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| Monday, July 17 | |||||
| Midseason report: Colorado Rockies ESPN.com | |||||
The Colorado Rockies find themselves battling the Giants for second place in the NL West as we hit the All-Star break. Through 84 games, the Rockies are 45-39 and just four games behind first-place Arizona. With that in mind, let's take a look inside Colorado's first half. 
First-half MVP: The last player to hit .400 was the great Ted Williams. The next player to hit .400 could be Todd Helton. The powerful first baseman is having a monster season. After hitting .320 with 35 homers and 113 RBI in 1999, Helton is on pace to produce even bigger numbers this year. Through the first 83 games, Helton is batting .385 with 21 homers and 70 RBI. He has 111 hits, 27 of them being doubles. Helton has also scored a NL high 83 runs. Helton's numbers are special -- even if he plays home games at Coors Field.
Biggest disappointment: We know he has only played in 54 games through July 8. We know he's batting .327. But Larry Walker
hasn't been Larry Walker, if you know what we mean. He has hit just four home runs with only 28 RBI. At Coors Field? In the Rockies' dynamic lineup? How about that contract Larry? The former MVP is making $12.1 million this season. Can you say underachiever?
Biggest surprise: Pitchers, the experts say, lose their careers when they play for Colorado. The thin air of Coors Field makes simple fly balls turn into 400-foot home runs. Then how can we explain the story of the Rockies' bullpen this year? Look at these numbers. Mike Myers has appeared in 36 games and has an eye-popping 0.90 ERA. Gabe White
also has appeared in 37 games and is 6-0 with a 1.27 ERA. And closer Jose Jimenez
has 15 saves and a 4-0 record. The Coors Field theory could be dying. Or maybe these guys are just really good?
Second-half goals: The Rockies are neck-and-neck with the favored Diamondbacks as the season reaches the halfway point. A major reason why is pitching. If the Rockies' staff can perform like it has so far, there's no reason why this team can't win the division or the wild card.
Grade:
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best) We told you what we thought of the Mets' first-half performance, now you've told us. Here is what you had to say about what the Mets have to do in the second half. | ALSO SEE Midseason Feedback: Rockies MLB midseason reports ESPN.com's All-Star Game coverage Kurkjian: Stories of the first half Ten second-half questions for the AL Ten second-half questions for the NL | ||||
-- In a tough Western Division, the Rockies thought they could be competitive. Instead, they're fighting for a title and a playoff berth.