they are 22nd in runs scored per game with 4.1, 29th (out of 30 teams) in runs allowed per game with 5.7, 29th in home runs with 99, and 29th in ERA with 5.36.
The worst thing of all is that they play in a division with three true contenders: the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants.
They do have a good farm, highlighted by four top-100 prospects in Kristian Robinson, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, and Geraldo Perdomo.
They also have a young star in pitcher Zac Gallen and potential contributors like Josh Rojas and Daulton Varsho.
But even if two or three of them pan out, they will have a hard time making the playoffs in the next five years.
Maybe the Diamondbacks won’t be a “disaster” per se, like the team ranked first in this list, but their overall outlook for the next five years isn’t looking so promising considering the division in which they play.
They do have a bona fide star in Ketel Marte, and if they manage to keep him (there is always trade interest surrounding him) they can return to respectability.
The Colorado Rockies Look Like A Disaster Waiting To Happen
The Rockies record this season doesn’t look as bad as the D-Backs’, at 51-63.
They are 15th in runs per game with 4.5, 22nd in runs allowed with 4.9, 23rd in home runs with 123 despite playing half of their games in the best park for offense in the league, and 24th in ERA with 4.72.
Yet they look like a disaster waiting to happen, with a much worse outlook for the next five years than the D-Backs because of the way they are run.
Colorado signed Nolan Arenado to a mammoth extension just to trade him (virtually gift him) for a questionable return just two years later.
They often mistreat employees, make lousy baseball decisions, and constantly block their prospects from getting consistent playing time.
Only pitcher German Marquez and second baseman Brendan Rodgers look like building blocks (perhaps Austin Gomber, too), considering that both Trevor Story and Jon Gray will hit the market this year.
They do have a potential star in outfield prospect Zac Veen, but he is not close to the majors.
Left-hander Ryan Rolison is also a top 100 prospect per MLB.com, but his ceiling is more like a mid-rotation starter rather than an ace.
Colorado needs talent badly, and they didn’t take advantage of a huge opportunity when they failed to trade Gray and Story.
The #Rockies are a bloody disaster. Jesus. https://t.co/illeRdOBvj
— 😷💉Vaccinated Mario💉😷 |#BLM (@Fan_of_DET_313) July 30, 2021
It’s quite possible that the Rockies won’t even sniff the MLB playoffs for the next five years.
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