A Rockies Bullpen Recap - April 16th

As of April 16th, the Rockies bullpen ranks at the bottom in terms of ERA, reaching a near 6.00 just under the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins. Though Colorado ranks 4th in groundball rate, some would conclude that they’ve just been unlucky to start the season, but that’s unfortunately not the case. The Rockies’ pen has had issues getting strikeouts in the right spots, while also giving up an unacceptable amount of walks. They’ve nearly walked more batters than they’ve struck out at this point, for a starting rotation that’s bad, for a bullpen it’s even worse. There’s a number of young relievers in the bullpen, but it’s actually been the more experienced relievers having trouble finding their footing to start the season.

Daniel Bard sadly will be having surgery on his flexor tendon, likely leaving him unavailable for the season. Even though the situation was unlikely, it would’ve been nice to have him as an option for trade, or rather watch him continue his stellar comeback on the hardest team to pitch on. As fans we can only hope that he has enough gas to go another year or two after his recovery.

Justin Lawrence has had a surprisingly rough start to the season, contributing to the team’s high walk rate even at the closing role. As of recently, he’s begun to find his command again after getting a series-long break in Canada against the Blue Jays. Lawrence just has too good of stuff for it to not be effective, and it was still a good decision to choose him as our closer for this season.

Jalen Beeks, being the only lefty in Colorado’s bullpen, had a promising first couple outings for the Rockies, showing off his velocity and ability to attack hitters. Despite having some good numbers, what stays consistent with the rest of the team is the lack of strikeouts, as well as an abundance of walks. If Jalen can even this out, he could turn into the dominant reliever he was two years ago, and potentially become a trade chip or a lefty arm the Rockies look to lock down.

Jake Bird continues to show off his good stuff, though his numbers so far aren’t spectacular. The Rockies have faced multiple stacked lineups to start, even then, it’s shocking to see that Jake has only struck out 4 batters across 9.2 innings. His pitch mix, complemented by his wipeout slider should warrant a top strikeout percentage on this team, so it’s hopeful that he can turn things around.

Tyler Kinley has walked 8 batters across 7 innings, making him a main contributor toward the struggles of the Rockies’ pen. Also giving up 3 homers across 12 hits, nearly everything Tyler has thrown in 2024 hasn’t gone his way. Kinley is a veteran arm, and he posted a 0.75 ERA in his short season in 2022, so it’s unlikely that the Rockies’ front office will waive or designate him. But a stretch similar to 22’ would be required for him to bounce back and end the season with some solid numbers.

Though the Rockies’ Rule 5 draft pick, Anthony Molina, is off to a brutal start in the long relief role, the young guns have been stepping up on the mound and shutting down hitters in ways we’d expect our veteran arms to. Nick Mears and Victor Vodnik have been those young flamethrowers that Bud Black has looked to in clutch situations. Mears continues to replicate what he did in 2023, if not better, having a 2.35 ERA while forcing hitters to hit the ball on the ground over 70% of the time. The Rockies’ coaching staff has been confident putting him in during the 8th inning this year, typically right before Justin Lawrence comes in for a save attempt. Victor Vodnik was received by the Rockies in a trade with the Braves last year, getting him and another prospect arm for relief pitcher Pierce Johnson. So far in his first season on an Opening Day roster, Vodnik has remained scoreless through 12.1 innings. Even though he’s allowed 13 baserunners throughout those outings, he has successfully gotten out of jams and like Mears, has kept the ball on the ground most of the time. Vodnik has been a great pickup for the Rockies, having turned over a short term reliever for a guy who can make an impact in the bullpen for multiple years. 

The Rockies’ pitching staff has been predictably lackluster and undoubtedly hard to watch at times. But they’ve put some young guys together in both the bullpen and rotation that are contributing at a much higher level than most of our veterans. Things are pointing in the right direction in terms of future pitching at Coors Field, so keep an eye on our diamonds in the rough. Thank you all for reading this far, and for continuing to support our favorite ball club through this tough stretch!