All throughout the first season of CBU, the Colorado has held its own ground in the division with Portland trailing within striking distance.

Just before the trade deadline, the Everest has even added two potential aces in Tim Wallace and Dave Henderson to put off any potential contenders chasing them from behind.

Then came September, Portland Lions roared with ferocity which stroke fear in the hearts of the veterans of Colorado. The Lions gained ground mid-September with 1 game lead over the favored Everest.

Blake Rankin

MVP-candidate Blake Rankin got injured and was out for 2 weeks which left the helpless Colorado stumble to 9 games back at the end of the season.

“There was no better time for him (Rankin) to get injured,” said manager Patrick Garde. “His MVP numbers were missed and we felt something was lacking when he’s not around.”

Not to mention the trades for Wallace and Henderson didn’t pan out. They pitched a combine 6-9 with 4.94 and 4.54 ERA, respectively. To add fuel to the fire, they are not looking to talk about extension and have decided to test the market.

For positive news, Catcher Nick Young demanded $ 54.2 M for 4 years with the last year being a player option. The management felt the need to sign Young to still have the core of the #1 offense in the league intact. The only pitch they made was to make the last year a mutual option.

“It is the management’s decision to avoid player options,” admitted Garde. “Nick mutually agreed for it to be a decision on both sides. We’re happy to extend one of the best catchers in the game today.”

Robert Cote

Coming into the off-season, the Colorado will still look for pitching that will complement ace Robert Cote and #2 Jorge Vargas. The bullpen will be better as setup man Dominic Williams and closer Michael Montgomery are healthy.

“I believe our experience this season will be a great lesson for us,” Garde told the press. “See you all next year!”