We're trying to branch out. We're the only major-league club in our time zone, so we're trying to branch out outside the state of Colorado and develop a fan base regionally. – Rockies manager Walt Weiss
Who do you suppose is the most popular Major League Baseball team in the Beehive State?
Well, since we don't have our own big-league club around here, the loyalties are pretty widespread.
Of course, for starters, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have their triple-A farm club right here in the Salt Lake Bees, along with a rookie-league affiliate, the Orem Owlz, playing ball a few miles south on I-15. So there are bound to be plenty of Angels fans along the Wasatch Front.
You could certainly make a strong case for the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose Pioneer League affiliate is the Ogden Raptors.
The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants have their share of Beehive State supporters, as well as other West Coast teams like the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners, who each have a contingent of fans living in Utah, too.
And wherever you go, it seems like you'll always find plenty of New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs fans — even though one of those iconic franchises hasn't won a Word Series in more than a century.
But if you don't already have a major-league team to call your own, are looking to switch your allegiance, or simply want to root for the club that's closest to you in proximity, the Colorado Rockies would like you to strongly consider the following proposition:
Why not us?
After all, as they're quick to point out, the Rockies are the only MLB team that plays its home games in the Mountain Time Zone, which obviously makes them some kind of baseball kindred spirits to the fine folks in Utah.
With that "Why not us?" goal in mind, the 2015 Colorado Rockies Caravan made a stop this past week in Woods Cross, where players Justin Morneau and Charlie Blackmon, manager Walt Weiss and general manager Jeff Bridich conducted a clinic for a small group of youngsters ages 12-14.
Utah was the final stop for the Rockies' caravan, which also took them to destinations in Colorado as well as Albuquerque and Boise on a four-state, five-day road trip designed to develop and strengthen their fan base.
"We're trying to get out in some of the communities and want to try and get people excited about our club and give back to our fan base," said Weiss. "In the Salt Lake area, we feel like we've got a pretty strong fan base here and we try to personalize the relationships with the folks here, the people in the community, And working with the kids is a good way to give back.
"We're trying to branch out. We're the only major-league club in our time zone, so we're trying to branch out outside the state of Colorado and develop a fan base regionally."
Morneau, the team's first baseman who was the 2014 National League batting champion, agreed.
"The further you spread out and get as many Rockies fans as you can, even if they only come out for just one weekend a year or whatever it is, that helps and it's good for us as players and it's good for the organization," he said.
"You live in an area where you can see our games on TV here and know that we enjoy doing this clinic and meeting new fans. And we think of this as part of our region and it's fun for us.
"This is the best part of our job when we get a chance to work with kids or young people," Morneau said of last week's youth clinic, "and you can have an impact on somebody's life or on their career. You can help them see it's a realistic goal if your dream is to be a major-league baseball player if you work hard enough and give yourself an opportunity."
Bridich said that their five-state tour has not only been well-received, but that they've had a good time along the way.
"We've certainly had fun doing it," he said. "It's nice to get out and be able to meet some fans in the Rocky Mountain region. We're trying to connect with our fan base. The Rocky Mountain region is well-represented by baseball. There's a lot of good minor-league baseball teams, organizations and franchises, but the Colorado Rockies are the only major-league team in the Rocky Mountain region.
"And we've tried to expand that — there's no reason not to. We feel like with the fans here, whether it's here in Salt Lake or in other places following us online or those cities that have Root Sports and can catch our games on TV, why wouldn't we try to connect and do a better job and take a more active part in connecting to our fans who wear the (Rockies') purple and follow us and love our players? It just makes a lot of sense."
Of course, putting a winning team on the field can go a long way toward winning over fans' support and admiration, and that's something the Rockies have had trouble doing.
With just three postseason berths and one World Series appearance in their first 22 years of existence, the Colorado ballclub's trophy case isn't exactly overcrowded.
Last year, the Rockies' hopes for success were shattered by devastating injuries to key players like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, and their 66 wins were the second-fewest in all of Major League Baseball. Only Arizona (64-98) was worse.
But optimism always abounds for every ballclub at this time of year, and the Rockies are certainly no different.
"I'd stack our lineup against anybody,” said Morneau, who hit .319 with 17 home runs and 82 RBIs last season. "We have as deep and powerful lineup, I think, as anybody. We're confident in that and we're going to count on some young pitchers and we've got some veteran guys coming back.
"We've got a pretty good mix of everything. We've got some guys with experience and some young guys who are still trying to prove themselves that are hungry and want to do well. When you've got a combination of all those things, I think that's when you've got a great situation."
Blackmon, the outfielder who had a breakout year in 2014 when he made the NL All-Star team and batted .288 with 19 home runs, 72 RBIs and 28 stolen bases, likes the Rockies' chances this year, too.
"You look at our team, we've got so many good players and I think we really do have what it takes to be a good baseball team," he said. "We definitely have just as much or more talent as a lot of teams out there.
"That's what you see on paper, right? But that's not necessarily what wins games; that's why we play the season. We'll have to play well, we'll have to come together as a team, and we'll have to stay healthy. We'll see how it plays out.
"I finished the season in a pretty good place, feeling good about myself and feeling good about my role on the team," said Blackmon, who admitted he was humbled and thankful for his personal success last season. "I've come a long way in one year, so I'm really excited to see what this year holds for me.”
Weiss admitted that a key component to the Rockies' success, just like every other team in sports, is keeping everybody reasonably healthy.
"We feel like we have a lot of talent," he said. "We've gotta keep it on the field, and we've had a hard time staying healthy the last couple of years. Our core guys have gotten hurt and missed considerable time the last couple of years, so our depth has really been tested.
"But in that process, we've had some young guys who have gained some valuable experience filling in, and now they have a year or two under their belt and they're ready to make a big impact, so we're hoping it's a perfect storm that way.
"It's a long season, a grind of a season, and you've always got to deal with injuries to an extent," Weiss said. "But we've been hammered pretty good by injuries the last couple of years."
Bridich, the Colorado club's first-year GM, agreed that keeping their players healthy will play a huge part in the Rockies' quest to turn things around in 2015:
"We definitely have a good club," he said. "Health played a part in our struggles last year, but it certainly was not the only part of what ailed us last year. We felt there was no need to blow up this team or do some of the things that some other organizations have done.
"I think that we have good players who are still in their prime, a lot of them, and for us it'll come down to our health and, for us, pitching. We know our offense is gonna play, we know our defense is gonna play, and we've got a Gold Glove infield. It'll come down to our health and our pitching.
"But anytime that you can have the caliber of players that we have, especially offensively, and anytime you can keep them on the field as much as you possibly can and have them play together, that gives us a chance to be competitive," Bridich said.
And if that happens and everything does indeed fall into place for the Rockies this year, then you might find a lot more folks from Utah jumping on that Colorado bandwagon by the end of the 2015 season.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com