In a recent article, MLB published its early power rankings for the 2027 season. Coming in dead last were the Colorado Rockies. While this is a fair placement if you focus solely on their overall record, they have enough rising young talent to make you wonder whether they really deserve to spend another season being dismissed as baseball's worst team.

A Potentially Bright Future

On the surface, a league-worst 104-loss season, along with the highest team ERA in baseball at 5.59, implies that the Rockies still have a long way to go before becoming relevant in the NL West again.

This is partially true; no team can succeed if its pitching staff is giving up nearly six runs a game, but there is at least enough offensive talent to hope for improvement next season.

Hunter Goodman hit 41 home runs and spearheaded Colorado's offense; TJ Rumfield had an impressive rookie season with a .300/.390/.453 slash line, and players such as Cole Carrigg and Jake McCarthy were major contributors.

All of these players have areas where they could improve. For Goodman, it's cutting down on strikeouts; for Rumfield, it's increasing his exit velocity and displaying more power; and Carrigg and McCarthy could benefit from drawing more walks.

There is room for growth, but the foundation is there, along with reasons for optimism. This stands in contrast to the Los Angeles Angels, the team ranked one spot above Colorado, which has plenty of questions to answer this offseason.

Record-wise, the Angels and Rockies could be considered neighbors, as Los Angeles lost 100 games and finished last in its division by a wide margin. In terms of run prevention, the Angels were admittedly much better, posting a team ERA of 4.29. Their offense, however, was dreadful; Los Angeles struggled to score runs and had the worst OPS in baseball at .679, while the Rockies had the fifth-highest at .739.

The Angels' lineup helps explain their offensive struggles. Los Angeles had only one player record an OPS of .800 or higher in Mike Trout. While Trout and Zach Neto remain worthwhile players, Trout is far removed from the era-defining force he was in the 2010s, and Neto took a slight step back at the plate compared to last season.

Granted, it would be remiss of me not to mention the difference in ballparks that benefits Colorado's hitters. According to Baseball-Reference, the Angels actually had a higher OPS+ (94) than the Rockies (92), so there is reason to be less critical of Los Angeles for its struggles at the plate.

However, the same Coors Field that bolsters Colorado's hitters also makes life difficult for its pitchers. That does not excuse the Rockies' pitching struggles entirely, but it is an important factor to consider when comparing the two teams.

While the two offenses were comparable after accounting for their respective ballparks, the bigger difference is in their long-term outlook. Colorado has several young players who could continue developing, while Los Angeles faces more difficult questions about its roster construction and the financial commitments that could make rebuilding a tough task.

Trout is the biggest question, with a contract that runs through 2030 and will pay the veteran $37.1 million annually. That represents roughly a quarter of the team's projected payroll for the 2027 season, and considering his injury history and decline from his peak, it seems the Angels will have to work around that massive contract as they rebuild.

With Zach Neto as their biggest young piece and only two players ranked within MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects, compared to Colorado's four, Los Angeles seemingly has a longer road to contention.

The Rockies have established young players already on the big-league roster, multiple prospects on the rise, and Kris Bryant's contract set to expire after the 2028 season.

The pitching is still a major concern and something the team desperately needs to address this offseason, but in terms of their outlook for the 2027 season, I believe the continued growth of Colorado's young hitters, combined with the organizational uncertainty surrounding the Angels, gives the Rockies a legitimate chance to finish ahead of Los Angeles.

It will still be a while before either of these teams becomes a contender due to their shortcomings, but Rome wasn't built in a day.