Can Rockies improve bullpen?
Relief pitching was disastrous for Colorado last season
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Let’s begin by stating the obvious. The Rockies’ bullpen was bad in 2020.
Let us count the ways:
• 6.77 ERA, the worst in franchise history.
• Rockies relievers allowed 40% of inherited runners to score, worst in the NL.
• The “hard-hit” percentage against relievers was 40.5%, according to Fangraphs, the highest in the NL.
•The bullpen served up 38 homers (third-most in the NL), had a .300 batting average against (second highest) and a 1.67 WHIP (second-highest).
There are more bad numbers, but you get the picture. So how can the Rockies fix one of their biggest weaknesses with essentially the same group of pitchers?
“Consistency, overall, is going to be needed,” manager Bud Black said. “The guys that we have projected in our bullpen have shown the ability to per form over a long stretch of time and even over an entire season. We have seen legitimate big-league performances.
“But some of the guys had tough years and we need a bounce-back from some of those fellas, specifically Carlos (Estevez) and Jairo (Diaz).”
Obscured by last season’s overall poor performance was the fact that the Rockies did a decent job of closing games thanks to the emergence of Daniel Bard, who recorded six saves in six chances while posting a 3.65 ERA. Colorado’s 16 saves were tied for secondmost in the NL.
If right-hander Scott Oberg (14-2, 2.35 ERA in 2018-20) can stay healthy — he’s returning from thoracic outlet surgery that will, the Rockies hope, prevent blood clots from returning in his right arm — the ninth inning should be in good hands.
But it’s middle-inning relief, as well as the shaky bridge to the ninth, that must be shored up.
It’s early in camp, and there are a number of relievers who could emerge, including lefties Phillip Diehl and Ben Bowden, and right-hander Robert Stephenson, acquired from Cincinnati in the trade for Jeff Hoffman.
Following is a look at the essential relievers, apart from Bard and Oberg, who are on the hot seat:
RHP Yency Almonte
His 2.93 ERA was best among Rockies relievers last year and he showed, in Black’s parlance, “good pitchability.” He projects to be one of the team’s most dependable arms.
Almonte only walked 2.0 batters per nine innings, the best on the team. Plus, he served up only two home runs, going 19 consecutive outings without giving up a homer, the longest streak by a Rockies reliever in 2020.
RHP Carlos Estevez
Colorado’s hardest-throwing reliever was excellent in 2019, making a career-high 71 appearances with a solid 3.75 ERA. But 2020 was a disaster: 7.50 ERA, 1.75 WHIP.
Estevez, however, revealed early in spring training that an injury messed up his 2020 season. The comebacker that smacked the back of his hand on Aug .16 affected him the rest of the season.
“I lost my slider and I was getting an impingement in my fingers ever y once in a while while I was throwing,” Estevez said. “I would throw three good pitches and then the next two I would have, like a shock down my fingers. It was pretty tough.”
RHP Jairo Diaz
A few things stand out. His ERA soared to 7.65, his walk rate spiked from 2.97 to 6.30, and righthanders hit .400 against him. A bout with COVID19 — he caught the virus in summer camp — sapped his strength and gave him a late start.
According to Black, Diaz’s mechanics were out of whack.
“He was trying to overcompensate and then he overthrew the ball when he wasn’t in the game shape he needed to be in,” Black said. “What we are doing now is trying to solidify his mechanics to make sure that everything is in order.”
RHP Mychal Givens
When the Rockies acquired Givens from Baltimore at the trade deadline, it looked like a sweet deal. After all, Givens had allowed only two runs in 13 innings for the Orioles and owned a 3.32 career ERA in six seasons in Baltimore.
But the first impression in Colorado was not good: a 6.75 ERA in 9 1/3 innings; two blown saves; and four home runs allowed. Black believes that was an aberration.
“Mychal’ s a very solid pro, and he’s had a very solid career,” he said. “Our expectation is that he will perform to his track record as a major league relief pitcher.”