With Rockies closer Jake McGee going on the 15-day DL, the Rockies will need to find a player to take on one of the most-important roles in baseball: closer.
McGee injured his knee on Friday night after giving up a three run shot to San Deigo Padres first baseman Will Myers. On Saturday he got an MRI which revealed inflammation in his left knee. With Adam Ottavino set to return around the All-Star break and rookie Carlos Estevez pitching well, will McGee’s job still be there for him when he returns?
“I suspect, ultimately, if Ottavino can come back and show us anything like what we saw early in 2015, the job will probably roll to him,” said Rockies insider and MLB scout Ed Henderson, who joined Weekend Drive with Sean Walsh on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7.
Ottavino only pitched in 10 games in 2015, but did not surrender a run. His season was cut short due to Tommy John surgery. His last full season was 2014 in which he had a 3.60 ERA, which is far better then McGee’s 4.98 ERA that he has so far this season. Although it will be another month before Ottavino will join the club, he is someone that the Rockies are eager to have in the bullpen.
“I tell you what, the way Carlos Estevez has been pitching recently it’s going to be hard to un-seed him,” said Henderson. “I think right now I feel very confident with him in the closer roll.”
Esteves recorded his first major league save on Saturday against the Padres. He has only given up one run in June and is starting to look like a bright young star for the tail end of the Rockies bullpen. This is not his first closing gig thus far in his career; he accumulated 24 saves between High-A, Double-A, and the Arizona Fall league. If he continues to pitch like this, he will hand Rockies manager Walt Weiss a very tough decision.
It’s hard to think that the Rockies are having trouble picking between three solid pitchers, because in the past it has been hard to even find one acceptable closer. But it is June and the Rockies are in third place, so maybe the winds are starting to change in the Rocky Mountain sky.
Listen to the rest of the conversation where Ed Henderson also talks about the Rockies draft and the new young pitcher Tyler Anderson.
Catch Weekend Drive with Sean Walsh every Saturday and Sunday from 2-4p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7, or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.