Bullpen and Freeland are worth watching late
It’s silver linings season for the Rockies. With their playoff dreams long gone — FanGraphs puts their chances of making the postseason at 0.1 percent — the Rockies are searching for building blocks for next season.
It’s an all-too-familiar refrain for a franchise that has not won a division title in its 27 seasons, but with 40 games left in the season, that’s where we’re at.
“We got some good young baseball players here, but it’s going to take some time,” all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado said before Monday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. “We are
going through that now, so we’ll see how this develops.”
With that in mind, here are five critical things to watch as the Rockies’ season heads into the final quarter: 1. Young arms in the bullpen. With closer Scott Oberg’s season officially ending Monday when he was placed on the 60-day disabled list because of a blood clot in his right arm, the Rockies are looking for a ninth-inning pitcher to close out the season.
Manager Bud Black said he’s not ready to anoint a closer for the rest of the season, but he
made it clear Monday that he’ll give young right-handers Jairo Diaz and Carlos Estevez a chance. Wade Davis, who lost his ninth-inning role to Oberg, will most likely be a seventh- or eighth-inning reliever.
The hard-throwing Diaz is worth watching. Although his overall ERA is 4.67, it was just 2.16 with a 1.08 ERA over his last seven appearances entering Monday.
2. Kyle Freeland’s reclamation. Freeland, who’s scheduled
to pitch Tuesday, has been the club’s biggest disappointment of the season (3-10, 7.09 ERA). And while his recent progress has been measured in baby steps, if the lefty can begin to resemble the 2018 version of himself, that would be huge.
3. Raimel Tapia’s rise.
I covered this topic last week, but Tapia could be one of those players who takes his game to the next level the more he plays. Rather than being exposed, he’s starting to blossom. Since the all-star break, he’s hitting .347, and his leaping catch against the centerfield wall Saturday night to rob the Miami Marlins’ Lewis Brinson of a home run illustrated Tapia’s potential and athleticism.
I admit I’ve been a skeptic of Tapia’s overall game, but he’s starting to win me over.
4. Catcher Dom Nuñez’s development. Veteran Chris
Iannetta was cut loose, in part, because the Rockies want to get a look at Nuñez, 24, who was originally drafted as an infielder in 2013. I don’t know if Nuñez is good enough to be Tony Wolters’ primary backup next season or if the Rockies will have to search for a veteran in the offseason, but the next six weeks will provide a better idea.
5. Veterans’ trade worth.
In my opinion, during the coming offseason, the Rockies need to aggressively shop veteran relievers Bryan Shaw ($9 million in 2020) and Davis ($17 million), along with outfielder Ian Desmond ($15 million) and first baseman Daniel Murphy ($8 million, plus $6 million buyout in 2021). Whether there will be any takers could well depend on their performance down the stretch.
Pitching pickup.
The Rockies claimed right-handed reliever Wes Parsons off waivers from the Atlanta Braves, who designated him for assignment over the weekend. Parsons, 26, was assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque. He takes the place of Oberg on the 40-man roster.
According to Black, Parsons throws a fastball, slider and changeup. The right-hander posted a decent 3.52 ERA in 17 games with the Braves this season. However, he gave away far too many free passes, walking 13 batters in just 15L innings.
Springtime.
The 2020 Cactus League scheduled was released Monday. Colorado opens the spring training season hosting the D-backs on Feb. 22 at Salt River Fields. The Rockies conclude spring training by hosting Seattle on March 24. Their regular season opens March 26 at San Diego.