If I was writing about this in March or April, you might call me crazy. It’s June, however, and Kyle Newman is not wrong with his assertion that the Rockies need rotation help if they plan on playing October baseball. The struggles of Kyle Freeland are well documented, while German Márquez and Jon Gray have been inconsistent at best. That trio was supposed to be our top three starting pitchers going into 2019, but it’s not so clear anymore.
Newman suggests five pitchers the Rockies should target before the trade deadline: Matthew Boyd, Marcus Stroman, Luis Castillo, Marco Gonzales, and Trevor Bauer. I’m on board with the first three, but, like he mentions, Castillo will probably cost too much due to his controlability and high ceiling.
Like many, if there were one name on this list I’d want the Rockies to pursue, it would be Stroman. Marcus has a 60% groundball rate for his career, which would play very well at Coors Field, and he sits at about league average with a 18.4 K% and 7.6 BB%. Even better, he has an above-average 0.8 HR/9 rate for his career. Sounds great for 21st and Blake!
The Rockies-Padres Series at Coors Field Was Bonkers in the Best Way Possible | Sports Illustrated
The Rockies’ recent series against the Padres has garnered a bit of attention for it’s offensive output—setting a single-series record for collective runs scored with 92 in four games—and now the national media is joining in the fun. In a segment titled “Nine Innings,” SI’s “weekly look at what’s fun, cool and somewhat stupid around the league,” Jon Tayler explores the various details, trivia, and fun facts from the wild weekend.
While we as Rockies fans suffered heart palpitations and stress-induced panic attacks, it was the kind of baseball that most neutral parties would consider extremely entertaining. Tayler even asserts it was “the best series of the year, bar none.” He goes on to say Coors is “a zero-gravity rollercoaster that may turn games into vaguely baseball-adjacent mush,” but I’ll choose to forgive his blasphemy—this time.
Colorado Rockies make another bullpen statement with DFA of Mike Dunn | Rox Pile
News broke prior to yesterday’s game against the D-Backs that the Rockies designated veteran left-hander Mike Dunn for assignment following a disastrous season (or three) with the team. Kevin Henry has the details of the move, it’s affect on the current roster, and what it means for the team—and bullpen—moving forward.
It’s interesting to see how the Rockies are handling their struggling relievers so far this year. Dunn now follows in the footsteps of Chris Rusin, who was also designated just earlier this month. It seems there is a much shorter leash than years past, so Seunghwan Oh and Wade Davis might want to take note.
Teen phenom leads updated Top 100 list | MLB.com
In the latest Top 100 prospects list from MLB Pipeline and Jonathan Mayo, Brendan Rodgers finds himself all the way up at number six overall. In more positive farm news, two Rockies prospects are highlighted by Mayo as “Risers,” as Colton Welker jumps from 75 to 58 and Ryan Rolison leaps all the way from 92 to 70. It’s a good start, but will we see any more Rockies prospects make the jump into the top 100 this season?
On the farm
Eddy Diaz continued the hot start to his rookie level season with Grand Junction and went 3-for-5 against the Vibes with a double, triple, and his third stolen base. It’s only five games, but Eddy is slashing .320/.320/.600 and five of his eight hits have gone for extra bases.
In other affiliate news, Casey Golden of the JetHawks won the California League Home Run Derby. Casey has always had a lot of pop in his bat—hitting 20 bombs in 54 games in 2017, and 34 bombs in 124 games last year—and it was on full display yesterday. His slugging percentage is actually down this year for Lancaster, and he has just nine home runs in 44 games so far, but he continues to produce in the hitter-friendly confines of the Hangar.
Triple-A: New Orleans Baby Cakes 10, Albuquerque Isotopes 6 | MiLB.com
Double-A: Bowie Baysox 2, Hartford Yard Goats 0 | MiLB.com
Short Season-A: Boise Hawks 7, Everett AquaSox 2 | MiLB.com
Rookie: Rocky Mountain Vibes 7, Grand Junction Rockies 5 | MiLB.com