I realize I didn't do a recap of last night's game primarily because of the non-event of losing another one on the road to a team we used to beat isn't particularly noteworthy. Jeff Francis ended up getting hit, yeah, but it wasn't that terrible a performance and he is a rookie so these games happen, Brad Hawpe hit a nice shot on the road showing again that whoever is running things better start pencilling him in everyday if they want better things for this club, Matt Holliday doubles and Cory Sullivan draws the only walk. Blah. BK almost imploded again but held out keeping the pen free of blemish particualry effective though was our latest Rule 5 find, Marcos Carvajal.
Marcos looked tough pitching for the Leones del Caracas over the winter.
Because of this, Carvajal gets the nod for the pregame discussion. Why? Because I'm beginning to wonder if we're putting an unfair cap on his ceiling. Before the season, prospect mavens were skeptical of his ability to stick with the Rockies because of 1) a lack of intensity (his focus and velocity would drop as he pitched into games) 2) his reliance on a single pitch (until he developed a slurve late last year he relied exclusively on his fastball) and 3) concerns of durability as he doesn't have the biggest frame. However, he now has two plus pitches that have shown they can get outs at the Major League level, but what if he were to develop a third? Already with the two being above average his potential moves to from powerful relief arm to dominant closer, but I'm looking at him and wondering, what if we can coax one or two more pitches out of him and he takes to them as well as he has his slurve pitch? And this is where I'm getting with the discussion, could Marcos Carvajal eventually move back into the rotation as a front line starter? He had endurance issues in the past which led to the comment from BA below, but he's also young enough that those could vanish as his frame finishes maturing.
Realize, BA also said, "Carvajal almost certainly will struggle in the majors this season, as his pitches and command still need a lot of refinement."
Today it's apparent that Carvajal isn't struggling with either command or pitch refinement and we begin the speculation of his future with the Rockies and where it ultimately leads to. Carvajal just turned twenty-one in April which leaves several years of further development possibilities. For another Rockies blog view as reference, check out Mark D's nice profile made earlier in the season.