Purple Row Rockies Madness: No. 1 Ubaldo Jiménez vs. No. 5 Jon Gray

Due to the cancellation of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, Purple Row is hosting our own Rockies Madness Tournament this year. We selected the 36 best players in Rockies history to determine the best player in franchise history. We sorted them into four regions to force the most interesting matchups: Infielders, Outfielders, Mile High (for relievers and starting pitchers who began their career before the humidor), and Humidor (for starters who began their career after the humidor). All stats are from Baseball Reference.

Today is the Sweet 16 matchup in the Infielder Region: No. 1 Ubaldo Jiménez vs. No. 5 Jon Gray.

Ubaldo Jiménez, Starting Pitcher

2006-2011, 2020

Awards

• All-Star (2010)
• 3^rd place NL Cy Young (2010)

Notes

• Ubaldo pitched the Rockies’ first no-hitter on April 17, 2010 against the Atlanta Braves. The Rockies won 4-0.
• Jiménez was selected to start the All-Star Game for the National League in 2010, ahead of Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, and Adam Wainwright. He is the only Rockies pitcher to start an All-Star Game.
• His third place finish in the 2010 Cy Young is the highest a Rockies pitcher has ever placed in the award.
• Jiménez was attempting a comeback with the Rockies after being out of baseball since 2017, until the season got postponed.

No. 5 Jon Gray, Starting Pitcher

2015-present

Awards

• Top 10 Rookie of the Year (2016-6th)

Notes

• Gray was drafted third overall in the 2013 draft. That draft also included Ryan McMahon, Dom Nuñez, Pat Valaika, and Mike Tauchman.
• Jon is of Cherokee descent and is a member of the Cherokee Nation.
• The Gray Wolf struck out 16 Padres on September 17, 2016 — both a franchise record and a Coors Field record.
• In his free time, Jon Gray enjoys ghost hunting.

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