When the Colorado Rockies announced that 22-year-old Antonio Senzatela made the cut for the team’s starting rotation out of Spring Training, not a lot was known about what he could bring to the table for a rotation that was already flooded with youth.
Well, two starts into his rookie season and Senzatela has been arguably the sharpest pitcher on the Rockies staff, which has left an impressive mark in the eyes of many within the organization. Senzatela has compiled an ERA of 1.50, while allowing just seven hits to start his Major League career.
“[He] should be 2-0, really,” relief pitcher Adam Ottavino said. “He knows what he’s doing out there. For a guy who has not pitched that much in the high minors, missed all of last year mostly, he’s doing a great job. He goes right at guys and has great stuff. You can tell that he’s confident, so it’s fun to watch.”
What’s most impressive about Senzatela’s game is his poise and composure on the mound regardless of the situation. Whether it’s the start of the inning or nobody out with the bases juiced, Senzatela knows how to keep his cool, a skill that usually takes many pitchers years to establish.
“We’ve seen that from him through spring training, and that’s been the word from our player development staff,” Black said of Senzatela’s pitching mentality. “He’s got a good heartbeat, his pulse is good, competes. We’re not worried about what happens in between the lines for the most part, as far as the emotions. He gets that part. Now there are some things we need to clean up on the form on the pitching side, continue to work on a few things. But he’s focused, and he’s always in a pretty good space as far as game awareness.”
What allows Senzatela to have so much confidence on the mound is his fastball. Senzatela has excellent control of his heater, his go-to pitch in an arsenal that consists of just two fully developed pitches. Known for its late life, Senzatela’s fastball is his bread and butter.
“He seems like he’s been in the league for a long time,” Rockies catcher Tony Wolters said. “He has so much confidence in his stuff. He just knows what he’s doing out there, he has a lot of awareness. … It (fastball) has a little bit of cut to it, it does different things randomly. It just has major life. He executed his pitches, he was lights out. He really believed in his stuff, everyone does believe in his stuff. He did a really good job.”
The poise Senzatela demonstrates on the mound is that of a seasoned veteran, which has some of the pitchers in Colorado’s bullpen impressed.
“It was very impressive,” closer Greg Holland said. “He seems like he’s a lot older than he actually is when it comes to maturity level.”
“He’s full of confidence right now,” Scott Oberg said. “He’s throwing the ball great, he’s got that big fastball. He was hitting 96, on his like 93rd pitch of the day. He’s a big, strong kid, He’s just going out, trusting what he does and he’s going out and attacking hitters” The Rockies bullpen is buzzing
Senzatela still has a lot of work to do in order to reach his full potential; however, it seems like he has the mental toughness it takes not only to succeed in the big leagues but at Coors Field.
The Rockies clubhouse is buzzing about Senzatela, and rightfully so. This kid has the mindset and presence to be a top of the line starter for the Rockies in the near future.
