December 9, 1996: Kirt Manwaring was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
January 15, 1997: Juan Uribe was signed as an Amateur Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
January 24, 1997: Darnell Coles was signed as a Free Agent by the Colorado Rockies.
March 26, 1997: Steve Decker was released by the Colorado Rockies.
Regular season
The Rockies commenced the 1997 season on the road. Larry Walker hit two home runs in the season-opening series against the Reds in Cincinnati, and, on April 5, hit three more versus the Montreal Expos in Montreal for his first career three home run game. His first week accomplishments included a.440 batting average with six home runs in 25 at bats and the Player of the Week Award for the second time in his career on April 6. Walker concluded the month of April batting.456 with 41 hits, 29 runs scored, 11 home runs, 29 runs batted in, seven stolen bases,.538 on-base percentage,.911 slugging percentage, and 1.449 on-base plus slugging percentage. His 29 runs scored set a major league record for the month of April, until surpassed by Bryce Harper in 2017. Walker was named NL Player of the Monthfor the first time. The Rockies concluded the month of April with a 17–7 record for a.708 winning percentage, their most successful month of 1997. Perhaps the most famous home run first baseman Andrés Galarraga hit was a mammoth grand slam off Kevin Brown on May 31, which landed 20 rows deep into the upper deck at Florida Marlins' Pro Player Stadium. It may also be his most debated home run with a distance initially measured at and then. At the time, it set a record for both the Rockies and the stadium. In 2011, ESPN's Home Run Tracker recalculated the distance to. In the June 20 contest versus the San Diego Padres, Walker collected his 108th hit of the season and the 1,000th of his career while batting against Andy Ashby. Walker continued to hit near or above.400 in July, when he was selected to play in the All-Star Game. His remarkable season continued: as late as July 17, he was hitting.402. The Rockies struggled in the month of July, losing 19 of 27 games for a.296 winning percentage. Third baseman Vinny Castilla replicated the exact totals in batting average, home runs, and RBI as he had produced in 1996, with one fewer game played and point in slugging percentage. The Rockies led the NL in attendance at more than 3.88 million. They also led the league in runs scored, home runs, batting, OBP, and SLG. They were last in ERA at 5.25. The career season for Walker was 1997, when he hit.366 with 49 home runs, 130 RBI, 33 stolen bases, and 409 total bases, en route to becoming the first Canadian-born and Colorado Rockies player to win the MVP Award in MLB. Combined with 12 outfield assists, the season remains one of the finest all around performances in recent baseball history. Even more impressively, Walker's breakout season came just one year after various injuries limited him to 83 games and 272 at-bats, although the NL Comeback Player of the Year award went to Darren Daulton.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Transactions
May 23, 1997: Darnell Coles was purchased by the Hanshin Tigers from the Colorado Rockies.
June 3, 1997: Aaron Cook was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2nd round of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed July 13, 1997.
June 3, 1997: Chone Figgins was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 4th round of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1997.
