The 2017 season has been a roller-coaster ride for the new look Colorado Rockies. A season brimming with optimism saw its hopes dashed early in the year with injuries to key players such as Chad Bettis, Ian Desmond, and Jon Gray. But the breakthrough success of rookies Antonio Senzatela, German Marquez, and Kyle Freeland, among others, has the surprising Rockies atop the National League West.
While the season has taken a few unexpected turns, that hasn’t stopped the Rockies from compiling a franchise-best 36-23 start.
Now, two months through the season the Rockies will need to make some adjustments in order to continue on their path of winning. So far, their biggest issue stems from their starting rotation. With the losses of Bettis and Gray early in the year, Colorado was forced to roll with the trio of rookies. That said, they have not been the source of the Rockies troubles.
The two Tylers, Anderson and Chatwood have been the root of the Rockies struggles this season among the starters. Both have experienced success at one point or another, but for the majority of the year the bad has outweighed the good.
The Rockies have been able to get by so far, but with the season progressing the club will need to begin to minimize their margin of error.
Just this weekend, the Rockies received the delightful news that Chad Bettis will return to the club on Tuesday after a successful round of chemotherapy to combat his cancer. In addition, the Rockies just placed Tyler Anderson on the 10-day disabled list and called up Jeff Hoffman, who has impressed in his last three starts at the Major League level.
With Anderson hurt, Hoffman surging, and Bettis on the road to return, the Rockies have some big decisions to make about the state of the rotation moving forward.
Anderson and Chatwood own a combined 5.23 ERA, which is a significant step down from the combined ERA of 3.85 owned by the rookies.
Anderson has managed to string together a few good starts, and Chatwood continues to hold steady on the road, but the inconsistency between the two may hurt Colorado’s chances at making the postseason.
Bettis and Hoffman may be better choices for the Rockies (once Bettis is healthy); however, the odds of the club rolling with four rookies and a pitcher who hasn’t pitched a single game all season seems highly unlikely. With that, the opportunity for a 6-man rotation comes into play. While this route certainly makes sense, it would leave one Tyler without a spot.
Regardless of how you slice it, sooner or later the Rockies will need to address their starting rotation. With the rookies holding down the fort, one of the Tylers may see his role shifted.
It’s not that the Tylers can’t get things figured out; it rather comes down to the fact that Bettis and Hoffman could give the Rockies a better chance to succeed in all facets.
Last year, Bettis was the anchor of the Rockies starting staff. With a record of 14-8, Bettis was easily Colorado’s best and most consistent pitcher, making his loss all that more impactful this season with the plethora of inexperienced youth the Rockies currently possess.
Bettis is a workhorse who has logged over 100 innings in each of the previous two seasons. While the rookies have held up so far, a natural dropoff is expected to come at one point or another. When that rough patch hits, the Rockies will need as much stability as possible, something Bettis can provide.
Hoffman, on the other hand, would make the Rockies’ already young rotation even younger. That said, the potential Hoffman brings to the table could help strengthen the Rockies rotation a great deal. Over the past month or so, Hoffman has split time between the major leagues and Triple-A Albuquerque.
In his last three starts for the Rockies, Hoffman is 3-0 with an ERA of 2.61 and 26 strikeouts. What’s most impressive is that all of the starts have come on somewhat short notice. Bouncing between clubs and levels makes Hoffman’s stretch all the more impressive. With each start, Hoffman has improved. He’s pitched deeper into games and has boosted his strikeout total over each start.
While Anderson and Chatwood certainly have the talent to start at the major league level, the Rockies currently possess two arms who could make the club’s goal of making the playoffs all the more realistic. There is certainly a role for the Tylers with the Rockies this season, but for the time being, Colorado will need to think long and hard about where the two stand moving forward with two powerful arms lying in wait.
