The Colorado Rockies bullpen is in desperate need of a makeover. The good news for Rockies fans is that it is going to get one.
Rated near or at the bottom of MLB in just about every category in 2024, the relief corp for the Rox has been a mixed bag of aging veterans and unproven rookies for a few years. Things got so messy last season that by the end of the year it was a pair of first-year players, Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen, who were tasked with closing ballgames.
Of the seven relievers who tossed over 45 innings a year ago, only three (Vodnik, Tyler Kinley, and Anthony Molina) are returning, leaving a lot of room for competition. And a lot of competition, there is.
Newly acquired veteran lefty Scott Alexander looks to figure into the late innings alongside Vodnik and Halvorsen. Kinley may start the season as closer. Molina and fellow youngsters Angel Chivilli and Luis Peralta aim to build on promising first looks. Jake Bird will try to get to the next level after back-to-back seasons of an ERA+ above the league average.
Naturally, though, after another 100-loss season, all eyes will be on the new names to usher in better times. We got a glimpse of Jaden Hill at the end of 2024 and he continues to be a dynamic piece to wonder upon with some monster strikeout numbers but he still needs to polish up his run prevention quite a bit.
Zach Agnos, meanwhile, might well have the highest potential of any of these players.
“He’s like the old closer with four pitches. He’s got a toolbag he can work with. Some days he’ll get some punchouts, some days it’s a couple ground balls or flyballs but they’re mishits,” Clint Hurlde recently told Mile High Sports of Agnos.
Quietly drafted in the 10th round of the 2022 draft, Agnos hasn’t garnered much hype. He isn’t a former top starter turned reliever (like Hill or Riley Pint) or a toolsy position player. He was never going to factor into a Top 100 list and you won’t even find him ranked in the Rockies Top 10 on various prospect lists.
You will, however, find him at the top of the pitching charts across two seasons of minor league baseball.
The righty out of East Carolina began his professional career with 52.1 IP at A-Ball, posting a 2.06 ERA with an eye-popping 11.69 K/9 to only 2.24 BB/9. He collected 27 saves (and three holds) blowing just two ballgames.
He began his sophomore campaign in High-A and moved to Double-A midway through the season, maintaining his fantastic numbers. The ERA somehow improved to a remarkable 1.38 across both levels where he threw an eerily consistent 52.1 innings. The strikeout rate dropped a bit but remained impressive at 10.83 per nine innings while his walk rate dropped down to 1.89 per nine.
History has shown us that the single best thing a Rockies pitcher can do to mitigate the extra damage by Coors Field is to limit the walks. In 104.2 innings of MiLB work, Agnos has walked just 24 batters while striking out 131.
Now 24 years old and facing big leaguers for the first time in Spring Training, Agnos has looked a little bit more human, managing a 3.86 ERA in a small sample size of 9.1 innings. Though his insistence on not offering free passes has persisted with just one allowed so far.
He’s surrendered three big flies which may rightly give pause in rushing him straight to the vast expanse at 20th and Blake. But in a less flashy way, Agnos is making a very similar case to starter Chase Dollander and outfielder Zac Veen.
The expected timelines for each of these three players would more commonly see them arrive during the course of the season after getting a taste of Triple-A. Not only is this the natural order of events, history has shown that getting used to the high altitudes (and high winds) of the PCL can be great training for the eventual tackling of Coors Field.
It might even be considered wise to wait a few months to start the clock on these guys.
Then again, there is wisdom in rewarding results with roster spots. There is wisdom in giving your potential future a full-season look at the best in the world when you’re not likely to compete anyway. There is wisdom in opening the door when this kind of talent is knocking from the other side.