The Rockies are starting off hot this summer and the bullpen is about to add some arms that could propel them to the promise land.
The Rockies bullpen began the year with injuries to key contributors like Adam Ottavino and Jason Motte, but both are set to return shortly.
Ottavino did not surrender a run last season in 10 appearances, but his season was cut short when he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Motte has not pitched a game in a Rockies uniform because of an injury. He, though, has been a power arm for many big market teams in the MLB over the last eight years.
“Jason Motte is a couple of relief appearances away from adding another power arm to that bullpen,” Jason Hirsh said on Mile High Sports Radio’s Sports Stampede last Saturday. “A guy who has gotten the last three outs of many ball games for some big clubs.”
Motte and Ottavino will add some veteran presence to the bullpen and could make it tough for teams to score runs in the later innings.
Not only do the Rockies have veteran talent, but they have showcased some rookie studs as well. Carlos Estevez is a young talent in the Rockies bullpen that can shut down big hitters at the tail end of games. Estevez is a large presence on the mound, standing at 6-foot-4. His fastball can reach speeds of 97 mph, and he has a nasty slider to keep hitters off balance.
“Estevez has definitely been a big surprise for a lot of Rockies fans, and I know the players in the clubhouse love this kid,” Hirsh said. “He is going out there and lighting up the radar gun in the upper 90s and he is shutting down the back end of ball games.”
It looks like the Rockies have found another chemical to add to the winning formula they have created so far this season.
Listen to the rest of the conversation as former Rockies pitcher Jason Hirsh joins the Sports Stampede.
Catch the Sports Stampede every Saturday from 8a-10a on Mile High Sports AM 1340 and FM 104.7, or stream live anytime for the best coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
