I'm all-in on Jon Gray

Welcome to the 16th Purple Row edition (and 121st overall) of Tuesdays With Mitch, where Gray Day has finally arrived. Let's get into it...

I went on a mini-vacation from Friday afternoon through Monday night. Having a real job to work at on Tuesday morning means the time allotted to my weekly blogging duties was extremely limited this week. I'm sure you're all devastated and I sincerely apologize for doing fun things on summer weekends.

Anyway, I did find some time to share a couple brief thoughts on the debut of Jon Gray tonight.

THE SAVIOR OF THE COLORADO ROCKIES HAS ARRIVED! Woooooo! JON GRAY IS HERE! HE'S AN ACE! HE'S A STUD! HE'S OURS! THE ROCKIES WILL SOON BE A GOOD BASEBALL TEAM AGAIN BECAUSE OF HIM!

Okay, that might be a little much. But seriously, I'm all-in, folks.

Look, I understand that this kind of outlook might not be the most measured or reasonable approach to a rookie's first big league action. But being a Rockies fan is rough right now. Really rough. Troy Tulowitzki is gone. Carlos Gonzalez should be soon. The trade deadline was... perplexing. Last place is here to stay. Eddie Butler, the prospect often linked to Gray throughout their time in the minors, is falling apart at the big league level. Injuries are everywhere. Things are awful right now.

But Jon Gray represents a little bit of hope. He will strike somebody out on a nasty slider or a mid-90s fastball and we'll all be able to think What if? What if this guy develops into a true ace? What if this guy has the ability to record 200  strikeouts per year? What if tonight's start represents a turning point for the entire Rockies organization?

I haven't been home since 6 a.m. on Friday and I'm exhausted and I'm probably still a little hungover and I'm still going straight from work to scalp a ticket to tonight's game. I've been waiting to watch this guy pitch since he was selected with the 3rd overall pick two years ago.

I don't know if Jon Gray will succeed tonight or in any of his other starts this year. Yes, he will struggle at times. And yes, it would be wise to not invest too much into any single performance. But at least he gives us something. Every fifth day we will have a reason to clear our schedules and watch the Rockies, just to see what Jon Gray does.

Tonight is the night that anticipation transitions into reality. And that is finally something to be excited about.

Now we proceed to the weekly departments...