Adam Ottavino’s All-Star slight underscores a Rockies pitching perception | The Athletic ($)
When the 2018 All-Star Game rosters were announced on Sunday, the most glaring omissions for the Rockies were pitchers Kyle Freeland and Adam Ottavino. With a 1.79 ERA and 2.06 FIP through 40 1/3 innings, Ottavino has had a year comparable to any of the other relievers selected for the National League. After finding out he didn’t make the team in a one-on-one conversation with Manager Bud Black, Ottavino had an inkling as to why he was left off the roster. “It’s because I’m on the Rockies,” Ottavino said. For all the flack that Rockies’ hitters get from the national media for playing their games at the offense-inflated confines of Coors Field, Ottavino is of a mind that the team’s pitchers don’t get the credit that they would logically deserve for the same reason.
While Greg Holland made the All-Star team in 2017, the previous Rockies’ pitcher to do so was Ubaldo Jimenez in 2010. If an injury or some other unforeseen circumstances occur, as they often do, one would think Ottavino would surely be next in line to take a roster spot for the National League. In the meantime, Ottavino is focused on pitching to the best of his ability and helping the Rockies make a postseason run.
On Jon Gray and the use of “luck” factors | Beyond the Box Score
Much debate has arisen over Jon Gray’s 2018 performance. Bottom line results that leave much to be desired have been accompanied by peripherals that leave much to be inspired. Luis Torres of Beyond the Box Score doesn’t really explore Gray’s season, but instead focuses on why ERA estimators like FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and DRA (Deserved Run Average) might be skewed. “A major league quality pitcher can suffer from the aforementioned stats being high due to bad luck,” writes Torres. “A terrible pitcher who has no business being in the major leagues will also suffer from those stats being high, but it will have little to nothing to do with luck.” Torres is careful to note that this is not necessarily true of Gray, but that is can help explain why such “luck” factors do not align with ERA on occasion.
BSN Rockies Podcast: It’s raining good baseball in Seattle | BSN Denver
In the latest episode of the BSN Rockies podcast, Drew Creasman recaps the excellent pitching performances from the Rockies’ series win against the Mariners in Seattle. On offense, Creasman focuses on the improved performance of Pat Valaika (.364/.417/.636 slash since his latest call-up, albeit in a meager 12 plate appearances), and discusses the season of Gerardo Parra, who is hitting .300, but also producing a 0.0 fWAR, rekindling the traditional versus advanced statistics debate.
Colorado Rockies: Jordan Patterson focused on more than just numbers | Rox Pile
Jordan Patterson (PuRP No. 14) is back in the big leagues. There’s very little guarantee that he will stick around for an extended period, but Patterson says he is enjoying every minute of his life at the game’s highest level. Patterson spoke to Kevin Henry of Rox Pile about trying to bring a positive attitude to the clubhouse in Triple-A regardless of if he is performing well or not. In Patterson’s case, every stop in the minor leagues has produced solid to excellent results on the field, including 2018- he is slashing .265/.373/.549 with 19 home runs for the Albuquerque Isotopes.