Ubaldo Jiménez last pitched for the Rockies nearly nine years ago and he took the mound for the first time on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. He pitched two innings, yielding one run on two hits with 21 pitches. His fastball hovered around 90 mph, according to Kyle Newman. Not bad for the 36-year-old righty. It’s been well-documented that Jiménez is attempting a comeback after not pitching since 2017, but man, it’s pretty cool to see him actually pitch again. He would be a great veteran presence in the rotation or out of the bullpen, but we’ll see how the rest of camp goes. Who knows, maybe he’ll throw another no-hitter in 2020.
Notes: Mujica shows potential; Jiménez returns | MLB.com
Speaking of pitchers, José Mujica is another name to keep an eye on this Spring. Mujica was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason after spending seven years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He has a career 3.26 ERA in 453 1⁄3 innings, but underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2018. In Triple-A Durham, before the surgery, he pitched a 2.70 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 36 2⁄3 innings. The Rockies currently have three locks in their rotation and open spots. Mujica has an outside shot of making it, but will likely start in Triple-A.
Rox elevate scout to new analytics role | MLB.com
In non-pitching news, the Rockies made changes in their scouting and analytics department. Specifically, they promoted a scout into their analytics department. Doug Brenier will be working with the Rockies’ research and development department to take some of the analytical study off the plate of the coaches so that they can spend more time with the players. The Rockies seem to be moving in a more analytics direction this year, between this and the addition of Steve Merriman. We’ll see if it pays off during the season!
Larry Walker bundle of nerves after touring Hall of Fame | The Denver Post ($)
In case you missed it, Larry Walker was elected to Cooperstown this year. On Tuesday he got to tour the Hall of Fame and take it all in, which also meant seeing Babe Ruth’s bat and, of course, making his first mark.
.@Cdnmooselips33 leaving his mark #HOF2020 @Rockies pic.twitter.com/qBjrhlfPFV
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) February 25, 2020
Walker, along with former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, will be formally inducted on July 26, 2020.