The old get old, and the young get stronger is a motto the Colorado Rockies have played against for a majority of their existence. For years, the Rockies Achilles heel has been their pitching staff. In past seasons the staff has consisted of the middle of the line arms, mixed with ailing veterans, who Colorado has hoped would revive their career while pitching in the Mile High City.
2017 is a different season for Colorado. This past offseason, Rockies ownership and general manager Jeff Bridich stepped up to the plate to evolve the Rockies from the National League’s laughingstock to a postseason force. The additions of Greg Holland and Mike Dunn have been great for the Rockies pitching unit, but their starting rotation is what has the Rockies boiling with optimism.
With an average age of 24.2, Colorado owns the youngest pitching staff in the National League. The rotation has held the fort this season which has driven the Rockies to a Major League-best 14-6 record.
Young rotations tend to take time to develop, and while the Rockies staff is nowhere near fully evolved, they are exceeding expectations despite having lost two critical arms in Jon Gray (foot) and Chad Bettis (cancer). That said, Tyler Chatwood, Tyler Anderson, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland have done a superb job at holding things steady despite the adversity thrown their way.
While many teams would prefer to have a strong, experienced rotation, skipper Bud Black loves the youthful starting bunch he’s working with.
“I love it,” Black said. “I think it’s great. I’m excited for them. I like young players. I like young pitchers. I like these guys because, man, I’ve said it before: They don’t scare off. Their intent is to set the tone, pitch aggressively with the fastball, throwing strikes. They’re all a little different.”
The most impressive part of Colorado’s rotation has been the opponents they have beat. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals have all fallen to the Rockies staff this season.
“These guys want to pitch,” Black said. “It doesn’t matter who the hitter is, whether it’s the biggest names in the game. I saw it in Spring Training, how they went about and their intent to make our team and perform. There’s going to be some growing pains with these fellas, but we are not worried about that. These guys are hopefully going to grow up fast.”
Black is right, the starters have grown up quickly. Their combined ERA of 4.19 and .255 opposing batting average are impressive marks for a group whose oldest starting arm is 27-years-old.
Not many,” Black said of any growing pains he’s seen. “I think these guys are going to be quick learners.”
The Rockies starters have held steady so far and will need to continue to do so if Colorado wants to earn a spot in baseball’s coveted postseason. For now, though, the Rockies are sitting in a good place both for this season and beyond.