Rox poised for more after season of growth

A Rockies team that hadn’t tasted the joy of contention since 2010 at least got a tiny whiff of it in 2016.

“I think we were relatively close, and deep into the season, we were still in it,” said Walt Weiss, who will not return for a fifth season as the Rockies’ manager. 

A bullpen that saw its major acquisitions battle injury and inconsistency — and was overly dependent on youth at crucial times — was exposed during the season’s final months.

• Rox have solid nucleus to build around for ’17

So the 2016 season ends with the bitterness of yet another sub-.500 record and some uncertainty of who the manager will be next year. But this season showed that the Rockies aren’t the same team as before, even though their record wasn’t much different.

Record: 75-87, third place, National League West.

Defining moment: Rookie Carlos Estevez became the closer in June — a little more than a year after his last Class A appearance. While he was impressive, the reason he was the closer was because he was available. Adam Ottavino wasn’t back from last year’s Tommy John surgery, Jairo Diaz underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, Jason Motte’s shoulder issues prevented him from being a factor in the ninth inning, and Jake McGee — closer at the start of the season — was out with a left knee injury.

And, with a fastball exceeding 100 mph, Estevez had converted 11 of his first 12 chances as closer when he entered in the ninth inning against the Marlins on Aug. 5, after the Rockies had scored all their runs in the eighth for a 3-1 lead. It was a chance to peek back above .500.

It was at that point when Estevez’s inexperience bit Colorado. A leadoff walk led to a four-run inning that resulted in a 5-3 Rockies loss. Estevez blew his next opportunity, against the Rangers, and relinquished the closer’s role to Ottavino, who displayed the on-again, off-again sharpness that happens in the year after surgery.

The shifts in the ninth inning didn’t just affect the ninth. McGee, at first, and Ottavino, later on, were effective in setup roles. Moving them destabilized the middle-relief and setup crew.

What went right: An offense led by third baseman Nolan Arenado, who became the third player at his position to have at least two 40-home run seasons before age 26 (Eddie Matthews 1951-53 and Troy Glaus 2000-01 are the others), was potent. Second baseman DJ LeMahieu led the National …

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