Colorado Rockies Have Three Hitters Top .800 OPS For First Time Since 2019

The 2019 Rockies entered the season after winning 91 games in 2018 and reaching the NLDS, where they were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers—an outcome that initially appeared to be a disappointing ending rather than a sign of decline.
Colorado’s 2019 offense ranked ninth in MLB in team OPS (.782), second in doubles with 323 and fourth in total hits with 1,502, despite the team’s eventual 71-win season.
The Rockies’ 2019 pitching staff posted a 5.56 ERA—the second-worst mark in baseball—and surrendered 270 home runs, the second-highest total in the majors.
Beyond Arenado, Story and Blackmon, David Dahl was the only other regular Rockies starter in 2019 to finish with an OPS+ above 100, underscoring the lineup’s lack of supporting depth.
The Guardians-White Sox series is taking place with fewer than two weeks remaining in the regular season, heightening the significance of Cleveland’s effort to overcome Chicago’s 6-4 lead in the season series.
The Colorado Rockies have three qualified hitters above an .800 OPS for the first time since 2019, when Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story achieved the milestone. Current stars TJ Rumfield, Hunter Goodman and Jake McCarthy have reached the mark, but Sports Illustrated notes the team's overall outlook remains far bleaker than five years ago.
The 2019 Rockies illustrate a hard baseball lesson: elite top-end hitters cannot fix a broken roster. That team's three superstars could not overcome a 5.56 ERA—the second-worst in baseball—and 270 home runs allowed, resulting in just 71 wins despite ranking ninth in team OPS.
Colorado's 2019 offense looked formidable on paper. Sports Illustrated reports the team ranked ninth in MLB with a .782 OPS, second with 323 doubles and fourth with 1,502 total hits. But beneath those Arenado, Story and Blackmon sat a roster with zero depth.
David Dahl was the only other regular starter to finish above a 100 OPS+. The pitching collapse made those numbers irrelevant. Allowing 270 home runs—second-most in the majors—and posting a 5.56 ERA meant no amount of offensive brilliance could win games.
The Cleveland Guardians face a pivotal moment with fewer than two weeks left in the regular season. Axios notes the Chicago White Sox lead the season series 6–4 as the teams begin a three-game homestand at Progressive Field. A sweep would give Cleveland the tiebreaker advantage.
In a tight AL Central race, that tiebreaker could prove decisive if the teams finish with matching records. Cleveland's late-season push hinges on winning games others might overlook—exactly the kind of September baseball that reshapes division races.
The Guardians-White Sox rivalry carries personal history. Axios notes that José Ramírez's 2023 confrontation with Tim Anderson is commemorated by a Cleveland mural, keeping the tension alive as these teams battle again.
Such moments define rivalries beyond statistics. A mural honoring a player's intensity signals how much this matchup means to the fanbase and the team heading into the final stretch.
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