Colorado Rockies Must Overcome Another Injury with Jon Gray Heading to DL | RoxPile
Kevin Henry details some of the early injury struggles the Rockies have had so far. Henry notes that the Colorado Rockies have managed to do well in the early days of the 2017 season despite the injuries, the lack of early season off days, and two tough series against their main NL West rivals, the Dodgers and the Giants.
I think the perspective that Henry discusses is worth keeping in mind. The offense hasn’t found its groove and the starting pitching has been a little erratic, but the Rockies still have a winning record to show for it. Sure it’s a small sample size and all that, but it’s better to go through all that and have a winning record than a losing one. Also, though Chad Bettis, Tom Murphy, David Dahl and Ian Desmond’s losses severely hurt the Rockies depth, they were also players that were wild cards in terms of 2017 performance. Losing Gray still hurts though, but at least he’ll be back pretty soon. Other teams have fared through much worse and still made the playoffs.
Former Dirtbag Shane Carle Makes MLB Debut with Colorado Rockies | Long Beach Local News
Before Shane Carle joined the Colorado Rockies organization, he pitched for Long Beach State in 2013, when he was the team’s best pitcher. Subsequently, he was chosen in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. It was the same draft that the Rockies picked Jon Gray in the first round. On Friday, Carle replaced Gray on the roster and he made his major league debut later on that night.
Carle doesn’t come with quite the prospect hype that other young rookie Rockies pitchers have had. Yet, it’s worth remembering that even the 25th guy on the roster is among the best athletes on the planet at baseball, and that they also had to work very hard for a very long time just to get their own major league cup of coffee. I can appreciate that.
How the Rockies rebuilt baseball’s worst bullpen into one of the best | Denver Post
Nick Groke writes about the courtship of Greg Holland and Mike Dunn. The article discusses how Rockies coaches were influential in signing both relievers and what appealed to them about pitching for a team (and altitude) that pitchers sometimes shy away from.
Yard Goats' Homeless Year Was Trying Time For Rockies Organization | Hartford Courant
Zach Wilson, the senior director of player development for the Rockies, talks with reporter John Altavilla about some of the difficulties the Rockies had while the Yard Goats spent the entirety of the 2016 season on the road. Wilson is thrilled with the amenities of Dunkin’ Donuts park, believing it affects a team’s performance, and lauds the Yard Goats’ coaches for the 2016 performance. For the players, he sends a message of encouragement while reminding them that the closer they get to the major leagues, the more eyes will be on them.