With the Troy Tulowitzki trade almost three weeks in the past, most Rockies fans are still mixed with emotions about the whole thing. While it’s nice to see Tulo enjoying winning with his new team, it’s hard to embrace Jose Reyes, whose longterm future with the team has not been discussed publicly by management, and the pitching prospects received in return for Tulo are laboring away in the minor leagues, out of sight and somewhat out of mind. It’s a process that will continue into the offseason and potentially for several years to come.
The fact that the Toronto Blue Jays have lost just one game since Tulowitzki arrived and they seem destined to make the playoffs for the first time in 21 years doesn’t help, except for those who are glad to see Tulo finally playing for an organization committed to going “all in” to win.
Reyes has been average since arriving, batting .209 with nine hits and three RBI in 10 games. An article Monday in the New York Post shed some light on his mental state, as well. In it, Reyes expresses his disappointment about being traded out of a pennant race, telling the Post, “I’m at the point in my career, I want to compete. I want to win.” Rockies fans share the sentiment.
The substance of the trade, however, hinges on three young pitchers (Jeff Hoffman, Jesus Tinoco and Miguel Castro), who hopefully will be part of a new generation of Rockies who prove that pitchers can be successful in the high altitude at Coors Field.
Since the trade, each of the pitchers acquired by the Rockies have had minor league appearances and signs are very promising.
The 22-year-old starter Hoffman debuted with the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats. It was a short one, giving up three runs (two homeruns) on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. However, this past Friday Hoffman showed everyone why he is regarded as one of the best MLB prospects in the minors. In his second start, Hoffman pitched five scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out five (all swinging strikeouts), walking three and hitting one batter. As Hoffman continues to move further away from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined his college career in 2014, it’s becoming more clear that his stuff is as advertised and he could be a top-of-the-rotation guy for the Rockies.
Tinoco, a 20-year-old starting pitcher, has two starts under his belt for the Asheville Tourists in Single-A. Tinoco’s debut start was one to remember, pitching six scoreless innings, giving up four hits, no walks and seven strikeouts. The young Venezuelan backed up his debut performance this past Friday with another strong performance, this time allowing two runs on six hits over five innings.
20-year-old Dominican relief pitcher Castro has been performing well too for the Albuquerque Isotopes in Triple-A, allowing two hits and one earned run in three innings of relief. Castro is definitely the closest to being Major League ready, having started the season with Toronto as their closer before being demoted to Triple-A.
All three right-handed pitchers have shown early promise, but the sample size is very small. Realistically speaking, it will take a few years, perhaps closer to the end of 2017 or into 2018, to see if the Rockies got the long or short end of the Tulo trade.
Sammy Mugharbil, a Mile high Sports intern and student at MSU-Denver contributed to this report
