Have you been to your local Rockies dugout store lately? Well if you have, or haven’t you know Rockies jerseys are extremely expensive. No doubt a baseball uniform is expensive, but worse, far too often the jersey becomes outdated before you can even get your first mustard stain on it. So in the spirit of Sporting News’ Sean Gentille, I will provide a Rockies jersey confidence index to help you figure out who’s jersey is safest to buy.
Here are the rules:
1: Wearability, how long will you get to wear the jersey? Contract, and team control come factors in here.
2: Legacy, which type of legacy will the player have, Todd Helton like, Jamey Carroll like, or Mark Ellis like?
3: Star Power, This category can help and or hurt depending on the star, but mostly this is where shear talent is rated.
One more note before we get started, since the Rockies are a rebuild and GM Jeff Bridich recently said this (below), we could end the article here. But putting no confidence next to every player is no fun, so let’s do it!
Bridich’s presser, distilled: “I’m not saying we’re trading anyone, or rebuilding, but I wouldn’t buy any player jerseys right now.”
— Chris Chrisman (@chrischrisman) July 28, 2015
Carlos Gonzalez
Nothing says 07 and 09 quite like the black vests and CarGo was a key factor for the 2009 squad. If you want a black vest, your best bet is a CarGo one. However just as recently as August 18th the Rockies took CarGo out of a game early and it was speculated he could be traded. No matter what Gonzalez will always be remembered as a Rockie, but the question is, does he go down like Ellis Burks or more like Helton? The question’s answer seems to be swayed towards Burks at the moment. With CarGo being a player of value on a team out of contention, he is a likely trade candidate. He’ll always be a huge star, his legacy will always be one to remember in LoDo but the wearability is getting closer to a throwback than a current player.
Jersey Confidence Index: 4
Nolan Arenado
The soon to be three time Gold Glover, and first time All Star in 2015 Nolan Arenado is the Rockies future. Well he’s the most future the Rockies have currently on the 25 man outside of a certain right-hander from Oklahoma. I’ve yet to write an article, however I’ve been pretty outspoken that the Rockies are going to have trouble signing up Nolan to a long-term deal. Yet no matter what Nolan is under three more years of team control. Nolan still remains “the dude” and his dudesim grows daily. Even is Nolan is more of a Matt Holliday than a Troy Tulowitzki, his jersey will be valuable for years to come.
Jersey Confidence Index: 8
Jose Reyes
Remember when Craig Counsell was on the Rockies? Yeah neither do I but Jose Reyes is a Colorado Rockie! The former four time All Star will probably never be an All Star for the Rockies. His OPS+ of 67 has been pretty awful so far and the Rockies are going to try to flip him and his contract at some point. He could also get stuck on the Rockies for another year so you’d have that going for you and lamelaza.
Jersey Confidence Index: 2
Corey Dickerson
#DickMania is in a really strange spot right now. He turns 28 next year, he’s only had one good year, he’s already a defensive liability and his body is breaking down. Dickerson remains one of the best hitters in baseball when healthy, and Corey is really fun to watch. Dickey still has plenty of team control, and is an unlikely trade piece at the moment.
Jersey Confidence Index: 6
Charlie Blackmon
Nazty is having the best year of his career which followed an All Star year. Blackmon is riding a storm of fans who love him and for good reason. No matter how the rest of Blackmon’s career turns out, at worst he’s another Brad Hawpe or Juan Pierre. His beard will always be remembered in these parts, and arbitration begins after this season. The Rockies best bet at trading Chuck was this year, so he will most likely be around for a bit.
Jersey Confidence Index: 7
Jon Gray
He’s been nothing short of Gray-t so far, but he has a long way to go before he’s dazzling people to say “my goodness graycious!” We all know the talent he has, and he’ll be a Rockie for a while, so you might as well get out in front of everyone else and get one now.
Jersey Confidence Index: 9
Jorge De La Rosa
My current favorite player, and the best pitcher in Rockies franchise JDLR. His jersey is rarely seen in the seats of Coors Field. His contract gives him another year with the Rockies, and he’s closing in on 100 career wins. No matter what his jersey can be worn for years to come, I still wear my Ubaldo Jimenez jersey to Coors with no shame. JDLR’s will be a cult classic for years to come, no matter how much longer he’s on the Rockies. He has the perfect amount of derp, and importance. De La absolutely nails the jersey sweet spot.
Jersey Confidence Index: 10
Gonzalez Germen![prod-3]()
Who? Yeah, I have no clue and neither does Carolyn.
That was Gonzalez Germen’s 17th appearance of the season and I still feel the need to say “who’s this guy!?” every time.
— Carolyn Jelley (@C_Jelley) August 19, 2015
Jersey Confidence Index: 1
Daniel Descalso
Don’t
Jersey Confidence Index: 0
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